After reading Wayne Dyer's The Shift, I wondered if I had fully absorbed what Doc Wayne was trying to get into my mind. Much of it, I already believed, but I didn't know if I had taken it in. How was this book going to prove helpful or inspirational to me? And how in the world do I write a review on it?
I reread it with sure knowledge that I was the worst book reviewer in history. Already my first book review was almost a book itself; not so much review like, but a laymans guide on how I could use the bounty of information given. How would I begin this one?
And surely, God throws me a line. A Facebook friend (let's call him Church Guy- and he's swell, don't get me wrong) Church Guy posts a new status...
or reign over rocks and trees? Any ideas?
the need to reign over rocks and trees.
God has no Ego, and everything, rocks, trees, and Man, are Of God.
The point of my post was not about God wrestling with anything, but that he would rather us have free wills and be able to choose than to just be a God over rocks and trees.On a side note, the comment that you made about God not haveing an ego but man does, and then you said that we were of God, implies that God does have an ego...simple math...(man has ego+man is of God=God has an ego)
I don't believe that man is "of" God nor is anything else, but we are his creation. We were created with a free will because He wanted us to choose to love Him, that also opened the door for us not to choose Him, hense the facebook post of God so loves us that He would rather be a God of rebellious free will children than to have created no humans at all.
Again, please note that i did not delete your post because of you are what you wrote but more because I was trying to get thoughts from the group I was with last night, so I moved the status to a private conversation with them.
Sorry,
Church Guy
My response? Yikes...
Hey Church Guy!
Hope your doing well! Didn't realize it was only a post for people of your church friends; No problem. (Oh- can you email me the status you posted? I think it'll be a great jumping point for my Wayne Dyer book review!).
The God we believe in does not have an Ego, though. I can understand your 'simple math'- but while we are Of God, we create an Ego out of what you call our 'free will'. Our 'God having an Ego' for us would be akin to, for example, 'Jesus getting high or running over babies.' Blunt example, but to the point. I don't think Jesus would rob a gas station- unimaginable! But man would.
Quantum Physics tells us that everything is made up of particles, even objects you percieve as one object, like a pen, are actually tiny particles of energy moving at varying frequencies. Everything carries an energy, rocks & trees included. Man, most definitely. God is the source of this energy. God is in everything, every leaf & every raindrop. There are lots of analogies to this in the Bible, but they aren't taken literally in your religion. Men with a need for power were quick to edit the Bible, but that's another entire thing.
So our version of God with no ego wouldn't need man to 'choose him,' but to see that we are Of God, and should learn to love ourselves & others. It's a matter of seeing the 'God' in others for most New Age religions. The God I believe in is humble and intertwined in a different way than the way you believe. It seems that God tries over and over to get the point across. Your very spirit is made of God. The fingerprint on your finger. Maybe God just wants you to be able to see Him in yourself. That's what I believe God would want.
Your view of God and religion is completely the opposite of ours, so I totally understand you deleting the post. Hope all is well with you and yours :)
Here I was with my response, frantic at the idea of this 'simple math', and laden with Wayne Dyer fresh in my memory. Yet also remembering the fact that I should not need ot be right. I should let it go and not respond at all, or respond with a simple "We should just agree to disagree." Unfortunately, I was not yet in a space where I could control myself when it comes to this sort of thing, so I went a wee bit crazy. My husband, on hearing the keys race, looked up the stairs. "Get 'em!" he tells me. I get that 'dog peed on the rug' remorseful moment, but no longer could stop the tap tap tapping of my fingers. To his credit, Church Guy once again responded, but in a softer and more cordial way. He's a genuinely good guy.
And I found my inspiration.
So let's get to it! Wayne Dyer 's The Shift (Taking Your Life From Ambition to Meaning)
The Shift is a companion book to the film of the same name, which I've not seen, so this review is based purely on the book. To me, the statements contained in the first chapter, FROM, while sounding scientific, were some of the most important. In many ways the thought of merging Science with Religion (or Spirituality) has been deadended. But if we try to read through the process, starting with the beginning, you can arrive at the end with maybe a larger sense of reverence for not just God or mankind, but for every little thing.
