Both liberation and sovereignty are concepts that revolve around the idea of freedom, autonomy and power. However, while they are interconnected, they approach the experience of freedom from different angles. Liberation tends to focus on freedom from external oppression, while sovereignty emphasizes internal autonomy and self-governance. Let’s break down the distinctions between these two concepts.

1. Liberation: Release from External Oppression
Liberation is the process of being freed from external systems of control, domination or oppression. This could take the form of societal, cultural or political forces that limit or oppress an individual or group. The key aspect of liberation is that it is outward-facing: the goal is to remove external barriers to freedom.

• Collective and Personal Freedom: Although liberation can be a personal experience, it’s often framed in the context of collective freedom. Movements for racial, gender or political equality focus on the liberation of entire groups from oppressive systems.
• Examples: In the context of social justice movements, liberation refers to dismantling oppressive systems like racism, patriarchy or colonialism. It involves taking collective action to free marginalized communities from external controls.
  
  In essence, liberation is about reclaiming power that has been taken away or restricted by societal forces.

2. Sovereignty: Internal Autonomy and Self-Governance
Sovereignty, in contrast, focuses on having complete control over one’s own body, mind and decisions. It is about self-rule and autonomy from within, rather than the removal of external constraints.

• Personal and Political Power: On a personal level, sovereignty involves having authority over your own body, decisions and life. In a political sense, it could refer to the self-determination of Indigenous peoples or nations, asserting their right to govern without outside interference.
• Examples: Somatic sovereignty is a personal form of sovereignty where individuals reclaim their bodies from trauma, societal conditioning or internalized oppression. On a larger scale, political sovereignty can refer to a nation asserting its right to self-governance without interference from external powers.
  
  Where liberation asks for freedom from external forces, sovereignty is about holding and exercising that freedom from within. It’s about stepping into personal or collective power and autonomy.

Key Differences Between Liberation and Sovereignty

• External vs. Internal Focus: Liberation is largely concerned with breaking free from external systems of oppression, while sovereignty emphasizes autonomy and control from within.
• Collective vs. Personal Emphasis: While liberation is often focused on collective efforts to achieve freedom for marginalized groups, sovereignty can apply to both individuals and collectives. For instance, somatic sovereignty is about reclaiming one’s individual body, while political sovereignty deals with a group’s right to self-determination.
• Pathways to Freedom: Liberation often involves activism, resistance or fighting systemic oppression. Sovereignty, on the other hand, involves reclaiming personal power and exercising self-governance - whether individually or collectively.

The Intersection of Liberation and Sovereignty
While liberation and sovereignty differ in their focus, they are deeply interconnected. In movements for social justice, achieving liberation from oppressive systems is often the first step toward reclaiming sovereignty. For example, a community might fight for liberation from colonialism and, once that liberation is won, work to establish its own political sovereignty.

On a personal level, someone who has liberated themselves from oppressive societal narratives or trauma may then work toward establishing somatic sovereignty by listening to and honouring their body’s wisdom.

In summary, liberation and sovereignty are two sides of the same coin. Liberation is about breaking free from external oppression, while sovereignty focuses on reclaiming internal autonomy and control. In a world where systems like capitalism and colonialism have encouraged disconnection from the body and constant busyness, reclaiming both liberation and sovereignty is essential for healing and true freedom.

In somatic sovereignty,