đź“–Book Review: "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle
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We are tired of being sick and tired.
We are tired, but we are not giving up.
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Because we are fighting daily, hourly, and by the minute: fighting ourselves, our kids, our spouses, we have to do things differently. We have to break the cycle.
We don’t have a million chances.
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So how do we do that? How is that possible?
If you look around at what society is telling you, they’d tell you that what we’re doing is impossible.
Yet, it’s happening.
Every.
Single.
Day.
It’s happening through the practice and love that we call Awakening the Magnificent Soul.
We are Magnificent Souls, and these are our stories of healing!
Today, I wanted to do something a little different and do a book review on one of the most influential works I have ever come across, and that is The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.
But, before we get into the discussion, don’t forget to let me know your thoughts about this episode, any feedback you have, or anything you’d like me to cover on future podcasts at the Epiphany Vault.
Remember, you can share anonymously; it’s a safe place and I would welcome the discussion.
The idea for talking about this book came from the realization that it has been such a huge force in my life. So much so that I read “The Power of Now” every 2 months or so.
With each read, I glean new insight and information, it’s such an amazing refresher with each read. I recommend it all the time.
To whomever, friends, family, clients…
There are people out there who are striving to control their thoughts, and to them, I recommend this book.
Although, to be honest, I have trouble with that phrase and term, and with the practice of presence and now, you will see what I mean.
If you follow me on Instagram, you see that I post little snapshots of topics that hit me deeply when I’m reading it.
So, today, I thought I’d dive into it and see where the conversation takes us.
I will, also, provide a link to the book in the show notes and if you purchase through this link, you will be showing support for the cause as I do receive a few cents from each purchase.
The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle
I love the title, and, being kind of indoctrinated into the practice of now; I completely understand the validity of the title. What I’ve learned is that there are tremendous strength and power in connecting with the here, now, present.
And, as a former codependent, I was so detached to the present moment because I was living in the space of should, ought to, wanting, etc. that I had no idea, which is way far away from the present moment.
According to Eckhart, his awakening occurred when he was at an extremely low point in his life, he was very depressed and was contemplating suicide.
As he began to work his way out, people began asking him his secrets to living such a peaceful and meaningful life, and that was the work that he produced in his books, courses, conferences. He has become this amazing light for so many.
And, as awesome as it sounds, I am on that path myself and have many things to share soon.
The book is organized in a conversational manner in which the author asks questions and then answers them.
For example, the very first question is “Enlightenment - what is that?”
It seems as if Mr. Tolle has taken stock of all the questions that he has asked throughout his life to reach a point of awakening.
I love that he continues to prod and ask questions, and tries to trip himself up and that these were all genuine questions that he struggled with himself.
To me, this is so much more than a self-help book; in some ways, this has become the canon of my life.
It’s hard for me to even express the importance of this work to me.
In all honesty, I did find it a little dense at first, and the references to God wasn’t something that I connected with, but as I read along, I was able to think about it my terms of what God means to me. And, I encourage you to try that as well if you feel like that’s a better route for you.
But all in all, I completely agree with Eckhart and the Power of Now.
Here are a few excerpts that I’ve noted including some great practical advice that helps if you have a brain like me.
“So, when you listen to a thought, you are aware not only of the thought but also as yourself as the witness of the thought.”
- Here, Eckhart is teaching us how to detach from your thoughts. And if you are codependent, you know how difficult that can be.
For me, my mind was always racing: in anticipation of future events or thinking about past events. Whether that be with myself or as it would relate to my partner. The act of thinking something, and saying, hey, I am having a thought but you are also taking it to the next level and saying, this is me, being aware of that thought.
And this is so powerful because it helps you detach from these thoughts. And, if you were like me, these thoughts were mostly negative, helpless or hopeless thoughts.
Thoughts that I knew were unhealthy and dysfunctional. Learning how to accept them and be present with them as Eckhart teaches has been a massive step for me in the Break-Away process.
Here’s another good one, it’s so good:
“So the single most vital step on your journey toward enlightenment is this: learn to disidentify from your mind. Every time you create a gap in the stream of mind, the light of your consciousness grows stronger.”
So good. You know that quote, “You are not your thoughts.”
This is this.
Man, when I just think about this, I think about all of the negative self-talk that used to happen with me. And the codependency really came into play when my partner would reinforce those thoughts.
Like, how many times did you get into an argument or disagreement does your partner say, “you’re just being sensitive, or you’re being crazy?” and then, I would think those thoughts too.
Eckhart’s stuff is just SO POWERFUL, this is the one book that if I had the means to do so, I would send to anyone that wanted one.
Not only is this practice life-changing for YOU but as a society, we would be able to make such amazing strides if we could just tap into societal consciousness, as a whole.
But, I digress, here’s one more favorite from the book:
“In the enlightened state, you still use your thinking mind when needed, but in a much more focused and effective way than before. You use it mostly for practical purposes, but you are free of the involuntary internal dialogue, and there is inner stillness.”
That involuntary internal dialogue, which I am happy to say, I am almost free from.
In fact, a subject for another podcast, but I think as codependents, we are never fully free, which is why Soul Maintenance is so important.
But we’re talking about self-talk again here. What’s interesting too, and this is my opinion, is this can be either negative or positive. The act of observing the thinking mind, and not judging it as good or bad, happy or sad is the place that we want to get to.
That inner peace that Mr. Tolle talks about.
So amazing.
I’ll stop there with the quotes, but please, if you take nothing away from today, please get this for your library. This has been watering my soul for years and I hope it can water yours.
As always, the Epiphany Vault is open for feedback, questions, and comments. You’re welcome to share there.
See you again soon.
Livin’ and Lovin’💗
Lilli