If not NOW, When?
The one book I would recommend to anyone and everyone is “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle. However, if you’re not looking to read the whole book, that’s fine too. I pray I am able to summarize key points and bring some enlightenment to you, yes, you.
I read this book back in February of this year but time doesn’t take away from the impact it had on me. If you’re reading this, I would like to begin with saying I’m so grateful to have you here.
Eckhart Tolle’s very first line in this book is “I have little use for the past and rarely think about it.” I could tell from that line alone this book was going to be a catalyst for my growth.
True Wealth
Tolle describes true wealth as “the radiant joy of Being, and the deep, unshakable peace that comes with it.” In these modern times, everyone is chasing all kinds of things outside of their bodies whether that be materials, love, validation, etc. The list can go on forever. However, what you seek is already within you. Through self-reflection and internal awareness you can answer all your questions and concerns, through BEING.
As Tolle states,
“You can know it only when the mind is still.”
Enslaved to Thought
“Enlightenment is not only the end of suffering and of continuous conflict within and without, but also the end of the dreadful enslavement to incessant thinking.”
2024 was my hardest year yet. The main reason was my own enslavement to incessant thinking. I was my own worst enemy. We can be our own worst enemy.
The Mind as a Tool
“The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.”
I can’t stress enough how powerful our minds are. Once you realize that, you have to take control of the steering wheel and not allow it to take you over, use you, and drive you to destruction. If your mind is in control of you, chances are some blasphemous things are going on up there.
The Voice in Your Head
“The beginning of freedom is the realization that you are not the possessing entity - the thinker. Knowing this enables you to observe the entity. The moment you start watching the thinker, a higher level of consciousness becomes activated.”
This can get really deep, however, homework for you, listen to the voice inside your head. The voice that “comments, speculates, judges, compares, complains, likes, dislikes, and so on.” You know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s everything that you wouldn’t dare air out on a stage with a megaphone in front of everyone. All you have to do is listen to the voice and “be there as the witnessing presence.” There is no need to analyze or make any comments regarding the voice because then that just means the thinker entered through “the backdoor”
Fun fact: The human mind has about 60,000 thoughts per day and about 90% of them are repetitive. The voice comes from conditioning and cultural programming, you are judging the present through the past.
“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have.”
What I am saying is…
***THE PAST IS IN THE PAST, THE FUTURE DOESN’T EXIST, ALL YOU HAVE IS NOW.***
The Pain Body Explained
One of the many things Tolle has a way of describing so effortlessly is the Emotional Pain body. What is that? Glad you asked.
The emotional pain body is an accumulation of a negative energy field that occupies your body and mind, this negative energy field is constructed from past experiences.
“Anything can trigger it, particularly if it resonates with a pain pattern from your past.”
An example is reactions. When you find yourself reacting versus responding, you are probably operating from your emotional pain body vs consciousness. Another example, I personally can explain is when driving. Road rage… I don’t have it anymore, Thank God literally. Whenever I find myself getting flustered when driving, I remind myself it’s not me just a culmination of previous experiences where I believed that behavior was acceptable. Now I know not to take anyone’s bad driving habits, road rage, anger, etc. personally.
The Ego’s Hunger
“The ego’s needs are endless"
Be real with yourself. What exactly is it that you want? Let’s say it’s a materialistic item, once you get that, you’ll be satiated for a while, until the ego craves something else to fill this void. A void that can only be filled from within, the things on the outside only last so long. This feeling reminds me of that feeling when you drink tons of water and nothing seems to quench your thirst. When it comes to the ego, it’s important to know nothing ever will.
“Nothing that is of value, nothing that is real, is ever lost.”
We all have a tendency to get caught up in these things of the world, these distractions, that’s what they are here for. To distract you from what really matters. To get you further and further from yourself. If there is one thing that is inevitable, it is change. Don’t get so caught up in attaching yourself — your worth — to material items. We come into this world without said items, and we will leave without them.
Psychological Time
“There is no time ever running out, because all you have is this moment and if you are worried about the future, you are worried about what doesn’t exist. All you have is now.
Clock time is what you should use for practical matters. Appointments or planning are examples of clock time. You set up a goal and work toward it, however, you are still focused on the present moment because that’s the only thing that will get you to that future goal. You obviously won’t see results the same day, but what you can be made aware of is the fact that you only have this moment to focus and work toward that goal. Fall in love with the process and the progress speaks for itself.
