So what does it mean to be Free?
Freedom is not necessarily, " just another word for nothing left to lose ." (Yes, I've been listening to a lot of Janis lately!) If we look in an etymology dictionary, we see the word freedom comes from Old English freodom "power of self-determination, state of free will; emancipation from slavery, deliverance." The meaning "exemption from arbitrary or despotic control, civil liberty" is from late 14c. "It has been said by some physicians, that life is a forced state. The same may be said of freedom. It requires efforts, it presupposes mental and moral qualities of a high order to be generally diffused in the society where it exists." [John C. Calhoun, speech, U.S. House of Representatives, Jan. 31, 1816]
The sources of the word FREE are even more interesting: ( free )
- Old English freo "free, exempt from, not in bondage, acting of one's own will," also "noble; joyful."
- Proto-Germanic *frija- " beloved; not in bondage ", from PIE *priy-a- " dear, beloved, " from root *pri- "to love" Sanskrit priyah "own, dear, beloved," priyate "loves;" Old Church Slavonic prijati "to help," prijatelji "friend;"
-
Welsh rhydd "free",
" to
love, think of lovingly, honor; "
also "to rid (of something)," from freo "not in
bondage"
The primary Germanic sense seems to have been "beloved, friend, to love;" which in some languages (notably Germanic and Celtic) developed also a sense of "free," perhaps from the terms "beloved" or "friend" being applied to the free members of one's clan (as opposed to slaves; compare Latin liberi, meaning both "free persons" and "children of a family"). For the older sense in Germanic, compare Gothic frijon "to love;" Old English freod "affection, friendship, peace," friga "love," fridegreesu "peace;" Old Norse fridegreesr "peace, personal security; love, friendship," German Friede "peace;" Old English freo "wife;" Old Norse Frigg "wife of Odin," literally "beloved" or "loving;" Middle Low German vrien "to take to wife," Dutch vrijen, German freien "to woo." -
We have lost our connection to the origins of our language and the power of words, which is Gemini's interest. When we see that the word Free not only means 'to not be bound' but also means 'beloved, friend and peace' our own connection to Freedom changes. Our freedom is rooted in love, in friendship, in peace, in joy. In being inclusive and welcoming. Freedom cannot exist with Fear.
Sting was right. "If you love someone, set them Free!"
Freedom has been sought after for thousands of years. Moses' Promised Land. The Buddha's freedom from the wheel of incarnation. Christ's message of love and forgiveness--a truly feminine view of freedom and one that aligns with the word's original meaning. And look, many of us have more freedom then anytime we know of in recorded history. Many of us have personal freedom in the choices we make about our lives.
But can we be free if our society doesn't acknowledge our freedom to choose our own path, our own beliefs, our own vision? If not everyone is free to do these things? It seems to me that our society reflects only the outer show of freedom that our corporate handlers are 'creating' for us--those arbiters of 'taste' who feed us poisoned food, ideas, visions and desires, adding the spice of being 'politically correct' as they champion the next new cause while secretly continuing their illicit behavior behind the scenes. Do we have the freedom to stop our 'leaders' from going to war? To stop corporations from polluting our Earth? Do we have the freedom to build vibrant, caring creative communities in all parts of the world? We have the know-how to make our world a paradise. But no. We get to choose which 'things' to consumer, which entertainment to watch, which 'party' to align with, as if that's the freedom we've been looking for all these millenia. (see Chris Hedges http://www.opednews.com/articles/We-Must-Understand-Corpora-by-Chris-Hedges-Corporate_Powers-That-Be_Propaganda-160612-497.html)
Our patriarchal society--shaped by the corporations of the world--has turned us into consumers, when we need to be citizens. This is the challenge of the past 5 years of the Pluto/Uranus square. The revolution is on. Our society is at a breaking point; it needs to change to deal with the radical issues facing our world. So Pluto (energy of death & rebirth, of evolution) is bringing up all the aspects of our civilization which really NEED to die out , so we can replace them with more viable, future-oriented perspectives and institutions. But like everything patriarchal, 'the man' just doesn't want to give it over. Patriarchy thrives on power and domination so it's going to fight dirty to keep them.
But the rest of us also have power--the power of self-awareness, the first step to being Free (Uranus at work in Aries). This self-awareness opens us to our Shadow selves and so to real humility, which keeps us from pride and arrogance. And so keeps our vision pure and puts us in touch with our Truth. When we know ourselves in this way, we achieve real freedom. Our challenge now is do we have the psychological freedom to know our Truth and the courage to stand up for our Truth?
We are also at a point in our collective consciousness where there is a critical mass of people around the world who know that Freedom means responsibility, integrity, self-awareness, self-authority and love. We're living in a world where ultimately, we have an opportunity to express and exercise the most important gift of life--our free will. We are slowly awakening to our own self-awareness, and we're making choices in our lives that matter. The greatest gift of spirit is Free Will, the ability and necessity to make our own choices. To choose our own Truth and to stand up for it.
This is the promise of the wonderful Blue Moon!
Sagittarius Full Moon
This 2 nd Sagittarius Full Moon occurs on Monday, June 20 th , hours before the Summer Solstice, at 4:02am PDT/ 7:02am EDT/ 11:02am GMT. This Full Moon occurs at the very last degree of these signs, so they are the fulfillment of the purpose of both Gemini and Sagittarius. To Know and to Understand (to s tand in the midst of) . To get the facts right and to understand the meaning. So let's see the bigger picture and work with that. Our civilization is at a turning point. Those of us who can see the bigger picture will intuitively know what we need to do to help birth a new world.
The Sabian symbol for the Sun at 30* Gemini is: A parade of bathing beauties before large beach crowds. This image seems to be saying that we have many visions of the beauty of the divine feminine Who is Life, dancing on the borderline of consciousness and the unconscious, both personally and collectively. What images or stories or daydreams linger just out of your daily routine's sight? What fantasies give you pleasure now? Where are you immersing yourself in your ideals--beauty being one of many. Where is your passion for Life?
There are all types of beauty, just as there are many paths to the Truth. Aphrodite is invoked in this image, so perhaps we need to call on the Goddess of Beauty, Love, Sexuality and Wisdom to guide us into our new story. To evoke our passion, open our hearts and reclaim our bodies. Let Love be your guide, always walk with Beauty around you, trust your Instincts and read the signs and share your Wisdom. Get into that parade! The world needs to see real beauty, courage, honor, wisdom, compassion, integrity and faith in the future. It isn't easy walking around nearly naked (vulnerable) in front of crowds, and it won't be easy taking your stand. It will make you vulnerable yet strong.
Summer at the beach is a celebration of life (people), warmth (sun), refreshment (ocean), and attention, by taking the moment to see and acknowledge beauty (the bathing beauties).
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