mizzparker3 major takeaways from the book
Peace and blessings everyone! Thank you so much for stopping by. This is a new special series that we’re including each month called the Real Shift Book Club! Each month we will read and review a new book to help us on our spiritual journey.
In episode 12, we talked about surrender and since then I happened upon the book The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer and it is an amazing read all about SURRENDER! We’ll definitely get into that.
But first, if you haven’t listened to the podcast episode, this is the point where we go into our 5-minute Focused Shift guided meditation. I recommend checking out the podcast episode linked below.
Seriously, meditation is a great way to get into the flow of yourself and there is really nothing like it on earth. Nothing outside of going within yourself will ever give you the peace and serenity you are looking for in life.
That’s why so many great teachings say “know thyself”. Not the outer self, that’s just a reflection. The inner self is where our true self dwells and is the true nature of who we really are.
Which brings us to the topic at hand, the Real Shift Happens book club and the first book The Untethered Soul. OMG!! Can I just say that this is one of the most powerful books I’ve read in years!
And talk about timing, I came across this book the day after I posted the episode about surrender, so I thought this would be a great addition to that and also a great way to add a new segment to the show. I just think it’s really important that we share the knowledge and wisdom through various mediums.
Especially, now, while there is so much disinformation out there. We have to keep each other informed with trusted information. Don’t sleep on books! Yes, there are a million vids out there on everything but there is nothing like reading something straight from the source which is usually from a book.
Personally, I love to read and I don’t really care what medium it’s on, print, digital, audio, I use them all. I even leave the captions on everything I watch on TV or the computer, so I can be sure not to miss any dialogue. But I totally understand that a lot of people don’t really like to read these days so I have a special treat just for you. We’ll get into that in a minute.
First, we have to jump right into this juicy book, the Untethered Soul. Now, this book was a #1 New York Times Bestseller, it’s only 200 pages so it’s a quick read and was published back in 2007, so some of you might have read it already. If so, you’ll definitely want to hang tight because there is a special treat for you as well.
And honestly, if you read it back then, it’s worth re-reading again just as a refresher. I remember seeing him on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday back in 2012 but I didn’t read the book back then for whatever reason.
This book spoke to me on so many levels because the ability to surrender and what that actually really means has always been a struggle for me and I think for most people. The idea of feeling out of control is not something most people want to think about. But that’s just it, surrender is not about being out of control.
And I tried to explain what surrender is in Ep. 12 the best way I could through my understanding at the time from my personal experience. Not that my explanation was wrong, but after reading The Untethered Soul, I can see that surrender goes much deeper than I was able to explain.
Singer does an amazing job of breaking down the essence of what surrender truly means. And man, there are layers to the shit. And he breaks it down beautifully in a simple way, all the way to anatomical level.
The book is broken down into five parts with 3-5 chapters in each part.
- Part I – Awakening Consciousness
- Part II – Experiencing Energy
- Part III – Freeing Yourself
- Part IV – Going Beyond
- Part V – Living Life
Singer finds simple ways to stress the point of letting shit go! Through a series of questions and stories, Singer helps you realize that you are the observer of the thoughts in your head and that you are separate from your thoughts. That most of the thoughts we think and the actions we take are coming from our psyche or this built up persona of who we think we are.
He reminds us that we are not the psyche. The personality we create to show the world that personifies the psyche is only a fraction of us and really only lives in the material world. We are the consciousness behind all of that, behind the thought, the observer, watching all of the events of life unfold.
And that consciousness is pure energy from God source, that is who we are. However, when we hold on to things in life, like worry and other negative emotions, it creates blockages in our own life force energy flow. Then we begin moving from that place of all psyche, or ego because the blockages aren’t really allowing the full force of energy to move through you properly.
And over time, we add on more blockages on top of blockages. Talk about bag lady. It’s like we carry all this shit and then we react and respond to the world through that lens, that foggy ass lense. Resisting or clinging to everything in sight as opposed to just letting shit go.
If you’ve ever heard of or studied the chakra system, this is where it fits into all.
And by the way, next week’s podcast will be on the Chakra System so if you have any questions or anything you want to add, go to https://anchor.fm/realshifthappens and leave a message and we might include it in the episode. We would love to hear any thoughts you have on the upcoming topic.
