content='index,follow' name='robots'/> Plain Talk and Ordinary Wisdom: Learning How to Awaken

Friday, April 11, 2008

Learning How to Awaken

I have read others’ posts on what they’ve been learning from Eckhart Tolle’s book, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose (Oprah's Book Club, Selection 61)(Paperback), and I can truly resonate with what they’re learning about the many faces of ego and how it operates in our lives. What I’m realizing is that this is serious and is not to be taken lightly. It’s not just a course to take or another book to read and for many it won’t make sense.



Patricia Singleton of Spiritual Journey of a Lightworker talks about her shyness. I too was shy and withdrawn and my husband also has helped me. Not only was I shy but what was worse is that I constantly cut myself down and he stopped me and pointed out the positive things. What I’m learning now that is so powerful for me is the thoughts, the roles, are not who I am….they are not who you are. It’s part of a conditioning thought process we bought into with the roles we continue to play over and over again identifying with them believing this is Pat or this is you. As Patricia quoted in her post from Tolle’s book (page 86):

“Shyness often goes with a self-concept that is predominately negative, the belief of being inadequate. Any conceptual sense of self – seeing myself as this or that – is ego, whether predominately positive (I am the greatest) or negative (I am no good).”

Suzie Cheel over at Abundance Highway talks about recognizing her pain body and beginning to understand how it affects others. To be fully present is the beginning of the awareness of how ego runs our lives and what it does. They’re typical things, really, and reactions to what others do that trigger the thoughts and we’re off again onto another drama. Sometimes, it’s not pretty.

Being Aware,
Being Focused,
Being Still,
Being Present

I must admit. This has not been an easy teleclass for me to follow. The book resonated with me from the moment I first picked it up but I’ve had a hard time reading it. Distractions and thoughts race through my head so much so that I sometimes have to read a paragraph 3 times. It’s because I’ve conditioned myself that way when I am resisting something. I’d rather detour and do something else for awhile rather than get at the task at hand. See, I’m beginning to awaken...a little at a time – just by seeing this.

Just tonight, I realized in talking to my husband that my thoughts are running on autopilot all the time and I don’t listen fully. I get a piece of what is said and hold that thought that when the conversation is over I’ve missed most of it. This may sound silly to you but when you’re in a conversation you want to feel like you’ve been heard. I know I do but I have to listen first, give my attention and be fully present to who is talking not to the voice in my head. This is the awareness part – the being in the present moment – and it takes practice, at the very least alerted, like I was tonight, that this is what is happening.

My heart is excited and knows the importance of the message of this book and what it holds for me. I feel the truth of the words and the hope of what my world could be like if I could but only allow myself to be still and become aware – not doing, just allowing. We are allowing our essence to come forth and be a presence in our life.

I’ve had a lot of spiritual experiences over the years through which I have learned a great deal and am grateful and humbled at the patience of our Creator. Now, I feel as if all those things I have learned and worked on my whole life have come together again in this one book – this one teaching, as if I’m revisiting them again. Perhaps, what I learned before was more intellectual rather than a touch from the heart, I don’t know.

I only feel, at this juncture, there is something powerful going on here and I believe those who are reading and participating feel it too. For some, it may open like a flower and flow like a stream, easily and fluidly; for others, like myself, it’s like chipping away at a sculpture and allowing the “who I am” come forth as it is designed to do.

We can all learn from each other and awaken to our life’s purpose. As Marianne Williamson said in A Return to Love:

“You’re a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Hope you'll come back for another visit. You're welcome to sit with us at the kitchen table. You can sign up for free!

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4 comments:

Patricia Singleton said...

Pat, thank you for the wonderful comment on my blog and for joining your post to mine. I feel that we are sisters on the same or similar paths. I am not keeping up with the class very well. I gave up on trying to listen to the class on Monday night. I download and print out the transcripts and read them. Right now I am 2 chapters behind. I feel that the information is just too important to rush through.
Patricia

Pat said...

Patricia - you are most welcome and thank you for commenting. I feel we have that connection too as sisters.

This path is exciting especially when you have others to share it with.

I'm barely ahead of the class and I'm on the last chapter but I'm going to reread the book when I'm finished. So much has come up and some I wish would come up hasn't.

It's not something you can rush or do - you just open the door and it happens in its own time with what we need to know. It's gentle and nurturing and where we are is where we're supposed to be at this given time.

I keep reminding myself of this when I try to hurry along the process.

Blessings to you sister and let me know if I can help in anyway with words of encouragement or just listening (going to get better at that).

Anonymous said...

Hi Patricia,

Thanks for the link and mention of my post that session was the most powerful me so far and has enabled me to make a real shift. I started on chapter 7 yesterday - that is sure to provide more ahas.

I am working on each chapter as it comes, rather than racing ahead in my normal fashion. I am sure it is a book I will refer back to Chapter & workbook is challenging

Namaste
Suzie

Pat said...

Hi Suzie - thank you for your comment and feedback on how you're doing with Eckhart's book.

The message is powerful and yet it's not something we haven't heard before over the years. It's just put in a way that I get it and can understand more of what is happening rather than feel I'm not doing enough or guilty for having reacted to something.

My daughter and I were talking today about what we're learning in this process and she brought something up that I hadn't thought about.

When we become awakened what does it feel like to live day-by-day in presence with the connection to the spiritual realm. What are these spontaneous urges and feelings of Spirit showing and guiding us?

Eckhart talks about his personal experience but doesn't go into much detail as to what it's like for him living day-by-day in this awakened presence. Maybe it's another book? Right now, he's given us more than enough to reflect on and apply to our lives.

Hope you'll stop by again and share and let us know what you're learning.