“Freedom isn’t just a legal right. It’s the power to choose. To think intentionally. To become who we were created to be.“
— edna castillo
Freedom Starts Within
This past Sunday, I had the sacred opportunity to speak at Unity Church on a subject deeply close to my heart: freedom. Not just the freedom granted by governments—but the spiritual freedom to create our lives from the inside out.
Whether you were in the room with me or simply tuning in here, I hope these reflections invite you into a deeper relationship with your own power, your story, and your path forward.
What Would Your Life Look Like If…
What would your life look like if you had been born somewhere else—where your voice wasn’t welcome, where your gender came with limits, where your spiritual seeking had boundaries?
Since being asked to give this talk, I’ve thought about that question often.
Because I wasn’t born in the U.S.—I was born in Guatemala. And had my parents not made the bold, courageous decision to migrate here, my life would be unrecognizable.
They came seeking the American Dream: a better life for their children, opportunity, and freedom. Had they stayed, life would have looked very different.
- One or more of my brothers may have lost their lives to political violence.
- I likely wouldn’t have been inspired—or expected—to pursue higher education.
- I may have been encouraged to marry young and focus solely on raising a family.
- I wouldn’t have had the freedom to explore my spirituality, study Unity principles, become a coach, write a book, or live my purpose.
- There would be no stage like this for me.
No freedom to speak from my soul.
No Unity center welcoming all faiths, all paths, all dreams.
But I’m not here just to tell you my story. I’m here to invite you into yours.
What Freedom Isn’t
In Guatemala, religious tradition is tightly woven into culture. Spiritual roles are often defined—by gender, lineage, or expectation.
I grew up Catholic—so devoted, honoring God, and loving that part of me because it helped shape who I am today. But I also had deep questions: about suffering, about purpose, about who God really is.
I was taught to worship a God outside of me, never to experience the kind of spiritual freedom I now know to be true. I would not have been encouraged to lead, to speak spiritual truths, or to follow my intuitive voice.
Even here in the U.S., many people live externally free—but internally confined.
Confined by fear, doubt, worry, or the belief that this is just the way life is.
But freedom isn’t just a legal right.
It’s the power to choose. To think intentionally. To become who we were created to be.
Freedom as a Sacred Gift—and a Responsibility
This country gave me safety.
But more than that—it gave me awareness.
The awareness that life is reflective. That we are co-creators with Divine Mind.
I learned that we create the results we experience through the way we think, the vibration of our emotions, and our belief in what’s possible.
This is true freedom: to understand that our thoughts are creative. That we are not victims of circumstance—we are shapers of our experience.
We don’t have to shrink to make others comfortable.
We’re here to shine so others remember they can, too.
A Moment That Awakened the Creator in Me
During my cancer journey, life shook me. It demanded that I decide:
Would I live as a survivor of circumstances—or as a creator of possibilities?
I chose to think differently, to speak affirmations, to practice gratitude, and to visualize healing. And at the end of 16 rounds of chemo, my nurse was astonished—my bloodwork was actually better than when I started.
And during those 10 months? I wrote a book.That is the power of spiritual freedom.
The freedom to claim the Creator within.
What Will You Do With Your Freedom?
We live in one of the few places on earth where we can gather in spiritual community, speak freely, and lead with both softness and strength.
But the world is watching—not governments, not systems—but the spirit of the world is watching.
And it is asking us:
What will you do with the freedom you have?
I love this quote from Justice Louis D. Brandeis:
“The most important political office is that of the private citizen.”
You don’t need a title.
Or permission.
You need only to choose—to be free, and use that freedom to create love, peace, and joy.
Remembering Who You Are
Today, I honor my parents’ journey. I thank this country for its safety.
But most of all, I celebrate the awareness of who I am.
And I call on you to remember who you are:
You are a thinker.
A feeler.
A chooser.
A creator.
“You are the seed and the sunlight,
The question and the key.
Freedom lives not outside you,
But in who you choose to be.”
— Edna Castillo
So I invite you—not just to treasure your freedom, but to use it.
To live as the divine spark you are.
May we, together, lift the vibration of this world—to one of peace, love, and joy.