“So do not be concerned with the fruit of your action — just give attention to the action itself.”
We get so caught up with the destination, we forget it’s all about the journey. When you are intentional with the current action at hand, it makes the present moment much more enjoyable.. or at least in my eyes it does.
“The mind creates an obsession with the future as an escape from the unsatisfactory present”
Stop obsessing over the future and when you have this and have that, the future is just a concept. It’s amazing to plan for the future in a sense and have goals set out but don’t make it an escape from the present moment that you are gifted every day.
From Victim to Student
“Forget about your life situation for a while and pay attention to your life. Your life situation exists in time, your life is NOW.”
I can speak with full conviction, I was QUEEN of the victim mentality. I always moped around questioning why I got dealt the hands that I did, and just sat in my suffering. Made what I’ve been through my excuse to not be and do better. My past is NOT my life, only my life situation. Since this observation, I have since dethroned myself Queen from the victim mentality and live in a completely different timeline, the one where I shifted my mindset and perspective from why is this happening to me to what is this trying to teach me? Once you figure out what the lesson is and integrate your learnings, the quicker you get to move on to the next instead of repeating the same cycle.
Levels of Unconsciousness
“Most humans alternate not between consciousness and unconsciousness but only between different levels of unconsciousness.”
Tolle goes on to explain the different levels of unconsciousness, ordinary unconsciousness and deep unconsciousness. Ordinary unconsciousness is most people’s normal state “not of acute pain or unhappiness but of an almost continuous low level of unease, discontent, boredom, or nervousness — a kind of background static.” GUILTY. I was so uninterested in everything — this book snapped me into the Now.
Tolle quotes the Buddha “the root of suffering is to be found in our constant wanting and craving.” When I was at my lowest of low’s, I created a self-induced suffering, I was just stuck in this want, want, want. Without realizing I have it all, I have all I could ever imagine having. I woke up today, I can breathe air into my lungs. My fascination with the human body and how it’s autonomous will never go overlooked, especially after my Spain trip. (Read about that here) Whenever our minds, try to play tricks on us, it’s important to remember that we have the most basic of necessities to survive… however, it’s up to you to change your perspective from surviving to thriving.
Cleaning the Inside, Shaping the Outside
“If humans clear inner pollution, then they will also cease to create outer pollution.”
When you take control of what’s going on inside of you and all these thoughts “that serves no purpose except to strengthen a false sense of self.” Clean up all that stuff that goes on inside and in turn that helps you in cleaning up the mess out in the world. That’s obviously if you care about the world, I used to contribute to the pollution of this world literally and figuratively, until I woke up and realized you have to be the change you want to see in the world. It all starts with you. Truly. You have a choice on the type of person you want to be everyday in everything you do. From the way you act towards other, the words you choose to speak, etc.
Storytime: I was at a gas station and this lady throws her McDonald’s bag out onto the floor when she could’ve gotten out and just thrown it in the trash that was maybe 3 steps from her door. She saw me looking her dead in the eyes and THEN decided to get out and throw it in the trash…. Definitely only because she saw me staring her down, lol… Why is it that it took her being seen by another human to change her actions? God is always watching just saying… I always say hopefully my caring so much inspires at least one other person to care just a little more than before.
“To complain is always nonacceptance of what is.”
I stopped complaining because once I realized the power of the tongue, it just didn’t fit into who I wanted to be, who I was becoming, who I essentially already am. Next time you find yourself complaining, self-analyze what it is you’re not accepting in that present moment and see what you can do about your situation. There are three options to choose from: to remove, change, or accept.
“Anything ‘bad’ that happens in your life — use it for enlightenment.”
This is Alchemy itself — the transmutation of base metals into gold. or more figuratively, suffering into wisdom.
The whole idea behind Chérie Alchemy.
This post doesn’t even scrape the surface of this book, I shared the parts I found most enlightening. There are more complex subjects within this book but if this resonated, I encourage you go pick up the book, read it for yourself for the full effect and put your brain to work. It’ll thank you later.
So with that being said…
Are you living in the NOW?
If not NOW, then when?
✧ From my <3 to yours,
Chérie