Home Study: The Power of Now, pt. 3

26 Feb 2012 Leave a comment

by graceandclarity in Home Study

Today we begin the third and final installment in our Home Study of The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.  If you have not already caught up on parts one and two of our series, I encourage you to visit them to help provide a foundation for today’s discussion!

Today’s text: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

Publisher: Namaste Publishing; Copyright, 1999 by Eckhart Tolle

Study pages: pp. 146-147

In part one of our “Home Study: The Power of Now” series, we noted that resistance to what is happening right now in our lives comes at a cost; sometimes the cost is that we miss special opportunities for growth or insight.  Part two examined how relationships actually serve as tools for helping us grow in the Now moment, if only we will be open to them.  Today I would like to touch into one of the more abstract insights Tolle shares in his powerful book: How our relationship with our sense of self as spiritual beings relates to the Now.

Many seekers believe that spiritual insight only comes as a result of digging into our contractions.  We believe that if we get angry every time someone ignores our needs, we can only grow in wisdom by spending time exploring what triggered our response and how we are ultimately responsible for our reactions to life.  So we journal, and we “process ” and we turn the whole thing upside down until we have seen it from every intellectual angle.

Now, those of you who know me know that I am hugely in favor of self-study, which is essentially the process described above.  However, we must also recognize that self-study is only one tool in our tool box of spiritual awakening.  If we start believing that spiritual growth only comes through the mental self via the dissection of our habits, we begin to rob the spiritual self of its authority in the process.  The fact is, no matter how much we think about spiritual growth, true Understanding only comes from expanding  beyond the mind.

This means that analysis of our habits or relationships can only take us so far.  After that, the work becomes one of returning to our ongoing spiritual goal: abide in the Now.  Tolle talks about this on page 146:

“True salvation is a state of freedom.  Your mind is telling you that you cannot get there from here.  Something needs to happen, or you need to become this or that before you can be free and fulfilled.  It is saying that you need time–to find, sort out, do, achieve, become or understand something before you can be free or complete.  You think you can’t get there from where and who you are because you are not yet complete or good enough…”

Tolle goes on to tell us, however, that this is all an illusion.  Remember when we were kids and we thought we had to earn our parents’, friends’ or teachers’ approval and love?  Maybe some of us still feel that way!  The fact is, many spiritual seekers have just extended the reach of that illusion into their spiritual practices.  They think, “If I could just be more patient, if I were only more compassionate, if I didn’t have that nasty habit of blaming others for my suffering–maybe then I would be free.”

But regardless of whether we couch the misunderstanding in a mundane context or a spiritual one, the fact is it is still a misunderstanding.  Tolle goes on to say (p. 147):

“You see time as the means to salvation, whereas in truth it is the greatest obstacle…the truth is that here and now is the only point from which you can get there.  You ‘get’ there be realizing that you are there already.  There is not only one way to salvation: Any condition can be used, but no particular condition is needed.  However there is only one point of access: the Now.”

This is a pretty bold statement, isn’t it?  What Tolle is saying is that essentially we are trapped by the belief that salvation–the realization of our spiritual wholeness–is somewhere other than where we now stand.  And we use all of the “proof” around us to verify that theory: “If I were free right now, I would not be feeling conflicted; if I were free right now I would not be angry at my spouse.”

However, if we were to dig down underneath all of those emotions, to step outside not only the mind but also the emotional self, we would find that spiritual wholeness really is here–right now.  Tolle completes his thoughts on this topic in the following paragraph (p. 147):

“There is nothing you can ever do or attain that will get your closer to salvation than it is at this moment.  You cannot do this in the future.  You do it now or not at all.”

Challenging words from one of today’s most popular spiritual authorities.  But even others of us have bumped into that truth–that there is nowhere to get to but Now.  Don’t believe it?  Try this assignment:

Sometime this week when you are stressed and find it hard to believe that spiritual wholeness is already within you, take a moment to become deeply still.  This cannot be the kind of forced stillness wherein you are resisting or doubting, but the kind of stillness that is filled with humble surrender and a devotion to the process.  Then ask yourself, “Is it true that peace is not already here Now?”  What you may come to find is that Tolle was right: There really is only point of access to spiritual wholeness–and that point is Now.

