As Wikileaks founder Julian Assange sits in solitary confinement in a London jail without charge (while the Swedish Government appeal the granting of bail) we are all wondering what is really going on here.

Could it be that Assange will be made the poster boy for the establishment’s reaction to, and treatment of, the brave souls who dare to challenge the status quo? Is this what anyone with the courage and fortitude to question governments, corporations and other powerful organizations can expect for their commitment to truth and transparency?

One cannot help drawing parallels between this bizarre unfolding of events and the topic of the season: crucifixion. It certainly seems that Assange is being publicly ‘crucified’ as a menacing lesson to the rest of us: don’t even think of going there.

We all have ‘crucifixion’ experiences. They are the people, the events and the experiences that catalyze the complete and utter destruction of who and what we think we are. They are the harbingers of our resurrection, whereby we are transformed into the people we were always meant to be, and ultimately the ascension which gives us a whole new understanding of life.

One of my crucifixion experiences was ushered in after the birth of my children. I always thought that I would be able to successfully combine motherhood with some sort of a professional career. But the peripatetic career of my husband - moving every two and half years with nine international moves in 14 years - combined with my increasing doubt that I could balance a career (as a lawyer) that required me to be hard-nosed, and even exploitative, with my desire to be the most loving, tender and kind person possible to be able to rise to the level of motherhood I expected of myself, made my career hopes almost impossible.

As the years passed - years consumed by the wiping of bums and noses and the endless interrupted nights (six years of them, to be exact), it became increasingly inaccurate to write ‘lawyer’ on forms that asked for my occupation. One day as I sat confronted by this conundrum, I faced the inevitable truth. I was no longer a lawyer, I was a housewife.

As I nailed myself to the ‘cross’ of the bottom rung of the social ladder- no one is less interesting or less important than the lowly housewife - I watched as my cherished dreams and ambitions dissolved in a fog of pre-school runs, swimming, gym and tennis lessons and, what was for me, domestic drudgery.

Once both kids were at school I abandoned any hopes of a career as a lawyer and re-trained as a journalist/writer and gradually began writing freelance for various publications, both here in Australia and abroad. But this too was ill-fated.

The resurrection process kicked into high gear in mid 1998. The kids and I had just been evacuated from Indonesia after the riots which led to the demise of Suharto, and I was sitting in a serviced apartment in Sydney with nothing to do for six weeks. I had been forced to abandon my work with the Jakarta Post and I felt discouraged and frustrated, even angry.

As I sat amongst the tatters of the life I had managed to cobble together for myself (admittedly it was not noteworthy to most people but I felt I was fighting the odds, given my circumstances) I was forced to confront the truth about my life. I was being led to something else, I didn’t know what, how, or why. All I could do was submit to it, and accept it.

It occurred to me that instead of trying to resurrect my current ‘career’ I would just follow my instincts and the urgings of my inner voice, and it was telling me to read. Read everything I could lay my hands on that would expand my understanding of life.

So I did. And that was the beginning of the journey that ultimately led me here, writing a blog about life and love. Over the subsequent decade or so, not only did I become familiar with the writings and wisdom of both ancient and contemporary sages, in the process I gleaned the necessary wisdom to venture out on a journey that led me to learn how to manage my anger, to begin to detach from judgment, abandon conflict, accept life, and to listen and remain true to my desires.

In other words, I gained an ‘ascended’ view of life that enabled me to detach and accept. It has been difficult, painful, and at times downright soul destroying. But I have succeeded in climbing the mountain and from my newly acquired pinnacle of acceptance I see a new view of life, and a whole new range of unforeseen possibilities beckon.

Eileen McBride
Eileen McBride is the author of Love Equals Power 2, a spiritual seeker and teacher. This article was published on December 16, 2010.