In the presence of this being, you feel completely safe, loved, cared for, and relaxed in a way you have always wanted.  As you begin to enjoy that feeling on increasingly deeper levels, the being begins to speak to you…  

“Welcome” it says.  “I have been watching you, following your every choice.  I see that you have been trying as best you know how to live a good life.  I honor you for all that you are and all you have done, even those things you think you could have done better.  Although you have sometimes doubted yourself, I have never doubted you.  I see down to the depths of your soul, into the heart of your being, and I know without question that you are good.  You are a spark from the Divine Fire.  You are made of infinite creativity.  You are a melody in the Divine symphony of existence.” 

As you hear this being, you realize that what it says is true.  In everything you have ever done, there has always been a desire to experience happiness.  Sometimes it was the desire to stop the pain as best you could, other times it was to gain a sense of power or control or safety, and still other times it was to create something beautiful that would inspire you and others to open their hearts further to life.  In every moment though, you were seeking a deeper sense of goodness as you understood it in that moment.   Although some of your choices ended up causing more problems than solutions, you did the best you could with the strength and wisdom you had at the time.

 “That’s right,” the being continues, “I recognize the beauty that lives at the core of your every cell, your every thought, and your every desire.  I recognize it because I put it there.  It is the part of me that lives in you, that makes you mine, that makes it so we can never be truly separated.  You are mine and I am yours, eternally, inextricably participating in a Divine Dance.  You may forget that we are forever connected or think that I have forsaken you, but I brought you here right now to show you that this is impossible.  There is nothing you could ever do to break this bond, and nothing you could ever do to earn it or re-build it.  You are already a full participant in my Divine Grace.  You are already fully and completely loved.  You are perfect in my eyes.”

 Upon hearing these words and feeling the love with which they were spoken, you realize that you have truly been set free.  All of the fears and concerns you have had are no longer necessary.  You are loved.  You are good enough exactly as you are.  You are accepted into the Divine Kingdom.  You are free to enjoy your life for the gifts it brings.

 “Yes,” says the being, “your life is my gift to you.  I have filled it with beautiful sights, sounds, feelings, smells, and tastes.  I have given you a mind with which to think and understand.  I have given you other people with which to share love, kindness, and generosity.  I have given you a conscience by which to guide your choices. 

 “I have also given you the desire for pleasure, love, joy, and creativity.  You have the capacity to imagine new worlds and then work to make them reality.  The more exciting and beautiful your creative visions, the more challenges you will have to face to bring them into existence.  And this is my greatest gift for you – that you can enjoy the challenges of creating the life you truly desire, to bring your highest vision of beauty into the world through your work, your relationships, your health, your family, and your communities – that you can know struggle and defeat as well as triumph and victory – that you can use these challenges to grow into the fullest expression of who you are.

 “Now, I encourage you to go back into your life, using your best intelligence and your highest sense of the good to create a beautiful life for yourself.  Remember always that I love you.  You are perfect in my eyes.  You are free to live according to your conscience and the moral laws that resonate in your soul.  You need not put any thought on being accepted into My Kingdom.  You will never be shut out.  So go, create love and beauty and kindness and joy!  Your life is my gift to you, what you make of it is your gift to me.”

 With these words still echoing in your mind and heart, you find yourself gently leaving the heavenly being and space, as if waking up from a pleasant and restful sleep.  As you come back into full awareness of your surroundings, you find yourself waking to discover that you are still reading the article on Spirituality and True Freedom.  In fact, you are just one paragraph from the end!

 As you finish reading, you might begin to look around you, remembering the truths that the Divine Being told you:  you are loved, you are perfect in its eyes, there is nothing you need to prove, and no one you can prove it to.  You do not need to earn its love, and you cannot lose it.  You are free to live your life according to your conscience.  Even now, you might begin to notice the endless opportunities to create something beautiful in your life, whether it is a kind word to a stranger, a kind deed to someone you love, or a small gesture to celebrate the Divinity that made this world and your existence in it all possible.  As you do, you might find yourself smiling, and offering silent thanks for the grace of Divinity that has always been and will always be at the very center of your life.