“For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”
Nelson Mandela
Dear Muse,
Freedom isn’t just a condition of the body—it is a state of the spirit. This week at Je Mérite, I Deserve, we center the sacred truth: you deserve to live freely, love freely, dream freely, and express yourself without restraint.
Whether it’s emotional release, creative expansion, or reclaiming your time — this moment is a gentle nudge to liberate yourself.
This week's affirmation is…
I Deserve Freedom
Je Mérite La Liberté
This Thursday is Juneteenth, a celebratory holiday of freedom, also known as Jubilee Day. Like other freedom holidays, it has traditions and customs for how to celebrate. I thought, in this week's newsletter, I would share ways to celebrate this amazing American holiday.
As we celebrate Juneteenth, let us honor the past, embrace the present, and look forward to a future where freedom and equality are a reality for all.
Enjoy this week’s tools for your journey:
*All photos are links to more information. The bookshop.org link is an affiliate link

Let go of what weighs you down. This guided meditation leads you through breath work and affirmation to connect with your inner expansiveness.
GUIDED MEDITATION FOR LIBERATION
At this point, you know me very well. I love learning about history and about what makes us human. It informs every product I create.
Let's begin this week with a history lesson, a history lesson of a holiday born in Galveston, Texas, and NOTHING is small in Texas, including their celebrations.
THE HISTORICAL LEGACY OF JUNETEENTH
Next, what's a celebration without food? Fellowship over food is an important part of Juneteenth celebrations, even moreso, outdoor cooking - barbeques, local park cookouts, street fairs, and block parties. Safely gather with friends, family, and your local community to celebrate. Remember this is Juneteenth, where RED, specifically hibiscus red, is a prominent color, red drinks, red velvet cake, and hibiscus everything.
THE HISTORY AND TRADITION BEHIND JUNETEENTH FOODS
Next, given its legacy, Juneteenth can understandably weigh heavily on the hearts of some. If you find yourself in that category, embrace it. Spend the day in reflection.
5 WAYS TO CELEBRATE JUNETEENTH
Turn off your alarm and stay in your pajamas all day. Enjoy some quality R&R before the summer really kicks off in less than a week.
RELAX AT HOME WITH CURATED PLAYLISTS BY NAIMA COCHRAN OF MUSIC SERMON
And, for our movie selections, brush up on a few westerns. Use Juneteenth as a day for personal maintenance, to relax, and truly focus on yourself and your well-being.
A FREEDOM RITUAL
A LIBERATING SELF-LOVE RITUAL FROM JE MÉRITE, I DESERVE TO RECLAIM YOUR TIME, VOICE, BODY, AND SPIRIT
What does it mean to truly feel free?
Not just free from obligations or expectations—but free to feel, to choose, to rest, to move, to speak, to simply be.
Let this affirmation guide you as you create space to breathe, to feel whole, and to live in alignment with your most liberated self.
UNBOUND MOVEMENT - Dance. Stretch. Shake. Let your body move in any way it wants—with no agenda. Choose music that makes you feel wild, untamed, or softly alive. Let your body write its own permission slip.Dance. Stretch. Shake. Let your body move in any way it wants—with no agenda. Choose music that makes you feel wild, untamed, or softly alive. Let your body write its own permission slip.
ENGAGE WITH A BOUNDARY PRACTICE - Take one small action that says yes to your freedom:
Reschedule something.
Say no with kindness.
Take a break without justifying it.
You are not here to be contained.
FREE THE BODY - Take a warm shower or bath. Let the water run down your back and imagine it washing away what others expect of you. Let your skin breathe. Let yourself be held without holding anything back.
Freedom is your birthright, not something to earn, prove, or wait for. You deserve to say no. You deserve to say yes. You deserve to rewrite the rules. To be soft, to be wild, to live life fully, on your own terms.
You are not here to shrink yourself into palatable pieces for the comfort of others. You are not here to carry burdens that were never yours. You are not here to silence your truth, your joy, or your boundaries.
You are here to expand. To move through the world as your fullest self. To rest when you need to. To dance when the moment moves you. To speak in your mother tongue. To dress, love, grieve, create, and resist in ways that honor your ancestry, your pleasure, your wildness, and your worth.
Let this be the week you remember that freedom begins within—through the rituals you choose, the space you claim, and the stories you allow yourself to rewrite. Every step toward your liberation is sacred.
So breathe deeper. Say yes or no only when you mean it.
And most of all, remember: You deserve freedom. You always have.
You'll be hearing more from me soon. Promise.
Tamara Charese
As always, affirmations from previous weeks are available here
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