To Mask or not to Mask

Mony... and the Mask!

That seems to be the question these days, as the mere mention of the word brings up so many emotions, so many guttural reactions, so many beliefs!

And in this space that appears so divisive, I see a grand opportunity for liberation, for transformation, for love to enter.

As always, let it begin with me.

At the core of these conversations seems to be our beliefs about FREEDOM:

That, as a free person, I have the right to decide what is best for me, and no external force can make me do anything I don’t want. The virus isn’t dangerous, we’re all going to be infected anyways, and even if I did believe in the virus, my faith/ immunity/ body are strong enough to handle it.

vs.

As a free person, what I do for myself impacts others – no matter what I believe – because with freedom, comes responsibility to the community that we all share. What affects one, affects all.

This is all – once again – the outer manifestation of an inner conflict that just happens to be playing out right now in the conversation about masks. I’m sure similar inner dialogues happened when helmets, seat belts, vaccinations, etc. were introduced.

As I now turn my attention away from the outer world of effect, to my inner world of cause, I ask myself:

Why is wearing a mask so triggering to me?

The answer to this question will be unique to the person answering it. I don’t know the original cause for it and, to me anyways, it doesn’t matter. Whether the original trauma happened in this lifetime or another, my childhood or adolescence… what matters NOW is that I acknowledge that the trauma is within me, playing out like a record-on-repeat, triggering emotions in me that are making me respond in one way or another.

It is at this level that I do the inner work. Again, today it’s a mask triggering me. Tomorrow, it will be something else. I’d rather do the work of healing now.

Freedom is the gift given to us by a God Love. Each soul here on this Earth is inherently free, because that is the nature of God. That is the nature of the universe and all creatures and creations. It is a universe that is in continual expansion fueled, in my opinion, by love.

I get that we don’t want anything that limits our freedom.

But if we look at our Mother Earth, at the wisdom of Nature, at the plant and animal kingdoms, we see that relationships among its members are often symbiotic. The members care for each other and, in so doing, ensure the health and well-being of all and of the ecosystem that supports them all.

Humans are no different. We are wired to care. We are wired to love. We are wired to look after one another. That IS our true nature, given to us by a Creator whose nature IS this.

What gets in the way of the natural expressing of that brotherly relationship are ideas that we have learned that somehow:

To love is to lose.

To offer is to be deprived.

To belong is to disappear.

Even if I don’t buy into the symbiotic nature of our existence and I believe myself to be the master – all on my own – of my own domain, then how can anything outside of me imprison or suppress me?

If I hold the idea that some outside political, social, economic force is trying to control me, suffocate me, silence me, lie to me, manipulate me…. then I have already muzzled myself by that belief. Not only by projecting that belief, but by interpreting everything I see through its lens. Of course this will be my experience. It’s what I believe. And what I believe, I will see.

I appreciate that removing the mask feels like I’m removing the very symbol of what’s trying to silence me.

But if I were truly free, no face covering would trigger me.

And all the outcries that we see are the acting out of the anger and guilt that we feel at our own self-imposed imprisonment.

There is nothing and no one in this world that can give – or take away – the state of being called FREEDOM. It is an inner state.

Freedom is of the mind that knows the truth, unwavering, of who it is.

Freedom is of the heart, awakened in love and compassion, which only wishes to extend itself into the world.

Freedom is of the spirit, which is already free, and doesn’t need to prove that to anyone else.

The ultimate freedom is freedom from the illusions of this world:

The knowing that I am always one with my Creator. That I am loved, and forgiven. That nothing in this world can bind me. That when I am bound to God Love, I am free, for nothing that is asked of me in this material world (be it a mask, confinement, social distancing, a vaccine, a law…) can affect the knowing that I am already – now and forevermore – free.

Alberto and I wear masks when we enter any indoor space. Why?

Because, to us, that is the most loving thing we can do at this time; to not add to the anxiety, tension and divisiveness that we see. We know who we are, and Who is with us, in every moment. A mask will not change that.

To us, this is the meaning of the teaching by Jesus: I render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s (i.e. the mask, what is of the world), and render to God the things that are God’s (my freedom, what is of the Spirit).

In fact, when we go into a store, we remind ourselves of that. And that we are here not to defend against a virus, but to leave seeds of light, of peace and love, of wisdom, of consciousness… with whoever we see and in every aisle that we walk. This is all inner work. This is all light-work, and has nothing to do with what we see in the outer world as a virus.

When we feel that we are losing that feeling of oneness and connection – because, hello, we are still human! – we go home. We go inwards again, and recommit to the inner union.

A grand opportunity for healing and transformation is before us once again. We can take up the task of clearing those beliefs that veil the light and love that we are. Or we can keep the veil in place, believing that something outside of us is trying to hurt us.

And while we decide, Love always waits. Ever patient. Ever extending a hand to help us walk through this “darkness” to the other side where only light exists. Where only love is real. Where brotherhood is the only truth.

Love, always 💖🙏
Mony

BTW, all credit to Alberto for the inspired Hamlet reference in this pic! 😁

And yes, please feel free to share!

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