Free Thyself by Edward Bach

If we follow our own instincts, our own wishes, our own thoughts, our own desires, we should never know anything but joy and health.  Neither is it a difficult far-away attainment to hear the voice of our own soul.  Simplicity is the keynote of all creation.

Our soul (the still small voice, God’s own voice) speaks to us through our intuition, our instincts, through our desires, ideals, our ordinary likes and dislikes, in whichever way it is easiest for us individually to hear.  How else can He speak to us?  Our true instincts, desires, likes or dislikes are given to us so that we can interpret the spiritual commands of our soul by means of our limited physical perceptions, for it is not possible for many of us yet to be in communion with our Higher Self.  These commands are meant to be followed implicitly, because the soul alone knows what experiences are necessary for that particular personality.  Whatever the commands may be, trivial or important, the desire for another cup of tea, or a complete change of the whole of one’s life’s habits, it should be willingly obeyed.  The soul knows that satiation is the one real cure for all that we, in this world, consider as sin and wrong, for until the whole being revolts against a certain act, the fault is not eradicated but simply dormant, just as it is much better to go on sticking one’s fingers into the jam-pot until one is so sick that jam has no further attraction.

Our true desires, the wishes of our true selves, are not to be confused with the wishes and desires of other people so often planted in our minds, or our conscience, which is another word for the same thing.  We must pay no heed to the world’s interpretation of our actions.  Our own soul alone is responsible for our good, our reputation is in His keeping; we can rest assured that there is only one sin, that of not obeying the dictates of our own Divinity.  That is a sin against God and our neighbour.  These wishes, intuitions, desires are never selfish, they concern ourselves alone and are always right for us, and bring us health in body and mind.

Disease is the result in the physical body of resistance of the personality to the guidance of the soul. It is when we turn a deaf ear to the ‘still small voice’ and forget the Divinity within us; when we try and force our wishes upon others, or allow their suggestions, thoughts and commands to influence us.

The more we become free from outside influences, from other personalities, the more our soul can use us to do His work.

It is only when we attempt to control and rule someone else that we are selfish.   But the world tries to tell us that it is selfishness to follow our own desires.  That is because the world wishes to enslave us, for truly it is only when we can realise and be unhampered in our real selves that we can be used for the good of mankind.  It is the great truth of Shakespeare: “to thine own self be true” and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.