How can someone be free if they can't even see their own cage? Even worse, what if they believed the very thing that was keeping them caged would someday set them free?

And what is it we want freedom from? Wants, needs, and desires? Fear, pain, and suffering? Daily toil, drudgery, and boredom? Money problems, relationship problems? All our problems? Wouldn't that be nice to not have to worry about all those things?

Let us go to the core, what is the root of all these issues? Simple, every single problem we have is a thought in our minds. A physical situation may exist, but it is the mind's reaction that makes it into a problem. Our own thinking turns it into a problem and through this we become slaves to the thoughts in our minds.

A prisoner who knows nothing other than prison would simply think that's the way life is. A prisoner who has tasted freedom will suffer far more when locked away, even though the reality of the situation would be the same for both prisoners. It's simply a difference in perception.

Because the mind can create the illusion that we aren't free, the illusion that we are dependent upon the body, mind and ego, the mind may seem very powerful. It's not powerful at all, but to a person who can only see through the filter of their mind, it's the most powerful thing in the world. The Being Within is where the power comes from, but that power is unconsciously given away by feeding into illusions.

There are various realms we exist in simultaneously, whether we are aware of it or not. The most obvious is the physical, also known as the material realm or 3D. This is where there's the illusion of solid objects and space between them.

Then there's the Divine Realms, where the rules of the physical realm no longer apply. There is only Oneness, Divine Love, and Endless Joy beyond imagination. This is the home of your Higher Self, Tao, Source, however you choose to label God, though it's important to say that the Divine Realm exists beyond any mental concepts. The Divine is bigger than any ideas in your mind, though that's not saying the Divine is out of reach. In fact, it's even closer to You than your own mind.

Humans have this amazing ability to be bridges between the Divine and the physical. Miracle of miracles! If people really understood what this means, they'd be slack-jawed and dumbfounded for at least a week straight. The profundity of this is incredible, it brings magic back into your life, that child-like wonder most people have lost, and so much more. This is what human bodies are built for, living separate from the Divine is a deeply unnatural state of being. That's why there's so much suffering in the world, and reconnecting with the Divine is what brings physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health back into your life. It's how you're made to Live.

Note that I said real change, I'm not talking about switching from drinking Coke to Pepsi, changing political parties, switching religions, or changing your diet because of some article you read online. I'm talking about real changes, not superficial things, but deep, lasting changes that are a part of your growth as a human being. Things like becoming more loving, more compassionate, living with honesty, integrity and responsibility. Releasing fears and living freely and joyfully. How do we bring these kinds changes into our lives?

Superficial change is easy, the underlying patterns don't have to change, only the surface beliefs. Your identification with one limiting thought is just traded for another limiting thought. These kinds of changes occur all the time, once the novelty of one belief is worn out, it simply gets exchanged for another. Sooner or later though, the inherent emptiness of these types of changes becomes apparent. They're food for the mind, but they leave the Soul hungry.

So why is substantial change so difficult? Well, it's really not that difficult, or rather, it's as easy or as difficult as you make it for yourself. Most everyone has been taught to resist change, though it's largely unconscious. It's rare that a parent will tell a child directly that change is bad, but it is still taught through actions. Life becomes very structured, the same static patterns repeating over and over again, each day just like the last. Then the child goes to school, where repeating the same patterns is strictly enforced, then they get a job, and they get even more locked into this rigidly structured life.

This discussion seems to come up over and over again, and has people heavily polarized. The ego, is it some evil to be fought against, some sinister force that steals our happiness? Or is it like some unruly child that needs to be tamed, controlled and eventually befriended? Is the ego an enemy or an ally?

I see this question creating much conflict between people, and within them as well. It's a simple question, so why no simple, clear answer? That's easy, it's the question itself is flawed. Only being able to see the ego as a friend or an enemy is a great example of a false dichotomy, which is the illusion of only having two options.

Duality is based upon false dichotomy, good or evil, right or wrong, light or dark. It presents this image of a universe of opposites that oppose each other, and you're supposed to choose one or the other. It's such an incredibly limited, two-dimensional way of looking at things and it's precisely why people have such a hard time transcending the ego.

If you view the ego as a friend, something to shape and control, you're giving your energy away to a false sense of self. If you view the ego as an enemy, something to fight against and defeat, you're still giving away your energy to a false sense of self. Either way you're giving it power, even when fighting it. Somewhere within the mind of the person who fights with the ego is the belief that the ego has control over them, that's why it has to be fought against, correct? And so long as you believe this, it will be true. This belief that the ego has control over you sits in the unconscious, while the ego is struggled with on the surface. You have to look deeper, ask why does the ego have control, and who's giving the ego control?

Effective manifestation is not learning to direct or control the Universe, it's learning to work with the Universe. It's learning to see the possibilities and to go with the Natural Flow. If you approach manifestation with the belief that you're going to get everything you desire, you're bound to be disappointed. If you approach it from the understanding that you'll be Co-Creating with the Universe, you may get something priceless.