by Ada Porat | Apr 26, 2023 | Faith, Love, Peace, Self-awareness, Spirituality
Photo credit: Unsplash
Dear one, there is something you need to know. This love letter comes to remind you of what really matters. And it is this: You are not a mistake. You are eternally, irrevocably loved.
Yes, you are dearly, utterly loved. You are deeply loved by good people in this world. Most of all, you are loved by the infinite Creator whose love is without beginning and without end.
You are worthy of being loved because of who you are. There is nobody else just like you, and every outrageous detail of your existence is a treasure that is yours to savor and to share.
You come from Love, you are love and therefore you can choose love.
On the days when you want to hide from the world and bury yourself in misery and self-pity, remember this: you are not broken. You may be discouraged, wounded, overwhelmed or afraid, but you are not broken.
Within you, your eternal soul burns bright as ever, and as you peel away the surrounding layers that you built for protection, that inner flame will light your path once more. It will burn through every obstacle on your way, for that is your purpose and your destiny in this life: to let your light shine!
You were not created to play small or to argue for your limitations. You were not born to be broken. Your life offers so much more!
Yes, you are not a mistake. You were given life by Divine decree, and you embarked on this journey with courage that left the angels in awe. You freely chose this wild, tumultuous journey to experience, and learn, and grow. You came here to embody the Presence of the Divine Source in a world shrouded in spiritual slumber.
And these things you can do at any time: you do not need a million dollars in the bank before you learn to lean into the stillness within; you do not have to attain any social status before learning to discern the voice of Spirit within; you do not need to strive for popularity to validate your soul’s worth. Your worth is intrinsic, eternal and unchangeable.
Perhaps you feel a bit dull and tarnished right now, like a diamond that had been dropped in mud. And yet, when the external dirt is washed away, your intrinsic beauty continues to radiate.
Your light is shining through all the layers that obscure it, so open your heart and hands. Let the light within you expand in ever bigger circles to hold this entire world in its embrace. Let your love reach out to embrace all the forms of life around you: two-leggeds and four-leggeds, feathered and scaled ones; all of nature. It is by embracing the beauty of what already is, that your love will call forth the highest good in yourself and others.
You are magnificent and powerful; a co-creator endowed with the privilege of being the Creator’s hands and feet and voice in this world. This is your purpose and your calling.
Life is fleeting and fragile and sometimes utterly awful. At times such as these, the light within you is needed more than ever.
Never let the shadows around you discourage you. Instead, let your light shine so brightly that it dispels the shadows and illumines your path.
You came into this life to realize the Presence of the Creator in you and anchor that in physicality. As you do that, the Creator Presence radiates into the world around you to heal, transform and renew. That power is in you right now, right here!
You alone must discover the full potential of what is possible in this life. You already have the power of becoming within you, for you have the power of choice.
And as you nestle into the Presence of Spirit’s peace at the end of each day, may you feel the pleasure of the Creator resting on you, and the loving embrace of your heavenly support team.
You are never alone. You are Divinely loved and supported, now and always!
About The Author:
©Copyright Ada Porat. For more information, visit https://adaporat.com. This article may be freely distributed in whole or in part, provided there is no charge for it and this notice is attached.
by Ada Porat | Feb 28, 2023 | Change bad habits, Cope with change, Empowering changes, Resilience, Spirituality
Photo Credit: Alexander Schimmeck, Unsplash
Everyone desires to improve their life in some way: to heal something, change limiting habits, find a romantic partner, lose weight, reach their highest potential, develop intuition, find their soul purpose, and more.
As long as we are alive, this process continues. Norman Mailer put it this way: “Every moment of one’s existence one is growing into more or retreating into less. One is always living a little more or dying a little bit.” There’s always a next step waiting to be taken, yet everyone – absolutely everyone – has trouble accomplishing these laudable goals. In fact, we spend an inordinate time making up reasons and excuses for not moving forward.
Not moving forward is extremely painful. It creates a sense of frustration with yourself because the desire to grow and expand comes from your soul. Resistance to following your path blocks the very expression of your soul. Imagine the impact of such dense emotions that accumulate in the body over years of wrestling with the same dysfunctional patterns!
Here are three practical steps to help you get unstuck and move forward more effectively:
- Ditch fear of humiliation
Most people are controlled by fear of being humiliated or judged by others – and that fear prevents them from moving forward in their lives.
