This month America is celebrating the 4th of July, a date known to most people around the world as Independence Day. As a Brit, of course, this date means very little to me.or does it? This famous holiday started me thinking. What is independence anyway, and do we always want it when we've got it?

We are born dependent .we cannot survive without the safety of our mothers womb, from the nourishment that comes from her body, and then after we leave the womb, we rely on our mothers milk. As we grow, many of us struggle for our independence, straining at our mothers apron strings, wanting to break away. We go to school, and once again we become dependent on our teachers, our learning, and on the friends we make. Then we find ourselves breaking away again, to go to other schools, make new friends and to grow into the adults we have striven from the beginning to be.

Gaining more and more independence as we go!
We want our independence from our oppressors.
We want our independence from those who would seek to control us for their own ends.
We want our independence from our boring job, or our mundane life.
We want our independence from many things, but there are many things and many people who we would not like to be independent from.

Our lesson this month, especially as it comes in the wake of the Fourth of July celebrations of America's Independence Day, is about dependence and independence.and what these two things mean to us.

Make a list of all those things you would like to be independent from in your life, and why.

Here are three of my own examples, of which there are many.
I would like to be independently wealthy, as this would allow me to do more of what I do as a spiritual medium and healer, andto be more of what I would like to be. It would enable me to make more money for my healing foundation, and for the many projects I would like to put in place there.

I would like to be independent of all travel agencies and their rules, as this would allow me the freedom to travel without restrictions.

I would like to be independent of all health issues, as this would mean that I can do more physically, and have more fun.

Now make a list of all those people you would like to be independent from in your life, and why.

Here are three of my own examples, of which there are few.
I would like to be independent from all those people whose own agenda conflicts so greatly with my own that they can cause harm or damage to me in my work, as dealing with them can put such a strain on my energy and my focus as to interfere with what it is that I need to do.

I would like to be independent from those people whose idea of truth is to be unnecessarily mean or hurtful, as even when we have differences in our truths, we should strive to be constructive in our delivery of them, and not destructive.

I would like to be independent from those people who blame others for whatever is going wrong in their lives, who point the finger at anyone other than themselves to deflect from their own short comings, as this is both harmful to them and brings negative energy to everyone around them.

Now make your own lists.
Take some time to review your own examples, and think about the effects that they have had on your life, and on the lives of those around you. Ask yourself if you can change any of the things you wish to be independent from, ask yourself if it is possible to become independent in those areas of your life where dependence has become harmful to you.

When you have reviewed your lists carefully, make sure to ask yourself if you come under any of the categories you dislike or need to be independent from. For example; Are you an alcoholic? Are you a shop-aholic? Do you spend all day at your computer at the expense of others? Are you yourself continually on a diet? Are you a bully? Are you a control freak? Do you belittle others? Are you a taker rather than a giver?

If asked, we all want a certain amount of independence, to be free of those things and people in our lives who seem to cause us misery. But we also need to have an independence of spirit, for without this we can become lost and confused, stunted in our spiritual growth.

Have a happy Independence day.and try to make your independence from all that is harmful to you an every day celebration!