I read this book in print, and then I listened to it on CD.  It’s that kind of book – dense and rich.  It’s also a life changer.  In fact, I consider it one of the most important books I’ve read in a very long time.  And, for anyone seeking lasting happiness, it is one of the most helpful I’ve come across.

So what is this “new earth” Mr. Tolle is talking about?  It’s the possibility of creating heaven on earth by creating heaven within our selves, one person at a time.  And how might we do this, you ask?  By making the shift from identification with the ever changing physical, mental and emotional world of form (bodies, thoughts and emotions) to identification with the part of us that is formless and timeless – the part of us that is aware of our oneness with the source of all life – our souls.

While drawing on different sacred texts and wisdom schools throughout the ages, especially the teachings of Jesus and the Buddha, Mr. Tolle pulls the common threads together to offer us practical advise on how to “wake up” to a truer reality.  He writes, “Is humanity ready for a transformation of consciousness, an inner flowering so radical and profound that compared to it the flowering of plants, no matter how beautiful, is only a pale reflection?  Can human beings lose the density of their conditioned mind structures and become like crystals or precious stones, so to speak, transparent to the light of consciousness?”  If embarking on such an adventure tugs at you, then you’re sure to find this book both engaging and enlightening.

Mr. Tolle, a philosopher and spiritual teacher, examines the causes of suffering and how we can, quite practically, ease the suffering in our own lives. The most prominent way we create unhappiness for ourselves is by believing that we are our thoughts.  Eckhart beseeches us to become aware of the watcher within –the part of us that is able to observe ourselves thinking.   Because whenever we are engaged in thinking, we are not fully present to the moment – to life itself!  Presence and thought cannot exist simultaneously and true joyfulness can only be found through the cultivation of presence.  Presence (living in the moment), which we can observe in animals, flowers, and all of nature, is our natural state as well.  And while our minds our meant to serve us – to help get us through the day to day practicalities of physical living – we have mistakenly let our minds become our masters, rather than the other way around.

Another theme of the book is about ego, which Mr. Tolle describes as an “illusory sense of self” based on one’s memories and thoughts. Ego is a mental construct that most sincerely believes we are separate from Source and separate from one another.  Its basis of operation is just plain fear:  fear of not being enough and fear of not having enough.  It has a constant need to compare, judge, and find fault – in others, in situations and, most of all, in ourselves.  Ego has a need for status and validation, not unhealthy things in and of themselves but, in the case of ego, unquenchable and therefore a source of endless unhappiness.  Its insufferably monotonous mantra goes something like this:  “not enough.. not enough.. I need more, more, more.. (money, things, love, attention, time, you can fill in the blank).  It clings dearly to its own survival at the cost of our inner peace.

The good news is that we have the choice to live consciously or unconsciously.  We can cast ourselves as the victim or the hero of our lives.  We CAN find freedom and peace through identification with our timeless, formless soul instead.  It just takes awareness and practice; we need to become the watcher of our thoughts rather than the sleeping slave to their incessant chatter. The eternal part of us is free – from fear, doubt, worry and sense of lack.  And identifying with THAT, my dear friends, is heaven on earth.

Mr. Tolle is, in my estimation, one of the great spiritual teachers alive today.  If you get the chance to pick it up A New Earth and leaf through its pages, you’ll probably discover pretty quickly if it speaks to you.  If it does, do yourself a favor and read it.  Or, get it on CD from your library, as I did.  It’s a whole lot of wisdom and inspiration packed into 309 pages.

by Daniel H. Pink

In case you’re not familiar with the whole Left Brain/Right Brain thing, here it is in a nutshell:  The left hemisphere of our brain is logical, linear, detailed and analytical; the right side is intuitive, imaginative, artistic, and concerned with the big picture rather than with the details.  Dan Pink puts forth the thesis that we are moving out of centuries of left-brain dominance and into a new era where right brain qualities will be both prized and necessary.  As someone who has strong right brain leanings, this book on the mind was unexpected food for my soul.  If you’ve ever felt “lesser than” because your mind tends to work in loops rather than straight lines, in broad strokes rather than in details, then you’ll probably feel the same sense of celebration that I experienced while reading this book.

This shift from a left brain predominant world to one that incorporates both sides equally (hence “a wholenew mind) is, according to Mr. Pink, the result of “abundance, Asia, and automation”.  Most of us in the “developed” world find ourselves moving beyond the struggle for mere physical survival and towards the quest for greater meaning and beauty in our lives.  We are leaving the Information Age and entering the “Conceptual Age”, an age that will belong to “creators and empathizers, pattern recognizers, and meaning makers”.

