The Path To Freedom

The Path To Freedom
by Deana Tareshawty

As our nation prepares to celebrate the 4^th of July, marking our independence from tyranny, I thought about the state of my own personal freedom. So much is happening in the world today that targets the removal of my personal liberty and freedom. Everyday new assaults to our freedom arise. We have lab-created viruses unleashed to remove sovereignty over our health. Our freedom of speech is censored. Mandates, digital currency, digital ID’s, human rights violations, the climate crisis, and so much more are heaped upon us to control and enslave us.

We are being softly indoctrinated into accepting the lifestyle of tyranny. This social planning through more laws, rules, and mandates, are disguised as helpful and necessary. Yet, these things are aimed at breaking the human spirit to the point where we are restrained from acting and we stop thinking for ourselves.

If I didn’t have a Guru and the methods offered in Nityananda Shaktipat Yoga, I would be living in complete fear, fully allowing such restrictions to become part of my existence here.

What Is Freedom?

Yet, there is one freedom the government can’t touch, the freedom that dwells within me. The freedom from the burden of a worldly life and all its restlessness.

Kedarji has shared in recent programs, “if you don’t know who you are, you will become what others want you to be.” He followed that with the definition of freedom. Freedom is the complete absorption in the bliss of the Self, the bliss of the Absolute.

Muktananda Paramahamsa has shared, “the difference between a spiritual being and a politician is this: a politician says, “bondage is external – break it and then you will obtain the joy of freedom.” But the knower of the Truth says, “Oh my friend, bondage is not outside, but within you.” No matter how much you try to break your outer fetters, your bondage will only increase. Therefore, you must go where there is supreme freedom – to the inner Self of the heart.”

The sages and saints of our lineage all share that to end suffering and attain happiness, one must have knowledge of the Self, which is the true source of Joy. This is the true freedom that no one can take away from you. Freedom is a lifestyle. The freedom that comes with knowing who you really are is dangerous to a politician and those who wish to enslave us. When you remove fear from your heart and mind, when you dwell in the bliss of the Self, they can hold no power over you. This inner freedom can be cultivated using the methods in Kedarji’s 4 pillars of joy in daily living.

Become Fearless With The Spiritual Power

The framers of our constitution, along with some of the great leaders of the world, such as Mahatma Ghandi, Nelson Mandela, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had the courage to stand for freedom and liberty and shared the trait of fearlessness. These beings were able to achieve a state of fearlessness by having an understanding and respect for the idea that a power much greater than us governs our existence here. This is evident in how they went about instituting and advocating for freedom and liberty that is founded in Human Dignity and Equality Consciousness. They understood that our freedoms and rights come from God, not government. They understood that freedom can be found in Supreme Love that is without distinctions.

Here in Nityananda Shaktipat Yoga, we hold this same understanding. A power much greater than us, the Spiritual Power, that is the energy substratum of everything, governs our existence here. This power threads through everything and is who we really are.

When we take measures to harness this power, through chanting and meditation on the Self, we gain the kind of Self-knowledge that enables us to see past labels and distinctions that create a state of fear and the mindset of hate. In this place, true freedom can blossom, as this is the place where fear cannot reside. Therefore, to begin to live a lifestyle that supports inner freedom, one must hold the understanding that God alone exists.

Supreme Freedom Is in A Quiet Mind
and Emotional Resilience

In our 2^nd pillar of Joy in Daily living, Improved Mental State, we are offered methods to go to the place of supreme freedom that is beyond the mind and the senses.

Most people live with a restless, agitated mind. In a mind filled with thoughts, worry, fear, and doubt, it’s impossible to experience peace and joy. In this place of restlessness, we get wrapped up in words and thoughts and allow them to hold power over us, thus impacting how we feel.

To improve our mental state, we are offered instruction in Witness Consciousness Centering to address the restless mind, to make it quiet and, over time, with the experience of the mind dissolving, we can have the immediate and direct experience of Joy. That joy is always there inside us. The restlessness of the mind conceals it.

In Witness Consciousness centering we are offered methods to go beyond the mind and the senses to the witness to the mind, the indweller. In this way, we are able to watch where the mind likes to wander, to observe the restlessness of the mind in order to begin to reign it in. This is done to improve our mental state.

Additionally, practicing witness consciousness is a means to stop thoughts and words from forming in the mind to have the immediate experience of peace. Freedom begins here in the mind.

What we expose ourselves to has a profound impact on our ability to live in Joy. Constant dwelling in media fear-mongering is not useful and sets us on a path to embracing understandings that support more of the same.

