We are all descendants of slaves. It matters not your race, religion or ethnicity. Somewhere in your lineage there were slaves. Why do I say this? Slavery was a way of life in the ancient world. Slavery was never a racial thing as it is understood today. The racial component is only of recent times. Slavery was merely the consequence of losing a war. It was a consequence of some weakness. It used to be that the victors in a war would kill all the males, take the women as either concubines (if they were young and pretty or slaves (if they were old and not suitable for concubinage). Children were also kept as slaves. One day, some wise man counseled “Why kill all the males? The dead serve no useful purpose. Instead of killing them, let us merely enslave them.” Thus in many cases slavery was a step up in evolution. It was the alternative to murder.

Up until very recent times slavery was practiced in every part of the world. (In fact it is still practiced in the Middle East and parts of Asia and Africa.) Slavery no longer exists in the Western World as an institution. Sure, there are criminals involved in these things – trafficking in women and children. But this is underground and if they are caught they go to jail.

Yet, has slavery really been abolished? Or, has it merely changed form? I would say the latter is more correct. Since, as was mentioned, slavery is the consequence of some weakness unless the weakness – physical, psychological or mental – is eradicated, slavery will not be eradicated. So an out of control appetite or addiction is a form of slavery. The person much feed this appetite, this addiction, no matter what. Thus he or she is forced into doing things – into behaviors – that satiate the appetite – often in criminal ways. He or she is enslaved by their appetite or addiction. And, the slave masters – and they are out there – know full well how to exploit this. The way out of this is not violence or revolution, but spiritual development. Little by little – it won’t happen all at once – we must become – manifest – our spiritual natures – the Divine Identity – and allow it to work through us. This is true freedom. It is easier said than done.