Mr. Pink introduces six essential R-directed aptitudes, or senses, that we will all need to develop as we move into the future:

Design – now that we’ve mastered design in the service of function, we’re now being called upon to design for beauty and emotional impact as well.

Story – increasingly valued in business and medicine, stories – context enriched by emotion – can provide a deeper understanding of how we fit in and why that matters.

Symphony – “the ability to put together the pieces, symphony is the capacity to synthesize rather than to analyze; to see relationships between seemingly unrelated fields; to detect broad patterns rather than to deliver specific answers; and to invent something new by combining elements nobody else thought to pair.”

Empathy – the ability to put oneself in another’s shoes, it can never be duplicated by computers or machines; empathy, a right brain function, remains a singularly human quality that is finding greater appreciation in all facets of our lives.  It will be the empathetic doctors, lawyers and others who will have the advantage in the Conceptual Age.

Play – science is now demonstrating how laughter, humor, joyfulness, and learning through games all increase our productivity, creativity, and quality of life.

Meaning – polls and studies have shown that there is a growing desire for meaning and purpose in our lives; Dan Pink makes the case that “there are two practical, whole-minded ways for individuals, families, and businesses to begin this search for meaning:  start taking spirituality seriously and start taking happiness seriously”.

I admit that, as a right brain dominant person, I had a particularly good time reading A Whole New Mind. But I think left brain dominant folks will enjoy it too. Rather than saying we’re making a complete shift from left to right brain dominance, he advocates we enhance our whole brain functioning in order to make the most of the new Conceptual Age. Dan’s stories are entertaining and revealing; his writing is fresh, fun and accessible. Far from being pedantic or boring, this book held my attention and stretched my mind from the first page to the last.

I’ve got a question for you.  How often are you in your right mind? I’m not talking about being “alert and oriented”, a phrase I often used when I was a nurse.  I’m talking about being in the right hemisphere of your brain, a fascinating place.  You could even call it the seat of the soul.  It’s the place where mystical connection occurs, as well as creativity, intuition, empathy, peace, love and all that wonderful, magical, illogical stuff of life .

I’ve been trying to be in my right mind more often, although I think I’ve always spent a fair amount of time there.  It would certainly explain my tumultuous relationship with clocks, as well as my love of play and creativity.

There are two books on the subject that I’ve found particularly helpful.  One is called “A Whole New Mind” by Daniel Pink (subtitled “why right-brainers will rule the future” – it’s about time, i say!).  Anyone alive today who grew up in western society has grown up in a left-brain dominated world.  (Left brain = logic, analysis, language, sequencing.)  Let’s face it, what was valued most when you were in school?  Math and science?  They were in my school. What tended to be shunted off to “electives” or  cut completely?  My guess is it was probably the arts, that second class citizen.  Daniel makes a good case for why he believes we’re in the midst of a societal shift from left to right brain dominance.  Because of computers and information technology, the future is not about discovering the dots but about how we can connect them in new and imaginative ways.  This is the domain of the right brain.  If you’d like to read more about his book, here’s a link to my review:

http://kateoneill.biz/book-reviews/
The second book (I’ve saved the best for last) is called “My Stroke of Insight” by Jill Bolte Taylor.  Jill is a neuro-anatomist at Harvard who experienced a severe left brain stroke at the age of 37, leaving her totally in the mystical realm of her right brain.  Her story is amazing – and valuable.  She spent 8 years recovering, motivated by her desire to share with the rest of us the gifts and wonders she experienced there.  I am not going to attempt to tell her tale.  But, thanks to the wonderful world of TED Talks, she can tell you herself.
If there’s EVER a video I’d encourage you to watch, it’s this one.  It’s 18 minutes long, but it really packs a wallop.  If you only have 10 minutes, then I suggest you forward ahead to minute 8 and go from there. I hope you enjoy it; she’s got a powerful message for us.

Here’s the link:
http://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight.html

After reading Jill’s book and hearing her speak, I realized that I wanted to become a champion for the right brain.  I want to encourage all of us to choose to spend time with our right brain selves.  For in making that choice, we are choosing a reality in which we are one with all of creation as opposed to a reality in which we are separate and alone.  Therein lies the path to peace – both inner and outer.