Using a pen and journal or piece of paper, contemplate the following this week:

1. What excuses do I use to avoid the entry point of the Now (“I’m too busy; I’m not good at meditation”)?

2. When in my day can I take 30 seconds to be present with the Now (in the elevator, at the stop light etc.)?

3. Do I subscribe to the notion that spiritual wholeness is somewhere other than my present location in time?

4. Am I willing to rephrase my belief to remind me that freedom is here now, but I just have to make room for it?  If so, how would I put that in my own words?  Consider adding this statement to your daily affirmations until you come to believe it fully.

Over the past month we have investigated how a proper understanding of the Now is critical for spiritual awakening and growth.  You may wish to print and save our study of The Power of Now to review the next time you need help remembering the importance of living in the Now!  This book has many other powerful insights to share as well, so I hope you will take the time to peruse a copy at your leisure.

Our next Home Study course will dive into one of my books entitled Lessons for Living, vol. 1.  This is the first of many books containing exact transcriptions of wisdom the Angels have shared with me in Communion.  We will begin our study of this book in just over three weeks, so you can either order a copy at our web site (below) or just follow along as I provide excerpts.  For those of you who finish your Power of Now, pt. 3 homework ahead of schedule, you can read ahead in Lessons for Living, vol. 1.  Our pages of interest will be p 61-62.  I look forward to connecting with you again soon!

For more book discussions, please peruse the other selections from our Home Study category.  We also invite you to experience uplifting insights from the Higher Realms at www.hopeofthenewage.com/Wisdom

Laura’s Hope for Healing…chapter 1

19 Feb 2012 Leave a comment

by graceandclarity in Inspirational Stories

This month we are focusing on relationships: the relationships we have with our loved ones, our Inner Spirit, our bodies.  It seems like the perfect time then for me to relate a story I have been longing to share for the past few years.  The three-chapter saga you are about to read is a true story, recounted with the permission of the woman who lived it whose name has been changed for privacy.  When I asked if she would allow me to share her ascent from hell into vibrant health, she didn’t hesitate for a minute.  “Sure,” she said, “as long as you think it would help somebody else…” 

Help?  Indeed, I have a number of students who have heard only parts of Laura’s story whose lives will never be the same.  So Laura, thank you for your courage in sharing your story.  I celebrate your undying tenacity to heal yourself–today more than ever.

The first time I heard Laura’s voice it was straining through the other end of the phone.  She was telling me of an unusual spinal deformity which had made traditional exercise increasingly painful for her.  Laura had never attended one of my yoga studio’s classes but had heard of me through a mutual friend and felt a private session might be the answer.  We scheduled a time to meet and planned to work together for an hour each week to see if yoga could help heal her.

My first impressions of Laura were of a bright, vibrant woman in her late 40’s, full of vigor and positive Energy.  At our first meeting, she told me that her back condition had not been a life-long burden.  Somewhere in her mid-40’s she had begun to experience searing back pain that made her favorite pastime of running impossible.  The sensation was like that of a searing-hot curling iron on her lower back every time she exercised or had to sit in a car when her job called her out of town–which it often did.

It was subsequently discovered that Laura’s lower back had inexplicably begun to bulge and curve, creating a significant bump.  Doctors had been consulted, specialists enlisted, yet no one could find a cause for her spontaneous deformity.  They labeled it adult idiopathic scoliosis which indicated a curvature of the spine with no discernible cause.

Slowly the condition had grown worse, depriving Laura of the pleasures of biking and eventually even walking for more than ten minutes at a time.  The only thing that was left, she told me, was her current outlet of dancing.  She would put on her favorite music, close the blinds at home and dance her heart out as a method of keeping her cardiovascular system healthy.  The fact that only this more joyful form of exertion proved to be painless was indeed significant, I discovered later.

