This page is dedicated to working through a Good Earth By Eckhart Tolle.

Chapter One:

Why did i decide to read the book?

I decided to read the book because Oprah seemed so impressed by it. I also have a lot of self-help books and that is actually one of my passions in life is to help other people. I firmly believe that if you can’t help yourself, you probably can’t help anyone else. As I am on a quest to become a better person in physical and metaphysical ways, I am hoping this book helps me on my journey.

Specific Areas of My LIfe that will benefit and how I can use the books teaching today:

I think the area I am most looking forward to it helping me with is my interactions with other people. I would like to stop being so judgemental. I also believe that it will help me to learn to love myself more and not be so critical of myself and others.  How can I incorporate it today??  That is a tough one as my OCD self is only reading one chapter at a time. I am learning to be more present in what I am doing at that moment as opposed to looking forward to the next thing I am going to do.  It is like I have a perpetual list in my head of all the things I want to get accomplished, including relaxation time and activities that when I am working on one thing on the list, the next thing on the list will pop into my head and try to rush me through the current task. I can work to see myself as a part of a whole and see the conection I have with others which may help me be less judgemental of them.

What makes me feel more alive an open, less dense, less bogged down?

One thing that makes me feel less dense is unburdening my issues to my best. I am not sure though if this a positive thing for her, so maybe this new blog thing I started may help to ease that level of stress. My walk home after the gym is when I feel the least dense: I have a sense of pride and accomplishment and there is a hope that I am taking better care of myself so maybe I really do respect and love myself. I feel less dense with a whole day stretched out ahead of me with nothing that I must do.  It isn’t the actual day when I have the feeling it is actually the day before when I sit and think about how I can do whatever I want the next day. When the next day arrives I tend to either hyper focus and tell myself I must accomplish much or I do nothing and either way don’t feel as good as I did the night before.

Spending time gazing at something beautiful without naming it mentally:

This was a difficult experience. At first I just noticed the beauty of the capeze shell chandelier,but then I started wanting to find the shapes and patterns,  It was difficult to just look at it and not name it or think anything about it. I tend to be a very cerebral person. It was also difficult to not be questing after the gratitude and not letting it come naturally. I will continue to practice.

Do I consider myself a religious or spiritual person?  Is there a difference between the two?

I do not consider myself a religious person but definitely a spiritual one. I believe that religion is a man-made thing a way to put a name on something that maybe should have never been named and then it was something corrupted by those in power to remain in power. I believe in the law of energy that we are vibrating beings and that whatever frequency of energy we put out and focus on will come back to us multiplied.

Am I aware of the inner dysfunction of humanity? Where is it most present in my life/in the world? Do I think humanity is ready for a transformation?

I believe the dysfunction is the constant desire to have and to be more, more than some unspecified quantity or quality. To be the best at whatever it is that you do, work, school, having things, whatever it may be.  There is a different between being/having the best for bests sake or doing because it is the means to another goal in finding your passion or living your passion. I think it is most present in the world in our consumer society the fact that 60 % of the public is in debt and that most married people fight over money is a symptom of this problem  Wars are symptom of this problem. It stems from a selfish need that is based on a fear of not being enough just as who you are then people band together and it grows much worse.  It is most present in my life in my irrational desire to be the best at school. I am furious with myself for anything less than an A because without that A I am not sure if I am good enough. It is also present in my constantly comparing myself to everyone else I see. Am I skinny enough, are my clothes nice enough? Is my hair the right color? I am not sure if the world is ready for the transformation, but I believe that there is nothing more powerful than the combination of hope and education/preparation. With these two things people make not only themselves but the world a better place.

Notes from Class:

 All creative in nature comes from stillness

What does God or life want from me rather than what do i want from life?

Be present with the perception instead of giving it a name and all the memories that come with

Discover the Power within you by Eric Butterworth

The Seekers Guide by Elisabeth Lesser

We are the only species that will watch other humans being raped, murdered, maimed for our own entertainment

Our own thoughts (jealousies, anger, hatred, resentment, fear, doubt) contribute the collective energy field.

When you are able to unidentify with the voice in your head you will realize it is a conditioned thought process not a way you feel about yourself ( I feel so terrible, guilt et al.)

Instead of being the thoughts, think of yourself as the space where the thought resides, you are the awareness of the thought.

Quote page 13: You don’t become good by trying to be good…

The ego wants to become a spiritual person because it wants to have a better image of itself, it wants to be good and be better at being good than the next person for that exact reason also.

Be still and know that I am God- New Testament

Go to the place that formless the spirit or conciousness. There is nothing anyone could have done to you or that you could have done to others that can destroy this formless spirit.  This is the grace of being here. Sacred is the essence of who you are.  What you sense in the tree is also in you. This is the sacredness.

Ways to be present:

Ask yourself, “Am I still breathing?” which will shift your attention from your mind

Do everyday things conciously, brushing teeth, washing hands, typing, activate your sense perceptions

In constantly trying to live for the next thing, you devalue the present moment, meaning the present moment will never be good enough because you are always looking to the next thing.

You can tell that you are manifesting (asking universe for something and receiving it) for the ego if when you get it you are not truly satisfied.  It is okay to manifest things for yourself, as part of the game of form, but do not expect a sense of satisfaction from the things.

What is my relationship with this present moment?

Once you have decided your relationship then you can move forward.  You can not fight it, first you must accept the moment and your relationship. What you resist you persist.  Once you have accepted it then you can change or evolve.

Instead of attempting to conceptually understanding of the book, experience it be present with the book.

Thoughts after class:

The most meaningful or the biggest aha moment was that the ego wants to be good because it wants a better image of itself.  I knew this about myself which manifests in my quest to get As but it was eye opening to have someone else point it out and then for me to recognize it.  I also really related to the manifestation of things for the ego never really satisfy.  I find I am most often most satisifed or joyful when I am experiencing something, whether it be a vacation, a great book, a great conversation, a great book.  It isn’t really ever about what I have or what other people believe me to have that makes me feel satisfied or joyful.

On to chapter two.