Here are a few suggestions for getting into our right minds:

• dive into any creative project – just for the FUN of it – paint, collage, play dough, make a flower arrangement, etc.
• practice stillness for 5 minutes a day; simply let your thoughts roll by like clouds in the sky; your (left brain) mind will continue to chatter, but will quiet down over time.
• spend time in nature
• use music – listen, sing, dance, learn an instrument
• play games – board games, sports, charades, etc.
• write – anything you like.. just for you.
• take yourself on field trips to museums and galleries

All of these things pull us into present time, the domain of the right brain, the place where peace, love, and creativity reside.  Most of us are still stuck with the idea that spending time doing fun and imaginative things – or simply spending time being still – is of lesser value than time spent “doing doing doing “allthoseimportantthingsonmytodolist”.

As President of the Right Brain Fan Club, I implore us to elevate time spent in the right brain to its rightful (ha!) place of importance in our lives.

So, dammit, let’s get out there and play, create and have fun!

(tough assignment, I know…)

The picture above is how The Fool is usually portrayed in the Tarot Deck – blissfully about to step off a cliff.  It’s an act of total surrender and it represents how I aspire to live – trusting that I am completely supported by the universe as I trip playfully down my own unique path, following the urges of my heart and soul.

The Fool is neither simple nor stupid.  Like the jesters of old, s/he is a mixture of inner child and inner sage – playful and wise at the same time.  What a delicious combination to hold in one being.  A friend recently said to me that it is harder to be a playful sage in this world than it is to be a somber sage.  That really caught my attention.  Is it true that we tend to revere the somber among us more than the playful?  I’m not sure, but think it’s a question worth asking.  Is seriousness seen as a greater virtue?

Today I’d like to put out the call to celebrate the playful – in ourselves and in each other.  After all, playfulness breeds curiosity and creativity and energy and joy.  It loosens us up and shakes us out of old ways of thinking.  And did you know that, when you’re grappling with a big dilemma, one of the best things you can do is go play?  It’s true.  It frees up your subconscious to make new associations and come up with creative solutions.

Granted, it’s scary to play sometimes.  We risk seeming “foolish”.  It makes us feel vulnerable.  It often pushes us out of our comfort zones and it can even feel a wee bit dangerous.  But I believe with all my heart that the more playful we become, the more joyous and creative our lives will be.

So, here’s my wish for you and for me as we move into April.  Let’s get our “playful” on.  Full throttle.  No holds barred.  Let’s create playlists (ha, no pun intended) of songs that get us dancing (for me right now, my #1 dance tune is Katy Perry’s “Firework”).  Let’s rekindle our inner kid.  Let’s finger paint.  Make a mudpie.  Get silly.  Have fun.  After all, it’s Spring!

If you have 25 minutes, here’s the link to a great video on the power of play.  It’s a TED talk given by Dr. Stuart Brown of the National Institute for Play.  Enjoy!

http://www.ted.com/talks/stuart_brown_says_play_is_more_than_fun_it_s_vital.html ]]> http://kateoneill.biz/flight-blog/flight-blog-431/feed/ 0 http://kateoneill.biz/flight-blog/222/ http://kateoneill.biz/flight-blog/222/#comments Mon, 14 Feb 2011 04:27:52 +0000 admin http://kateoneill.biz/?p=222 read more »]]>

Flight Blog

2/14/11

A communique from Kate O’Neill Life Coaching, LLC

A wet snow is falling, aberrant weather for late June even in the Colorado Rockies.  I have two minutes to be in the pen with “my” horse (who I’ve never laid eyes on before this moment).  The video cam is rolling, my workshop leader (**Koelle Simpson) and comrades look on.  And I have absolutely no idea what I’m supposed to do.

I’ve never been around horses before, but I’m expecting some beautiful connection to occur.  The horse will sense what a loving soul I am, right?  I mean, my dogs seem pretty fond of me – as do babies, children and even the odd assortment of grouchy store clerks.  What could be so different about a horse?

Thus began the disintegration of what remained of my precious ego.  You see, my horse completely ignored me.  He literally did a 180, turned his backside to me, and wouldn’t even grace me with a glance.  In essence he was saying (with a French accent, of course) “you are nothing but a flea on the face of my existence.” And so it was that competent, confident, adult me morphed into a squirming, insecure, timid, painfully self-conscious, powerless little three-year old. Just like that.