There is no way to get around it, I just have to jump in with the excerpts. Wayne put it best-
"Remember that quantum physics tells us emphatically that particles do not come from particles. If we reduce that original particle to its subatomic status, it is smaller than chromosomes, atoms, electrons, within the atom- and even the sub-sub-subatomic particles called quarks. Scientists have placed quarks the size of my origination point into a particle accelerator revved up to 250,000 mph and collided it with another quark. The result? Nothing was there. It appears that nothing exists at the moment of the transition into something. Or, as I enjoy saying, 'From nowhere to now here.' All that exists in the world is pure formless energy- no particles.
Modern physics confirms the metaphysics of Genesis, which tells us that everything came from God and it was all good. Similarly, the Tao Te Ching tells us that all being originates in nonbeing. Thus, the question of where we came from is answered similarly by physics and metaphysics. They both conclude that we originated from something that has no form, no boundaries, no beginning and no substance. We are all esentially spiritual beings having a temporary human experience. This is our essence. This is where we come from."
I can feel you tiring of me and the science aspect of this book. We just want to hear about your crazy weekend, you're thinking. But bear with me, because I'm not finished. Again, here's Wayne-
"I conclude that everything is energy; it's all vibration at a variety of frequencies. The faster the vibration, the closer one is to Spirit and understanding where we came from. The pen I hold in my hand as I write these words appears to be solid, yet a glance at it through a powerful microscope shows that it's actually a field of moving particles, with mostly space between those particles. The vibrational makeup of my pen is energy that is slow enough to appear solid to my eyes, which can only perceive objects that fit within a certain frequency."
I'm close to writing the whole book, so let me breathe for a moment. I really wish I could write that entire page, which goes on to talk about thoughts being an energy system, and how they can be measured, but I'll just say that you can find that information on page 14, along with that last paragraph. So do you got that?
Everything is energy (Spirit. Of God. There is nothing that isn't). God did not create us in his image, he created us of his very being. What is God's name? I Am. It may seem mystical, or you may just not connect with the science of it. But let's start with that. I'm not in general a deep person, maybe that's the wrong word; I'm pretty Simple. At times quirky, but mostly simple. So I have to throw in that my mental train of thought does find itself choo-chooing down winding valleys, and the energy/spirit/we begin as energy and end as such made me start thinking of my dog (he's doing well, thanks) and reincarnation.
That never ending question of whether people reincarnate as plants or pets reincarnate as humans kept surfacing. Yes, I understand the goal is to alligned our thoughts-energy with the Source, so does this change our evolution as well? Can my dog reincarnate as a human in a future form? Does our energy shift what we resurface as? Not that I need to know today, but I can't stop the train. The Dalai Lama could have very well been a dolphin in his last life...or who's to say he won't be in his next? Does anyone actually know which species is the more spiritually advanced? My money may be on dolphin. I'll get back to you on that.
So do you have this so far? The slower the vibration of somethings energy, as in the pen/object. The higher the speed of energy, sound, light, thought, all very fast. Faster=more alligned with Spirit. Negative emotions literally make the body weak, as more positive thought keep us alligned with God and give us strength.
The idea is to remember our origin, the need for allignment, and in finding that place & recognizing the Source within us, we can live a life fulfilled. (Can you imagine? A Fulfilled life, not a 'good' life or a 'happy' life- while you'll find that too, and you may already feel you have those qualities, I think people in general are missing the fulfillment part).
We are taught Ambition at an early age, gaining praise for accomplishments. Before long we are running in the rat race, and those of us not 'fast' enough can easily feel out of place, or unnecessary, regardless of what we do. Do you know what your place is... or only what you feel you have to achieve to even have a place?
"Ego insists that we traverse from nothing to something, from being no one to being someone, from oneness to twoness, from unity to separation. It is this journey that requires us to Edge God Out and learn to believe in a false self. Ego's number one job at this stage is eliminating our nobody status by encouraging Ambition and creating a new (albeit false) identity."
