AN ATTACHMENT IS, BY ITS VERY NATURE, A THIEF OF FREEDOM. An attachment is, by definition, a connection. A connection/attachment means that one is "tied to" something. If one is "tied," one is not free.

Do all attachments have a foundation of fear? It's something to consider. Do we become attached to a person, a thing, or a belief because we fear that we will lose it, or lose something that we've attached importance to through it? The automatic response would very likely be "no" we hold onto things because we love them or believe in them. But beneath that quick response is the need to re-evaluate our modus operandi. As a species we are being asked to evolve in order to begin the process of healing in order to learn to live in harmony with the rest of existence. In order to accomplish this great task, we have to be willing to question ourselves and willing to delve into the questions that may make us feel uncomfortable.

What is fear? Fear is a lack of trust. Who or what do we distrust? Ourselves. If we live with fear we are telling ourselves that we do not trust ourselves, the Universe, The Creator, and our connection to Soul. We are telling ourselves that Soul, God, and all of the powers that be will fail to lead us in a direction that will benefit our Soul's growth. We are failing to remember that all experiences are beneficial to Soul. We are living only in an ego-based, personality-driven world that does not include the power of the Soul and the power of our personal union with The Creator.

Because we are living in an illusionary world that is being made manifest by the fact that our Soul has issued a portion of itself into this world, we tend to give our power and our connection to Soul away to the illusion that seems so real. The human side of us believes there is much to fear. The Soul side of us knows there is nothing to fear. Soul cannot be damaged by any experience. Every experience throughout time and existence is evaluated for the wisdom it offers. Nothing more.

Let's look at the two ultimate losses that we, as humans, feel would destroy or at least damage us. Death and loss. Both things can be addressed with one realization. There is no such thing as separation between one thing and another, thus there is no such thing as death or loss.

When we integrate Soul-wisdom into our human way of be-ing, we understand that all things are one. Worlds, realities, dimensions, people, and things are actually only separated by what they appear to be. In other words, all things, as energy, take form/shape. Our belief in the solidity and "realness" of that shape keeps us focused on the separation between one thing and another. Addressing the topic of "death," we understand that there is no such thing as death. "Death" is a transition from one form of _expression to another. We cease to express ourselves through a physical human body and begin to more fully express as spirit or Soul. To continue the understanding, nothing separates us from the dimension that "death" takes us into except our belief that there is a separation.

(When we "die," we step into a different dimensional experience. The only thing that separates one dimensional experience from another is the "vibration of tangibility" that exists in each dimension.)

Looking at "loss," we find that the same understanding applies. We cannot lose anything or anyone. All things are one. We can dis-continue our interaction momentarily. But we cannot lose anything at all. Most of us fear losing someone that we are having a relationship with. The understanding of non-separation addresses this issue as well.

Each Soul is, if we allow it, a Divine Director of the human experience. As Soul, we choose each experience for what we can learn from it. As Soul, we make a choice to share space and time with various people throughout our lives. The other person makes the same choice. And, the other person's Soul is directing events, just as our Soul is.

Years ago this process was beautifully and succinctly addressed for me. I've never forgotten the profound awareness that was contained within the brief moment of the vision.

I was shown a wide stairway that curved and wound its way toward "heaven." There were dozens of people lingering on each step. Some were walking up the stairs. Some were standing, conversing. Most of the people were in sets of two, as couples some holding hands. Every person was smiling and seemed completely at peace.

I found myself on a stair, looking upward. The man I was having a relationship with at the time was standing on the same step as I, smiling. I turned to him, in the form of pure spirit, and told him that we had walked together for as long as our Souls desired and that it was time for me to move forward. He smiled more widely and took my hand with the gentleness of one Soul touching another. He nodded without anger or fear or resistance and told me that he understood. He said that he knew he had not learned what he needed to learn yet, on this step of life, but that he honored me for my progress forward. We parted gently and I continued my upward climb without him. When I had moved two steps up, another man appeared and took my hand. It was time for his Soul and my Soul to walk together, to learn together.

Each time I meet another Soul on this journey of life, I call to mind this vision. Deep within each of us is a yearning to be free. To be accepted for who and what we are, and to be allowed the freedom to walk the path of life in a way that brings us joy and wisdom. When we hold on to another person when our Soul is telling us to release them to move on, we may be restricting their spiritual growth. When we allow others and ourselves the freedom to be in our lives without restriction, limitation, fear, and "fences," we honor the progress of all Souls.

Is it love or is it fear that insists that we cannot allow someone we love the freedom to experience life without us by their side?

The principals of the Masters who work with me now and have worked with me throughout the last twenty-nine years are not always easy to accept when we allow ourselves to be guided by personality and ego. We have, as a human society, established "rules of human behavior." It often goes against the grain of these rules, and ruffles many emotional feathers, when we are called to explore the possibility that there may be a better way. It is not that we have been "wrong" in the past. It is that we are evolving & and the old rules no longer apply.

I, for one, hope to evolve beyond the limitations that lie within the history of Earth and its society. As long as I stay attached to what appears to be the "right" way, based upon rules imposed by other 3-D seekers and those who have traveled along this path before, my Soul may never be allowed to speak loud enough to teach me that there is a road that takes us to greater freedom and the expression of glory.

© 2003 Lauren Zimmerman

Please join us next month as we continue with part 2 of this article.