At the end of what felt like two of the longest minutes of my life, I heard “time’s up!”.  A wave of relief shot through me as I headed for the gate.  Enough with the humiliation already…  And just then, the most extraordinary thing happened.  My horse not only turned to me, but started following me as well.  Somehow, without even trying, I had gotten his attention and become his leader.

Lesson #1: The way to lead from a place of true power is to be completely in the present moment – free of any and all expectations, hopes, fears and judgments.

When I gave up, surrendered completely, and dropped any thoughts about an outcome, I was finally present – right there, in the moment, no thoughts separating me from simply being with my horse – present and peaceful. True presence is true power.  Horses are such master teachers because of their ability to sense and mirror back the tiniest bit of non-presense (anxieties, tensions, thoughts, expectations, etc.) that we carry within ourselves, even unconsciously.  They feel it all and respond accordingly, moment by moment.

Later that day, after we’d lunched on sandwiches and a bit of humble pie, we got to watch the two-minute videos of ourselves with our horses.  I can’t explain exactly why each and every one of us was so completely cracked open by the experience, but we were.  With the help of Koelle’s incisive coaching, I think I can safely say that every one of us came away with the perfect personal nugget of insight.  For me, it was about fear of failure.  Why had I frozen when confronted with this foreign situation and being?  What had stopped me from playfully trying out some different ways of connecting?  Could I relate that kind of paralysis to other areas of my life, past and present?  Ah, that’s a big yes, Bob.

It all came down to my fear of failing, my fear of messing up, of missing the mark. I recognized the pattern.  I just hadn’t seen it so clearly before.

My assignment, therefore, was to write down (and share), every day for one week, three reasons why failing is amazing.  Here are my Top Ten:

1. Failing is amazing because it means I’ve at least tried something; I’ve taken action.
2. Failing is amazing because it’s liberating!  The more I fail the more I feel free to keep on trying new things.  Perfection is imprisonment.
3. Failing is amazing because it’s the natural way of learning.
4. Failing is amazing because it puts me in really good company, with creative thinkers like Thomas Edison.
5. Failing is amazing because it doesn’t kill you, even though it may feel really dangerous.  (ok, this may not pertain to high risk endeavors like sky diving or mountain climbing, but you get my point).
6. Failing is amazing because it gives me feedback and helps me correct course.
7. Failing is amazing because it helps me show others that failing is nothing to fear.
8. Failing is amazing because it means I’m alive and human!
9. Failing is amazing because it could lead to a surprising and fantastic discovery.
10. Failing is amazing because, by embracing the possibility of it, it helps me feel wildly adventurous and playful.

The purpose of the exercise was to build new neural pathways in my brain.  I had an old, deeply rutted groove in my record that told me “failure is catastrophic; do not pass “go” unless you know it’s going to lead directly to the finish line.  Our minds have lots of these unconscious rutted grooves that we fall into over and over again.  The good news is that we can practice our way out of them by consciously building new pathways for our thoughts to travel on.  Every time we recognize that we’re in an old thought rut, we can simply and persistently steer the thought onto the new pathway.  That was the point of my homework assignment.

And I can tell you from experience that it really works.  Now, when I think about trying something new, I can feel myself coming at it with a new sense of adventure and play rather than with the old fearfulness and contraction.  So what if it doesn’t work out exactly as planned?  At least I’m moving, trying, creating, playing.  I’ve got a new groove going in my mind and it really is groovy.

Lesson #2: Add playfulness to the mix of presence and peacefulness and you’ve got a magic elixir; a truly stellar way of being in the world.

By the end of the workshop, I was literally a different person.  Tentativeness had transformed into confidence, expectation into presence, fear into play.  I really “got” what it felt like to lead from a place of true power.  The four-hoofed mystics turned out to be the best teachers I’ve ever had.

**For information on Koelle Simpson, go to:

http://www.koelleinc.com/

Addendum: After returning from Colorado, I researched ways to spend more time with these magical mystics.  Stay tuned for my adventures at Equest, a therapeutic riding center serving people with physical and emotional disabilities, where I’m now a volunteer.

Take Away Tool:

Identify an “old rut” thought.  It can be any thought that brings on feelings of fear, hopelessness, discouragement, paralysis, etc.  Then create it’s opposite.  For me it was the switch from “failure is catastrophic” to “failure is amazing”.  Every day for at least a week, write down three reasons why the flipside thought is true.  Even better, enlist a partner to hold you accountable for doing the work each day.  As always, I’d love to hear how it goes for you.

