Mastering the Power of Now - Free Online Course

I received this e-mail recently and am compelled to share it, as I think it looks like it will be an amazing resource, and best of all, FREE! Bill Harris of the Centerpointe Institute has put together a free online course exploring the ideas of Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now, with interviews with some amazing teachers.

The course has only just started, the first interview being with Genpo Roshi, a Zen master, talking about getting into the state of being present, or in the Now, and about finding that balance between the Ego and the Non-Ego. It's all completely free, and you can still enrol, so I really encourage anyone interested in expanding their consciousness to take a look.

The e-mail I received and the link to the course follow:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Bill Harris <bill@centerpointe.com>
Date: Sat, May 31, 2008 at 7:27 AM
Subject: Bill's 6-lesson (no-charge) Eckhart Tolle online course

I'd like to invite you to experience, as my gift to you, a
FREE online course I've created…Mastering Eckhart
Tolle's The Power of Now.

So many people have told me that they loved Eckhart
Tolle's books (The Power of Now and A New Earth)
and his online presentations with Oprah, but have had
trouble actually PRACTICING (and in some cases,
understanding) what Tolle talks about.

To solve that problem, I decided to get together several
of the most amazing awakened teachers I know to help
you understand what Tolle is talking about and help you
begin practicing and embodying what he is teaching,
right now.

In this FREE course (which you can share with as many
people as you want), six world-famous spiritual teachers
and I will discuss what you can do right now to experience
the spiritual awakening described by Eckhart Tolle in The
Power of Now, A New Earth, and his online lessons with
Oprah.

I've chosen teachers who I know embody the awareness
Tolle is talking about, and who are masters at teaching it:

• Zen master Genpo Roshi, creator of the Big Mind
  process, a method for quickly experiencing profound
  transcendent states of awareness (what Tolle calls
  Presence) usually taking decades to master…
  
• Ken Wilber, world-famous philosopher, author,
  spiritual teacher, and founder of Integral Institute,
  Integral Life, and the Integral Spiritual Center…
  
• Renowned spiritual teacher and meditation master,
  Diane Hamilton…
  
• Enlightenment teachers, authors, and workshop leaders,
  Saniel Bonder and Linda Groves-Bonder…
  
• Sally Kempton, Yoga Journal columnist and one
  of today's most insightful and experienced teachers
  of meditation and spiritual growth…
  
• And me!

Among the many things you'll learn from these amazing teachers:

• The transformational power of the Now and
  how you can experience it…
  
• Gettting out of your mind and into the Now…
  
• What Eckhart Tolle calls Presence, and how
  to access it…
  
• Using your body to enter the Now…
  
• The source of suffering and emotional pain,
  and how to end it…
  
• Transforming fear into peace…
  
• Why Time is an illusion, and how it keeps
  you from the Now…
  
• How you can step out of the world of Problems….
  
• How to free yourself from unhappiness…
  
• The power of Now and relationships…
  
• Finding your purpose…
  
• Plus, keys to awakening Eckhart Tolle didn't
  mention…
  
• And much more.

You'll enjoy six weekly 60 to 90 minute audio lessons,
one each week for six weeks. Each lesson is an unedited
and spontaneous conversation with me and a world-famous
spiritual teacher who embodies and teaches the awakened
spiritual awareness Eckhart Tolle discusses in his best-selling
books, The Power of Now and A New Earth, and in his
online lessons with Oprah Winfrey.

These lessons contain additional explanation and practical
suggestions you can use right now to awaken to who
you really are and create a life of happiness and inner peace.

I thought I'd have to charge a significant amount of money
for this course, but when the other teachers volunteered
their time and expertise, I quickly changed my mind.
Oprah has put an enlightened teacher on television in
front of millions of people. This is a hugely positive event
in the history of the world.

A way of living that, up to now, has been discussed in
just a few subcultures such as Integral Institute, Centerpointe,
and a few other communities, is now in full view of popular
culture.

This is a huge opportunity for the world--and for you.

I want as many people as possible to experience this
information, so I--and the other teachers--are giving
this information away, as our gift to
the world.

Please don't miss this opportunity to bring The Power
of Now into your life. Register for these lessons right away.

You can download them to your iPod or other device, or
listen online. You'll also get a handsome transcript of each
lesson making it easier to review and master the information
it contains.

