Eckhart Tolle, Me and Soul
I first heard of Eckhart Tolle around the time Oprah was promoting him on her show. I was not a regular viewer of her program but heard about it in the media. My best friend called me up one day to suggest I might look into it myself. I appreciated my friends’ enthusiasm; however, chose to bypass it myself with no interest due to all the hype Oprah was generating which was a commercially laced turn off for me.
I have been traveling my own spiritual path for some decades now and have been exposed to many books, tapes and programs along with many teachers. I’ve always seemed to be seeking the next one that will provide a valid source for me to get into and “work”. All have left some sort of positive residual that has contributed to my spiritual growth.
Five months ago, one of Eckhart Tolle’s books “jumped” off the library shelf into my hand. It was called “The Power of Now”. I had to smile in realizing this was the author I had passed on the year before and decided to take the Universe’s suggestion that I might take a look now! Normally, I find a book of interest and move thru it with enthusiasm as quick as I can. I take what feels right then leave the rest behind before moving on to something else. His book was different than any I have ever read before. After a few pages, I felt a subtle familiar comforting change deep inside me. The realization that I have been aware of this feeling many times before was profound in his explanation that I could “go” there anytime I choose. I felt I was at the right place at the right time.
I read it slowly and savored every word because I felt as if he understood what my soul was craving in my search for “enlightenment”. To be honest, what he speaks of is not all new to me. Some of what I have carried inside me as a part of my “knowing” was already there. He has helped supply the “how to carry on and progress with it” part in a way I can get my head around. There are many quotes from different sources to help in presentation of what he is talking about. Some authors he quotes are on my have read list. It’s very simple and subtle. So simple that some might find it difficult to grasp or as one New York reviewer stated, “A bunch of New Age mumbo jumbo”. Also, like anything new to us, one needs to be ready for it on their own journey.
All that is required is right inside us right now. It’s not something to look forward to in the future. There is no heavy writing or any need to delve deep into the past before success might hopefully be attained, as many other sources imply. It’s basically about recognizing that the mind, ego and emotions are all a part of this earthly body. That is not who we truly are. Who we are in “spirit” or our higher selves is the essence of our true Being. He is really just pointing in the right direction of how to spend more of our lives in that place and at the same time continue a productive life free of the emotional burdens that hold us back. That is a very quick simplified definition to be sure because so much that comes from Spirit loses its true meaning in translation when put into spoken or written. Like I mentioned before, not all new to me, however, the way he speaks was.
I finished his first book, and then continued on with the next one. I am just now finishing re-reading the first one and it’s just as fresh as the first time I read it. There is a permanent place for it on my bedside table. The freedom I have experienced from heavy emotional baggage I have been packing around for so long has been dramatic. I am becoming more enthusiastic about discovering my purpose here and the energy to become more productive in the things I want to achieve in pursuing my interests. My constant search for “the next thing” has subsided. I know the answers I seek are already inside me. My mind is not closed to other ideas but I have a universal tool that has taken away the infinite search for something that will work for me. It’s not an overnight thing by any means. But how quickly one will grasp his concepts in application to the inside is dependent on where they are on the path and how open minded to allow the change to happen. I felt just enough “knowing” deep inside me to know I wanted to continue on with his words and wisdom.
One last note, I have a tendency to take the easy way on most anything, as well as lose interest quickly. To my delight, this has not been the case. I am able to incorporate his direction into my everyday life with mindful willful understanding that this moment right here, right now, (not the past or the future,) is all I have a hold of to do anything about. I have come to the point of being able to “switch off” my mind and allow my Being to come forward with silent peace, true love and better understanding of what is really happening in front of me more often. I am practicing reacting to the “silence” instead of emotion and ego.
The future starts with what I do with this moment. I can begin to change my future by action on my part right now. A situation in front of me now can be altered by speaking up or doing. And if there is nothing I can do to change it then I can accept it and move forward leaving guilt and the “could-a, should-a, would-a” behind, in the past. With my own efforts as well as the resulting guidance I am receiving from within, and with continued practice, I am experiencing true joy and optimism in living my life forward.
Article by Jasmine@majickalgarden.com
