2.3.08

A New Earth


Wow, what a great book -so deep on so many levels and so uplifting. I ended up having to have a highlighter whilst reading this because not many pages went by without it being underlined or highlighted because I didn't want to forget something.

Basically this book is kind of like a new-age self-helf book. If you are not really into that kind o'thing or if you don't have an open mind then you wouldn't get much out of reading this. With this in mind though, I always find it amazing how people can poo-poo the new age stuff when many of the principles are soooooooo basic and have been around for like a bazillion years. Take yoga which was disregarded as something freaky and new age a few years back that only hippies and tree huggers would benefit from. Now, people can't get enough of it and traditional doctors have become wise to the benefits of the whole mind, body, spirit thing. So you never know, people may come round to the whole 'new age' book thing in future too.

Anyway, I'm glad Oprah picked "the New Earth" as a book club selection because it was exactly what I needed to read at this point in my life. I'm even going to try to get James to read it because I think he would benefit so much too at the moment. Oprah's even doing an online class on this book and even though I'm in London, I've already signed up and can't wait to learn more.

Its going to be impossible to list all my favorite quotes or passages from this book, but here's a few that really hit home with me:

"You do not become good by trying to be good, but by finding the goodness that is already within you, and allowing that goodness to emerge. But it can only emerge if something fundamental changes in your state of consciousness." (p. 13)

"One thing we do know: Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at the moment. " (p. 41)

"The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it. " (p.96)

"There are three words that convey the secret of the art of living, the secret of all success and happiness: One With Life. Being one with life is being one with Now. You then realize that you don't live your life, but life lives you. Life is the dancer, and you are the dance. " (p. 115)

"The great arises out of small things that are honored and cared for. Everybody's life really consists of small things" (p. 266)

"The philosopher Nietzsche,.....wrote, 'For happiness, how little suffices for happiness!...the least thing precisely, the gentlest thing, the lightest thing, a lizard's rustling, a breath, a wisk, an eye glance-little maketh up the best happiness. Be still.' " (p. 235)

" Jesus goes on to say that if God clothes simple flowers in such beauty, how much more will God clothe you. " (p. 268)

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