You can overcome this paralyzing fear by recognizing that your true locus of control is inside of you; it does not come from anyone outside you. When you acknowledge the Divine Presence in you and start to follow its gentle prompting, you’ll find the courage and validation you seek within yourself.
Looking outside ourselves for approval or acceptance is an ego trap. It breeds fear of being humiliated whenever external feedback conflicts with our ego needs and is actually a form of pride.
True commitment to our soul path brings about a sense of authentic humility. When we no longer seek approval from outside ourselves, we’re better able to align with Higher truth within. Our relationship with Spirit cultivates deep inner honesty and humility within us. We no longer need to impress or win the fleeting approval of others; instead, we embrace with our true identity as souls and learn to operate by Higher law, resulting in inner peace.
Fantasy or reality?
Do you find yourself bargaining that you’ll do what you need to as soon as the children are grown, or after you’re out of debt, or once you get a new job? Are you dreaming of the life you desire if only you had the money, time or resources? Empty dreams are fantasy – they keep us in a state of scarcity unless we take appropriate action!
Here’s another way to look at life: Everything that shows up in your life and mine, is perfect for the purpose of our growth… not our comfort! On this planet, results are built by matching vision with action, step by step. Nothing falls from the sky ready-made, and circumstances never pause to create the perfect show-stopping moment for us to step into. If we wait for the perfect opportunity before taking action, we may even miss the steppingstones along the way. To break free from wishful thinking, the question to ask yourself instead is, “What I am I doing in the meantime?”
A colleague of mine used to tell her clients, “It’s only too late if you don’t start now!” You cannot satisfy your soul’s yearning with empty dreams and promises – you’re made of better stuff and your soul knows that! Start taking action now with the guidance you already have, and the next step will show up. When guidance is given but you don’t act on it, you may end up with information overload – overwhelmed, stuck or frustrated – whereas steady action will clear the way forward.
Information overload
Information overload can come from asking for input from too many people but never acting on the information stuffed into your energy field. It is normal to gather information before moving forward. The trap lies in over-analyzing each piece of information or waiting for more guidance to appear before acting. This can move you into analysis paralysis or information overload with too much data floating around in your mind, triggering your fears, anxieties, limitations, or past trauma, so you end up too confused to start. Information overload also happens when giving your power away to others instead of taking full responsibility for your own life.
To break free from the bog of information overload, go back to the beginning and look at the very first step that needs to be taken. If internal chatter of fear, bargaining or limitation arises in response, deal with it! Your power lies in choosing your truth in the face of your fears. Drill down to the source of fear and recognize it for what it is – the ego’s stalling tactic to keep you from changing. Let go of it and take the first step forward despite the fear, and it will diminish. Once you’ve taken the first step, you can ask for more guidance, listening within for it. The next breadcrumb will show up!
Collectively, these three steps can help you get unstuck from the sticky bogs of stagnation, and help you live more effectively.
©Copyright Ada Porat. This article may be freely distributed in whole or in part, provided there is no charge for it and this notice is attached. For more information, visit https://AdaPorat.com
by Ada Porat | Dec 20, 2022 | Conscious living, Mindfulness, Peace, Spirituality
Photo credit: Sabine Schulte, Unsplash
Some people possess a very special quality: they embody the presence of now in their hearts. When we have a chance to sit close to such a person, we feel calm. They radiate an energy of peace that penetrates us deeply. It stills our wandering thoughts and quiets our worry.
Whenever we have a chance to walk alongside those souls who live in the eternal now, we can feel this subtle source of peace and joy. Through their presence, we are able to connect to that source as well. Their quiet consistency brings peace to the turbulence in the world around them, and they lead us by example to live in peace.
You too can live like this. You can shed your learned hurry and move through life as if there is no deadline to meet, no need to be somewhere else in this moment. You can move through life as if you are already where you need to be — as if you are arriving with every step. Each step can bring you closer to that perennial peace within —embodied in the presence of now.
When we choose to move through life like this, we lose our sense of isolation in the world. We are no longer separate individuals rushing about to avoid the bad and reach for good. Instead, we start feeling again our connection to the whole, like droplets remembering that they belong to the ocean. The drop of water does not need to do anything – it feels the embrace of the ocean and let itself be carried along by the current in each present moment.
