The Calm Center: Reflections and Meditations for Spiritual Awakening
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The Calm Center: Reflections and Meditations for Spiritual Awakening
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Overview
Discover the Essence of Who You Really Are
These powerful meditations and poetic reflections will comfort, inspire, and gently bring you out of the hectic day-to-day and back to the bedrock of peace, and even joy, of your true, essential, and authentic self. By encouraging you to see the limitations of your everyday, conditioned personality, Steve Taylor empowers you to step outside of it so you can breathe the fresh air of freedom. His words will guide you on a journey through the landscape of wider awareness, pointing out the obstacles and landmarks along the way to enlightenment.
A profound modern spiritual text with the power to transmit awakening, The Calm Center will help you open to the deepest and highest experiences of a life fully lived.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781608683314 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | New World Library |
| Publication date: | 04/27/2015 |
| Series: | An Eckhart Tolle Edition |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 128 |
| File size: | 1 MB |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
The Calm Center
Reflections and Meditations for Spiritual Awakening
By Steve Taylor
New World Library
Copyright © 2015 Steve TaylorAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-60868-331-4
CHAPTER 1
The Only Place
When the future is full of dread
and the past is full of regret
where can you take refuge except in the present?
When maelstroms of tormenting thoughts
push back the barricades of your sanity
the present is the calm center where you can rest.
And slowly, as you rest there,
the niggling thoughts and fears dissolve
like shadows shrinking under the midday sun
until you don't need refuge anymore.
The present is the only place
where there is no thought-created pain.
The present is the only place.
The Challenge
How will you know how strong you are
unless your strength is tested?
How will you know how deep you are
unless turmoil breaks your surface
and forces you to dive?
How will you know what sleeps inside
until the whole of you is challenged to wake up?
Then you'll turn inside to gather your resources
your untapped reserves of strength and skill
then rise like a sun, amazed by your own brightness,
stronger than you ever suspected
deeper than you ever dreamed.
Divine Dissatisfaction (The Opening)
When you sense there's something more
when the life that used to satisfy you no longer seems enough
and security seems suffocating and pleasures lose their taste
when dreams of success don't motivate you anymore
and diversions don't seem to divert you
when familiarity seems oppressive, like a coat that's too old and tight,
and every repetition of the old routine
makes you feel more stale and weary
When you find yourself aching
with a sadness that doesn't seem to have a source
with a hunger that seems too subtle to satisfy
when strange energies are pulsing through you
like the tremors of an earthquake deep down inside
and you can feel the ground shifting
and are afraid of losing balance
and you ask yourself, "What's wrong with me?
Why can't I be happy anymore?"
Have no fear — there's nothing wrong with you.
This isn't anxiety or depression,
it's divine dissatisfaction.
You're not breaking down but breaking through.
This is your awakening
the tearing of the veil
the opening of your soul.
Your real self is emerging, slowly, painfully,
through the hard skin of your chrysalis.
The old world is receding behind you
and you're waiting at the threshold of the new, disoriented,
wondering how to make sense of this strange place.
But as long as you have the courage to move forward
a guide will appear and your path will form before you
and a glorious adventure will begin.
And soon the lushness of this landscape won't startle you anymore
soon the brilliance of this sun won't dazzle you
soon the vastness of this space won't feel overwhelming
and the magic and meaning of this new world will embrace you.
Become the Sky
This cage you've been trapped inside
for longer than you can remember
might seem so sturdy and secure
that you don't even dream of escaping anymore
like a bird that used to beat its wings
but now just lets them hang limply by its sides.
But the bars of your cage aren't solid.
They're a mirage made up of fears and desires
projected by your restless mind
fueled by the attention you give them.
Just for a moment let your mind be quiet
and see how fears evaporate
see how desires withdraw
like the claws of an animal that's no longer threatened.
Watch the bars melt away
and let the world immerse you.
Let your mind-space merge with the space out there
until there is only space without distinction —
stretch your wings and become the sky.
The Voice inside Your Head
One day you'll grow fed up with the voice inside your head
with its constant murmurings of discontent
its fearmongering thoughts of the future
and its questioning of every choice you make.
One day you'll turn to it and calmly say, "I refuse to listen"
then stand back and look away
turning your attention to your surroundings
or to a quietness and spaciousness you can sense
inside you, just behind the voice.
The voice is so self-absorbed
that at first it won't even notice it's being ignored
and will carry on chattering away to itself.
You'll still hear its complaints and criticisms
but they won't convince you anymore —
you'll doubt them, laugh at them, reject them.
And gradually, without the fuel of your attention,
the voice will become more hesitant
will stumble and slow down, leaving space;
until eventually that self-assertive drawl that demanded to be heard
and seemed to submerge the rest of reality
will be no louder than a whisper, like a gentle breeze
that seems to be part of silence.
