Freedom

For me, the word is Freedom. That is my Talisman that invokes my deepest desire. I am not referring to the kind of freedom we enjoy in the U.S. , that is liberty which is a gift that makes the freedom I am talking about easier to obtain- though not a requirement. My freedom is freedom of the soul, freedom from outside sources of religion or politics and the media. It is the freedom to be who we truly are; our unique God- intended dreams and desires that emerge when our minds are quiet from those outside sources or our own numbing mind chatter. I believe there is a place within us that is a peaceful spiritual communion with our Source, without judgment or anger; a place where there is a love of life just as it is and a love of who we are, just as we are now. Of course retaining this is an elusive quest for the hero’s journey in a world that appears to be designed by man to derail that freedom. Memories of Europe come to me like uninvited friends that are always welcome and represent a time when freedom came easier without the demands of marriage, family, career and other people’s idea of success. It was in May of 1972 when I was 24, on a train from Salamanca, Spain to Lisbon, Portugal that the idea of freedom became embedded in my soul. Most of what happened is real but over the years I blended circumstances to create a fantasy that serves to remind me of the liberating lesson learned that day. The landscape of northern Spain is strikingly similar to that in Central California, my home, as I watched it pass by while thinking of my travels for the first four weeks of a planned six month-journey. I had gone from Amsterdam to France and then Spain alone; meeting a few individuals that were characters who seasoned the journey with interest, but mostly I was left with my own thoughts that often bordered on loneliness. Suddenly the train began to slow as we approached the village of Fuentes De Onoro, the last stop before crossing the Portuguese border. I was told by the conductor, that I would need to change trains and there was an hour wait.