Untethering

The universe speaks to me through books, and the books I'm reading usually mirror quite accurately where I am in my process of awakening. As much as I love books, I usually avoid bookstores because I feel easily overwhelmed - so many good books, so little time. Too much incoming.

But I braved the bookstore recently in search of a book recommended by a friend entitled The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer. This title so intrigued me that I wanted to get the book in my hands immediately - couldn't wait for Amazon by mail.

And I haven't been disappointed. I'm reading it now for the second time, taking it in on a deeper level, and I can't recommend it highly enough. My two favorite testimonials sum up what makes this book a must-read:

"In the book, The Untethered Soul, Michael Singer takes you step-by-step through the process of Gyana, the Yoga of the Intellect, to the Source. Moreover, he does it with elegant simplicity. Read this book carefully and you will get more than a glimpse of eternity."
~ Deepak Chopra, Author, Life After Death: The Burden of Proof

"In lucid, unadorned prose, Michael Singer delivers the essence of the great spiritual teachings of the ages. Each chapter of The Untethered Soul is an instructive meditation on the binds of the human condition and how each and every knot can be gracefully untied so that our souls may fly. The accuracy and simplicity of this work is a measure of its pure mastery."
~ James O'Dea, President of the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS)

Singer's exploration of the spiritual journey and his descriptions and metaphors are accessible and insightful. I love, for example, his characterization of the incessant inner voice that's always narrating your life as your "inner roommate." He proposes that the first step toward freedom is to become aware of this voice and think of it as someone else in the room with you. By doing this, it's easy to recognize that this voice is not you, and that until now you've been locked inside with a maniac. So refreshing to see it this way!

Singer suggests that to attain inner freedom, you must be able to objectively watch your problems instead of being lost in the energy of them, and to break the habit of thinking that the solution to problems is to rearrange things outside (new job, new spouse, whatever.) Rather he proposes dropping back and living from what he calls the seat of consciousness. He goes on to describe how energy flows through us and how we have all constructed elaborate walls of protection in the psyche around places where energy has gotten stuck in the past. He suggests that freedom lies just beyond these walls, and if we can but untether from the triggers that have hooked us in the past, keep our hearts completely open, and learn to let energy flow freely through us, life will never be the same. Peace, joy and freedom will abound.

Like I said, can't recommend this book highly enough. The chapters on "Contemplating Death" and "The Secret of the Middle Way" are my favorites. Peace, joy and freedom, here I come!

"You appear to be thriving!"

I was so tickled when my aunt, in her uniquely candid but loving way, made that observation of me last October. After years of being relatively out of touch, we had gotten close through phone conversations during the preceding months as she courageously journeyed through surgery, radiation, and chemo for lung cancer. As I have gotten to know my aunt at this point in life, from a very new vantage point, I have learned so much from her about living independently, about being short on expectations but long on gratitude, about having faith and facing fears, and maybe most of all, about knowing and honoring oneself. I have come to truly treasure her presence in my life.

Above all, I love Aunt Karen's keen observations of the world around her and her candor in calling 'em as she sees 'em. So when she told me I ‘appear to be thriving,’ I had to laugh. I felt joyful - victorious, even. I chuckled because I knew that, in general, my family worries about my lack of outward “success.” They know the last five years have been a turbulent and challenging time for me, with life as I knew it unraveling completely. They’ve been concerned at my commitment to follow my heart and stick to my spiritual guns, despite the financial wolves constantly nipping at my heels. In short, they shake their heads and wish I’d come to my senses.

What they perhaps don’t realize is that coming face to face with my deepest, darkest fears also precipitated intense and accelerated spiritual awakening. That while paradoxically things look bleak on the outside, my “work” and solace is always within. And while it may appear that I’m not “doing” anything, I am setting in motion a whole new life for myself – changing my future moment by moment by vigilantly monitoring my thoughts and vibration, by choosing to make conscious contact with Something More my daily practice and highest priority. By coming into alignment with the eternal All that I Am, at least more of the time and certainly more intentionally.

Which is what, I believe, Aunt Karen was responding to. That intangible sparkle of vibratory alignment with one’s purest essence. The calm center of a humble but joyful spirit. The deep peace of an awakened heart.

Of course, whether I'm acutally thriving is anybody's guess - I'm a work in progress like all of us. But I like to think I'm thriving more of the time than not, and that the snowball is rolling in the right direction. And I love Aunt Karen for planting that vision so firmly in my mind’s eye!