The Core
It can take a whole lifetime to become yourself —
years of feeling adrift and alone
acting in a role you were never meant to play
stammering in a language you weren't meant to speak
wearing clothes that don't fit
trying to pass yourself off as normal
but always feeling clumsy and unnatural
like a stranger pretending to be at home
knowing that everyone can sense your strangeness
and resents you because they know you don't belong.
But slowly, through years of exploration,
you see landmarks that you recognize
hear vague whispers that seem to make sense
strangely familiar words, as if you had spoken them yourself,
and ideas that resonate deep down, as if you already knew them.
And slowly your confidence grows
and you walk faster, sensing the right direction,
feeling the magnetic pull of home.
And now you begin to excavate
to peel away the layers of conditioning
to shed the skins of your flimsy false self
to discard those habits and desires that you absorbed
until you reach the solid rock beneath
the shining molten core of you.
And now there's no more uncertainty —
your path is clear, your course is fixed.
This bedrock of your being is so firm and stable
that there's no need for acceptance
no fear of exclusion or ridicule.
Everything you do is right and true
deep and whole with authenticity.
But don't stop. This is only the halfway point —
maybe even just the beginning.
Once you've reached the core
keep exploring but more subtly
keep excavating but more delicately
and you'll keep unearthing new layers, finding new depths,
until you reach the point that is no point
where the core dissolves
and the solid rock melts like ice
and the self loses its boundary
and expands to encompass the whole.
A self even stronger and truer
because it's no self at all.
A self you had to find
so that you could lose it.
The Secrets
You can't grasp at the secrets
prize them from the earth
or pluck them from the air.
The harder you try to hold them
the more they lose their form
until they leak away.
You can grind matter down to the tiniest grains
until it collapses into nothing
but its essence will always elude you.
You can pin nature down and torture her
but she'll never tell you what she knows.
You can't use force or even effort —
you can only create the right conditions
reverse the beam of your attention
and make a sacred space inside.
Let your mind become as empty as a cloudless sky
and as calm as the surface of a lake
until your depths are rich with stillness
and the channel is wide and clear enough
for the secrets to flow through
and reveal themselves to you.
The Story
Your story is always there
if you need to remind yourself of who you are
like a stream flowing beside you
that you can always step into and swim with for a while
whenever you lose direction or feel vulnerable
and need to refresh your sense of self.
And when you're flowing with that stream of memories
you might feel proud of how far you've come
to this moment of bright achievement
look back upstream and smile with vindication
at the fools who slighted and doubted you.
Or you might ache inside with failure
looking back at the meandering muddy tracks
that haven't led anywhere
except to this place of pain.
You can be a hero or a villain, depending on your story.
Or you can let the stream flow by
and accept this moment in its wholeness
without reference to any other, before or after.
You can sit and observe, outside the story,
not as a character but as the author
grounded in another identity
that was never created
and doesn't need a plot or conclusion
because it's already complete.
The Alchemy of Attention
When a mist of multiplying thoughts fills your mind
associations spinning endlessly
images jostling and memories whirling
free-falling through your inner space
you can always bring yourself back to now.
This morning, making breakfast for the kids,
I catch myself daydreaming and with a gentle mental nudge
remind myself of where I am.
And straight away the kitchen clutter turns into spacious presence —
a mosaic of sunlit squares across the floor
fading and brightening with the passing clouds
the metal rims of stools firing sparks
steam-curls floating over cups
reflecting silver spoons
the perfect stillness of spilt coffee grains
the gaudy yellow and blue of detergent bottles
and the window smudges exposed by sun —
everything perfectly still and real
everything perfectly itself.
Attention is an alchemy
that turns dullness to beauty
and anxiety to ease.
The Spiritual Teacher
"You can't find happiness in the world," the teacher said.
"It's a place of imperfection. That's why it's full of suffering.
You have to go beyond it, into the realm of spirit.
That is where fulfillment lies."
There was an otherworldly glow in his eyes
as if he was from another dimension
too ethereal for the earth
just visiting, with no desire to stay.
"The body is a husk, nothing more," he continued.
"A temporary vehicle for the soul.
And the more you indulge its desires
the weaker the spirit grows."
I left the meeting and wandered the streets, looking at the sky.
I walked through the park, along the promenade,
underneath the swaying branches of the trees.
And I felt spirit speaking
through the quiet sentience of the trees
through the gentle murmurs of the wind
through the hissing and swelling of the sea
through the smooth soft flowing of the clouds.
Every blade of grass, every wave of the sea,
every cloud, every stone, every particle of air
glowed with its own consciousness
subtly sentient, quietly alive,
always there but at a secret frequency
beyond the normal spectrum of awareness.
I felt the awesome power of spirit
pouring through and pervading the world.
I opened myself up, I let the power embrace me
and became part of the communion too
my whole body tingling and sparkling with spirit.
And I never saw the teacher again.