So briefly, chakra is Sanskrit for the word “wheel” and it relates to the various energy centers in the subtle body that every living thing on this planet possesses, even the Earth body has chakras or energy centers.
According to ancient Vedic philosophy, there are seven energy centers that spin like a vortex, or a spinning wheel which moves the energy up and down from the base of your spine and moving all the way up to the top of your head. If a chakra is spinning too slowly, too quickly or if it has blockages, then the God force energy is not properly flowing in a balanced way.
And what manifests on the physical plane is crazy behavior, illness, diseases, and a whole host of human problems. Everything starts in the subtle body and then manifests in the physical realm. Just like thoughts start in the ether, then manifest into whatever we use them to create. Of course, this is in simplified terms, life and all the things that come with it seem to be more complicated.
But really it could not be any more of a simple concept. Clear the blockages and let the full force of God’s energy flow through you. Simple. Ok sounds simple, but most of us don’t even realize we have blockages and some won’t even be willing to admit their blockages. And this is where the layers come in. It’s a process and it could take however long it takes for your ego to let go.
Who doesn’t have ruminating thoughts from the past every now and then? This is the kind of thing to surrender. Singer goes into various examples of how to start small in the surrendering process by doing things like relaxing while driving even when someone is driving too slowly in front of you.
A big one for me. But also this shows you are allowing the world around you to exist as is without complaining and trying to change it because well you can’t. Some things are out of your control.
The book is not really about technique, though he does mention meditation is always a good option, it’s more about having the right mindset. As he mentions there are plenty of techniques out there to help but ultimately it’s up to you to actually do something at all. You have the power within you to make the necessary changes if needed. Right?
There are three big takeaways that I got from the book though it was filled with way more gems.
- Separate yourself from the chattering mind that is always talking to you. Singer explains how to become an observer of the mind. Instead of getting caught up in whatever the mind throughs at you, just observe the thoughts and let it pass.
It takes practice but it’s definitely doable and meditation helps train your mind to do this. Singer points out that your awareness of the separation will help you become the observer of all the wild thoughts and emotions that come to mind.
This space is the seat of self, where you let the thoughts and emotions come and let them pass without getting caught in the current. - Stop trying to avoid pain. It’s true that no one really wants to experience pain and we go to great lengths to try to avoid it or cover it up which eventually takes over our lives.
Singer gives a great example of a thorn (pain) stuck in the finger but instead of doing the work to remove the thorn, then ways are created to live around the thorn. Like, now you can’t be touched because it might hurt the thorn, or you are extra careful not to bump your finger because of the thorn, basically walking on eggshells so as to not disturb the thorn.
Until the thorn is eventually running your life. Facing the pain head-on and releasing it is the only way to dissolve the pain and be free to grow. - Most people are either resisting or clinging. This is a big one for everyone! Singer explains how most people are in a constant state of resisting a thing or clinging to a person, place or thing whether it is good or bad.
When we resist, it’s usually something life has presented to us that we don’t want due to some emotions we put behind it. For example, I kinda have a fear of bees because I was stung once as a kid. So now as an adult, I have this crazy fear of being stung by a bee, so I avoid them at all costs.
Bees aren’t bad creatures, I’ve just attached an emotion to the presence of bees. Not so bad that I didn’t see the Bee movie, and of course I know the importance of bees. I just don’t want them around me.
And I have to admit I feel a way about birds. They are lovely creatures but I just don’t want them up close to me, I love seeing them in the trees and in the wild but not in the house. Yes, that movie Birds did a number on me as a child.
See, that’s two examples of simple things I resist due to the emotions I’ve attached to them at childhood. Imagine all the other emotions I’ve attached to whatever. There are layers upon layers of emotions that we attach to the outside world; to people, places or things and then act and react around those emotions.
Or when something doesn’t match up to the way we expected it to, we resist. Instead of going with the flow and letting life happen we try to Suge Knight life to our will and try to make life cooperate with our plans and expectations. Then life Suge Knights your ass right back. You get the picture.
The opposite of this is clinging or holding on too hard to something. That saying, when you love something you have to let it go, this is the thing Singer breaks down. We all know how holding on and clinging to someone you love can actually push that person away.
Or maybe you’ve had someone cling onto you too hard and it turned you off and pushed you away. You can easily become dependent on a person, place or thing by clinging to it.