That current is our spiritual core; the inner voice that whispers to us when we tune out the brassy loudness of the material world. To feel truly alive and at peace, it is essential to learn how to do that.
Perhaps you feel as if the opportunity for peace has passed you by; you said or did things that caused pain or separation between you and others. Perhaps you were not able to see truth clearly and judged from a place of fear or anger. It may feel as if it is too late to make amends; too much water has passed under the bridge.
Yet even the work of healing the past lies in the present moment. From this place of mindfulness, you can choose forgiveness and reconciliation to clear away misunderstandings, anger and sadness from the past. It is exactly in this moment, now, that the work of healing must be done to set your soul free.
No matter how difficult the challenges of the past have been, you are here now, reading these words. You are alive! Treasure the reality that you are alive in this moment, and embrace the opportunity for healing it offers. Sit down quietly and go within: meditate to look deep and sweep away the woundedness, prejudice and mistakes of the past. Accept the opportunity offered by the presence of now.
The present moment offers us a gift. It allows us to forgive, heal and return to peace. Life is present for you in this moment, waiting for you to choose what you will do with it, and in so doing, what quality of peace you will experience.
About the author
©Copyright Ada Porat. For more information, visit https://adaporat.com. This article may be freely distributed in whole or in part, provided there is no charge for it and this notice is attached.
by Ada Porat | Oct 26, 2022 | Conscious living, Mindfulness, Peace, Personal growth, Spirituality
Photo Credit: Elijah Hiett, Unsplash
I once had a client tell me: “Everything I’ve ever let go of had my claw marks all over it, and it hurt!” Sound familiar?
Many of us struggle with surrender or letting go because we see it as defeat or giving up. It scares us. We may equate surrender with quitting or failure, yet true surrender ultimately sets us free and empowers us.
True surrender asks us to open our hearts and look beyond our limited attachments. It invites us to let go of things that ultimately cause us pain, so we can embrace higher blessings. It is a transformative practice that we can nurture daily by bringing present moment awareness to our lives: How we think and act, what we choose, and where we place our focus.
Surrender happens in very practical ways of daily life. It’s not some abstract spiritual ideal for holy people, but rather the process of allowing Life Force to move through us and clear out what is no longer beneficial. It is an opportunity to open our hearts and to look beyond our fears, expectations, woundedness and disappointments to the freedom and peace that awaits when we let go of those lesser energies. Letting go is an invitation to reach beyond our limitations toward higher levels of being.
Surrender is neither defeat nor resignation. It activates our natural ability to let go of what now longer serves us. The process of surrender invites us to stop clinging and to view all our experiences with self-compassion. It calls us into a deeper relationship with the Creative Presence beyond our individual experiences.
The passing parade of everyday encounters offer us multiple opportunities for surrender. Do you feel put out by a last-minute change in schedule? Letting go of that can open your heart to receive an unexpected blessing you would have otherwise missed. Stuck in traffic? Letting go of impatience frees up your mind to give thanks for many other things that have worked out for you.
Surrender requires a change of focus. Instead of resorting to habitual knee-jerk reactions, we choose to become fully conscious of the bigger picture and choose a more appropriate response. We can let go of old beliefs and engage a broader perspective with more trust, deeper compassion for ourselves and others, and acceptance of what is.
Surrender also requires us to trust in the larger process. We are asked to stop clinging to our preconceived ideas about life, to let go and to let Higher consciousness guide us past our limiting attachments to something better. When we open to the process of surrender, we recognize that it is our desperate clinging to the known, that most often cause us pain. When we open our hearts to let go of that to which we cling, we find the grace to also embrace that which we resist. By letting go, we find personal growth and peace.
When struggling with letting go, it helps to remember that we’re simply letting go of old programs, limitations or feelings that have victimized and enslaved us for a long time. These old programs and coping mechanisms have simply blinded us to the higher truth of our real identity. We are letting go of what no longer serves us, to make room for what is more aligned with our path now!
The process of surrender is not complicated, but it does require self-discipline. It involves becoming aware of a reactive feeling as it arises within and staying with it; letting that feeling run its course without resisting, changing or trying to do anything else about it.
