"No one is free until we are all free." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Individualism only occurs on the surface. At the core of all that is, all life is one. So while I can enjoy my life, my friends and family, my circumstances and my freedom as a blessedly enlightened being, I also hold the truth that I am not 100% free. How can I possibly be, when so many expressions of life (animals, my fellow humans, the natural plant world) are enslaved? The only time I will be 100% free is when all lessons are learned, and the need for time is no more, and we all have returned home. Home to our natural states - the one we left when we first began the journey away from Source.
So many humans get it wrong when they reach a position of freedom. Perhaps a brother works hard to get a big promotion, and when he does, ends up belittling his assistant as his boss belittled him. This is a very interesting and very common human trait with power. When we have it, we want to keep it. I remember a time in my younger years when I had finally gotten the hang of being the fashion intern of LOVE Magazine. After a few weeks of clearing the closet and getting coffees, I was distraught to be joined by another intern. I was so unpleasant towards her, wishing the competition gone. Suddenly I felt I was in a position of power - not the lowest in the magazine food chain anymore as a 2-week seasoned intern - and I held that over her. Suffice to say it didn't work out for me - she ended up being hired! Looking back, I see how it worked. I had been in such a lowly position for such a long time, the moment I got a taste of a little bit of height, I got too big for my boots. What I didn't understand is that when one has, one should share with one who does not have. Now of course I know that there is no real scarcity of knowledge, power, gifts, abundance, good friends, good relationships, or opportunities for purpose and prosperity. I was working with the collective (and very rife in the fashion industry as it was) belief in scarcity. So when I got, I did not want to give.
Since then I have remembered the truth that to get you must give, and that much joy comes from helping others. In fact, it's one of my main driving forces every day, to be a blessing unto others. It doesn't matter if you feel you can't relate to an 'other' because, say, you're a human not an animal. Or you're not black. Or you're not gay. Trans. Non-binary. Not facing prejudice or hate. Never been hurt by other humans. Never been in a position of lack or physical or emotional enslavement. Humans still are, animals definitely are, which means a part of you is experiencing all of the above. Perhaps not directly, but indeed. So become a friend of life, and extend love and compassion energetically and physically, however you feel you can. Here is how I assert myself as an ally to all of life. Click a title below to jump to a section that you want help embracing.
How to be an ally to...
1) Humans
2) Animals
3) Plant-life
How to be an ally to... humans
Thinking about humans with skin tones darker than white, humans who are physically large, homeless people, addicts, humans who 'are' muslim, humans who 'are' jewish.
"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed to reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood." Universal Declaration of Human Rights
1) Come face to face with your unconscious biases
You could be presenting as a total ally but still hold prejudicial beliefs in your subconscious mind, and so you are not helping at all. Everything starts on an energetic level. The beliefs you hold translate into the thoughts you think, and then the actions you take. So the first step is to clear you up energetically. What beliefs are you projecting outwards? Remember, all minds are linked, so if you clear yours, you help everyone in the collective clear theirs. That is why the first step I recommend is taking a reality check, and coming face to face with your unconscious biases towards people you feel different to, separated from.
The implicit tests by Harvard will uncover your unconscious biases. Don't take the results personally, we are all the products of our conditioning. And in general, we are still collectively very racist, xenophobic, fat-phobic, homophobic, islamophobic, anti-semitic, and judgemental of anything we don't understand. We've been building and living off of those illusional beliefs for decades upon decades.
Your results doesn't determine if you are a good or bad person. Remember that the real you does not hold any biases whatsover. You cannot take your unconscious or conscious feelings of prejudice with you when you die, which means their existences are malleable. They can change! You can get rid of them altogether. But first you've got to know what you're working with. Click here to take the tests.
2) Reprogram your mind: exposure via content
If you come from a family where you were not exposed to people who look different to you, and if the tests you took above revealed some uncomfortable truths, it's time to re-condition your mind. It's time to release the single story that was sold to you about people who look different to you. Time to humanise! Integrate these people into your life, start to see they are just like you. Complex humans, all products of their own conditioning too. All living and breathing, just from different places and with different cultures, languages, values or characteristics. Time to engage with the wholeness of the beings you feel separate from. How to expose yourself:
Watch tv programmes and movies with these people as the main characters, not just playing the role of victim or baddie, or one that paints them in the light of an existing limiting stereotype (e.g. a muslim terrorist, a stingy jew, the black hasn't-got-a-background-story-of-their-own friend role)
Learn about their history and their collective stories through documentaries
Read books by these people. Not just books about their struggles, but also all types of books. Embrace the diverse abundance of their inherent creative powers
2) Reprogram your mind: affirm what you want to believe
So, you want to change your mind? Start saying these affirmations, these phrases of truth, and your mind will start to change. That's how powerful words are. Please say them at least twice a day, ideally looking at your own eyes in the mirror. Make them a priority like brushing your teeth or taking a daily pill.
