The Untethered Soul The Journey Beyond Yourself New Harbinger Noetic Books
The Untethered Soul The Journey Beyond Yourself New Harbinger Noetic Books
Who are you? When you start to explore this question, you find out how elusive it really is. Are you a physical body? A collection of experiences and memories? A partner to relationships? Each time you consider aspects of yourself, you realize that there is much more to you than any of these can define. In this book, spiritual teacher Michael Singer explores the question of who we are and arrives at the conclusion that our identity is to be found in our consciousness, the fact of our ability to observe ourselves and the world around us. By tapping into traditions of meditation and mindfulness, Singer shows how the development of consciousness can enable us all to dwell in the present moment and let go of painful thoughts and memories that keep us from achieving happiness and self-realization.
Divided into five parts, the book offers a frank and friendly discussion of consciousness and how we can develop it. In part one, he examines the notion of self and the inner dialogue that all of us live with. Part two examines the experience of energy as it flows through us and works to show readers how to open their hearts to the energy of experience that permeates their lives. Ways to overcome tendencies to close down to the rest of the world are the subject of part three. Enlightenment and the embrace of universal consciousness are the subject of part four. And finally, in part five, Singer returns to daily life and the pursuit of “unconditional happiness.” Throughout, the book maintains a light and engaging tone, free from heavy dogma and prescriptive religious references. The easy exercises that figure in each chapter help readers experience the ideas that Singer presents.
User Ratings and Reviews
1 Star New Age crap
Bought this on the recommendation of a friend, and just found it be a bunch of self-help, new age crap. Really doesn’t have anything important to say, relies heavily upon Buddhist and Asian philosophies-which have been largely discredited thanks to neuroscience. If people truly want to be happy, they’ll stick with what evolutionary psychology has to say about it, and leave this crap in the trash can where it belongs.
5 Stars Powerfully Simple Perceptions for Any/Everyone
Over 40 years ago: Mickey asked me to ask myself: If that little voice in your head is ‘you’, then who is listening? I had to ask myself, ‘That’s so simple, why didn’t I ever think of that?’ There are two words for this great read: Simple and True. Get it, read it, pass it on! Wise words that transcend any single religion, doctrine, or dogma…. just simple undeniable observations that lead you to your own discoveries. Alan Watts wrote: “When you hold your breath, you have lost it.” Life is for living. There is plenty of wisdom for any and everyone in this book. Thanks again, Mickey.
5 Stars Understand & Attain Enlightenment
THE UNTETHERED SOUL is truly exceptional for its ability to simultaneously explain the nature of enlightenment while also providing simple, practical tools for attaining that exalted state. It lives up to its subtitle: “The Journey Beyond Yourself” by demonstrating how we are able to transcend worldly troubles by changing the way we view our lives. Just as we might notice that problems cannot be solved at the same level where they were created, there is great advantage in rising above the inner chatter and emotional storms to a peaceful, blissful state of mind we’ve all experienced… that can become our new core identity.
The big idea here is that by identifying ourselves as being observers who watch thoughts and feelings flowing through, we can keep our hearts open to love even (and especially) during times of crisis. This simple sounding concept of separating the part of us who thinks and feels and acts from the part of ourself who sees ourselves thinking and feeling and acting becomes extraordinarily liberating. The proof of the efficacy of this concept is immediately verifiable by readers willing to roll up their sleeves and start feeling the burn of releasing energies from the past, by taking this book as a workbook, and not merely an intellectual sourcebook.
At its core, THE UNTETHERED SOUL is a book about the energies of emotion. Readers are encouraged to recognize and appreciate the expansive experience of feeling love and joy, as well as the restrictive sensations we feel when guarding ourselves from potential pain or suffering. Just as a good athletic coach might guide us to start noting the difference between “good pain” and “bad pain” in order to achieve best athletic results, Singer teaches the value of recognizing the “good pain” that accompanies emotional release and the greatest resulting state of true spiritual happiness, joy and well-being.
Here is a book that has the power to completely transform your life to be free of stress, fear, and melodrama. This book is highly recommended for spiritual seekers everywhere, as well as those seeking emotional clarity in order to transcend the common human condition of pain of suffering. This is a book you will read and find yourself thinking about for years to come, hoping everyone else in your life will read it, too!
5 Stars Invaluable Read
Michael Singer’s ability to whittle down life’s deepest teachings/concepts to childlike simplicity leaves nothing about which to be critical. If implemented, the teachings in this book are such that you will never have a problem again.
5 Stars See Your Perfection AND Live From It.
This is a great ‘nuts and bolts’ book for the spiritual seeker (finder). I had my own glimpses and inklings, but had no idea how to apply it to daily life. The Untethered Soul begins by revealing the perfection of who you really are, in a step by step process. Once revealed, it then goes on to show you how the thought process traps and tricks us into believing otherwise (complete with the reasons why). Lastly, it tells what we must do to prevent slipping back into forgetting and to truly live from the perfection at our core. Mr. Singer doesn’t just give ‘pointers’, he takes you by the hand and shows you.
