A Story Of Imprisonment (Emmet Fox)

Just Thinking: This is a short but powerful story from The Mental Equivalent: The Secret of Demonstration by Emmet Fox, Emmet. Notice the length of time the man was imprisoned before he decided he couldn't take it anymore. The old folks in the south would say, I'm"sick and tired of being sick and tired." That's when you know it's time to make something different happen. What's your threshold for pain? What's your signal?

Transcript

This is an old legend of the Middle Ages.

It's found in The Mental Equivalent,

The Secret of Demonstration by Emmett Fox.

It seems that a citizen was arrested by one of the barons and shut up in a dungeon in his castle.

He was taken down dark stairs,

Down,

Down,

Down,

By a ferocious-looking jailer who carried a gray key a foot long.

The door of the cell was opened,

And he was thrust into a dark hole.

The door shut with a bang,

And there he was.

He lay in that dark dungeon for twenty years.

Each day,

The jailer would come.

The big door would be opened with a great creaking and groaning.

A pitcher of water and a loaf of bread would be thrust in,

And the door closed again.

Well,

After twenty years,

The prisoner decided that he couldn't stand it any longer.

He wanted to die,

But he did not want to commit suicide.

So he decided that the next day,

When the jailer came,

He would attack him.

The jailer would then kill him in self-defense,

And thus his misery would be at an end.

He thought he would examine the door carefully so as to be ready for tomorrow,

And going over,

He caught the handle and turned it.

To his amazement,

The door opened,

And upon investigation,

He found that there was no lock upon it,

And never had been,

And that for those twenty years,

He had not been locked in,

Except in belief.

At any time in that period,

He could have opened the door if only he had known it.

He thought it was locked,

But it was not.

He groped along the corridor and felt his way upstairs.

At the top of the stairs,

Two soldiers were chatting,

And they made no attempt to stop him.

He crossed the great yard without attracting attention.

There was an armed guard on the drawbridge at the great gate,

But they paid no attention to him,

And he walked out a free man.

He went home unmolested and lived happily ever after.

He could have done this at any time through those long years since his arrest,

If he had known enough,

But he did not.

He was a captive,

Not of stone and iron,

But of false belief.

He was not locked in.

He only thought he was.

I'm Carol.

Leave me a comment.

By the way,

The door is open for you.

You know that,

Don't you?

Reviews

Escaping the prison of our minds should be so easy, we tend to get in our own way.
I am free and free to choose.
The day that dawned on me, my whole mindset shifted.

Thanks Carol for the reminder

I see beyond my “limits” and walk through the door. It can be NO other way ✨♥️🙏🏽 thank you, Carol 🫂

This came to me at such an interesting moment of decision making!

You are the best thing that has happened to me in quite a while! I really love you very much and admire your unconditional service! Thank you! 🙏🏻

Very true Carol, my beliefs gonna have a dramatic change, thank you for a wonderful narration, and your voice sounds so beautiful, namaste

Wow Carol this was amazing and a life changing moment, Thankyou so very much.

So true! When we finally see the light we often regret how many years we spent in the dark. But as they say, better late than never.

Loved this. I need to turn that handle. Thank you ☮️

Aaah, Caroline ✨️,
The Universe meant for me to stumbled across this story, an allegory of life. Message received💫 with great gratitude🙏🏽
~Christina Grace

Loved the freedom message in this story! The powerlessness we believe can become our power ar anytime if we just open the door. Thanks for this beautiful reminder ❤

Always a helpful reminder to continue to drop the beliefs that no longer serve me on my journey moving forward. Thank you for sharing🙏🏽💖✨🥰

Wow!! 🤯
I’m trying to process the magnitude of that concept!!

Thank you for sharing this story. It really makes you think. Your voice is perfect for narration!

Resonance w pondering about my own experience...especially when stuck in cycles of old outworn ways of thinking 'Clare you are a prisoner of your own mind"!

“He was a captive of false belief “ , glad I found you this rainy cool morning ! Thank you !!!

Carol, thank you for the wonderful reminder. Emmett Fox; another great Unity author. You have a very soothing voice. Many blessings back to you!🙏💐😇

😮 wow!!! I have no clue how I landed on this particular spot but it’s exactly what I needed to hear. It confirms my
“Nothing is by chance” way of being.
Thank you 🙏!

That was great! I have never heard that story before. What a good lesson ✨

Beautiful! Will share with my grandkids
🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

Love this story. So true that we are captives of our own beliefs. Thank you 🙏