Love Is Always the Answer

Mirian Freedman

Our lives are an unexpected blend of many experiences, and most people live many lives within one. In Love Is Always the Answer, Miriam Freedman begins by sharing her childhood experience of hiding for months in a basement during the Holocaust, then living in Israel during its early formation, and finally moving to London where she became a teacher of yoga and spiritual arts. There she met another, most profound teacher, a Russian woman named Mrs. Irina Tweedie, who had herself studied with a Sufi master in India. This specialized form of teaching was geared toward awakening love in one's heart. This book chronicles the spiritual relationship between these two women as they reveal their knowledge and wisdom, analyze significant dreams, and share direct experiences of altered states. An inspiration, and a trustworthy guide to those on a spiritual path.

“It is unusual to be taken by the hand through someone’s intimate spiritual unfoldment in such a disarming and compelling way.

“The trajectory of Miriam’s life—from its dark beginnings under the terrors of Nazi Europe, to the attainment of her heart’s light and spirit’s power in London under her spiritual teacher—demonstrates the true organic nature of the spiritual path.

“That longing in the heart which set Miriam on her journey is something many will recognize in themselves; the courage she displays in her commitment to the search for spiritual knowledge was no less required there than it was under the Nazis; and the intense experiences she underwent in her inner world and dream life are not only a privilege to read, but show yet again how true are the words of C.G. Jung when he stated that to undertake the ultimate inner journey requires the whole strength of the hero within you.

“The alchemist’s prize—the Philospher’s Stone—is no less than the enlightened heart which Miriam has attained to, and the beautiful light and power of that heart is what shines through and infuses this most moving story. Love, indeed, is the beginning and the end of it, though there is no end...”

“Your remarkable autobiography is truly a life-affirming story of courage and resilience in the face of the tragedy of the Holocaust.”

“An autobiography of a Holocaust survivor who has found her own remarkable way to live with the trauma from her past. An inspiring and positive story of how an individual found alternative ways to deal with her emotions and the past. We can all learn something from this book.”

“I have shared many moments along the road with Miriam to discover the True nature of our Soul. Love Is Always the Answer is a testimony of how one person can go beyond even the most challenging of circumstances to realise the gift that God planted deep within our hearts. It is the ever-burning Divine Spark of Love which can never go out! No tragedy, no person, no belief can take it away and this book takes you on that journey.

“This is a book that everyone should read. There are no ‘extra-ordinary’ people ... just ordinary people who deal with extra-ordinary events, and Miriam Freeman as a child had to deal with the extra-ordinary events which unfortunately have shaped the 20th century.

“Miriam’s story is a graphic and horrific account of what happened to her as a Jewish child in Nazi Germany. It is a testament to the strength and courage of one human being caught up in the madness of war. We never know what our fate will be and how we might deal with extreme suffering. What we can know, though, is that as human beings we can find strength in adversity. Miriam is one of the strongest people I know. Despite her horrific history she has the biggest heart and is one of the most loving people I have ever met.

“You will read this book and never again will you look at a human being and presume you know them.”

List of Illustrations
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments

1. The Flower of Nitra
2. The Liberation
3. To Palestine and Security
4. Belfast and Lennie
5. Living in London
6. The Unfolding
7. Meeting Irina Tweedie
8. Dreams and Reflections
9. Dreamscapes
10. Coming to Terms
11. Aphorisms and Sayings of Mrs. Tweedie

Glossary of Indian Terms

Going to Dachau was a different experience, and this was also a great help to me in my own reconciliation and forgiveness. I went with a small group of Germans. I have to admit that my feelings that day were very complex; part of me was wanting to rub their noses in it and show them how low and disgusting their people had sunk. On the other hand these were all such nice people and they wanted to go. I must have been difficult to be with on that day. This may sound silly, but I had an enormous bee in my bonnet about being charged for parking at Dachau. Luckily for everybody around me that it was free parking. I was ready to explode if they charged. How on earth would they dare charge us for parking at a crematorium where so many of my people were murdered?

After we had parked, I gathered everyone together and told them that I wanted them all to scream as we walk into this concentration camp. I said, “Listen, everyone, I want you to scream and shout until your guts come out; you will do this because those people who were slaughtered here had nobody who would listen to them, so we are going to do their screaming on their behalf. They had no chance to scream, so we will scream for them, and THEN, when it’s all over, we will sit down and meditate.”

This exercise was extremely moving for us all. As we all screamed, we started to feel the pain of the thousands who had died on this spot. This perhaps was the most important thing I did to help my own reconciliation process. I needed to cry for all those who had perished under the boots of the Nazi conquerors, slaughtered in the most horrible ways, and the fact that I had cried with the descendants of the slaughterers themselves had enormous significance for all of us. It felt like we had all undergone a cleansing process.

Blue Dolphin Publishing, 2015

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