NEBOJ aligning thoughts, words, and actions with the welfare of all beings https://www.neboj.net/ You Have No Power Over Me Episode 9 posted: 10/04/2026 by Peter Welcome Hello and welcome my dearest, dearest friends to another episode of the Neboj podcast. i do as always hope that i am finding each and every one of you in good health and high spirits and that you have had a most peaceful and love-filled Easter holiday. Yesterday i delightfully observed the swallows return... it is always a beautiful moment to see the swallow return with his flitting and darting in the sky so high. Spiritually Awakened In episode seven dear friends i spoke about having a coffee with the universe each morning from Monday to Friday. Well this week the universe gave me a most interesting perspective on the topic of being spiritually awake! It went as follows: How can you tell if you're spiritually awakened? Pretty easy.  If you have problems, you're not awake yet. Does that mean nothing will ever go wrong? No more headaches, heartbreak, or burnt toast? Oh no — you'll still have plenty of those. But it won't be a problem. 😊 very, very well said, very clever! The epidemic of perceiving every life experience—whether physical discomfort, emotional stress, or even minor inconveniences—as an inherent "problem" stems from a cognitive distortion reinforced by modern societal conditioning. When individuals internalize this framing, they become trapped in a cycle of victimhood, externalizing personal power and resilience. The awakening is not about avoiding challenges; it is about transmuting resistance into curiosity, fear into trust, and victimhood into sovereignty. The perception of a "problem" is the problem—one that knowledge can dismantle. Death as the Root of Fear One of my all time favourite books dear friends is the 1997 book 'Anam Cara - Spiritual Wisdom From The Celtic World' by the late and great John O'Donoghue who sadly and regrettably passed away at the tender age of fifty. "In the Celtic tradition, there is a beautiful understanding of love and friendship. One of the fascinating ideas here is the idea of soul love; the old Gaelic term for this is anam cara. Anam is the Gaelic word for soul and cara is the word for friend." (Page 35) This is a truly beautiful and poetic book and from it i would like to read the following passage, chapter titled 'Death as the Root of fear,' pages 247/ 248. "The best story i know about the presence of fear is an old story from India about a man condemned to spend the night in a cell with a poisonous snake. If he made the slightest movement, the snake would kill him. All night the man stood petrified in the corner of the cell, afraid even to breathe for fear of alerting the snake in the other corner. As the first light of dawn reached into the cell, he could make out the shape of the snake in the other corner. He was deeply relieved not to have alerted it, Then, as the light of dawn increased further and it became really bright, he saw that it was not a snake but an old rope lying in the corner of the cell. The moral of the story suggests that if there are harmless things, like that old rope, lying around in many of the rooms of our minds, then our anxiousness works on them until we convert them into monsters which hold us imprisoned and petrified in small rooms in our lives." You Have No Power Over Me Sarah: Give me the child.
Jareth: Sarah, beware. I have been generous, up until now. But I can be cruel.
Sarah: (disbelieving) Generous? What have you done that's generous?
Jareth: Everything! Everything that you wanted, I have done! You asked that the child be taken - I took him. You cowered before me - I was frightening. I have reordered time, I have turned the world upside down, and I have done it all for you! I am exhausted from living up to your expectations of me. Isn't that generous?
Sarah: (dreamily) Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered ... I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the goblin city ... for my will is as strong as yours... and my kin-
Jareth: Stop! Wait. Look, Sarah, look what I'm offering. (he holds out the crystal) Your dreams!
Sarah: (undeterred) And my kingdom as great...
Jareth: I ask for so little. Just let me rule you, and you can have everything that you want.
Sarah: Kingdom as great ... damn! I can never remember that line...
Jareth: Just fear me - love me - do as I say, and I will be your slave!
Sarah: My kingdom as great ... my kingdom as great ... (she looks at him, realization dawning) You have no power over me! An extract dear friends from the 1986 fantasy film, Labyrinth. The film stars Jennifer Connelly as teenager Sarah Williams and David Bowie as Jareth, the Goblin King and follows Sarah's journeys through a maze to save her baby brother from the Goblin King. Sarah is angry with being forced to babysit her little brother, Toby, wishes for the goblins to take him away. To her surprise, the goblins do, and the Goblin King, Jareth, arrives to make her an offer. In exchange for her brother, she can have her dreams, but Toby will be turned into a goblin and remain in Jareth's kingdom forever. Sarah refuses the offer and must make her way through a dangerous labyrinth to Jareth's castle and retrieve her brother before her time limit of 13 hours is up. So, permit me dear friends to share with you a brief analysis of this most profound dialogue between Sarah and Jareth, the Goblin King: The exchange between Sarah (Goblin King’s captive) and Jareth (the Goblin King) in Labyrinth functions as a microcosm of power dynamics, psychological manipulation, and the struggle for autonomy. Jareth’s opening statement, "I have been generous up until now," is a classic psychological tactic known as "gaslighting by inversion." He reframes his cruelty—kidnapping her brother and torturing her through the labyrinth—as "generosity" because he acted in accordance with her initial wish (though unconsciously expressed) to be relieved of responsibility for the child. When Jareth states "I have reordered time, turned the world upside down—all for you! Is that not generous?", he is engaging in "hyperbolic entitlement." His generosity is not genuine altruism but a weaponized dependency system. He offers her control over her "dream world" (a metaphor for desire) only if she surrenders to him. When Sarah resists with "My will is as strong as yours," she exposes the lie: Jareth’s power is not inherent but derived from her fear and compliance. Without her participation, he cannot sustain his illusion of control. The climactic line, "You have no power over me!" is a rejection of his psychological framework. Sarah recognizes that: Her resistance was never physical but mental. She had the power all along—it was her understanding of his tactics that allowed her to break free. Jareth’s "power" was an illusion—a construct of fear and projection. He could only maintain dominance if she believed in it. Key Insight: Jareth’s final offer—"Just fear me—love me—do as I say"—is his last attempt to reassert control. When Sarah refuses, she destroys the illusion of his omnipotence, rendering him powerless. This is the essence of non-compliance as rebellion. This film Labyrinth dear friends is not merely a fantasy adventure but an allegory for: The Illusion of Authority – Power is only real if it is allowed to exist. Psychological Warfare – Manipulators exploit guilt, shame, and dependency to maintain control. Autonomy as the Ultimate Weapon – Once Sarah recognizes that Jareth’s power comes from her belief in it, she renders him obsolete. This dialogue reflects real-world psychological warfare tactics, where authorities (whether governmental, corporate, or cult-like) use: Language manipulation ("generosity" = control). Fear-based compliance ("Do as I say, and you’ll be safe"). The illusion of choice ("Submit to me, and you can have your dreams”). Some Actionable Takeaways: Recognize inversion tactics – When someone reframes harm as benefit, question the narrative. Refuse dependency – True generosity does not come with strings attached. Affirm autonomy – The moment you declare "You have no power over me," you break the spell of manipulation.