On Freedom and Bondage

The decision
to separate
from ONENESS

is what gave
birth to the
individual.
(BIRTH, davidWELLENS at Spiritual Networks)


It all started with the greatest story ever told, the Story of Adam and Eve:

Of all the animals God created, the serpent was the most tricky and deceitful. He came to Eve and asked, "Really? None of the fruit in the garden? God says you must not eat any of it?" "Of course we can eat it," Eve replied. "It's only the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that we cannot eat. God says we mustn't eat it or even touch it, or we will die."
"That's a lie!" said the serpent. "You won't die! God knows very well that when you eat it you will become like Him - you will know good from evil!" Eve looked at the fruit on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and saw that it looked fresh and delicious. She thought the fruit would make her wise like the serpent said it would. Eve was convinced! She picked the fruit and ate it, and she gave some to Adam to eat, too.

The fruit did not make Adam and Eve very wise, but they did realize for the first time that they were not wearing any clothes! They were embarrassed and made themselves skirts of fig leaves. (Genesis)


The greatest story ever told is what it is. From that day on the innocence of just following subconscious programming (the biological version) or being connected to GOD's ever-present VOICE (the religious version) was gone. We started making up our own version of reality and have to re-discover our innocence as well as our GOD CONNECTION. David Wellens rightly reminds us that the birth of the psychological ego was the temporary death of ONENESS. Yet, as sly, cunning and deceiving the snake turned out to be in Genesis, there is no telling whether it in fact was evil as well. Maybe the snake was just an agent of change that launched us on the predestined journey out of our subconscious to become a conscious participant in GOD's creation.


It has been known for a long time how this story eventually ends, in the conscious realization that we are part of GOD's KINGDOM. Moses had the "I AM THAT I AM" experience when he discovered the burning bush. GOD only knows how we can reach this holy state of ONENESS. What we can do until then though, we can de-hypnotize ourselves by waking up to the KINGDOM that exists beyond this world. Life does that for us in fact: the disappointments, the wrong choices, the love, the meaning and passion. Everything we do is geared to get us to the "I AMTHAT I AM" moment. It is not that obvious what is useful or not to get to this state.

To give just one example, we rightly associate alcohol as bondage and a hindrance from setting ourselves free. Yet, alcohol was exactly the method 20th century philosopher Gurdjieff used to get his disciples so drunk that they revealed something about their subconscious nature. It is the intention that matters. If the desire is to return HOME is pure, many paths suddenly open up.


What is for sure though, every scheming, every seducing, every trickery binds us and takes away our spiritual freedom. Writes A Course in Miracles, "Brother, take not one step in the descent to hell. For having taken one, you will not recognize the rest for what they are. And they will follow." Being a bit naive is fine, making mistakes is quite alright, being unable to withstand the occasional temptations will be forgiven, but consciously walking in the wrong direction is truly harmful and requires a lot of will power and many friends who lend a helping hand to turn the ship around.

Life wakes us up, evil puts us to sleep; it is that simple. No wonder that "live" is evil spelt backwards. Jesus says, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again." So live your life to the best of your ability, mind the snake, and drink the water the LORD serves you daily. First ONENESS will appear in glimpses, but with every sip from the blessed well, ONENESS will become the norm and you will finally be HOME again.