My initial session with Laura went well and we adjourned with plans to meet again the following week.  As I collected my things and closed the door to the yoga studio something about our session nagged at me.  As usual, my work with Laura had centered not only on the physical but had also included a general awareness of her personal Energy.  I sensed that her outgoing, positive exterior was only one level of a rather complex and sensitive spirit.

But there were other things, too.  Laura’s feet were bruised and included a number of blackened toenails.  Her midsection was gaunt and bony, her arms and legs lacking in muscle tone.  More than anything else, though, was the undeniable pronouncement my Spirit Guides had immediately planted in my heart: Laura’s condition, They had said, was entirely energetic.

Rather than jump on this information too soon, I bided my time through another session before solidifying my hypothesis.  I looked for ways Laura’s Energy might be informing her body’s condition.  From one exercise to another I tried to read her vibration more carefully, sensing into every move she made and every word she said.  And then, through the grace of Divine Intervention, it hit me.

We were standing up and breathing, imagining taking in life force and expelling it out again consciously.  As I watched Laura breathe, something in her midsection caught my eye.  Instead of breathing into her belly and filling her middle like a balloon, she was lifting her ribcage and sucking her stomach back every time she inhaled.  I casually pointed this out and asked her to try it again, encouraging her to puff her belly out like an expectant mother when she inhaled.  She tried it, but with very little success.  Her body, it seemed, would simply not perform the movement.

I asked her more about this breath style.  Had she ever taken a singing lesson or breathing class that talked about diaphragmatic breathing?   No, Laura replied, and what’s more she had never consciously taken a breath that pushed out her belly in her life.  Not to calm herself, not to release stress, I asked?  Shyly, she lowered her gaze and murmured again, “No…”

As she left that day, the Guides led me farther along the path to insight.  To my amazement, They told me that Laura had caused the deformity herself.  I could sense the Guides were indicating that something about the way she was using her body had caused her back to bow out of alignment. In my mind, They kept replaying the moment when I had discovered Laura’s difficulty taking a deep breath into her belly.  Still, I was stumped and could not make out how there could be a connection between breathing and what Laura referred to as her “bump.”

The following week I was feeling a bit desperate for insight.  Nothing we were doing with yoga seemed to help Laura’s condition or her pain.  Many movements were altogether impossible to manage without discomfort and we ended up having to modify even the simplest stretches for her use.  Still the cause eluded me, until Laura herself unwittingly supplied the missing piece.

During our third session together, we worked again on the belly-breathing technique.  Laura was struggling significantly, unable to get her abdominal muscles to relax even after many moments of lying down and resting on the floor.  As in our last session, I pointed out that the movement was similar to distending one’s belly like a pregnant woman, and that’s when she began to laugh.

Laura snorted and said that the last thing she ever thought she would be doing was attempting to make her belly look bigger!  She tried to keep her voice light as she began to talk about years of “sucking in her gut” to make her midsection look as flat and skinny as possible.  I was surprised to hear this powerful woman in the prime of her life talking about her body like a teenage girl in the middle of a self-image crisis.  In a light and conversational way, I asked her to share with me what that image was about for her.  With disarming honesty and heart-wrenching vulnerability, Laura honored me with the private story of her own personal hell.

Unbeknownst to me, Laura had been a lifelong anorexic and bulimic.  She grew up with a mother who was a beauty pageant queen and was grooming her two daughters to follow in her footsteps.  As children, Laura and her sister had eaten dinner at the kitchen table while their mother ate standing over the kitchen sink.  From there, the anorexic mother would chew and then spit each bite of food into the garbage disposal rather than swallow it.  Laura was raised to believe that the only thing others valued in a young lady was physical beauty.  Her mother taught her that a skinny figure would guarantee others’ loyalty and friendship.  From an early age it seemed Laura was destined to have an eating disorder.