Wayne goes on to list six components of the Ego, which I'm going to kinda sorta throw together for the review-Who I Am Is What I Have, What I Do, What Others Think of Me, I Am Separate from Everyone Else, From What is Missing in My Life, From God I fully realize that on the surface, my sweet reader, you don't feel you are what you have or do. You don't care what people think of you. You aren't separate, um, just different. But do we even need to feel 'different' and is that not a sly way of Ego saying that we are separate? Hmmm. Ride what I call the 'night-boat' with this current. Here are a few of my favorite passages from this section (WD)-
"Believing that who we are is defined by what other people think of us cripples the joyful spontaneity of our authentic selves. If others disapprove, and their opinion defines us, then we modify ourselves or shrink from view. Our image of ourselves is located in them, and when they reject us, we no longer 'are' at all. The ego's way of dealing with this dilemma is to adapt to everyone else's opinions. If they think we're stupid, we attampt to convince them to think otherwise by trying to be the person they want us to be. We cease to exist except as a reflection of what others think."
When we give more credence to the opinions of others than to our own self-assessments, we deny the very wisdom that created us. The more we integrate these egoistic beliefs, the more we tend to believe in our own self-importance. Our drive to accumulate and achieve ultimately causes us to forget that our intrinsic value is our connection to our spiritual self. In other words, our connection to our Source of being becomes obscured in favor of pleasing ego's ideas that we are what other people's egos think of us!"
You know already the concept of Oneness, heard in many different analogies, One tree many branches, one wave on the ocean, & Wayne references the fingers and toes, body parts on one human body. This doesn't mean that we all are supposed to do the same things or enjoy the same things...If your right index finger goes digging for gold, the lefthand pinkie may have a harder time with that task, more suited to scratch your left ear, but know this- the gold digging finger will resurface. It never leaves its Source.
Dr. Dyer's The Shift is a book about recognising our Oneness, letting go of our Ego's and therefore finding a greater connection to everything around us. He's been a constant source of inspiration for so many, and while I could write pages and pages from the book, At only 111 pages, you could easily check it out. As I read about Wayne Dyer's own personal Shifts in life, I looked back at my old paperback copy of Your Erroneous Zones, the wild twinkle in his eye, and then to my copy of The Shift, a different man, still ultimately compelling, but more wise. (I am not fooled by it. If you watch Wayne's PBS specials, you see the magic. Dr. Dyer is a stunning blend of integrity and humour. I hope he never loses this playful side). On that note, The Shift is a concise book, getting straight to the point, at some times too straight; Wayne ain't playin. His own mantra-
Let Go and Let God.
You know, long ago I was reading a copy of Light & Consciousness, and there was a passage about throwing pebbles in the river. The water has to go around the pebble, and makes waves. Soon you have rapids, you've thrown so many pebbles in. Many times you see this, people addicted to drama and chaos, even seeming bored when their lives are peaceful. If this is you (I know its not, my sweet little darlings are not pebbles throwers. Never!) take a breath and try to restrain yourself. You don't always have to try to prove yourself. Let it go.
Negativity makes you weak & kindness matters. When you makes things rough for others, you make it even worse for yourself.
I'm making small measures in different directions, like a puddle of water that expands outward, and get a little closer to being the me I like everyday. I should have given myself a wee kick when I found myself hastily responding to my friends religious comments. The U-turn from the Ego can be a slow and challenging process!
If it makes you feel better today, You are right. (I am right. haha! I smile in my heart...) But you (or I) don't have to say so.
"All of us can get into the habit of living a life based on service without expectation of reward by simply adopting a practice of radical humility. This is one of the key components of highly evolved people. Just observe how nature operates: The ocean stays low yet gains tremendous strength. That's because all the rivers and streams ultimately flow down and come to it. As the Tao Te Ching reminds us:
Why is the sea king of a hundred streams?
Because it lies below them.
Therefore, those desiring a position
Above others must speak humbly. "
Just smile, walk away & have a cool day.
Show me what you're made of? You don't have to do that. Just find out what you are made of, then make the most of it. Much love to ya.
( I did receive this book free of charge, but I am not a paid endorser of Hayhouse books or products.)
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