For those of you I invited to read and comment on A New Earth, my project was short-lived. It turns out that rightwinged, open-minded me is not up to the task of debating :( It's too bad that the discussion will end here but it is wonderful for me to realize how closely my beliefs are to my heart. Who knew that former-atheist, then agnostic Courtney would turn out to be a believer in anything? I still am open to discussions from people who find truth in Tolle's work - I just don't want to debate. This is my resignation letter I posted on the site:
Andie, I need to apologize to you. I fear I have been judgmental in my very insistance that people keep an open mind. Irony is the best. Also, I've come to agree, to a certain degree, with the warning about reading blindly. Who am I to say that A New Earth will appeal to anyone's idea of peace, etc. The flip side for me is that reading your doctrine has put me in a state of sadness and anxiety. I know that sounds extreme to you since it gives you peace of mind and faith. I don't mean it offensively. I think it simply illustrates just how differently we view life. I am thankful that we both ultimately want love and peace for everyone so if we stay off this topic, we are great. Maybe down the road, I will revisit this with you. I do love a good debate but I've realized this is just too close to my soul to debate the subject. I want good things for all people but the truth is, educating readers isn't worth the negative energy i experience. i know you don't mean it negatively and i apologize for my part in handing you negativity, as well! i am happy for everyone who finds their spiritual self, however they get there. truly.
how i came to this decision was rather strange for me. i asked a friend her advice for what i was feeling which should have been a sign to me that i wasn't doing anyone any good, you know? that was my first red flag. anyway, today at church, we had a guest speaker talking about mastery. mastery of your life, etc. i wish i could remember the exact words he spoke that got me to open up the way i did. something about everything we need from God, we have inside already. it's just a matter of getting past the space that we've put between us and our spirit. he spoke about wasted time that is ultimately time detracted from God and my spirit. he asked us during meditation to think about something we needed to let go and i was filled with this feeling that i had judged you and others unfairly. tears welled up. he asked that we breathe out and let it go. then, he said to fill that space with something we desired for ourselves and i felt acceptance (for others and myself) is what i was missing. i couldn't stop crying. that has never happened to me before. i wasn't sad or mad, more like clear. this was my first experience of feeling god that close to me. as i read over this, it sounds awfully dramatic and not exactly related to this blog. i can't explain it, i just know that much of my experience today was about our discussions here.
i love you and your willingness to discuss just about anything with me. i am sad that we can't share our spirituality but i know in my heart that even though we arrive there differently, we do get there.
(late)30-something. reader. movie lover. new ager? bicycle rider. tattoo lover. couch potato. counselor. mother. daughter. sister. wife.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
migun massage
sheesh. i just wrote a blog and lost it, somehow. maybe it's a sign that i should let these images speak for themselves. i highly recommend you find a migun store near you. they let you buy unlimited massages for a month for only $30 and other great deals. our store even has movie nights, yoga, laughing seminars, etc. it's great and the massages feel sooo good. it realigns your spine. hope you get to enjoy!
Friday, April 25, 2008
labyrinth walk
my friend april is turning 30 soon and she invited me on a labyrinth walk at sunrise. i wasn't sure what that was but she's never steered me wrong and it is her birthday so i said i'd go. i found this online and am really excited to do this!
"Your life is a sacred journey. And it is about change, growth, discovery, movement, transformation, continuously expanding your vision of what is possible, stretching your soul, learning to see clearly and deeply, listening to your intuition, taking courageous challenges at every step along the way. You are on the path... exactly where you are meant to be right now... And from here, you can only go forward, shaping your life story into a magnificent tale of triumph, of healing of courage, of beauty, of wisdom, of power, of dignity, and of love."
Caroline Adams
We are all on the path... exactly where we need to be. The labyrinth is a model of that path.
A labyrinth is an ancient symbol that relates to wholeness. It combines the imagery of the circle and the spiral into a meandering but purposeful path. The Labyrinth represents a journey to our own center and back again out into the world. Labyrinths have long been used as meditation and prayer tools.
A labyrinth is an archetype with which we can have a direct experience. We can walk it. It is a metaphor for life's journey. It is a symbol that creates a sacred space and place and takes us out of our ego to "That Which Is Within."
Labyrinths and mazes have often been confused. When most people hear of a labyrinth they think of a maze. A labyrinth is not a maze. A maze is like a puzzle to be solved. It has twists, turns, and blind alleys. It is a left brain task that requires logical, sequential, analytical activity to find the correct path into the maze and out.
A labyrinth has only one path. It is unicursal. The way in is the way out. There are no blind alleys. The path leads you on a circuitous path to the center and out again.
A labyrinth is a right brain task. It involves intuition, creativity, and imagery. With a maze many choices must be made and an active mind is needed to solve the problem of finding the center. With a labyrinth there is only one choice to be made. The choice is to enter or not. A more passive, receptive mindset is needed. The choice is whether or not to walk a spiritual path.