It’s helpful to remember that you are not your feelings; you exist beyond your feelings because you are able to observe them, so you are more than your feelings and cannot be swept away by them. From that perspective, you then simply observe what you are feeling – without resisting it, venting it, fearing it, condemning it, or moralizing about it. You are not judging the feeling because you recognize that it is just a feeling. You simply stay with the feeling and surrender all effort or desire to modify it in any way. You even let go of wanting to resist the feeling. It simply is what it is!
It is resistance that keeps our unwanted feelings going. A feeling that is not resisted will dissolve as the energy behind it dissipates. As soon as you find yourself no longer resisting or trying to avoid or modify the feeling, it will dissipate and shift to another feeling with a lighter sensation such as calm.
When you first start the process of surrender, you may notice how fear or guilt arise around the feelings you have, adding layers to the feeling. For example, you may notice some reaction that comes up in response to a feeling of fear you’re experiencing. You may be afraid of feeling fear, or you may judge your fear of feeling the fear. When this happens, just let go of the surrounding fear or judgment first, and then you’ll be able to let the core fear itself drain away.
To effectively surrender emotions you’d previously clung to or resisted unconsciously, it is helpful to stay fully present with your feelings. Ignore any thoughts, stories, or rationalizations that may arise in your mind. Renown psychiatrist Dr. David R. Hawkins used to say that thoughts are endless and self-reinforcing, so they only breed more thoughts. When you surrender all thoughts around a feeling, you will notice that old, entrenched feelings dissolve faster and with more ease.
You will also notice that all negative feelings are ultimately associated with the basic survival instinct. Feelings are merely survival programs that the mind believes are necessary for survival. By surrendering to the process and letting the feelings run their course, you are progressively winding down these outdated programs and you will experience more peace.
We are asked to surrender many times daily: in our work, love, relationships, and bodies. It takes great courage to let go and surrender to what is. It takes a firm commitment to open our hearts and hands, releasing what we’ve clung to. And yet, when we do this work, our hearts open to more peace, equanimity, and trust to enrich our lives.
When we stay present in each moment, we learn to recognize opportunities for surrender as calls for growth everywhere in life. It becomes a practical way of handling relationships, limitations and challenges. It also becomes a deeply personal journey of inner transformation. Instead of bemoaning our lot, we start to welcome every experience as a hand-picked opportunity for our ultimate learning and growth.
Living and letting go are intertwined. The more we surrender our resistance to unwanted difficulties, the more space we open up for all that’s beautiful, profound, and abundant. We attune to the sacred beauty of whatever is right in front of us at any given time.
About The Author:
©Copyright Ada Porat. For more information, visit https://adaporat.com. This article may be freely distributed in whole or in part, provided there is no charge for it and this notice is attached.
by Ada Porat | Sep 29, 2022 | Conscious living, Cope with change, Fear and anxiety, Spirituality
Photo credit: Andrew Ridley, Unsplash
There are times in history marked by change and upheaval far beyond human comprehension. We are living through such a time right now.
Writer and teacher Andrew Harvey perhaps described it best when he said: “Anyone who is, even unwillingly, half-awake knows with increasing dread and anguish that the entire world now is plunged into an unprecedented many-layered crisis that threatens the whole human adventure.”
And yet, this is not a time to cower in fear and hopelessness; it is a call to kindle our courage and commit to meaningful service. We are called to spiritual activism as mystics in the marketplace and creators of good in the world.
Spiritual activism is quietly revolutionizing the way we engage with the world and offers hope during tumultuous times.
Spiritual activism calls for radical honesty, integrity and vision. There is no room for spiritual bypassing.
The first step requires us to stabilize our own base: we need to strengthen our home life or find a like-minded community, so we can feel supported as we participate externally.
We also need to be realistic: Perhaps we will work and fail, but we will have contributed with open hearts to the meaning and contribution of a better world, community or circle.
Then, we need to ask courageous questions: What is needed in the situation you face at this time? How can you make a meaningful contribution? Are you the one to meet the need you see right now? Honest self-knowledge, experience and courage is needed to find clarity and contribute in meaningful ways.
We also need to look at change differently: There is no need to fear this changing world. Spiritual activism recognizes that change simply offers us different gifts.
Next, we need to redefine success. When we give up the search for personal happiness, we find joy in service. When we let go of trying to achieve, we find meaning in relationships. We accept carrying grief and sadness for what’s been lost, yet these emotions do not stop us from doing the work. We discover joy in deep relationship regardless of what is happening around us. We find comfort and courage by sharing humor in the darkness, for humor that lifts us above the struggle, so we can re-enter the crazy world with renewed energy.
