Insights for your personal evolution
A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose
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Like a lot of people, I have often pondered the meaning of humanity’s existence so when I saw the title, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose 
Achieving internal awareness eludes many due to the ever-present ego which crowds most people’s ability to know their true selves. The ego, a collection of thought forms and emotions, “could almost be looked upon as an entity that has taken possession of them.” The constant stream of thoughts in each of our minds commands our frequent attention, defining who we think we are. The challenge is to remain aware that while we have thoughts and emotions, we are not our thoughts and emotions.
Tolle defines the pain-body, an integral aspect of the ego, as unprocessed negative thoughts that leave behind fragments of pain in the emotional body. We carry our past experiences throughout our lives and due to this baggage, we often react to situations inappropriately. Generally speaking, these emotions become “unhappiness.”
When reading about this, I recalled a previous conversation with a college-age friend. She expressed that she had always felt unhappy and had been offered a prescription from a psychiatrist to help with this condition. Since she is otherwise quite able to function well in life, my advice to her was to consider that perhaps nothing is wrong with being unhappy and it may be just who she is and not a state that needs fixing.
Validation of that suggestion came in the passage where Tolle counsels a woman carrying great sadness and pain. He asks her to look within and accept how she feels in that exact moment and to ask herself the question, “if you don’t mind being unhappy, what happens to the unhappiness?” Tolle explains that acceptance of however you feel in a given moment is the quality of presence.
When you are able to break free from habitual negative emotion and pain, and separate from the typical mind chatter, you begin the process of knowing the essence within yourself. While this may be difficult to attain consistently, Tolle assures that even a short moment of presence and internal stillness is a huge victory. This awareness leads to the capacity to truly know your inner self and to find meaning in life.
Tolle relates through anecdotes the wisdom of three specific states of mind – nonresistance, nonjudgment and nonattachment. Achievement of these states brings room for inner space. “It comes as a stillness, a subtle peace deep within you, even in the face of something seemingly bad.” As each of us becomes more aligned, we begin to fulfill our inner purpose and are thus ready to live our unique external purposes.
One’s purpose is less related to what you do and intrinsically defined by how you do it. There are three modalities of “awakened doing” – acceptance, enjoyment and enthusiasm. From the mundane to the exhilarating, all actions are equally due the attention of the present moment. As we awaken to this more aware phase of being, all of humanity will transform to a “new earth.”
Book Author: Eckhart Tolle
Plume, 2006
http://us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/publishers/adult/plume.html
Eckhart Tolle is a contemporary spiritual teacher who travels extensively, taking his message throughout the world.
Other books:
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
Practicing the Power of Now
Stillness Speaks
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Animals in Spirit: Our faithful companions’ transition to the afterlife
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Animal companions are an important part of many people’s lives. Unfortunately, animals typically lead much shorter lives than their human counterparts, often causing much grief and sadness. In Animals in Spirit: Our faithful companions’ transition to the afterlife
Smith has gathered recollections from her own experiences and others which together present a broad yet similar compilation of revelations. Animals have a deep understanding of the death/life cycle and perceive that they are more than their physical bodies. Part of the cycle is the recognition that death may occur in order that another animal or human may eat. This is an agreement that animals are prepared to fulfill.
Animals consider death a transition to a nonphysical existence, yet awareness remains. There is no dread related with the concept of dying, it is simply an inevitable natural event. Due to an animal’s heightened sensitivities, human emotion may sometimes cause a beloved pet to stay physically present longer than they might ordinarily choose in order to forestall the survivor’s inevitable grief and anxiety. In order to avoid unnecessary trauma to the animal, a human’s more merciful response would be to let go and provide calm and loving support.
Sometimes an animal’s purpose is related to their death. While human companionship is certainly an obvious role for animals, their dying may be related to a greater spiritual goal of expanding consciousness. For example, slaughtered dolphins explained their purpose was to bring awareness to humans in order that they would stop destroying life on earth. Sometimes a graphic communication is more powerful than a peaceful message.
After leaving their bodies, animals remain available to connect energetically with humans and other animals. Opening one’s awareness is the key to making these spiritual connections. They may come to us in dreams or by utilizing other signs such as sounds, scent or the movement of significant objects. Often their message is related to easing their human’s guilt or grief related to their death.
There are accounts of animals who return permanently or temporarily in the bodies of other animals. This is typically recognized due to uncannily similar patterns of behavior. Animals have been known to leave a sick or worn out body merely to return almost immediately in a more healthy body. Many animals return again and again throughout a human’s lifetime and perhaps throughout other lifetimes. There may be unfinished business or simply a deep and abiding shared love and affection.
Above all, Smith encourages us to honor the lives and deaths of our animal companions. They are here to assist and teach us and to provide unconditional love. While grief is understandable following an animal’s transition, there is solace in the knowledge that our animals remain with us in spirit.
Book Author: Penelope Smith
Beyond Words Publishing, 2008
http://www.beyondword.com
Penelope Smith is the well-known pioneer in the field of interspecies communication and editor of the quarterly magazine, Species Link. She has developed amazing telepathic communication techniques that complement both ancient wisdom and modern scientific knowledge, and believes that the sacred connection we make through telepathic communication with other species is essential for human wholeness.
Other books:
Animal Talk: Interspecies Telepathic Communication
When Animals Speak: Advanced Interspecies Telepathic Communication