Kedarji shares, “What if the understandings you embrace to navigate through your life were based on your direct experience of inner peace, that sacred space beyond the mind and the senses, that embodies Joy, Happiness, and the Inner Strength necessary to take on life’s challenges?”

In the 3^rd pillar of Joy in Daily living, Emotional Resilience, we are offered methods to rise above emotional slavery.

Understandings dictate feelings. Understandings are the parent of all emotion. When we want to change the way we feel about something, we need to change our understanding of it first.

The Arc

To do this, we are offered the principle and practice of The Arc, which states: Understandings dictate feelings, how we feel determines how we vibrate, and how we vibrate determines who and what we attract into our lives.

The point of becoming emotionally resilient never to be moved from that state of inner peace. No matter what we experience, it is important to remain fully present in the moment with the Self and not be moved by the swing of emotions. From this place, we can express the proper emotion for the situation, let it move through us, and then let it go. In this way, there is no attachment to the emotion, no ruminating over the emotion.

For example, during the Covid pandemic, I received around 50 or so emails per day, from organizations and companies. These people were peddling their products, playing on my fears of disease, death, shortages, and the apocalypse. When scrolling through Facebook, my stream was filled with ads of the same content. These ads and emails were all centered around engaging my insecurities hoping to make a sale. Everything was centered around gaining control over my emotions to influence my thoughts and actions.

I admit there were times I fell prey to these scare tactics. Due to my karmic tendencies, I was easily swayed and triggered by emotions and thoughts that there would not be enough, and I must hoard. I went on a mission to become a prepper.

In this fear driven state, I misunderstood the messages Kedarji was sharing with us. I took them to mean I needed to prep for the apocalypse. Fear, by way of my restless mind, and the understandings I held around what was taking place, led me to miss the message he shared of prepping my inner state by becoming established in Joy, and by knowing who I really am. If I did that, any need I had would be taken care of, including my mundane needs. Fear and wrong understandings were overriding my ability to be present with my Self, to live in a state of freedom.

So, I found myself purchasing medical supplies and herbs by the truck loads. I bought seeds, a green house, soil rejuvenating supplies, grow lamps, and more. I bought water purification systems. I had enough toilet paper to supply the whole state of Ohio stacked in my garage. The more I watched the news media, the more I held thoughts of doom and gloom. The more I let my mind frequent this place of fear, the more fearful I became.

I truly held the understanding that our world was going to become something like what you see in a Mad Max movie.

True Freedom and Independence

Seeing our world on the brink of a bird flu plandemic is causing me to recall all those old thoughts and feelings. As concerning as these attacks on our freedom may be, this time around I am choosing the freedom of the bliss of the Self.

From contemplating my personal liberty, I am observing and understanding that embracing freedom is a lifestyle choice. What is helping me rise above my habit of reaching for fear is the act of changing my understandings and reaching for Witness Consciousness to observe my mental state. Taking time to meditate and chant to secure my peace is critical. With a quiet mind I am more inspired from within as to what steps to take to preserve my freedom.

In doing this, fear is being replaced with interest in preserving my liberty. Being interested in what my government is doing allows me to respond appropriately and take the necessary action to uphold freedom on all levels. Activities such as engaging my elected officials, supporting bills to keep liberty in place and keeping myself well informed in what is taking place in my state and country is making a difference in my mental state and emotional resilience.

Instead of arguing with people over politics and polices, I am working on talking to people to understand why they feel the way they do. In this, I am working on staying in the space of non-judgment and Love without distinctions. In doing this, I am observing that these are much better choices than to remain paralyzed in fear, reaching for thoughts and feelings that would keep me enslaved and thinking that other people are the enemy and the problem with the world.

 There is a popular quote from American author Edward Everett Hale that is often shared as a call to action among sports coaches and inspirational speakers. I am sharing it in a similar context, asking you to take action to secure your inner freedom.

He said, “I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something.” That something is to take the wisdom of the sages of our lineage and attain freedom and the courage to love. That something is to go where there is supreme freedom – to the inner Self of the Heart.

Deana Tareshawty performs her selfless service as Vice President of our public charity, The Bhakta School, in addition to serving as a program leader and harmonium player. She also serves on our Board of Directors. Additionally, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and a double minor in Biology and Chemistry. She is a certified Ecology of Well-Being practitioner and the owner of Inspired Wholeness. She is also a trained Reiki Master in Usui Reiki.