slower for the soul
Many months after first picking it up, I finally finished The Power of Now. I know, I know, insert joke here: "It's Now or never." Yuk yuk.
Seriously, though, I'm glad it took so long. Those weeks between chapters gave me some time to digest Eckhart Tolle's sometimes counter-intuitive ideas about consciousness and decision-making.
Going back and forth between a self-help title, some occasional fiction and the stack of New Yorkers I keep by my bedside generally slows down the process of ever actually finishing a book. When I do get to the last page, it's normally a cause for celebration. Not so with this book. I finished it feeling like I should give it another read.
A disclaimer: I think about a third of the book is bullshit. This tends to be true with many works I've read from the New Thought stack. Gary Zukav's The Seat of the Soul changed my life when I read it in 1999. That is, except for the sizable section on reincarnation, which I rejected entirely.
I realize this notion drives the fundamentalists batty, the thought that you can pick and choose your spiritual beliefs like plucking spring rolls from an all-you-can-eat buffet table. It doesn't bother me in the least.
As I see it, we're living in the first era of mankind when the collective wisdom of all cultures can be easily accessed by most anyone. Once you pull all those formerly mysterious ideas and traditions into the daylight, their similarities can be stunning. My man Joseph Campbell made this point two generations ago, but still precious few people seem to get it. Look to what happened this week in Texas for proof of that.
And speaking of fundamentalism, the new issue of Parabola gives a soulful and timely meditation on the topic — without resorting to politics. Good stuff. Check it out. Now.
Seriously, though, I'm glad it took so long. Those weeks between chapters gave me some time to digest Eckhart Tolle's sometimes counter-intuitive ideas about consciousness and decision-making.
Going back and forth between a self-help title, some occasional fiction and the stack of New Yorkers I keep by my bedside generally slows down the process of ever actually finishing a book. When I do get to the last page, it's normally a cause for celebration. Not so with this book. I finished it feeling like I should give it another read.
A disclaimer: I think about a third of the book is bullshit. This tends to be true with many works I've read from the New Thought stack. Gary Zukav's The Seat of the Soul changed my life when I read it in 1999. That is, except for the sizable section on reincarnation, which I rejected entirely. I realize this notion drives the fundamentalists batty, the thought that you can pick and choose your spiritual beliefs like plucking spring rolls from an all-you-can-eat buffet table. It doesn't bother me in the least.
As I see it, we're living in the first era of mankind when the collective wisdom of all cultures can be easily accessed by most anyone. Once you pull all those formerly mysterious ideas and traditions into the daylight, their similarities can be stunning. My man Joseph Campbell made this point two generations ago, but still precious few people seem to get it. Look to what happened this week in Texas for proof of that.
And speaking of fundamentalism, the new issue of Parabola gives a soulful and timely meditation on the topic — without resorting to politics. Good stuff. Check it out. Now.
2 Comments:
See, sh*t like that is exactly why I have so much respect for your writing ability.
It amazes me that, with all the music sampling, reading and writing you do- you still find time to do things like... eat. Since I haven't read the books you mentioned, I can only comment on the Madonna CD... I think I like the video for "Hung Up" more than the cd. Is it wrong to covet a woman's ass?
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