The Art of Freedom tells the story of Michael Damian's inner journey, from poignant psychological insights to the inner revelation of pure consciousness. Michael discusses the perennial themes of spiritual development, explaining the nature of meditation, self-love, conscious relationships and existential crisis in a voice of original wisdom. The Art of Freedom speaks to the human heart in its longing for love and higher consciousness.
On Happiness
"When you want to awaken, you are going to need a great power, a great passion for truth and for life. How can you possibly receive the revelation of wholeness if you attempt to stifle your desire for happiness? You cannot get to the root of your being by cutting off your branches. You have to grow both upward into the world and downward into the unmanifest. That is how you enlighten your desire for happiness."
On Desire
"Those who have not gone through the fire of their desires cannot find great peace; they will only find a small and static island of peace defended by repression. To earn peace you need to have come absolutely alive. You cannot have repression in your system. You have to have insisted on speaking the truth with others and not settled for the great lie of appearances."
Awakening
"In the quiet dawn of realization there was a great sense of death and completion, as though an entire life had ended and all its contents were fully loved and redeemed. All was fresh and timeless as though I had entered the uncreated eye at the center of creation. In that stillness was the awe and wonder of an absolute aloneness beyond every created thing, yet without any loss of ordinary perception."
A Note from the Author
Nietzsche famously stated, "Of all that is written, I love only what a person has written with his blood. Write with blood, and you will find that blood is spirit."
In this, my first book, we are considering the idea that a human being has a divine and transcendent nature. This idea can be believed intellectually, but I think we can only confirm its truth in our blood, which is spirit.
By blood we mean the deepest feelings that run through a person. Intellectually we can convince ourselves or others of anything from the lofty to the absurd - and we often do. But I believe the real wisdom of a lifetime is only known through direct experience.
I propose an approach that starts with the mud, the muck and the blood of human experience, for if we cannot find the spirit there, then the spirit we find will be a shallow and pretentious wisdom, one that thinks it knows how to save the entire world, when it is hard enough to save even one soul from its sorrows. But if we start small, we may find something big. And that big something can never be mass produced, taught in schools or made into a social movement. Nevertheless it is the quiet and steady saving of the world, one human being at a time.
Michael Damian
Read Chapter 1 from The Art of Freedom
Reviews
"This book is the most incredible commentary of an educated man seeing through to his true nature. I absolutely commend this book to anyone whatever stage of enlightenment they feel they are at. It's so good I can't stop laughing when I think about it. I can start reading anywhere in the book and I feel the oneness. Michael, thank you."
ANDREW, UK
Your book is extremely powerful, Michael. I'm halfway through and already deeply touched and changed. Thank you so much for writing this, and hopefully more to come. So glad to be able to call you a friend. You're a true inspiration.
KASPAR, Switzerland
Just wanted to let you know that I'm reading your book and find it immensely satisfying. There is a depth of wisdom and knowledge of non-duality that is truly impressive.
J. FINNEGAN
This book is a life-changer. I can read it once, grow from it, read it again, and gain even more understanding. There are so many teachings of truth and growth packed into every paragraph. Reading this book has helped me realize that I don't need to gain anything from outside of myself for inner freedom. I must simply remove the obstacles and false beliefs blocking me from clarity.
LEANNA
This book is truly beautiful—poetic, profound, and interesting, expressing Michael Damian's original voice. It is a real contribution to today's wisdom teachings. Having taught the direct path to spiritual awakening for the last 15 years, I am familiar with the various pitfalls that any teacher encounters in trying to explain these subtle truths. Michael's book is a first-class resource for those who want an accurate, clear and helpful description of the direct path. He covers all of the major issues that can arise, and provides useful approaches to recognize and resolve any difficulties the serious aspirant may encounter.
MICHAEL HALL PHD
Michael is a fresh voice on the scene of spirituality and inner development. He is intelligent, highly educated, well-versed in many traditions, and has experienced what he writes about. It is first-hand knowledge that he shares with us in this small but dense volume of wisdom. The writing is so clear, and so direct, that you can't help but relate to what he is saying in a very immediate way. Trained as a psychotherapist, Michael brings a lot of insight about the human mind to the discussion, and weaves this knowledge into the ultimate truth of who we are as spiritual beings. Highly recommended!
NATALIE
We are on our second read through. It is a phenomenal book. One of the very best ever. What is so special is the clarity. Michael Damian's writing has Shakti in it. It easily invokes the experience of what he writes. This book is a great blessing to the world.
SUEANN MCKEAN
A fabulous book, like the Upanishads but in current language, no frills, no cultural pre-conditions, straight talk.
JACK LABANAUSKAS, PUBLISHER, ENNEAGRAM MONTHLY
The Art of Freedom is written from a place of truth which can only be conveyed so clearly by a person who has awakened to that truth, the ultimate reality. Michael teaches the direct path which cuts through religious dogma and guides the seeker towards the ineffable, our birthright. It is one of those books where one can open to any page and be instantly transported into resonant timeless understanding. I highly recommend this gem to anyone on the path of self realization. I have had to buy several copies myself because I keep giving them away!
ERIC