At its most basic level the labyrinth is a metaphor for the journey to the center of your deepest self and back out into the world with a broadened understanding of who you are.
"Your life is a sacred journey. And it is about change, growth, discovery, movement, transformation, continuously expanding your vision of what is possible, stretching your soul, learning to see clearly and deeply, listening to your intuition, taking courageous challenges at every step along the way. You are on the path... exactly where you are meant to be right now... And from here, you can only go forward, shaping your life story into a magnificent tale of triumph, of healing of courage, of beauty, of wisdom, of power, of dignity, and of love."
Caroline Adams
We are all on the path... exactly where we need to be. The labyrinth is a model of that path.
A labyrinth is an ancient symbol that relates to wholeness. It combines the imagery of the circle and the spiral into a meandering but purposeful path. The Labyrinth represents a journey to our own center and back again out into the world. Labyrinths have long been used as meditation and prayer tools.
A labyrinth is an archetype with which we can have a direct experience. We can walk it. It is a metaphor for life's journey. It is a symbol that creates a sacred space and place and takes us out of our ego to "That Which Is Within."
Labyrinths and mazes have often been confused. When most people hear of a labyrinth they think of a maze. A labyrinth is not a maze. A maze is like a puzzle to be solved. It has twists, turns, and blind alleys. It is a left brain task that requires logical, sequential, analytical activity to find the correct path into the maze and out.
A labyrinth has only one path. It is unicursal. The way in is the way out. There are no blind alleys. The path leads you on a circuitous path to the center and out again.
A labyrinth is a right brain task. It involves intuition, creativity, and imagery. With a maze many choices must be made and an active mind is needed to solve the problem of finding the center. With a labyrinth there is only one choice to be made. The choice is to enter or not. A more passive, receptive mindset is needed. The choice is whether or not to walk a spiritual path.
At its most basic level the labyrinth is a metaphor for the journey to the center of your deepest self and back out into the world with a broadened understanding of who you are.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
just a thought...
Something occurred to me today. Teachers have to take continuing education courses because times change, new ideas are introduced and old ways are improved, right? I don’t know about anyone else, but I am constantly trying to learn and understand more…about everything – child rearing, cooking, current events, psychology, and on and on…What’s different about religion or spirituality? Change and adaptations are necessary to live a contemporary life. Didn’t Jesus prove that by his teachings? He wasn’t born to start a new religion. He wanted to improve upon old ideas and beliefs (at least, that’s my interpretation of Jesus, etc.). I’m wondering why a new book would be considered a fad. Every idea was new once. Although, Tolle’s ideas are far from new (well, somewhat new to the West). I have no doubt that the popularity of this book will die down but that won’t mean that it didn’t offer something worthwhile.
I don’t know why I am taking this subject so personally. Tolle, himself, wouldn’t sweat it. I am not so enlightened. :) I think I will understand Andie’s arguments because she recognizes that it’s good for some. I just don’t like all the judgment when it’s such a peaceful book. It’s like the shy, tiny kid who loves everyone and wouldn’t hurt a bug, but he gets bullied simply because he is so small.
I don’t know why I am taking this subject so personally. Tolle, himself, wouldn’t sweat it. I am not so enlightened. :) I think I will understand Andie’s arguments because she recognizes that it’s good for some. I just don’t like all the judgment when it’s such a peaceful book. It’s like the shy, tiny kid who loves everyone and wouldn’t hurt a bug, but he gets bullied simply because he is so small.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
crash course in eckhartisms
Spiritual Quotes
Fear arises through identification with form, whether it be a material possession, a physical body, a social role, a self-image, a thought, or an emotion. It arises through unawareness of the formless inner dimension of consciousness or spirit, which is the essence of who you are. You are trapped in object consciousness, unaware of the dimension of inner space which alone is true freedom.
Thinking, or more precisely identification with thinking, gives rise to and maintains the ego, which, in our Western society in particular, is out of control. It believes it is real and tries hard to maintain its supremacy. Negative states of mind, such as anger, resentment, fear, envy, and jealousy, are products of the ego.
The insanity of the collective egoic mind, amplified by science and technology, is rapidly taking our species to the brink of disaster. Evolve or die: that is our only choice now.
Internal and external are ultimately one. When you no longer perceive the world as hostile, there is no more fear, and when there is no more fear, you think, speak and act differently. Love and compassion arise, and they affect the world.
Direct your attention inward. Have a look inside yourself. What kind of thoughts is your mind producing? What do you feel? Direct your attention into the body. Is there any tension? Once you detect that there is a low level of unease, the background static, see in what way you are avoiding, resisting, or denying life —by denying the Now.
What a liberation to realize that the "voice in my head" is not who I am. Who am I then? The one who sees that.