The Shock
There are so many ways to feel dissatisfied
so many different needs to meet
so many goals to keep striving toward
so many problems to try to fix
so much of the past you wish you could change
so many fears about the future.
No wonder you feel overwhelmed
like a traveler carrying too many bags
with too many paths to choose from
who has to keep stopping to rest
until he can't go on, and collapses.
How could you ever be happy?
Life's too demanding and complicated.
But then — the shock of an illness or an accident.
Death creeps behind you and swipes you hard across your back
awakening you from your torpor.
Suddenly the fog dissolves
and you can see the narrow ledge you're walking
— the one you've always been walking — between life and death.
And now it's all so simple and makes perfect sense —
life is temporary and fragile, precious beyond measure,
and life contains nothing except this present moment
this beautiful bright river of experience.
And suddenly those needs stop niggling at you
the guilt and fear stop gnawing
the phantoms of the past can't scare you anymore
there's nothing to worry about or to be afraid of.
Everything obliterated
but the glory of this moment
and the grandeur of the world itself.
And you know that this is all there is
that this is where fulfillment lies
and everything else is only a shadow play of the mind.
The Light (from Different Lamps)
I saw the light burst across the sky
like a flower opening behind the clouds
and the whole world was flushed with harmony
shimmering like the sea at dawn.
I saw the light glow inside my mind
seeping through the darkness of inner space
at a certain point of stillness
like a pool of pure white water.
I saw the light shine through my baby's eyes —
two crystals gleaming with unconditional love
straight from the universe's golden core.
All-emanating, all-embracing — the light of light itself.
The Mask
Don't make yourself a mask to meet the world
a mask that plays your life so well
that's so affable and entertaining
that you're always the center of attention —
a mask you can't let slip, even for a second,
in case your real self shows through
and the audience realizes that they've been tricked
and their affection turns to ridicule.
The mask makes life easier —
there's a storm of impressions, thoughts, and feelings
that could confuse and overwhelm you
but you can stand firm, with the mask protecting you,
reflecting back the world like a cold metallic shield
deflecting any pain that comes your way.
And it's easier still when you don't stand back and watch anymore
when you become the role you're playing
and forget you were ever anyone else.
But the mask is like a child that never grows up
that will never be self-sufficient;
you have to keep feeding it with attention
and make sure it never meets silence or solitude —
the two predators that threaten it.
And eventually the mask will crumble
when you can't keep up the effort anymore
and collapse like an exhausted parent at the end of the day.
Then your real self will stumble free
stunned after such a long imprisonment
dazzled by the brightness of the sun
reeling from life's complexity
naked and open to terror and delight.
And the world will trust you
the human race will welcome you
and slowly others will unmask themselves around you
as you feel yourself connecting to a deep nourishing flow
beyond the fragile separateness of masks —
the richness of your being, opening
to the richness of others' beings, and of life itself
the wholeness of your being opening
to the wholeness of life itself.
When Problems Seem to Lie Ahead
When problems seem to lie ahead
don't rush forward to meet them
as if they're long-lost friends —
let them lie there, let them wait.
Let them sleep until it's time to meet
then give them due attention
resolve them as best you can
then go on your way, leaving them there
without ever looking back.
Or even, when the appointment comes,
you might find yourself waiting, waiting, waiting
until you realize that you've been tricked
that there was never a problem and there's nothing here
except a long thin shadow, cast by your thoughts.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Calm Center by Steve Taylor. Copyright © 2015 Steve Taylor. Excerpted by permission of New World Library.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
Introduction by Eckhart Tolle,The Only Place,
The Challenge,
Divine Dissatisfaction (The Opening),
Become the Sky,
The Voice inside Your Head,
The Core,
The Secrets,
The Story,
The Alchemy of Attention,
The Spiritual Teacher,
The Shock,
The Light (from Different Lamps),
The Mask,
When Problems Seem to Lie Ahead,
The Struggle,
The Pressure to Do,
The Fall,
The Sea,
Space,
The Smile,
There Is No Need,
A Moment without Thought,
You Don't Have to Think,
Time to Stop Striving,
When You Lose Yourself,
The Night Is Alive,
The Wilderness,
The Mellow Glow,
The Fortress,
The Primal Soul,
The Same Substance,
Death, the Mysterious Stranger,
The Great Dictator,
The Gentle Sway of Death,
The Off-loading,
The Trees,
I Am Eternally Grateful,
I Am One of the Free,
The Play,
Can You Be Happy with Nothing?,
Step Outside Yourself,
The World Is Reborn,
The Beginning of the Universe,
The Trees (2),
The Unease,
The Meaning,
The Strangeness,
The Force,
The Perfect Paradox,
The End of Success,
The End of Desire,
Savor This World, Savor This Life,
The Project,
Back Home,
The Essence,
Acknowledgments,
Index of First Lines,
About the Author,