I am one with the family of life
I love everyone, and everyone loves me
Every boy is my brother, every girl is my sister, every being is my kin
I love you unconditionally (say to every person you pass by)
The spirit of love in me salutes the spirit of love in you (this helps your mind focus on what ties you together, how you are alike, how you are one)
3) Support them with your time and money
So you usually take an online yoga class by someone who looks like you - why not try someone new?
So you're looking for a new book to read - why not try one written by someone different to you?
So you come across a petition that would help them - don't ignore it because it doesn't directly apply to you, sign that thing! And share it.
Busker on the tube? Acknowledge their courage with a smile or a clap
See someone sitting on the street asking for help? Acknowledge their existence with a smile, nod or hello, as you would a friend or colleague
Is there a person sitting on the street outside a shop you're about to go in? Why not offer to buy them some food?
Is someone on the street asking for spare change? Why not give them some? Are you really going to miss that £1 sitting in your wallet?
4) Carry them with you in your heart
Send your love to every one of them you pass, even if you don't feel it. Just do it as a practice and see how you start to feel lighter towards them. Add them to your daily prayers. Wish for their collective happiness, peace and liberation.
Is someone drunkenly ranting and raving in your local park? Do not stare in disgust, energetically send them your love and well-wishes. When I see someone suffering, I always say the quick prayer "may they be happy, peaceful and liberated".
5) Encourage others
Help others become as free as you are by helping them move away from their prejudicial beliefs. If someone says a discriminatory comment, converse with them about it. Do not try to shame them but do question them about it. Help them uncover the truth of their own false beliefs. If someone laughs about a stereotype, challenge them on it.
6) Bridge the gap
So now you're working on removing the self-damaging beliefs you hold about these people, you're feeling clearer, you're affirming your love for them, even if you don't believe it at the time, you will. Affirmations work. Now, live your life in open receptivity. Open your heart to these people and allow new friends and all sorts of relationships to form. Get to know them firsthand and discover that colour, nationality and religion are only skin-deep, and a perfectly imperfect human, and pure soul, lies beyond the facade of how they present.
How to be an ally to... animals
1) Don't eat them
2) Don't eat their products
There are so many good plant-based alternatives now anyway.
3) Buy well
If you are going to eat them, support the their quality of life (before their untimely death) by buying free-range and sustainably sourced. Free-range means the animals have room to roam rather than being battery farmed and fattened up in vile conditions. This means when you do eat that animal, the energy you'll be consuming will be lighter than eating an animal whose energy is infused with the tangy taste of torture and distress.
Sustainably sourced, which you might find when buying fish, can mean a lot of things. It depends just how sustainable the fishing company is willing to be. It can mean not fishing for endangered species, using credible suppliers and using 'ethical' practices. I don't know how ethical one can be when stealing fish from their habitat, but any sort of ethical practice is better than none!
4) Nothing new
If you want a pet, adopt don't shop. There are so many animals already in existence who need a loving home! Before going to a breeder, picking your pup and purposely separating it from its mother so that you can fill that void, why not visit a few animal shelters and see if there's someone you connect with there. They could actually need you.
5) Take care, caretaker
If you do have a pet, treat them as you would treat yourself, or your child. Feed them nourishing and organic food. Don't make them eat what's convenient for you to buy. You committed to being their caretaker, so take that role seriously. Make sure they get enough exercise. Give them as much freedom as you can - the less time on the lead or in a cage, the better. Communicate with them with love, they can feel your energy. Train them with love so you can live in harmony together. On walks, give them all the time they want to explore the world. Let them sniff away and meet other animals. Don't pull them away from their limited free time!
How to be an ally to... plant-life
So you've got a new plant friend in your living space. Treat it with respect. Take the time to research this form of life, and find out what conditions suit it. Though it cannot talk to you, it will very much respond to you. If you want it to flourish for as long as possible and stay beautifying your space, make it feel welcome. Feeling lonely? Talk to your plant! Its level of consciousness may be lower than yours but it sure is alive and responsive! Same as always: treat it how you would like to be treated, nourish it right, and send it love. And thus it will enrich your life right back. Each plant has its own vibration, so look up '[plant name] spiritual meaning'. Understand what is has come into your life to help with. Your awareness of it makes its effect so much stronger.
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