What Does Freedom Mean to You?
“I’ll tell you what freedom is to me: NO FEAR!”
Freedom is a powerful concept that shapes our thoughts, dreams, and lives. It’s a state I hold dear, one that I’ve worked hard to cultivate in my own life. But the path to true freedom is not easy. It invites us to move beyond egoic attachments to control, specialness, and certainty. True freedom requires the courage to let go, the discernment to see where we are bound, and the willingness to face both joy and pain with an open heart.
Freedom is not a passive state — it’s something we actively create. Often, this means giving up something familiar for something greater. Whether it’s sharing power, surrendering old narratives, or stepping beyond our comfort zones, the journey to freedom asks us to lean into discomfort, embrace uncertainty, and trust the process of transformation.
In today’s world, where authoritarian forces sow fear, division, and dehumanization, freedom can feel more elusive than ever. This external threat often mirrors our internal fears — ancestral wounds, inherited trauma, and patterns of self-policing and repression. These burdens can quietly shape our lives, limiting our ability to fully express ourselves and robbing us of our power.
Now, more than ever, we must ask ourselves:
What does freedom mean to me personally?
What did freedom mean to my ancestors?
How can I embody freedom in a way that liberates not just me, but others too?
True freedom isn’t just about individual rights — it’s a collective responsibility. It’s about acknowledging the interconnectedness of all beings and recognizing that our liberation is bound together. This is the essence of wholeness: freedom that transcends the illusion of separation and embraces unity.
Freedom and Responsibility
Freedom is more than just a feeling — it is a practice, a commitment, and a way of being. As Toni Morrison reminds us, “The function of freedom is to free someone else.” True freedom is about uplifting others and dismantling the systems within us and around us that perpetuate oppression. Stokely Carmichael’s words, “The first need of a free people is to define their own terms,” highlight the importance of discernment — defining freedom based on our values, experiences, and truths. To achieve freedom, we must liberate ourselves from the stories we’ve been told, the identities we cling to, and the narratives that no longer serve us.
True freedom is a dynamic, relational process. It calls us to:
Heal ancestral wounds: Recognize and release the burdens passed down through generations.
Practice discernment: Learn to distinguish between genuine liberation and ego-driven desires.
Embrace wholeness: See beyond divisions and recognize that joy and pain, self and other, liberation and responsibility are intertwined.
Move with intention: Engage in embodied practices that ground us in the present and connect us to our bodies, the earth, and each other.
To cultivate freedom is to nurture a culture of care, belonging, and justice — one where we lean into our shared liberation.
A Prayer for Freedom
I pray we are all…
Free to just be and exist — without masks, without apology.
Free to release inherited burdens — transforming ancestral wounds into wisdom.
Free to experience equality — in our homes, workplaces, and communities.
Free to move through the world — unbound by race, gender, class, or citizenship.
Free to embrace both joy and pain — knowing that both are pathways to transformation.
Free to experience deep pleasure — honoring our bodies as sacred vessels of life.
Free to dance, sing, and express — without shame or fear.
Free to cry, to feel, to heal — embracing the full range of human emotions.
Free to embody discernment — making choices aligned with truth and integrity.
Free to feel sacred rage — using it as fuel for collective change.
Free to take accountability — to say “I’m sorry” and make amends.
Free to thrive — reaching our fullest potential, individually and collectively.
Free to know peace — the kind that surpasses all understanding.
How Will You Choose Freedom?
What is your prayer for freedom? How will you embody freedom in your own life?
True freedom asks us to engage in courageous reflection and embodied action. It calls us to dismantle the internal and external forces that bind us, to release the need for control, and to embrace the transformative power of joy and pain. Freedom is not just a right — it is a responsibility. It’s a commitment to ourselves, our ancestors, our descendants, and the world. Let us choose to walk the path of freedom together — embracing discernment, healing our wounds, and dancing toward a liberation that uplifts us all.
What does freedom look like for you? How will you embody it today?