Be Free

Whether fearing loss, seeking gain, or hoping it’ll never come to pass,

we attach our desires,

hopes of being happy,

to an outcome out there in the world.

To avoid being chastised or alone,

we build castles on land and in mind;

praying for acceptance and love,

yet hiding behind walls built from fear.

Entrapped,

we live in this prison;

the jailer and captive the same.

Clinging to the keys of confinement;

while waiting for salvation,

which never came.

We believe that the bars protect us,

kept safe from a dangerous world.

Caught in the mind of the lifer:

holding on

in fear

of being free.

Whatever it is that we hope for,

be it mental, emotional, or form,

true happiness will continue to elude us,

until we let go of it all.

Whether you’re right or wrong,

good or bad,

the hero or the villain,

let it go.

If it lifted you up or knocked you down,

made you roar with anger or tremble with fear,

shed tears of joy or reel with the agonies of sorrow,

let it go.

Whether the cash is piled high or the cupboards are bare,

you’re sweeping the floor or wearing the crown,

on the cover or known by none,

let it go.

Applaud or condemn,

like or dislike,

crave or repel,

let it go.

Because nothing is fixed

while this world keeps on turning;

all things will pass

while the clocks go on ticking.

Accolades gather dust as the famous are forgotten;

nobodies rise to the top.

Praise becomes blame;

the condemned reprieved.

Pleasures turn to pain;

smile follows tear.

Friend is now foe;

the enemy embraced.

Riches are lost;

beggars offer alms.

The living will die;

the dead reborn.

Each holds the seed of the other,

so let it go.

But wait,

don’t jump to conclude.

Let it go doesn’t mean it has to leave us –

letting go is a quality of soul;

the end of attachment to outcome,

acceptance of all that life brings.

It just points,

whatever it is:

a signpost to guide us within.

It isn’t the cause of fear, pride, envy, or greed.

It isn’t the creator of anger, jealousy, guilt, or despair.

It is just the messenger

informing on the illusions of I.

For whatever it is that I holds onto,

be it for pleasure or in pain,

defines us,

confines us –

the bars of the cell.

The I is the cause of our suffering,

the judge who condemned us to hell;

the tormentor we see in the mirror;

the illusion

that we believe

we know so well.

It is I that must be let go of,

the prisoner incarcerated with self.

Letting go

allows life to flow through us

without obstacles of pleasure or pain.

Open

to the wonders within –

freedom

from the minds ball and chain.

Let go of opinion – be silence.

Let go of judgement – be compassion.

Let go of hate – be love.

Let go of fear – be bliss.

Let go of anger – be peace.

Let go of guilt – be innocence.

Let go of desire – be fulfilment.

Let go of expectation – be happy.

Let go of I – be complete.

Let go, let go, let go

and let the spirit within

be free.