Yet, that was not all.  Laura’s father was a man struggling with manic depression at a time when such conditions were all but unknown in mainstream society.  The instability of never knowing what state of mind her father would be in when she saw him made her years at home nearly unbearable.  She lived a life of paralyzing uncertainty which resulted in battles with anxiety for years to come.

Laura and her younger sister grew up exercising viciously and competing over which girl could stay the skinniest.  Controlling their intake of food seemed to be the only thing they could control in their unpredictable lives.  When Laura began college, she maintained her merciless exercise regime to avoid gaining weight as her blooming body matured.  As it happened, even Laura’s grandmother was anorexic.

My heart felt sickened as I heard the story of a young woman deprived of her joy.  On and on into her adulthood Laura had continued to torture her body.  She told me of how she would take her children to the local recreation center—not to play with them, but to put them in the childcare room while she exercised for hours a day.  Laura had become a slave to her eating disorder.  As she told her story, the Divine Insight of the Guides came into perfect focus.

It always takes a bit of courage to share theories with people when I receive direction from the Guides.  But I sensed that Laura had trusted me in revealing some very intimate history, and I felt that at the very least she deserved a chance to hear the Truth.  What happened next would change Laura’s life forever, and start us on a Journey to unraveling the most mysterious case of body-mind-spirit connection I had ever encountered…

Please stay tuned in the coming weeks for chapter 2 of “Laura’s Hope for Healing.”  Simply click to follow our blog!

My Relationship Recipe Box

12 Feb 2012 Leave a comment

by graceandclarity in Practicum

This week I received a wonderful suggestion from the Guides about how to manage challenging relationships.  It was so simple, I had to laugh out loud!  I call it my “Relationship Recipe Box.”

1. Collect some recipe-sized cards, lined or unlined.  You will need enough so that each significant relationship in your life has its own card.

2. At the top of each card, write the name of a person with whom you find it difficult to interact or are working out some emotional issues.  Don’t forget your significant other, each of your children, each of your living elders, co-workers, acquaintances from church, committees or volunteer organizations.  You may even need to include those who make you feel insecure like your dentist or accountant!

3. Spend some time each day or week focusing on one of your cards, until they are all complete.  Give priority to those you see the most frequently.  Quiet your mind in meditation and offer affirmations or prayers that you want to grow and find peace with this person.  Affirm that this relationship is a tool for your growth and ask for guidance as to how to perceive this relationship.

4. Jot down words or phrases that come to your mind.  Include phrases that tell you how to behave, what energies to cultivate and whether or not you should simply exit the situation if it becomes too toxic.  For example, one of my cards says, “Practice compassion for one who has a job that makes them cynical and world-weary.”  Another reads, “Protect your Energy at all costs.”  You may wish to attach a copy of an inspirational reading that will add to your sense of clarity when interacting with that person.

5. Plan ahead!  When you are about to see one of the people on your list, use your spiritual tools!  Start with a brief prayer, which may be as quick as, “Please help me!”  Then review the card bearing that person’s name.  Use it to establish the proper spiritual mindset, knowing it will help bring about the highest possible outcome for all involved.  You may wish to keep relevant cards close by: those for your family stay at home, those for co-workers are at your desk, those for volunteer organizations are in your car or wallet.

6. Don’t give up–keep using your tools!  It takes two to create a peaceful or respectful interaction.  If you find an encounter does not go well, affirm that you have done your best and ask the Angels to help open the other person’s heart in the future, as well.  Don’t forget to use your cards before every family gathering, every business meeting and every holiday get-together.  Tools can only work for you if you pick them up and use them!

We are responsible for the quality of Energy we bring to every encounter, so take charge of what you offer to the world.  When we plan ahead and use our tools consistently, we find that others around us can’t help but notice.  The result: more positive interactions, more of the time!

Home Study: The Power of Now, pt. 2

12 Feb 2012 Leave a comment

by graceandclarity in Home Study

In part 1 of our Home Study of The Power of Now, we discussed how important it is to begin living in this Now moment.  It is easy to get stuck in the past or live only for the future, especially if our current circumstances present growth cloaked in challenge.  But Tolle reveals that by avoiding the present we miss the opportunity to experience the empowering lessons our lives are trying to offer us.  To review our last discussion, please visit “Home Study: The Power of Now, pt.1.”

