We are Free

"Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt, that you can set upon the freedom of my mind."

(From “A Room of One’s Own” by Virginia Woolf)

Happy birthday to me, last week I turned 45 (doesn’t my hair look fantastic?).

When I heard this prayer spoken outloud by my friend Hannah a few weeks ago, it moved me (thank you Hannah) and so I wanted to share it with you.

But I hope I’m not offending anyone (a huge ask on the internet!) by referring to this as “a prayer that has been attributed to the Náhuatl”, a people related to the Aztec living in Central Mexico…because it is unclear if this is actually a traditional prayer.

If it is indeed one, let it be clearly stated that this prayer, invoking our personal freedom, are words born from a people whose culture and lives, like all indigenous people throughout Central America, were violently oppressed by the Catholic Church and Europeans for hundreds of years.

But I haven’t been able to verify its origins. When I have found it online, it’s only been on self-help/spiritual websites (with no references/links). And it is often the accompanying text to many-a-woman’s selfie post after a hard day at divorce surf camp in Nicaragua.

So, do you pray?

I’ve been learning to ‘cause I never used to…although maybe making things, like bread or a song or this video, is prayer? But let’s just say I mean more like “do you pray in the traditional sense of prayer?” (But not necessarily because you go to a church or a temple).

I’m learning how praying releases an outward-directed energy, where you ask for help, give thanks, cultivate faith, hope, remember, surrender and communicate with the Big Spirit.

The landscapes and animals in this video are similar to things my relatives might have seen as they moved through the UK, Europe, Asia and Australia over generations.

Music by the giant musical talent that is @seansayshello

I release my parents from the feeling that they have already failed me.

I release my children from the need to bring pride to me; that they may write their own ways according to their hearts, that whisper in their ears all the time.

I release my partner from the obligation to complete myself. I lack nothing, I learn with all beings all the time.

I thank my grandparents and forefathers who have gathered so that I can breathe life today. I release them from past failures and unfulfilled desires, aware that they have done their best to resolve their situations within the consciousness they had at that moment.

I honour you, I love you and I recognize you as innocent.

I am transparent before their eyes, so they know that I do not hide or owe anything other than being true to myself and to my very existence, that walking with the wisdom of the heart, I am aware that I fulfill my life project, free from invisible and visible family loyalties that might disturb my Peace and Happiness, which are my only responsibilities.

I renounce the role of savior, of being one who unites or fulfills the expectations of others.

Learning through, and only through, love, I bless my essence and my way of expressing, even though somebody may not understand me.

I understand myself, because I alone have lived and experienced my history; because I know myself, I know who I am, what I feel, what I do and why I do it.

I respect and approve.

I honor the Divinity in me and in you.

We are free.”

***An UPDATE on the text’s origins here: https://grok.com/share/bGVnYWN5_3b107dae-7184-4099-9649-e1c203c1b19c

And it said:

The quote "I release my parents from the feeling that they have already failed me..." is not a traditional Náhuatl prayer but a modern composition, likely created between 2018 and 2019, based on the timeline of its online appearance and expert analysis by David Bowles. While its themes may resonate with indigenous and spiritual values, it does not originate from historical Náhuatl texts. This conclusion does not diminish its personal or inspirational value, but it underscores the importance of accurate cultural representation, especially in discussions involving sensitive topics like indigenous heritage.