Pages: 224
Published: August 19th 2004 by New World Library
Genre: Spirituality/ New Age
Format: Paperback
Acquired: TBR Shelf
Date Finished: 10th March 2013
Synopsis:
Ekhart Tolle's message is simple: living in the now is the truest path
to happiness and enlightenment. And while this message may not seem stunningly
original or fresh, Tolle's clear writing, supportive voice and enthusiasm make
this an excellent manual for anyone who's ever wondered what exactly
"living in the now" means.
Quick Thoughts: Not fresh, but different.
I was rather intrigued
by ‘ The Power of Now’ and Eckhart
Tolle’s practice of spiritual teaching. Not one to usually jump on any
bandwagon, but as an outsider looking into a phenomenon that seemed to be
expressed in various cultures, religions and spiritual practices I have always
been one to have a moving desire to learn more about presence, being and
concentrating on the moment as it is. From what I heard from reviews, speeches
and word of mouth throughout the years Eckhart was told to be a genius, a revolutionary
eye opener, a speaker of truth and of spiritual enlightenment. By reading The
Power of Now I expected that this hype and his personality of positivity would
speak volumes, instead I was left with a lackluster impression of his
personality and style of approaching ‘the now’ and came head to head with some
of my major pet peeves while at the same time becoming a little more self aware
and enlightened in the process.
Fundamentally this
book did reach out and speak to me in many ways. Some parts resonated more
deeply than others, but overall the tone of the book made it hard for me to
process some of the more enlightening passages, and Eckhart’s condescending and
at times contradicting messages made for a far more convoluted read than I
first anticipated. As I took highlighter to page I took the book itself with a
grain of salt, collecting the things that I chose meant something to me and
leaving the rest to the universe to maybe someday make sense to me in a
different format, or through a different teaching or a challenge I found that
there were some great insights into the world collectively and into myself as a
‘body’ in my physical form and as a ‘soul’ in my spiritual form.
While Eckhart’s
approach screamed impractical, put into a slow progressing practice it is
achievable to feel the power of now and appreciate the message he was trying to
get across. Which is universally – We are
all one. We are all united and most importantly we all only have now.
Because of this I
would say this is a book to read and see for yourself where your
interpretations lie. Instead of saying this is a load of horse shit, I’ll tell
you that it is a blunt and different way of looking collectively at a lot of
spiritual perspectives so that you can pick and choose what feels right for
you. You may not like how he says it, or what he says, but you may find one
paragraph that resonates with you and to me that is the true power of a book to
find something that speaks to you and The Power of Now did on some levels.
I am giving this:
★★★
3 stars of
enlightment.
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