This month we celebrate Valentine’s Day, and you will notice many of our February blogs focus on the transformative potential of relationships.  Today’s lesson takes a look at how relationships help us grow–right here in the immediacy of the Now.

Whether you are single or attached, a boss or an employee, a woman or man you likely struggle as you interact with the world sometimes.  Each exchange we have during the day presents us with another chance to see something in ourselves that needs releasing, healing or simply acknowledging.  Tolle is a master at describing how we can harness the magic each moment offers our spiritual growth, so we look to him for inspiration this month…

Today’s text: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

Publisher: Namaste Publishing; Copyright, 1999 by Eckhart Tolle

Study pages: pp. 82, 158-160

I used to think relationships existed to make my life better; I believed my loved ones should harbor a desire to help me feel complete.  But as a spiritual practitioner I quickly came to see that relationships are actually tools Life uses to help us grow and cultivate underdeveloped skills.  Much to my chagrin, I realized that relationships are actually designed to trigger my “stuff” at least as often as they ignite my joy.  Take Tolle’s powerful words on pp. 158-159, for example (paraphrased):

“Whenever your relationship brings out the ‘madness’ in you, be glad.  For, what was unconscious is being brought up to the light.  Unconsciousness and knowing cannot coexist for long…If you continue to pursue the goal of salvation through a relationship, you will be disillusioned again and again.  But if you accept that the relationship is here to make you conscious instead of happy, you will be aligning yourself with the Higher Consciousness that wants to be born into this world.”

Again I admit, this was not at all what I thought relationships were for!  Yet, as we read on to Tolle’s view of what a healthy relationship can be, we see a picture taking shape that warms the heart with suggestions of hope, trust and spiritual maturity (p. 160):

“If you both agree that the relationship will be your spiritual practice, so much the better.  Express your feelings as soon as they occur so that you do not create a grievance that can fester.  Learn to give expression without blaming.  Learn to listen to your partner in an open, nondefensive way.  Giving space to others and to yourself–is vital.  Love cannot flourish without it.”

But let’s be honest: sometimes situations are not so rosy.  You can do your part to embody the above practices, but your coworkers may not be open to having an “energetically illuminated disagreement” with you, for example.  What then?

On one of the most dog-eared pages of my book–page 82–Tolle gives us the answer.  The directive is so unambiguous and profound, he states it twice: once in paragraph 2 and again in paragraph 3.  I actually numbered the steps, “1, 2, 3” in the margin, just to remind myself how clear-cut the options are for dealing with difficult circumstances:

“If you find your here and now makes you unhappy, you have three options:

Remove yourself from the situation,

Change it or

Accept it totally.”

I consider this sentence to be one of the most empowering in Tolle’s book.  That may sound like a nice word–empowering–until we realize many people are actually afraid of their own power.  Isn’t it true that if we claim our inherent power we can no longer live as victims?  We no longer survive meagerly off the pity of others; we can no longer use the past as an excuse to underachieve.  Indeed, although these three steps are easy to say, for many they are nearly impossible to execute.

Please note that in paragraph 2, Tolle reminds us that “change it” means taking action and speaking out if possible.  As always, once that is done we are reminded of the importance of surrendering the outcome and returning to the Now moment, allowing the situation to resolve itself as Life sees fit.  Like all true spiritual teachers, Tolle does not give us room to shirk the responsibility of making the choice to either embrace or abdicate our power.  He challenges us by saying:

“If you want to take responsibility for your life, you must choose one of these three options, and you must choose now.  Then accept the consequences.  No excuses.  No negativity.”