We take time out from the external clamor to renew our souls: whether through silence, time in nature, meditation, or prayer. History is resplendent with the stories of courageous souls who overcame the enormous challenges of their time. Transcendent experiences were real and attainable then, and they are still available now. We can go within to find wisdom, guidance and courage to transcend whatever obstacles we face now.
We renew our hope and vision by recontextualizing our expectations, processing our shadow emotions, and finding new ways to serve. We rise each day renewed to do the work of holding a bright vision for our world, even as we offer our honorable service to others.
We do not let fear stop us; instead, we let it lead us to the hope that lies beyond fear. We discover that fear cannot exist without hope – they are two sides of the same coin. And by choosing to place our focus on hope, we move past fear to rekindle a vision that will sustain us through change. This is how we grow into fearlessness.
Finally, spiritual activism fosters change by engaging in meaningful and inspiring work. We let hope spearhead our efforts and burn through obstacles.
Czech president and activist Václav Havel understood this principle when he said, “Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something is worth doing regardless of how it will turn out.”
We learn that hope is a state of mind within each of us, and not found in the external world. We come to realize that power lies within each of us. We grasp that the healing of our world lies in the human heart – in our individual power to reflect, choose and accept responsibility for our actions.
This world is perhaps not the one we thought we wanted, but it is the one we have. And so, we commit to make a meaningful contribution with our lives and our presence in it. This is the vision and mantra of spiritual activism.
Despite apparent differences among people, there is a shared reality common to all: we are all living in physical reality on this planet, and so we are all subject to the natural laws of this space.
Making a meaningful contribution in this reality requires us to see past our individual filters and conditioned biases. We look past the differences that fragment society and focus on the common threads that knit us together. By looking deeper, we tap into fresh and different options, from where we can contribute toward the emergence of better solutions than before. We choose differently to create different outcomes.
It takes a lot of curiosity and courage to see what is, instead of what we want to see. We tend to see the world not as it is, but through the conditioning of our conditioned beliefs. Meaningful service requires us to release our grip on our own beliefs and to be willing to investigate, release and change our beliefs in response to new insights.
Spiritual activism requires us to fine-tune our focus. So often, we’ve searched for happiness in all the wrong places. We thought it could be found in money or the perfect home, relationship, or possessions. And yet, these goals cannot offer lasting happiness because they keep our focus limited to ourselves.
When we move beyond ourselves, we discover that true joy lies in service beyond our limited ego selves. It is found by offering our gifts, presence and abilities to others; making a meaningful contribution to individuals or causes beyond ourselves. True happiness and fulfillment come from interaction and participation with others in meaningful ways.
Spiritual activism asks how we can serve at this time, regardless of differences and obstacles in our way. It starts right where we are. Won’t you join us in the quietly powerful revolution?
Identify something useful you can do in your life, family or community, and then do that. Commit to working toward a positive goal because it is inherently good and meaningful, not just because it stands a chance to succeed.
Participating in spiritual activism shifts us beyond the short-sighted materialist perspective to create something better and more meaningful for both ourselves and others, and leads to a better world.
About The Author:
©Copyright Ada Porat. For more information, visit https://adaporat.com. This article may be freely distributed in whole or in part, provided there is no charge for it and this notice is attached.
by Ada Porat | Jun 21, 2022 | Conscious living, Empowering changes, Fear and anxiety, Resilience, Spirituality
Photo credit: Rajesh Rajput, Unsplash
“Out of collision of opposites the unconscious psyche always creates a third thing of an irrational nature, which the conscious mind neither expects nor understands.” Carl Jung
How do we create unity and integrity in our world so those who are awakened can work together for the highest good of all? I believe it requires evolving spiritual consciousness. The world created by lower levels of consciousness is no longer viable: it pushes short-term agendas that benefit only an elite few, whereas higher consciousness fosters a long-term vision that includes and benefits all.
To foster more spiritual consciousness on the planet, we need to awaken the spiritual hero within each of us.
