The Feather of Bondage
It's Time To Stop Blaming Yourself and Others For The Past
Peace Overtures Today is a weekly newsletter dedicated to guiding individuals on their personal quest for inner peace. Each week, I share a movie that helped me discover balance. It’s a process of awareness and healing that leads to sparks of joy. I’m sincerely grateful to have you here with me.
You can be in bondage to other people’s judgments or to your own. Have you made something in your external life the master other than yourself? Do you feel that you’re not free and there’s nothing you can do about it? Do you feel like you’ve made some life decisions that now mean you can’t choose again?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, this is a feather trying to guide you. Sometimes you fall into bondage and don’t even realize it. All you know is that you don’t feel free. Our work life is an easy place to see this play out. We think we have to conform to the company culture and do as they say, even if this means going against our desires. If we don’t, we’re afraid we’ll lose our job or be stuck in the same job for the remainder of our career. Many times we feel the feather of bondage in our relationships or marriages.
Usually bondage symptoms register like fear. We’re afraid to even consider a different choice and thus feel imprisoned. This happens because we’re all trying to conform to whatever traditions we’re a part of: society, family, religion, company, etc. We then measure everything we desire against the norms of our tradition. As a result, we don’t see that there are other options for our life. This can become a groove in itself that distorts reality for us.
In the movie Get Low (2009), Felix Bush (Robert Duvall) lives the life of a hermit for forty years. He doesn’t have any family or friends. Felix lives in a log cabin in the mountains, and his only contact is his mule Gracie. One evening, Felix believes that he’s dying and decides to spend his last night with his beloved mule.When he awakens in the morning, Felix decides he wants freedom before he passes. His solution is to throw his own funeral party. He wants to hear what others have to say about him while he is still alive. He also hopes to tell the secret that changed the course of his life. He reaches out to his preacher friend, Reverend Charlie Jackson, and asks him to speak for him in case he’s unable to tell the story himself. When his friend refuses, Felix doesn’t want to go through with the party. Reverend Jackson doesn’t want to be a part of the funeral because Felix has not asked for forgiveness in the prescribed way. Both men display an affection and bond for each other, yet this secret has kept them apart for forty years.
Felix hires the town funeral director, Frank Quinn (Bill Murray) and his partner, Buddy, to coordinate all the details of this party. Buddy finds Felix’s story curious and wants to discover why any man would cut himself off from society in such an extreme way. In one scene, Buddy asks Felix, “What are you doing?” and Felix replies, “Going through the motions... there’s alive and there’s dead, and there’s a worse place in between.” Felix has been going through the motions for forty years. He was so ashamed of his actions that he exiled himself.
Often we take our traditions literally and believe that we must adhere to their rules to live an acceptable life. As Reverend Jackson says,
“We like to imagine that good and bad, right and wrong, are miles apart. But the truth is, very often they are all tangled up with each other.”
We don’t realize that the rules of a tradition are less important than its intended purpose. Our traditions serve as a compass to provide guidance along the way. When we see them as rigid rules, we lose all freedom to see our situation from another perspective. We won’t allow any compassion for ourselves because we broke the rules. As a result, our choices can become limited or, as in Felix’s case, lead to a life without human contact and love.
If you recognize the feather of bondage in your life, take a look at your priorities and get clear on what is most important. Check in with your emotions and notice how you feel about any area where you feel imprisoned. Recognize the fact that, no matter the situation, you always have other choices. Embrace this truth and feel how freeing it is, and then start looking for options.
Excerpt from Taming Your Dragons: Making Peace With Your Emotions.
Remember to get the resonance upgrade you have to want it. Do the Intention Session (see below) first then watch your Get Low (2009) AMP session. Enjoy the process Friend (and the AMP film too).
The Intention Session
Getting started on aligning with the Alignment Movie Process (AMP) session is easy. All you have to do is review these statements and do the modality at the end. Once you’ve completed these, you’re ready to benefit from any Alignment Movie Process (AMP) sessions you choose. This includes any movie referred to in our books, podcasts, and blogs.
Say These Statements Out Loud and Then Do Modalities At The End
I allow the changes in my timing and only integrate what I’m ready to.
I have faith that I’ll receive the benefits I desire.
I’m patient with myself as I make my changes.
I let go of feeling I’m too busy to take the time to read these books and watch these movies
I let go of having to understand how these Alignment Process movie sessions work, allowing me to get the full benefits on my terms and in my timing.
Modalities:
Please do all three of the following actions to integrate this intension session. All three activities are a good habit to embrace prior to beginning an AP movie session.
Nod your head up in down as you would when saying yes.
Drink some water
Slow rhythmic breathing through your nose
You’re now ready to watch your AMP film. Cheers!