Neuroscience and quantum physics are starting to give us quantifiable evidence that the Law Of Attraction really does exist as an operating principle of the Universe.  (Here’s a fun video on quantum physics and the LOA:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=couVqpuX9CU )  Personally, the Law Of Attraction has simply felt true to me intuitively and made sense to me intellectually.

In case the phrase “Law of Attraction” is new to you, it’s what all the hoopla was about surrounding the release of the movie “The Secret”.  It basically says the “being” (how we FEEL) trumps “doing” (what actions we take) when it comes to shaping our experiences and our future.  This, of course, goes right against the grain of what most of us were taught to believe when we were children.  I imagine most of us were told that what we DID, rather than how we FELT, would bring us our happiest tomorrows.

In a nutshell, the LOA puts forth a few simple but profound tenets:

1.  We are, first and foremost, energetic beings, constantly putting out vibrations, felt as emotions (energy in motion).

2.  The Universe, itself being composed of energy, responds to whatever vibration (frequency) we are emanating.

3.  Like attracts like.

There are numerous books written on the subject that go into much greater depth, but the three key concepts above form a foundation from which we can learn to live most happily.  (I recommend visiting www.abraham-hickes.com for more info on LOA; you can also watch the movies “What the Bleep Do We Know” or “The Secret”.)

I’m sure you’ve had the experience of observing how your thoughts affect your mood and then continue to snowball.  Your day starts badly.  You didn’t get enough sleep.  You wake up feeling cranky.  The first thought you have is something like, “Oh, crap.  Today is going to be hard to get through”… which leads to “I wish I didn’t have to go to this stupid job anyway”… which leads to “but I’ve got to keep it for the health insurance”… which leads to “speaking of health, I’m not feeling so good”… which leads to “I think I’ve got a headache.”… which leads to “it’s probably a brain tumor”…  which leads to… You get the idea.  And so you go forth into the world putting out a frequency/feeling of fear and anger that will most likely ensure that you DO have quite the crappy day.

Our thoughts appear like pearls on a strand, each one attracting the next, similar-feeling thought, for better or for worse.  The good news is that, with a little self-awareness, we can use this law of “like attracts like” to our advantage. We can recognize when our thoughts are pulling us down and we can use these principles to lift ourselves up instead.  I know this sounds all well and good in theory, but you may be wondering if this concept can really have a tangible impact on your days, and hence your LIFE.  Ya, you bet it can.

All you have to do is think back to a time when you were in a foul mood, interacting with the world.  You probably found the people around you exceedingly annoying.  Check out lines moved slowly.  Other drivers were particularly rude.  Probably not a whole lot went right for you while you were in that funk.

Now think of a time when you felt great, on top of the world.  Annoying babies crying on the plane?  Heavens no, the sweet little lambs… Did you take in that folks were smiling at you?   Perhaps people would start up spontaneous conversations with you.  And maybe, just maybe, one of those conversations would have a nugget of gold for you – a bit of wisdom or an unanticipated opportunity offered.  It’s when you’re in that good feeling place that the magic can happen.  The Universe responds by bringing more goodness to you.

You really are a magnet, pulling to you whatever you’re putting out.  The trick is to learn how to manage our energy, our emotions. Remember that emotions always flow from thoughts.  So pay attention to what your monkey mind is throwing out for you to chew on.  With practice, you really can tame that little guy.  You can take control of your thinking and use that power to lift yourself up.  And then watch how the Universe responds.

Don’t take my word for it.  Do your own research.  Pay attention to your feelings and when you notice yourself starting to spiral downwards, find ANY thought that will help you FEEL better.  And the upward climb begins, attracting better and better feeling thoughts and experiences. It’s simple, but not easy.  Just like getting to Carnegie Hall, it’s just a matter of “practice, practice, practice”!  It’s simple, but not easy.  So please be patient and forgiving of yourself as you learn this new way of navigating life.

Try it out for yourself.  Notice what happens. I’d love to hear how your experiment goes.

Wishing you peace and loads of happiness,

Kate

Take away tool:

When you notice yourself going down the emotional tubes, stop, take a breath, and find one thing to appreciate.  (For me, nature always provides…. a tree, a flower, a sound, a scent, etc.)  Appreciation will ALWAYS break a downward spiral.