The archetypal hero within is common to all human cultures. It is a global story that reminds us of true purpose and potential. It calls us to tap into our innate power and to overcome daunting obstacles in our heroic visionary quest for optimal outcomes. When we embrace our spiritual hero archetype, we also tap into the infinite creativity and limitless possibilities of Source. The continuously evolving nature of Source helps raise our levels of consciousness so we can overcome challenges, becoming the spiritual hero in our own life.
Developing spiritual consciousness awakens us to the archetypal spiritual hero within. This aspect of our being is not restricted by fear or by the conditioned limitations of the ego self. It connects us to our Source, so we can access higher level solutions to transcend inner and outer limitations. Our radiant higher nature can light our path and bless all other forms of life.
Alignment with the Source of life awakens the fearless hero within so we can stand tall and face challenges with the courage born from deep inner knowing. It teaches us harmonious ways to align with others and uplift our interactions. This inner union with Source brings joy, not fear. It heals and includes, whereas ego-based actions attack and oppress.
The need to wage war and oppress comes from ego, not from Spirit. It creates a broken and suffering world where conditioned minds only know how to look at events through the lens of defense and domination.
Our souls are not at war, nor do we need to be.
Our souls are intimately connected to the Source of all life, goodness, abundance and harmony. There is no need for us to embrace conflict or limitation. We are called to be spiritual heroes, not suffering slaves!
From the perspective of spiritual consciousness there is no enemy to fear, attack or control. There are only blind minds and mass-programmed egos running amok. These are the issues that need to be changed, and they will change by awakening and finding solutions from higher levels of consciousness.
All of us are called to awaken to the hero within, yet few choose to respond. It takes courage to change ingrained beliefs that we are weak and limited.
You and I were created for these times! Our personal heroic journey to freedom beckons. Where do we start?
The hero’s journey starts with alignment to our Source, so true power can flow into us from there. In the presence of this alignment, fear and falsehood dissolves. The more we embrace Higher truth and love within, the more our lower nature is purified and integrated in service to Source. Ultimately, we can become shining beacons of hope, radiating inspiration and positivity for others to evolve.
We also develop higher spiritual consciousness by cultivating unconditional love for Spirit and for ourselves. Then we are able to extend that unconditional love to others, including the ones still acting out their shadow. It is the presence of unconditional love that awakens the human heart, not judgment or hatred.
We further awaken to our true nature as spiritual beings having this earth experience. We come to understand that our true nature is spirit, not ego. The ego is a human construct created by blind minds, feeling separated from Truth. The old paradigm of separation drops away as we come to understand that we are each a unique expression of the one Source. We are all one. Each of us are part of everything, the whole universe.
This recognition of Oneness reframes our relationships with all other expressions of life around us. There is no one individual better than any other; we are simply different expressions of the one Source.
Since we all come from Source, each of us has access to that power and inspiration. We do not need to find the hero in another to fuel our purpose. We need to discover it within ourselves first, no matter how long it takes.
When we let go of the limiting conditioning and fully embrace our oneness with the Creator, it fills us with humility, awe, joy, inspiration and passion. We can drink from that fountain of wisdom and let it renew our commitment to do our part in the unfoldment of humanity’s potential. We embark on the spiritual hero’s journey!
All change begins within. Whatever we wish to change, needs to first be changed within us. So do you want to see a more loving world? Become more loving. Do you want to experience more abundance? Become more generous. This is how we change the world – leading by example!
This work of awakening to spiritual consciousness and embarking on the spiritual hero’s journey, is our ultimate purpose in life. The drama and drive on the surface of life are simply distractions to this true work.
Refuel your passion every day, so you will have resilience to navigate the twists and turns of life. You are a spark of the Creator and your passion is fed by consciously participating in creativity: whether you create a tasty meal, create a beautiful garden, create technical solutions or create community with other individuals. When you create, you tap into your oneness with the Creator and refuel your passion for your purpose.
On the spiritual journey, it does not matter whether you are in the front, the middle or the back of the pack – you are part of one human tribe traveling home to our Source. The hero’s journey is not a race: simply doing your bit daily will carry you to the finish line.
When you feel wobbly, remember that you are the one you have been waiting for! Awaken the spiritual hero within and join the wave of spiritual consciousness that is growing now. Together, we are embodying the vision for a better world.
About the author
©Copyright Ada Porat. For more information, visit http://adaporat.com. This article may be freely distributed in whole or in part, provided there is no charge for it and this notice is attached.
