Challenges of the Soul

June 12, 2023

According to the Vedas, the fourth and final desire of the soul is moksha, the desire for absolute freedom from the burdens of all our limitations. Moksha is the craving for essential liberty which, in Enneagram terminology, it is called Holy Freedom. To become free is to return to the original state of our soul before the ego took over. Our original soul was our identity before the fall. Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Hinduism include the fall in their theologies. Before the fall, we were free from any trap, pride, fixation or passion.

When souls fell from heaven, they forgot their original identities and manufactured their own identity called the ego and its persona (personality). Our ego retained the memory of having experienced complete freedom but because the ego is a mental structure only, it could not reproduce the genuine freedom of our souls.

Some egos imitate freedom through addiction or other endeavors that detach them from reality. But soul freedom is most enjoyed when we are in union with God. Every soul creates their own union with God; when this is achieved, we have the highest consciousness possible in that time and place. This is true freedom.

Our soul still craves the freedom of its original nature. But this desire can can be achieved only through union with God, which comes through our spiritual practices and inner spiritual posture. Therefore, our spiritual practice must create a sacred space in which, supported by the divine, we are entirely released from our burdens. Then we have satisfied the soul’s desire for liberation: moksha.

The challenges to moksha are numerous. To satisfy our soul’s desires for the eternal and profoundly spiritual takes dedication. Extricating ourselves from the ego’s story and image is like pulling teeth. Just think of all that traps us: security, idealism, justice, complacency, perfection, the search for love, efficiency, the search for authenticity and the need for knowledge. It is tough to keep a spiritual discipline and to seek the unseen when there are so many visible traps. Plus, we have avoidances such as being wrong, having needs, being a failure, being like everyone else, emptiness, deviance, pain, weakness and conflict. These are formidable challenges the soul’s desire for Holy Freedom.

Inquiry: Is there anything standing between you and Holy Freedom?

Dear God,

I feel so light and free when in union with you. It’s like all the world’s burdens I carry are laid down. I can breathe, skip, jump, dance and swim. In oneness with you, my spirit is free. Amen.

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