Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. This is the first line of the lyrics of one of the most well-known hymns in the Christian tradition called Amazing Grace. This popular spiritual was written by John Newton in 1772. He was an enslaver who converted to Christianity when he was saved from a horrendous storm that almost sank his ship.

Newton was quoted as saying he could remember two things: “That I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior.” Although the hymn was written to give thanks for the grace from God who saved him from himself and the choices he made, the word he used to describe himself was a wretch. He resonated with the identity of himself as a despicable, contemptible, poor, pitiful or miserable person who is a great sinner. He wrote this based on the filter through which he viewed himself. It originated from the messages he had received and the beliefs he had formed.

Words have power. They carry energetic frequencies that reside in the field of universal consciousness. This energy can be measured and plotted on the Map of Consciousness that was created by Dr. David R. Hawkins. The self-hatred that Newton exuded through those lyrics seems to resonate with the frequency of shame.

From a higher level of consciousness, the message that we are wretches or great sinners and that we need someone outside of ourselves to save us can be viewed as oppressive. It leaves us feeling powerless. It enables us to give our power away to someone else. It abdicates our responsibility for our choices to someone else who will fix it for us—who will get us off the hook. This is the message that has been embedded so deeply through the beliefs taught in traditional Christianity. Many of us have been buying into and perpetuating these beliefs for 2,000 years.

Perhaps the reason this hymn resonates with so many people in our society is because they, too, identify with being a great sinner or a wretch. They, too, feel self-hatred. They, too, see themselves and the world through the filter that resonates with the frequency of shame. They, too, feel powerless and want a savior to rescue them from their choices and consequences.

There is a different choice. There are higher levels of consciousness through which to perceive ourselves, our experiences, our relationship to the Divine, and to others. We have been given free will to determine from which level of consciousness to operate.

We can raise our level of consciousness through a spiritual practice of consciously examining the messages we have absorbed from religion, society, politics, the media, family and friends. We can ask ourselves how these messages have influenced the beliefs we’ve formed, from where they originated, who imparted them, and what their motivation was for doing so. We can determine if these came from a place of power and control.

We must ask ourselves if the beliefs we have formed resonate as the truth or if we just unconsciously accept them without examination. Notice if we have been perpetuating them by putting that energy out into the universal field of consciousness when we say words or sing hymns that do not resonate as truth or if we hold the energy of these beliefs and emotions in our bodies. We can do this spiritual clearing practice with the help of our very own souls.

Our souls contain wisdom. Every thought, belief, emotion, choice and consequence is energetically recorded in our soul’s Akashic Record. We can access our Akashic Records as a spiritual tool to empower us to grow in conscious awareness. There are light beings who are responsible for maintaining the integrity of our soul’s Akashic Records and they are eager to assist. They provide insight into the hidden beliefs, prejudices, outdated patterns and programs we have bought into. They can reveal how these negative patterns are playing out in our lives now and how we have perpetuated them lifetime after lifetime. They can help us understand how our participation in them has created energetic blockages within our physical bodies that restrict the flow of creative energy which affects our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. They can provide us with a higher perspective of the meaning of our life experiences. They can help us discern what lessons we can learn from them. They can reveal what is influencing us and how we are giving away our personal power.

These light beings also assist in accelerating the healing process by helping us to clear these negative patterns and replace the old, negative, restricted energy with a high vibration of love and light. This, in turn, opens the door for us to make new or different choices that honor ourselves instead.

We were designed to contain the answers within us—within our very own soul. We are empowered to “save” ourselves from our own choices and consequences. We don’t have to give our power away to someone else or abdicate doing our inner work. When we use our free will to grow in conscious awareness, we experience “the kingdom of heaven within”.

We can trust our souls to guide us. We have the power to shift ourselves out of identifying with oppressive stereotypes that permeate our society. We have the personal power within us and the spiritual tools within our reach to seek freedom from oppression.

 Barbara Brodsho provides Spiritual Empowerment Coaching that utilizes the innate wisdom and healing provided by the client’s soul, their Akashic Record and their “light being”. Save up to 20 percent on sessions through August 31. To learn more, visit BarbaraBrodsho.com/Spiritual-Empowerment-Coaching/

Become a founding member of the public Facebook group, Freedom from Oppression: Trust Your Soul to Guide You, and help uplift society’s level of consciousness: Facebook.com/Groups/FreedomFromOppression