If you identify with a mental position, then if you are wrong, your mind-based sense of self is seriously threatened with annihilation. So you as the ego cannot afford to be wrong. To be wrong is to die. Wars have been fought over this, and countless relationships have broken down.
The secret of life is to "die before you die" -- and find that there is no death.
"How" is always more important that "what." See if you can give much more attention to the doing than to the result that you want to achieve through it.
Fear arises through identification with form, whether it be a material possession, a physical body, a social role, a self-image, a thought, or an emotion. It arises through unawareness of the formless inner dimension of consciousness or spirit, which is the essence of who you are. You are trapped in object consciousness, unaware of the dimension of inner space which alone is true freedom.
Thinking, or more precisely identification with thinking, gives rise to and maintains the ego, which, in our Western society in particular, is out of control. It believes it is real and tries hard to maintain its supremacy. Negative states of mind, such as anger, resentment, fear, envy, and jealousy, are products of the ego.
The insanity of the collective egoic mind, amplified by science and technology, is rapidly taking our species to the brink of disaster. Evolve or die: that is our only choice now.
Internal and external are ultimately one. When you no longer perceive the world as hostile, there is no more fear, and when there is no more fear, you think, speak and act differently. Love and compassion arise, and they affect the world.
Direct your attention inward. Have a look inside yourself. What kind of thoughts is your mind producing? What do you feel? Direct your attention into the body. Is there any tension? Once you detect that there is a low level of unease, the background static, see in what way you are avoiding, resisting, or denying life —by denying the Now.
What a liberation to realize that the "voice in my head" is not who I am. Who am I then? The one who sees that.
If you identify with a mental position, then if you are wrong, your mind-based sense of self is seriously threatened with annihilation. So you as the ego cannot afford to be wrong. To be wrong is to die. Wars have been fought over this, and countless relationships have broken down.
The secret of life is to "die before you die" -- and find that there is no death.
"How" is always more important that "what." See if you can give much more attention to the doing than to the result that you want to achieve through it.
eckhart tolle
i've been scanning the internet for an article that could articulate what i am feeling. i read an article bashing A New Earth pretty good. people seem to think that because oprah is rich, she must not mean well? i've never understood that. this article insinuates that tolle has no real education and is a quack. i started to feel anger because people tend to believe insinuations. but then, i became present, as tolle teaches. i'm not really mad. it's just unfortunate that so many judge without knowing...i began to think, who really cares where tolle comes from, or how much money he and oprah make, right? who cares if he is insane. if you get something out of his writings, let that be enough.
i was reminded of a story my mom told me about a friend. her friend donated a large amount of money to a church over a period of time. it turned out that the preacher was a crook and all that money was stolen by him...my mom was horrified for her friend. but her friend said her part was done. she did what she thought was right. that's all that she could do and being angry wouldn't change a damn thing...i heard that story about 15 years ago and it still sticks with me.
i don't know anything about scientology other than there's a large population where my father used to live in clearwater, fl. i didn't care much for tom cruise's comments about depression, etc. but i'm not fooled into believing that's all there is to his faith. and, why does oprah's connection to mr. cruise and others give any indication of the validity of A New Earth, anyway? it simply does not.
i was in a book club which read the davinci code. one of the members refused to read it because of her religious beliefs. i understood that it might offend her (if she forgot that it was meant as fiction), but how would she know for sure if she didn't read it? and wouldn't she make the most educated debate with knowledge of the book? i don't know. maybe that's apples and oranges.
in any case, i hope people read A New Earth and take from it what helps them. i simply don't believe that a person could read it with an open mind and not benefit. but maybe that's my judgment talking :)
peace and love,
courtney
i was reminded of a story my mom told me about a friend. her friend donated a large amount of money to a church over a period of time. it turned out that the preacher was a crook and all that money was stolen by him...my mom was horrified for her friend. but her friend said her part was done. she did what she thought was right. that's all that she could do and being angry wouldn't change a damn thing...i heard that story about 15 years ago and it still sticks with me.
i don't know anything about scientology other than there's a large population where my father used to live in clearwater, fl. i didn't care much for tom cruise's comments about depression, etc. but i'm not fooled into believing that's all there is to his faith. and, why does oprah's connection to mr. cruise and others give any indication of the validity of A New Earth, anyway? it simply does not.
i was in a book club which read the davinci code. one of the members refused to read it because of her religious beliefs. i understood that it might offend her (if she forgot that it was meant as fiction), but how would she know for sure if she didn't read it? and wouldn't she make the most educated debate with knowledge of the book? i don't know. maybe that's apples and oranges.
in any case, i hope people read A New Earth and take from it what helps them. i simply don't believe that a person could read it with an open mind and not benefit. but maybe that's my judgment talking :)
peace and love,
courtney
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