As you'll soon discover, this course is unlike anything else
you've ever experienced. You really can live from the
place Tolle talks about--the Now moment. When you
do, everything changes.

With these six amazing awakened teachers, I want to
show you how.

To enroll, and to immediately begin experiencing your
first lesson--again, at no charge whatsoever, as our gift
to you--just go to: http://www.masteringthepowerofnow.com/.

And please tell EVERYONE you know about this course.
Open your address book and send this email to everyone.
This is something we really want to spread around the world.

Be well.

Bill

Centerpointe Research Institute
1700 NW 167th Place, Suite 220
Beaverton, OR 97006-4872

Life is supposed to be Fun!

As an example of Abraham's philosophy, here is one of my favourite
daily quotes that came through recently:

Life is supposed to be fun. You said, "I'll go forth and choose. I'll
look at the data, and I'll say, yes to this, and yes to this, and yes
to this, and I'll paint a picture of the things that I want, and I'll
vibrate about them, because that's what I'm giving my attention to.
And the Universe will respond to my vibration. And then I'll stand in
a new place where a whole new batch of yeses are available, and I'll
say yes to this, and yes to this, and yes to this." You did not say,
"I'll go forth and struggle into joy", because from your Nonphysical
Perspective you know it is vibrationally not possible. You cannot
struggle to joy. Struggle and joy are not on the same channel. You joy
your way to joy. You laugh your way to success. It is through your joy
that good things come.

Excerpted from a workshop in Los Angeles, CA on Sunday, August 2nd, 1998

All Is Well

(c)1997-2008 Abraham-Hicks Publications.

Isn't this just the most amazing and liberating way of looking at life? You are where you are because of everything you have said "Yes!" to thus far in life. And now that you are there, you get to look around and keep saying "Yes!" to the things you like. And if there are some things you don't like, just say "Yes!" to something new. And maybe you will like that something new, but if you don't, just say "Yes!" to something else. Our current life is the direct result of our Yesses! To change anything, just say "Yes!" again to that which you would have.

I love this:

You cannot struggle to joy. You joy your way to joy. It is through your joy that good things come.

So many people think that 'anything worth getting is hard to get' or variations on this theme. There's even an old latin motto: per aspera ad astra - "through struggle to the stars". I used to love this motto, I adopted it as my personal creed, as it seemed to exemplify my life story. No wonder the stars continued to be so far off! You cannot reach the stars by struggling - struggle only begets more struggle. You reach the stars by becoming light and free enough to float, to soar, to fly. Reaching the stars is easy - you will start to move in that direction as soon as you starting letting it be easy and not trying to make it so damn hard!

Life is about the journey, the adventure, the creation, the discovery - but most of all, life is about joy. "It is through your joy that good things come".

Life is supposed to be easy. Embrace it and float down this joyous stream with me.

The Purpose of Your Life is Joy

Seeing as this blog is named after their wisdom, I feel it is apropriate to start off this journey with Abraham, and Esther and Jerry Hicks.

If you have never encountered them before, I highly recommend you visit their website, http://www.abraham-hicks.com/, especially this page where you can read a distillation of Abraham's Teachings.

Abraham is a Non-Physical entity (or collection of beings) which is channelled by Esther Hicks, with the support of her husband Jerry. Even if that sounds a little kooky to you, I really encourage you to check out their work. They have written multiple books, and they offer wonderful daily quotes, which you can sign up for here.

The basic premises are (and they are elaborated upon here):

* You are a Physical Extension of that which is Non-physical.
* You are here in this body because you chose to be here.
* The basis of your life is Freedom; the purpose of your life is Joy.
* You are a creator; you create with your every thought.
* Anything that you can imagine is yours to be or do or have.
* You are choosing your creations as you are choosing your thoughts.
* The Universe adores you; for it knows your broadest intentions.
* Relax into your natural Well-being. All is well. (Really it is!)
* You are a creator of thoughtways on your unique path of joy.
* Actions to be taken and money to be exchanged are by-products of your focus on joy.
* You may appropriately depart your body without illness or pain.
* You can not die; you are Everlasting Life.

If you feel this resonating, I really encourage you to read more here and delve deeper into their work - it is a whole new way of thinking that can be life-changing and really open you to the joy of life.

If this resonates with your Truth, I hope this can be a Bouncing-Off place for your expansion. If not, forget it and move on. We all have our own Truth.