I feel obliged to address the topic of freedom as we approach our national holiday this Sunday, July 4, Independence Day. Freedom and independence are the rights that were pursued by the individuals that braved the consequences of treason to invoke a new country into existence. These are also the very qualities that we seek to experience and express on our Spiritual path. We adamantly demand to be free to choose our course of Spiritual growth, and we insist that our independent natures be honored as unique and essential.

Today I received several phone calls that accentuated the esteemed values of freedom and independence inherent in this beautiful path of Awakening we call Unity. One call was from a retired Catholic priest who was attempting to persuade a few of his friends to attend a Unity service with him. He deeply appreciated the thoughtful discernment of Biblical passages offered by Unity. He also reminded me that Unity was founded as a Spiritual path, not as a church.

Indeed, the husband and wife dynamo that was Charles and Myrtle Fillmore referred to their path of Spirituality as a continuation of the great education movement inaugurated by Jesus Christ. They encouraged those who came to study the Way to return to their church of choice and be the Light of God shining forth in that community. It was only after continued insistence for regular Sunday gatherings that Unity began to take on the form of what appears to be a religious organization.

Let’s be clear! Unity is not a religion adhering to dogma or doctrine. We are a Spiritual family of like-minded seekers of Truth. We are independent thinkers (sometimes to the extreme!) who find great personal value in focusing on the teachings of Jesus Christ as our friend, Master Spiritual teacher and Way-shower.

We have one ultimate purpose: to be as aware as possible of the Christ that we truly are, and to live our lives in accordance with the omnipresence of Divine Good. Jesus is quoted as saying, "The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." (John 17.22-23)

Another phone call was from one of our members who had been chastised by a Christian friend of hers. He advised, “As one who loves and cares about you (but not as much as the Savior who gave His life for you) I urge you to run, not walk, away from Unity and its teachings.” This e-mail which she shared with me included misstatements of Unity teachings, some which were only slightly convoluted, and others which were completely erroneous.

I highlight this type of conversation to point out how absolutely critical it is to be free to choose our Spiritual practices, and to be truly independent in our process of discernment in determining what works best for us. And what I mean by “works best” is realizing a better, more joyful, peaceful life. It takes guts to go against any human culture that has developed over twenty centuries, particularly one that promises some sort of eternal salvation. It takes courage to push through the layers of imbedded theology that we have all adopted to some degree in our childhood states of naivety. It requires strength to persevere in the face of the inevitable condemnation we receive from those who are not quite ready to accept the responsibilities of freedom that truly independent thinking imposes.

Then the call came that makes my work so worthwhile. This beautiful Soul has been so touched by the understanding and adoption of Unity philosophy and our Loving Spiritual community that she just had to express how genuinely happy she now is, almost all of the time! Depression and anxiety have been dissolved in the Light of the awareness of Christ, and rising to fill the void is Peace and Love.

Let’s pray: Let me take this next breath, realizing that without God, the Source of all Life, even this breath I do not have. And I am grateful! I pray that as my awareness of my Divine Spiritual nature becomes ever clearer, the strength I require to be truly free in thought and independent in choice is right here to support and sustain me. I relax and allow the Christ Spirit to fill me up with Peace. In Peace, I feel the Love that I truly am and know when I choose to be the very best Christ I can be, I am demonstrating my freedom to choose what is best for myself and others, independent of the collective consciousness. I am free, I am unlimited, I am independent, and I am One with all of Life. And so it is!

Independence Day, 2010