There is an ancient story of a holy man who decided it was his time to move on to heaven.  He went to knock at heaven’s door.  God responded, “Who is there?”

The holy man answered, “God, it is me.” 

God answered, “Go away, there is not room here for you.”

During the Oprah-Eckhart Tolle webinar series featuring A New Earth, I flew to Chicago to be in the filming studio for a live session. It was an opportunity not to be missed.

To be with Eckhart during that time, to meet Oprah in person, to become acquainted with many of her staff and witness how committed and hardworking they are was one of the highlights of my life.

It was Eckhart who pointed out to both Oprah and myself that this particular evening was the 10^th anniversary of the publication of The Power of Now.

Eckhart Tolle shared a memorable personal story with me. 

In the mid-1990s, Eckhart was visiting San Francisco for the first time and booked into a small, comfortable hotel in the downtown area. Wishing to explore the city, he approached the concierge with several questions.

It is a hot, muggy day, and because of this I am looking forward to my walk in the cooling woods even more than usual. As soon as I enter, I once again feel the weight of responsibility drop from my shoulders and the strength from Mother Earth seep into my body. 

On this particular route through the woods, I pass two benches, beautifully situated to take in the grandeur and stillness of the verdant surroundings. Usually I stop at one of them and sit in sacred silence until my body, just knowing it is time to move, gets up and moves.

We will experience real and lasting world peace only when we have left behind separation consciousness and replaced it with unity consciousness. True and lasting peace is never possible when we are still trapped in the illusion of separation from our brothers and sisters.

Seeing ourselves as separate from other humans and life forms fosters competition and conflict. If we believe only the fittest, the strongest, the most powerful survive, we will of course feel we need to defend ourselves against others.

We live in a deeply unconscious world. That’s because, while there are always exceptions to the rule, in large measure what we internalize as human beings becomes our reality.

This reality, shared by enough individuals, is perpetuated in the form of a system. The system in turn defines us, so that we become caught in a vicious cycle. This is true of every culture on Earth. In the grip of a culture’s mindset, we don’t recognize how unfree we are.   

Going for regular walks never ceases to bring me surprising gifts. The fresh air, beauty of nature, and benefits of gentle exercise are all things to be grateful for, though expected in this beautiful part of the world: Vancouver, Canada, on the Pacific West Coast. 

If we truly understand that “love is all there is,” we will also have to agree that this primary, immutable law must set in motion subset laws that emanate from it.

Pure love sees nothing that is not love; therefore, it sees nothing that needs forgiveness.  Forgiveness then must flow from love as surely as water from a stream.

The concept of forgiveness is based on the need to be forgiven for doing some thing “wrong” or “bad.” So flowing from the law of love must also be the law of correction.

I was invited by Lori Warmington, the founder of the Aspen Grove, to a retreat in the New Year at St. Benedict’s monastery in Snowmass, Colorado. The Aspen Grove is dedicated to cultivating and supporting conscious action that arises out of stillness, which is a characteristic of Presence.

The Benedictine monks had secured the privacy of a valley, and the stillness of the low mountainous surroundings, cushioned by glistening snow, provided the perfect setting for our retreat to the center of inner stillness.

I would like to introduce to you, one of our newest authors, Dr. Shefali Tsabery who graciously agreed to write this inspirational guest blog.  In 2010, Namaste Publishing will release a book by Dr. Shefali Tsabary, A Call to Conscious Parenting. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy and benefit from her insights.

We each enter the parenting journey with visions of what it will be. For the most part, these visions are egoic fantasies.