The Way of the Free Spirit

***The Way of the Free Spirit*** is a collection of writings by Janella, founder of the Free Spirit Connection, published and distributed in the form of a small paperback book. It contains Janella's thoughts on various issues of spirituality and ethics, including sexual ethics, and serves as a source of inspiration for Free Spirits. In *Peri's Bliss*, Peri Winger remarked on the clarity and simplicity of its writing, and it is suggested that it is the source of the following quote given by Lateshia Williams:

> *Every person is a treasure, priceless and unique, in an endless treasure trove.*
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Quotations cited in other books:

> *The more you embrace joy, the less room there is for fear.*
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> *The only demons with which a Free Spirit should be concerned are those with which each of us must wrestle within ourselves. And wrestle with them we must, lest we unwittingly unleash them upon those around us.*
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> *We are told in many ways how the world is supposed to be, and so very often in stark terms of “either this or that” – either free or slave, either male or female, either happy or sad, either sun or moon. As I was taught to expect, I saw the sun during the day, and the moon during the night. Now here I was, standing on a mountain, the sun and the moon side by side, both as bright as they could be. What was I to make of this? For that single moment, I had no answer, save to enjoy what was there to behold. From that first glance, an unspoiled joy did wash through me, and no more would I seek to find some cold and austere ordering of things. I went up the mountain marching – and I came down dancing.*
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> *We are all walking an endless path, never straight, and always crossing the paths that others walk. What do we get when we walk with endless worry over every step? Frustration, resentment, confusion. What do we get when we celebrate every step, and let go of every misstep? Clarity, appreciation, fulfilment. Take joy in your journey, however long it may be, or wherever it takes you.*
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> *I see the Divine in the mountains, the rivers, the clouds and the stars. I see the Divine in the highways, and skyscrapers, in farmland and playgrounds. But where is the Divine in the barren desert, in burned-down forests, and disaster-stricken towns? The Divine is in the oasis, and the people there who give water and rest to desert travelers. The Divine is in the firefighters’ tools, and the flowers that bloom from the ash.* *The Divine is in relief trucks, bringing food and water and comfort.* *The Divine rests in all things, but is no more awake than when we summon strength to do what is right.*
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> *Religion at its best guides us to see how all truth is bound into a whole. When religion rejects science, it degrades into superstition.*
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> *Sex can be a source of pleasure, of connection, and of life. Sex can also be misused to cause pain, to isolate, and to deprive of life. so, too, with many other things that we experience. So what to say when asked: "How shall Free Spirits approach sex?" As with all other things, with compassion for one another, with respect for the facts of existence and the truths of our experience, without coercion or intimidation or fear, and always striving for joy in every form.*
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> *Death is finality, the end of both pain and joy, of growth and decline. Every person we know provides another chapter in a book of memories which we cherish, and from which we learn. When that life comes to an end, we close that book, we grieve that we can write no more, and we fear what will come at the last chapter of our lives. Let us cherish those memories even more. Let us learn from the lessons of that life. Let us ourselves commit to live in love, and truth, and peace, and bliss, so that the books that we leave behind may inspire others to do likewise, from one generation to the next.*
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