This is what I love about true spiritual teachers: They show us our options and then declare, “Choose.”  No chance for whining, no room for negotiation.  They remind us that true freedom is not free; as the spiritual teacher Adyashanti says, “All it costs, is everything.”  And if you think you can slide by simply by not choosing at all, I refer you to those great poets from the 70’s rock band Rush who remind us: “If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.“

 

Using a pen and journal or piece of paper, contemplate the following this week:

1. If I believe others are here to help me be more conscious, what patterns are each person helping me see in myself?

2. My closest relationships are with (insert names).  With each person, do I need to learn to express my feelings sooner, give expression to my feelings without blaming or listen to them in an open, nondefensive way (or all of these)?

3. Where in my life do I need to own my power and remove myself from a situation?

4. Where in my life do I need to help effect a change by taking action or speaking out (followed by surrendering the outcome)?

5. Where in my life do I need to accept things as they are and focus on other energies instead, such as gratitude?

If you are enjoying the challenges Tolle is setting forth, I encourage you to begin to act on what you learn about yourself this month.  What’s more, you may find it helpful to discuss these questions with others of like mind.  Don’t be shy–members of yoga classes, meditation meetings and spiritual groups often wish to discuss their journeys.  All they need is you to invite the conversation!

In session three of our Tolle Home Study, we will be diving deeper into The Power of Now and why Tolle says that time for “processing” is not the answer to our problems…don’t miss it!  Be sure to click and follow our blog so you can be alerted when our next discussion commences.  Until then, stay present in the Now!

For more book discussions, please peruse the other selections from our Home Study category.  We also invite you to experience uplifting insights from the Higher Realms at www.hopeofthenewage.com/Wisdom

“The Careful and Glorious Temple”

07 Feb 2012 Leave a comment

by graceandclarity in Wisdom

How often we find ourselves in challenging interactions during the week!  If you are like me it is more often than you would like, and each encounter tests our ability to stay focused on the best outcome for all concerned.  This can be especially tricky in high-intensity relationships with family members, close friends or co-workers.

In such situations, the Angels encourage us not only to follow proper protocol for healthy relationships psychologically, but to defer to proper energetic care when necessary, as well.  In challenging relationships, this often means not letting ourselves become the doormat upon which others dump their stress or fears.  Instead, we are encouraged to try to shine the Light of hope and courage upon those walking through a dark and challenging portion of their Path.  This must be done mindfully, all the while upholding the integrity of the spiritual Energy we have worked so hard to build in our own lives:

“Do not allow to fall the careful and glorious Temple of your inner space, which houses the Energy and devotion you have so lovingly and carefully created.”

We often tend to undervalue our own worth: the treasure of our bodies, the prize of a contented mind, the Temple of our spiritual essence.  This last gift must be preserved above all else for, indeed, it is the only piece that lasts forever and encompasses who we truly are!  Our life experience is meant to be an opportunity to enhance that inner Temple, adding on to its beauty, sanctity and power:

“Continue to build upon that ever higher-reaching foundation of discrimination, protection and the delineation between your energies and that of another.”

With these words we are reminded that the foundation of our spiritual practice is the ability to discriminate between positive and contracted energies and to protect the wellspring of positive Energy in our lives.  Living a spiritual life does not mean we live the life of a dish-rag, allowing ourselves to be walked all over whenever someone else’s “misery loves company.”  We are called to uphold–and indeed build upon–the foundation of spiritual discrimination and careful energetic protection we have created.

For example, this may mean rather than being a party to another’s victim mindset, we should instead remind her of her power and ability to flourish regardless of life’s challenges.  If we truly want to help pull someone out of the quicksand, we must stay on solid ground ourselves and assist him or her from a place of steadfastness and strength.  To climb in after them only means the downfall of both!

So this year, let us release empty gestures of being “nice at all costs,” which only serve to create disingenuous and debilitating relationships.  My hope is that we preserve our carefully-built Temple of peace, wisdom and devotion, allowing It to serve as a place of refuge and encouragement for those in need.

To read more of the Angels’ Words of Wisdom, please peruse other selections from our Wisdom category or visit www.hopeofthenewage.com/Wisdom