Today is the commemoration of the dead in The Netherlands. A moment to be still and silent. This day is not only to remember those lives lost in the war, but everyone who has past on. At this moment of silence I always think of those in my personal life that have crossed over before me, such as ancestors, parents, grandfathers, grandmothers, uncles, aunts, friends, colleagues, pets …

If remembering brings up feelings of mourning, don’t push it away. Take this opportunity to lean into the moment. Be quiet and feel. So even if you feel nothing for Rememberance Day and this all feels long in the past and not relevant, then I invite you to see if you can take a moment to look at your mourning and see if you can transform this into a force. Choose not to be a victim and help yourself and all your aspects out of the shadow.

Give yourself this moment of stillness.
Commemorate and honor, yourself as well.

I have very mixed feelings about Remembrance Day and Liberation Day. I always give it my own twist. I also do this with King’s Day. I do not feel at all that I want to celebrate the Royal Family and all that flag waving that gives me the shivers. These days make for togetherness, yes, but also division. Because countries, let’s put it, are foreclosure, division, property, etc. And that should not apply at all, nowhere. The Earth is nobody’s property and boundaries are nonsense. It is not a possession and feeling at home somewhere has nothing to do with your passport or so-called citizenship. I myself do not feel particularly Dutch, not even European, more a world citizen, perhaps, even that feels limiting. I just don’t like labeling and you will certainly never see me waving a flag, yes party flags as life must be celebrated, but we are selves have to do the decorating! That’s just how it is.

Asking yourself a question, that’s how resistance starts. And then ask that question to someone else – Remco Campert

Freedom

Then we celebrate Freedom on 5 May, but how many of us really enjoy our freedom? How many of us are grateful for our freedom? With Remembrance Day and Liberation Day, many people think/say things like “this never again”, but this still happens every day! There is still war, there are people on the run, there are people in camps, and a lot of hypocritical Dutchmen say “just go back to your own country”! And then what about the freedom in ourselves, in our “normal” daily existence. How free is that really? Yes we have a choice, but having a choice is a restriction of freedom, because you always have a choice between a number of (limited) things. How often do we think beyond that selection on offer? And to what extent do we choose what our lives look like? To what extent do we choose our happiness? Because how scary is it to choose happiness, to choose freedom, because that is entirely our own responsibility. And this also applies to myself. I admit that I crave freedom, but at the same time it scares me shitless.

And that is a thought to chew on, sit with, write on, meditate on and visualize, perhaps by a drawing or what I did a SoulCollage® card. What does freedom look like to you?

If you don’t know where to start with writing, meditating on questions, here are a few questions to help you start: Where are you still stuck in your limitations, in fear? Where do you not allow enough love? Where do you still hit the brakes and do you control? Where have you not yet let the reins go? How would it feel to be truly free, free from yourSelf? To really be who you really are, without a facade or masks, without programming and “education”? What does the wild, primeval YOU look like? How are you judging others and yourself? How connected do you feel and to what? How free do you feel in your own body? Is it perfect the way it is now? Does it feel safe? Are emotions allowed to be and how do you express them?

The moment we free ourselves, our outer reflection of ourSelf can move into the greater whole and then true liberation from the world can take place. So you can do something, yes little you, you are needed to free this world. We are all droplets and together we will become a large free ocean!

Yes people I can be a party pooper, and I refuse to apologize. Some sometimes say, “can’t you just forget it just for this day?” And the answer is “no”, once you feel it is wrong then you can’t un-feel it. If you see beyond what the mass programming makes us see, then you cannot close your eyes anymore.

Let’s stop stopping ourselves.
By others.
By ourselves.
Let us support each other.
Encourage what we create in the world.
Spread our mission and passion freely.
To be fully ourSelf.

Today I choose life. Every morning when I wake up I can choose joy, happiness, negativity, pain… To feel the freedom that comes from being able to continue to make mistakes and choices – today I choose to feel life, not to deny my humanity but embrace it. – Kevyn Aucoin

I wish you a lot of liberation and pleasure!