Wanting; The Need For More
Eckhart Tolle - A New Earth Ch. 2, Section 7
When I published this (back in May) I somehow made it only available to my paid subscribers. Whoops! Here it is for all of you. シ
Our egos are never satisfied. It’s why they always are worried, striving, bringing up frightened thinking, keep us worrying for the future or living in the past. We hold regret, concern that we didn’t do it right or well, coulda, shoulda done more. We fall into believing we are never enough, in the past, present or future.
And so we strive, which actually gets in the way of the word it rhymes with that we really want, that is to thrive. Striving is work of the ego; thriving is ease of your soul.
That ego voice in our heads that is never satisfied, looks for itself through having.
STRIVE —ATTAIN—BRIEF SATISFACTION—NEED MORE…REPEAT.
This is the path of ego.
SAVOR THIS MOMENT AS IT IS—CONTENTMENT.
This is the path of the heart, soul, of our being. It doesn’t preclude attaining goals or things, but is already satisfied with or without them. There is a gentleness in living this way, as well as access to a gentle momentum to spur you to what is next in your amazing, miraculous life.
Savoring, appreciating, saying yes to now, just as it is, relieves the insatiable hunger of the ego. When we pause, check in with this moment, we realize that right now, we are okay. In this realization, the ego subsides, releases its endless chatter, and we relax into that gentle joy.
Sometimes when I endeavor to be gentle with myself, I find my ego voice popping up saying something like, “Oh yeah, gentleness. And getting absaf@*&kinglutly nothing done.” I’ve learned not to believe it. When I go with gentleness I find my path more easily and my doingness is inspired instead of coming from fear or should.
Eckhart invites us to learn to recognize the thought forms of the ego…to learn to notice when it arises so we can pause, let go of false fear and neediness, and return to find our peace of mind.
He clearly defines the thought forms to watch out for.
…me and mine, more than, I want, I need, I must have, and not enough…pertain to the structure of the ego.
We can learn to notice them, practice gently with ourselves, then do our best to let them go and find peace of mind instead.
And really, what is more important than peace of mind? From that peaceful place we know ourselves, make our best decisions, find patience, tenderness, compassion for ourselves and others. Sounds good to me…you too?
I teach yoga and mindfulness and live in Switzerland, where we moved many years ago from the United States. I am a work in progress and love sharing some of my thoughts and realizations about my journey here with you.
If you would like to be in closer contact, know that I offer my paid subscribers a couple of free online yoga classes each week as well as Monday Mindfulness, a gathering where we talk about mindfulness in our lives and do a brief meditation together. I’d be honored to have you join any or all of the above. 🙏🏼