My friend Poul-Erik just created a special blog site for the group that just participated in our 1-week intensive here in Denmark. The site is in Danish and Poul-Erik is designing it as a forum for the group so everyone can continue talking to each other and supporting each other. So if you were with us last week - check out your new site - www.gettingreal.dk
A doctor from South Africa just wrote this to me...
"Dear Barbara, I just finished your book “The Spiritual Pathway”. I found this book astounding. It brings together most of the pieces of the spiritual puzzle. Your book can be compared to a GPS system. I also came to the same conclusions as you, but must admit that your structuring of the various components can be compared to the stringing of pearls into a lovely necklace of wisdom. Well done!! Rene"
So for friends out there who wonder what this book is about - this is a pretty good description!
Lots of love, Barbara
I'm back, you're back (or anyway those of you who just spent the last 7 days with us)... and all I can say is wow. Every time it's the same - the wonder of sitting together with friends and focusing on the Power and the Presence and the Goodness of Reality. Everyone was beaming so much when we finished our week together that we were all about to explode with joy!
So let's remember we're family and let's remember to hang out together whenever we can and support each other so that our hearts keep on singing this song!
All love until next time we meet...
Every time we do workshops and seminars, I notice how very comforting and nice it is for everyone (including me) to have friends on the path. Even the Buddha himself said it over and over again in the Dharmapadda... the importance of the community of like-mnded friends when on the spiritual pathway.
So let us remember to be thankful for each other's company and let us also remember to support each other and be there for each other - especially when the going gets rough.
We might want to make that extra phone call to our new friends after such events to keep in touch and give them that extra support when we all get home again.
I admire everyone who is walking this pathway so much!
We've been doing an intensive week-long "Getting Real" seminar in Jutland which is why you haven't heard from me for a while. It's great being here and spending such intimate time with friends who are really committed to waking up. And it's also great to have enough time to go deep, as we share pointers.
Really energizing for all of us to keep returning our focus to the Presence and Power of this moment.
More soon. Lots of love, Barbara
So you experience crisis... things are tough, you feel terrible... So what do you do? You resist for a while and then you realize that all your resisting is getting you NOWHERE... so slowly slowly you begin to look at what's going on inside you... and you start asking... well why is this happening, what can I learn from this? Why did I attract this situation or person or problem? Why is my life better because of it? What is the hidden gift that I can't see here?
And then you discover that if you start asking these questions, you start to relax. Your breathing becomes easier, the pain becomes eaiser, whatever it is becomes easier. You begin to see the hidden gifts, the inner light, you begin to grow and assimilate and slowly slowy you become just a little bit wiser... and well then one day you wake up and discover you've moved to a new level... something inside you has changed.Things have rearranged themselves mysteriously and now when a similar problem or issue arises, well you don't take it so seriously as you did before... because yes... you've moved to another level and well as you probably have discovered, when you solve a problem at one level, you can't meet it again at the next level....
So now... are you ready for the next.... shall we say.... challenge????
Why? Well it just dawned on me... well you see I have been going around sneezing all day long... And we're sitting in the office working today - Tim and me - and Tim has been watching me sneeze away and then he asked me, "Why do you look so blissful every time you sneeze?" (I am sneezing a lot). And I answered, "Well it's because I read that the Buddhists say that there are 4 occasions when we have the chance to experience the Ground Luminosity or Enlightenment in our lives... when we are born, when we die, when we have orgasm, and when we sneeze. So here I am sneezing away and seeing if I can't experience enlightenment!"
So yes, that's why my life is better because I have hay fever today. And.... wait a minute... ah tju!!!
Deepak Chopra says "According to Vedanta, there are only five reasons why humans suffer: The first is not knowing who we are. The second is identifying with our ego or self-image. The third is clinging to that which is transient and unreal. The fourth is recoiling in fear of that which is transient and unreal. And the fifth is the fear of death. Vedanta also says that the five causes of suffering are all contained in the first cause - not knowing who we are. If we can answer this one basic question, Who am I?, we may find the answer to all other related questions, such as Where did I come from? What is the meaning and purpose of my life? Where do I go when I die?"
This is from his book Power, Freedom and Grace - in which he explains the Nature of Reality, which is the only real answer to this basic question we all ask. Tim and I giving a week-long course in Jutland this August at Væksthøjskolen in Grenå - and this is what we are going to be talking about. The Nature of Reality, the most exciting exploration of all - because if we can truly understand the Nature of Reality, we can also understand who we really are and live happy, fulfilled lives.
I know the course is already over-booked, but if you are interested, please sign up anyway because we will be doing this course again. (See www.vaeksthojskolen.dk)
Looking forward to seeing you all soon!
Eckhart Tolle says the best spiritual practice is "not resisting this moment"... He explains it beautifully in the amazing interview with him called "Even the sun will die" which was taped right after the September 11th bombing. It's an amazing interview and if you haven't heard it, well I suggest you do....
But back to his suggestion "not resisting this moment"... it's really amazing when you start to notice this. When you start to see how often you are resisting this moment. As you watch yourself and become aware of this, you will also start to see that resisting this moment is what all unhappiness is about. Because if you couldn't resist, and if you didn't resist, how could you possibly be unhappy? It wouldn't be possible. Unhappiness is the same as resistance.
When we come to see that whatever is happening is what should be happening - because it is happening - we discover a peace and joy that is far beyond our previous experience. Some people call this "waking up to reality". Noticing that reality always rules because what is simply is. And we don't have a say in the matter, which is quite ok when we rest in the understanding that God is All and Good is Good. When we see this, why should we resist what is. Why should we resist this moment?
Try noticing when you are resisting this moment. As Eckhart Tolle says, it's the best spiritual practice. And see what happens!
Good question isn't it? And one I am sure you have asked yourself before? I guess everyone who is waking up to reality does... because it's a good question. Especially since it really does seem as if the world has gone mad. The pace, the amount of input, the constant noise, the incessant movement. It's like wow - what's going on! Has everybody lost their minds?
Do we really need to constantly add more stuff to our lives and keep filling our minds with more and more information to find happiness? Do we really need all this noise and activity? Do we really need to go so many places, see so many movies, listen to so many songs, buy so much stuff....???? We all know the answer is NO!!! NO!!! And more NOOOOOOO!
The pendulum swings back and forth and now it seems to have reached the busy busy busy extreme so it's time for it to swing back towards silence, peace, and quiet... or else the world will explode (maybe it will)...
So the answer is NO - if you feel discomfort in the world and just want a little peace and quiet. You are not crazy! The world is....
Enjoy the peace of this day.
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