Or even clinging to negative emotions. Like holding onto a grudge you have for someone or holding hate towards someone for something they did to you. That’s a huge one.
People are in jail right now for not being able to let go of what someone did to them. It goes really deep and it’s not an easy process to take on but it’s necessary for spiritual growth.
Instead, Singer suggests finding the balance between resisting and clinging which is, you got it, letting go. Letting go of resisting your reality, resisting what is and letting go of clinging too tightly to whatever is in your reality, good or bad.
It almost sounds like a paradox but I think it’s just about walking that fine line and taking in all that is bad or good but letting it flow through you, and not attach any emotions to it. And that doesn’t mean to not feel any emotions, it’s just about not becoming attached to the emotions.
Otherwise, it’s a serious roller coaster ride right. Because so much of the outside world is a dichotomy, good or bad, right or wrong, black or white. But when you can be the observer of all that is taking place within you and outside of you and not get caught up in it all, whether it is good or bad, then you firmly seated within yourself.
Only then are you truly the master of your domain. This is why knowing yourself and finding the ways to get to know yourself on deeper levels is so important.
So early I mentioned a special treat for those of you that aren’t fans of reading, which is perfectly fine, that is your choice. But you can still get the book and be a part of the Real Shift book club by listening to the audiobook on Audible. I’ve been a member since 2007 and they have all the books on audio.
You can go to audibletrial.com/realshifthappens and get a 30-day free trial and your first book download for FREE! If you want to download The Untethered Soul and listen to the book on audio, this a great way to do it.
Or if you already have the book you can download something else like maybe our next Real Shift Book Club read for February…I’ll let you know that in a minute.
I love audible because it’s such a convenient way to listen to books. You can listen in the car on your commute or while you workout or cook or whenever. To me, listening to audiobooks is like getting information downloads directly to your brain. I highly recommend it.
Now, for those of you who’ve already read the book and even for those that haven’t read it yet, I have another special treat! The author Michael Singer, is offering a FREE 3-part video series as a part of his new online companion course to The Untethered Soul book.
I took the course and it is amazing! I love seeing and hearing “Mickey”, as they call him, speak on video. He really makes it feel personal, it was like he was speaking directly to me.
Doesn’t that always happen? Like when the student is ready to learn, the teacher will appear. And for me, I tend to see teachings in everything all the time. But this course has some amazing teachings!
How would you describe your relationship with your mind? Would you say it’s good? Terrible? Somewhere in between? Sign up for “The Mind Can Be a Dangerous Place or a Great Gift” free video series with Michael A. Singer below and find out!
Also, I hope you guys join the Real Shift Book Club so we can discuss and share this book and more to come. When you sign up you’ll be the first to know the monthly book selection. And have a vote in selecting the books we read each month and much more.
For February, the Real Shift Book Club selection is Infinite Self: 33 Steps to Reclaiming Your Inner Power by Stuart Wilde. This book was introduced to me last year by an amazing soul.
It is a super powerful and life-changing read and I can’t wait for you to read it. Use the audible free download at audible.com/realshifthappens or if you want or buy the book on Amazon, it is seriously worth it!
And great news, we are opening our Facebook group very soon, so when you sign up for our book club or free download on the site, you’ll be the first to know when the FB group opens and have first access to the group. We’ll be having discussions and hangouts, all the fun things happening there very soon.
I’m also trying to get my shit together and organized so I have a regular posting schedule. I know it’s a little off right now, but please hang in there with me because right now I’m doing this solo. So whenever I refer to anything as we, it really means all the “me’s” doing all the things.
And on that note, I think I will wrap it up here. And until next time, what do we do? We must do the inner work and create a shift in our own consciousness which will create a shift in the collective consciousness. That is the goal.
Don’t forget, you can support our podcast at anchor.fm/realshifthappens
And please subscribe to Real Shift Happens: Wellness Podcast on any of your favorite podcast platforms.
You can also drop us a message on anchor.fm/realshifthappens. We’d love to hear from you or hear your thoughts on The Untethered Soul. Have you read it? Did it help you?
And don’t forget to sign up for the Real Shi(f)t Bookclub and read or listen to February’s selection, Infinite Self: 33 Steps to Reclaiming Your Inner Power by Stuart Wilde. And we’ll talk about the book this time next month.
Until next week, Real Shifters, go within and make real shift happen.
Peace.
