There is nothing like watching a sunset while reading the words you scribbled eons ago in a good book. There is a plethora of heart wise nuggets in Eckhart’s pages. These three resonate with what myself, clients and friends are feeling these days..
THE MOST PRECIOUS THING IS THE PRESENT MOMENT
I love how Tolle continually reminds us that really ‘future’ nor ‘past’ exist. Rather, it is memory and anticipation that have merit. We create our identity based on our memories and we receive hope from the future – yet these things are intangible and again, all we truly have is the present moment.. which is why this next point is so key.
WHEREVER YOU GO ENSURE YOU ARE THERE TOTALLY
Take heed of your wandering mind. I know how tempting it is to let one’s mind dance away from the present, to dwell in the past or to play with excitement in the future. Yet we should be able to loosely grip the mind and steer it right back here to the Now. If this proposes a challenge, then we are being gifted a lesson: Something needs to change about our present, we need to accept something about our present, or we simply need move away from it. Essentially this is taking control of your life. (I would like to add on that I believe there is always room for creativity and using one’s imagination to manifest destiny – that in itself can be a way to ground into your present. For instance, set aside a 5 minute block where you can mediate on a reality you would like to enter.. creating a “present” moment that you would like to experience.)
DON’T COMPLAIN, ADAPT
I feel like I could re-read this 100 times as a friendly reminder to myself that complaining doesn’t fix anything and only keeps me in victim mode. Powerless plus negative – yuck. That is no place to be.
Having participated in many meditation workshops, I’ve learned that it indeed is human tendency to respond in fight or flight mode. We are protecting ourselves. So no matter how mild or intense a situation that doesn’t ‘feel right’ is, our body will want to label it as a threat. Feeling threatened makes one feel like a victim, and once in victim mode we tend towards negativity. Negativity attracts depression, worry, anxiety and fear. If we can make an internal shift towards positivity we will instead attract a proactive attitude, love, strength and compassion. While it takes practice, ultimately the choice is ours.
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