Don't Let Your Truths Become a Prison

As we awaken and discover new truths about ourselves, others, the world around us, and beyond, sometimes those truths feels so real and evoke such a powerful feeling within us that we just marvel in the awe of what we have come to learn. At some point in that process of marvelling and revelling in the beauty or ugliness of that unearthed truth, maybe it’s at the peak of your awe mongering or maybe is a while down the road when that truth has had time to permeate and root itself into your identity, there will come a time when someone or something challenges that truth. And when that time comes, most often, a person will bite down on that truth and hold on to its invisible form for dear life in fear that loosing that truth or changing that truth means changing or losing their self or their identity.

The minute this happens, one’s so called ‘truth’ now becomes their prison.

I find every day I’m learning new things about myself like who I am and what makes me really impassioned, or maybe it’s more gaining a deeper insight and clarity of parts of myself I’ve already unearthed. Some of these things are truths about myself that I had yet to discover and some are truths that I have already brought up into my conscience but was still waiting to fully bring into and express in my being and body. It came to me yet again (I’ve definitely had this truth revealed to me a few times over the years but never wrote it down or quite processed it like this before), a knowing that I’ve caught myself using these confessions and declarations, or ‘truths’, as a steadfast. Pillars of ‘truth’ that I was unknowingly staking deep into my so-called identity. And from that an air of judgement, rigidity, and guardedness to certain experiences and people around me surrounded my truths. A defence wall one might say. I did this, for what I now recognize, as fear and distrust in myself of not being able to live in my authenticity without the sway or influence of other experiences, people, or alternate ways of being. So in other words, what I was unconsciously projecting onto myself was that in order for me to live in and validate my ‘truth’, I had to reject and dismantle the Other.

And this is the moment when truth becomes a prison.

What I am coming to learn is that a truth is not meant to be rigid or fixed. Truth is meant to be fluid for without the fluidity of truth there would be no diversity in the world. Also, I’ve recognized that truth can only come to fruition through experience. Every experience impacting and reflecting different aspects of truth through being lived, felt, and explored; Through trial and error, exposure to difference, and the infinite opportunity to witness. Every person, living being, and entity on this planet has its own experience, path, and purpose in its life to which will be full of truths specific to it as no one life or experience is felt or interpreted the same. Our understanding and meaning of truth would have no grounds for existence if we all experienced life identically with no sliver of difference for if that were the case, there would be no need for truth. If we create a steadfast or an unmovable pillar for our truths without leaving space for experience, expansion, change, challenge, and alternatives, then the truth has now simply transformed into a limiting belief. The truth has become a prison.

So what is truth? The way I feel and intuit it is that truth should feel expansive, fluid, and infinite! Truth is a knowing. When I flow into and with truth rather than resisting and protecting it, I feel full of inquisition, openness, love, grace, compassion, and calm. I feel the full presence of the world around me and deeply curious about what’s out there to be learned and experienced. I feel ease and softness. Releasing judgement, rigidity, and guardedness no longer feels like a chore. I feel like I am open to all of what is, especially to allowing others the freedom and fluidity of their own truths. No one else’s truth, no other experience or challenge feels threatening in the expansiveness of truth because it all becomes opportunity for expansion, greater knowledge, and growth as a being. It nurtures a deep connection of safety and groundedness within my Self - spirit, mind and body. And as I experience more of this life and my presence within its existence, I am faced with new opportunities and challenges to my truths. I recognize that all the truths I hold may one day not feel expansive anymore. Instead, they may shift and transform into a limiting belief and become imprisoned. When this happens, I know that is when I have to work to break down those walls of limitation and confinement in order to release my mind and soul into the world of discovery and exploration again. This is the process of growth. This is the human process of humility and humbling. This is the beauty of growth as a soul and human experiencing life on this planet.

Allowing for truth to be the fluid, expansive, and ever changing entity that it is, in my mind, is the ultimate act of acceptance, surrender to and freedom in the flow of life. This is the home of curiosity and wonder. This is where magic is created. And this is where the whole world opens up to you in the most infinitesimal ways. This is the realm of truth of which has no limits.

And with this truth, I humbly offer myself and stand as a student of life. A student of wonder, curiosity, and change. A student who will remain open, fluid, and free to the teachings of my soul, the earth, the world around me, and beyond. And when I meet or find myself experiencing and/or seeing in others the rigidity, resistance, and barricades innocently disguised as truth, I will return to my inner prison and commit to freeing myself. Over and over again. No matter what it takes! There is the age old saying ….

“The truth shall set you free”.

And with this I commit to leaning into and filling myself with truth that is freeing, expansive, and non-confined.

Don’t let your truths be a prison.

As I write this blog and as you read it, I believe it’s important to remember and state that this is all fluid. My curiosity and wondering is fluid. What I may write now, I may not believe in the same way as two months from now. Views shift and “truths” shift and disintegrate or they may solidify and expand as I interact with, learn from, and experience life. Especially as I continue this practice of freeing myself from my own prisons to release myself from limiting beliefs and into the true essence of truth. I spend my time reorienting these old truths/limiting beliefs to the freedom of curiosity, openness and wonder.

In addition, as the writer of this blog and a learner of life, I am so excited and open to reading the comments, ideas, questions, and whatever else you, my readers, have to say or think about these writings! For you, as the reader, all I humbly ask is that when you are reading my blog and if you feel like leaving a comment, please give these thoughts (yours and mine) space to percolate. I encourage a moment of pause to reflect instead of react. This type of engagement with any person’s writing, conversation, thoughts, ideas etc, is the kind of engagement that allows for greater compassion, openness, and expansive dialogue. This in turn allows for each person to listen and feel in their body what is their own truth!

Questions for the reader:

So I encourage you to ask yourself, where have your truths become a prison?

Where have you built your steadfast, pillars, or walls around your truth for fear of what’s on the other side?

Where in your body do you feel hose ‘truths’ when they are challenged, questioned, or brought to your attention? And why are you afraid to let those ‘truths’ be challenged, shift, and change?

Do you feel threatened when experience and opportunity for alternative comes to meet your truths?

Can you find more space in your mind, body, and soul, to release the tight grip of ‘truth’ and break out of the prison gates holding you back from the fluidity and flow of your life?

Where can you invite more fluidity, freedom, and expansion into your life?

Thanks for reading! :)