Reclaim Your Mental Sovereignty
Lauryn Hill at the Kongsberg Jazz Festival in 2019
As I mature in this alarmingly dystopian modern world, the more I resonate with Lauryn Hill’s “I Get Out.” If you are unfamiliar with the song, it is a passionate rebuttal against dogmatic attempts to control our minds and dictate our spiritual understandings of life’s expansion. The song is a beautifully intense declaration of freedom from all mental, emotional, and spiritual bondage. The following lyrics encompass what I’ve felt as of late:
“No more compromises
I see past your disguises
Blinding me through mind control
Stealing my eternal soul
Appealing through material
To keep me as your slave
But I get out, oh, I get out of all your boxes
I'll get out, oh, you can't hold me in these chains
I get out, oh, I want out of social bondage…
Obligated to a system
Getting less then you're deserving
Who made up these schools, I say
Who made up these rules, I say
Animal conditioning
Oh, just to keep us as a slave
Oh, just get out of this social purgatory"
So, that pretty much sums up the vibes
Lately, life has felt somewhat like an internal battle– not against myself but against external influences. This is to be expected in the wake of a global pandemic, a burgeoning recession, numerous major US bank failures, and the insensitivity of elected leaders across the globe. Then on top of it all, we have shady people on the internet always trying to sell us things! Or pitching a solution to a problem they know nothing about.
Sovereignty, in political theory, refers to the ultimate overseer, or authority, in the decision-making process of the state. As it pertains to personal decision making, sovereignty is a reflection of individual agency. At present, general society runs the risk of completely surrendering independence of thought and sovereign action to algorithmic conditioning. Furthermore, as literacy rates and critical thinking abilities plummet across the United States, true embodiment of mental sovereignty becomes increasingly rare.
Video essayist, Intelexual Media, perfectly and passionately dives into this topic in the below video. I highly recommend you watch it!
In the past couple of weeks I’ve slowed down a bit to reassess how I am committing myself to true sovereignty of mind, body, and spirit. It is not enough to be free in theory, our freedom rests upon what we choose to do with it. If we are all free to think and act in alignment with all that is good and true, why do so many people voluntarily take in fear and hopelessness? These doomsday perspectives are simply manifestations of external conditioning. They are manufactured by those who profit from the desperation and fear of communities living in ignorance of their own mental power and spiritual sovereignty.
In biblical text, Jesus Christ instructs “by your words ye are justified and by your words ye are condemned.” When contextualized by the principles of 20th century spiritual teachers like Florence Scovel Shinn and Neville Goddard, our thoughts are said to have just as much power as our words. The late Indian anti-colonial leader Mahatma Gandhi also proclaimed that: “A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks,he becomes.”
When we create space for thoughts that bind us to fear, inequality, doom, and disaster, it all naturally materializes into the words we profess over our lives and the realities we ultimately experience.
It is for this reason that sovereignty of the mind is integral for a life well-lived.
While each individual human being must decide for themselves what they believe to be true, I’d be remiss to ignore the influence of social imaginaries on individual thoughts and values. Social imaginaries are sociological concepts that define the set of values, institutions, laws, and symbols through which people imagine their social whole. So when we look at man-made subcultures like political affiliation and racial identity, we can understand why people in various subcultures are more susceptible to external beliefs that seem to validate the values of their subgroup.
Social imaginaries in themselves are not bad, as they can help reinforce connection and unity within overlooked communities. There is no crime in finding strength and solace in shared values and belief systems. The danger only arises when individuals are no longer capable of reasoning for themselves. This danger further augments when individuals rely on artificial intelligence and dishonest media personalities as the sole source for their information and opinions– consequently informing their purchasing decisions, romantic yearnings, self-image, and voting behavior.
While it may seem like an extreme assessment to some, I believe the onslaught of groupthink is a real threat to societal progress, innovation, and collective wellbeing. Groupthink removes nuance, silences intuitive reasoning, and enslaves the thoughts of masses who fear the ostracization that comes with having unpopular opinions (even if they are based in truth).
So how have I decided to resist this modern mix of subtle and outrIght attacks on my mental and spiritual sovereignty?
Once I realized how popular media has been making me feel a bit monitored and caged, I turned inwards to reassess and redefine what “feeling free” means to me. In the past few weeks, we’ve all experienced the potent energy of a new moon, Juneteenth, Summer Solstice, and July 4th. My fellow Americans can also attest to the confusion, hurt, and distrust circulating our news cycle in wake of jarring decisions from the Supreme Court. I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling extremely reflective on what true liberation looks and feels like and how to bring that into this new season.
Mentally and spiritually I tend to take periodic pockets of solitude to be sure I’m cutting through the noise and embracing the truth of life’s beautiful promises. African women are heavily inundated with messages about how we should live, who we should love, how long (or short) our hair should be, and even how we should make money! And when you add in the ugly prevalence of misogynoir it just can feel unbearable.
So, I intentionally honor my freedom to rest and pour into myself when I feel drained by what’s happening around me. I honor the freedom of knowing that if I see something with my mind’s eye, I am powerful enough to create it or attract it to me. I channel this freedom into the art I create and the books I write. Brazen, abstract, and somewhat intense, my art is a reflection of how I feel inside and how I like to show up in the world. In sharing my work with others, I hope they remember that they have a right to show up as the boldest, most colorful versions of themselves.
So if you have been feeling caged into narratives that no longer resonate with you or feeling bogged down by society’s fearmongering and pessimistic delights- let them go! Free your mind, free yourself. Fear is the antithesis of freedom and internalized shame stifles growth. I implore you to take some time in the next week or so to reflect on how you can intentionally protect the sovereignty of your mind, body, and spirit.
Here are a few questions to consider as you reflect on how best to embody a sovereign lifestyle that is authentic to you:
Where do I source my beliefs from? Am I consciously taking the time to create beliefs that are in alignment with my highest good and that of the world around me? If not, what beliefs do I need to change?
What feelings and emotions am I harboring inside of my body that do not belong to me? Am I allowing others to project their fear, shame, or anger onto me? If so, what practices can I begin to release those emotions that are not mine to carry?
Does my spirit feel expansive or restricted by what is happening around me? If I am feeling expansive, how can I nurture and protect that energy of abundance within me on a daily basis? If I am feeling restricted spiritually, what changes can I make in myself, my environment, and my daily practices to cultivate an energy of expansion and abundance in my life?
I know that as a human collective, we are fed hopelessness from multiple sources. But I also know that we can resist external conditioning with love, hope, and faith. Regardless of your religious or spiritual disposition, I hope you can receive encouragement from this biblical quote:
“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
Philippians 4:8
We all have a right to decide what influences we allow to guide our thoughts, actions, and belief systems. ultimately, we must know that our existence is a part of a universal life force. The thoughts and imaginaries we hold within our minds, bodies, and spirits can be conduits for positive transformation and evolution across generations. Building a better world begins within our minds and it takes place within our hearts. When we all decide to take control of our minds and turn our attention to hope, we embark on a journey of divine creation.
Affirm with me:
I refuse to create a legacy of despair, depression, and loss. I refute all conditioning that tries to tell me a life of desperation and hopelessness is all I have to look forward to. I wholeheartedly embrace and embody my birthright of growth, expansion, and abundance. I promise to give myself grace as I navigate periods of darkness. I trust myself to always find the light in any situation because I believe that light exists within me always.
And so it is!