I am having a love affair. With a new book. That is killing me softly…
You know the feeling, you have butterflies when reading it or when you think about it, which is all the time because it has become your new favorite obsession. You savour every page and never want it to end. Suddeny a new world has opened up inside of you, FOR you, and its the biggest, brightest wonderland of love and lust, of hope and hell, of pain and pleasure; a fantasy and reality rolled into an experience so exciting, so riveting, so personal that its even hard to talk about. But talk about it you do.
A MALE BYRON KATIE
As you know, I have interviewed some of the most famous luminaries on the planet, and the other day I happened upon a talk by an author that so mesmerized me…I literally stopped what I was turbo-tasking, and just listened. (Ok, truthfully, I pulled out my yoga mat and did some light stretching…but the soothing, rhythmic sound of his voice and the equally calming ideas and words he was expressing accompanied my feline movements perrrrfectly) And within minutes I heard myself whisper to my Aloe plant nearby, ‘This is life-changing.’
That was 3 days ago. Since then I have acquired a copy a new book, and I am in deep. I’m having a love-hate relationship with it. First, let me say I often read a book a week- its a kind of wonderful side effect of having insomnia. But, this one, I just have to tell you about.
AUTHENTICITY ACCELERATOR
The title describes the book, and the author, Robert Rabbin. His bio reads like a travel diary- He has traveled throughout the world, from the ashrams of India to the forests of Finland, from the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California to the Sinai desert of Israel, from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to Istanbul, Turkey- which excites me because I cherish my time spent abroad living in Hong Kong and travelling around South East Asia and Australia, etc. and I naturally attract to people who have physically as well as mentally expanded their horizons. But there is more to it…his words echoed into my being like a primal resonance, with strength and sustenance about the size of the Grand Canyon.
I AM WOMAN, HEAR ME PURRRR
Why wouldn’t his words have that effect? Afterall, he IS present. Even in his writing. And there isn’t a red-blooded woman breathing who doesn’t respond to THAT.
I went on his site to check him thoroughly out- but pulled a wide grin when stopped in my tracks by the first sentence on his home page, ‘Welcome! On this website you will find alot of material about me, but what about YOU…What do you want?’ Big people, the really BIG ones, are like that…they are here to serve and its all about US, not them.
He goes on, ‘I believe we all want a vibrant, meaningful life, one in which we can dream big and make things happen.We want to express ourselves truthfully and fearlessly, to relate with intimacy and vulnerability, to fulfill our sense of purpose, to choose work we care about and to do it well. We want to live inspired lives…to light up the world with that inner spark of magic that is ours alone— our authentic self.’
THAT’S JUST HOT
There are those chills again. The ones I felt listening to his interview while in downward dog. And the ones I have had since while reading Authenticity Accelerator. The thrills and chills and battle of wills sneak up on me as I read, and I find I have to just STOP. To breathe. And deal with it. This isn’t a book to scan while eating and watching TV. (Well, eating is fine, maybe, depending on what it is- but that’s another story LOL.) Noo glossing over, sorry Petal.
A LITTLE DEATH LEADS TO A BIGGER LIFE
I’m only less than a quarter way through, and it feels like the world is brighter. AND a storm is coming! Like, I’m about to be born anew, but I have to die first. I hate that part.
Its a little frightening to read a book that knows you better than you know yourself. It can get tricky, this paradigm shifting. Fortunately, the solution is spelled out for us in 10 little words. And they are simple and straight-forward, loving and kind, albeit with a laser-sharp edge. Mr Rabbin has taken over 40 years of travel and study and spiritual seeking (he lived in an Ashram under Swami Mutkananda for 10 years) having as many incarnations not to mention hairstyles over those 4 decades, and he has distilled all the wisdom and knowledge he’s gained into 5 Principles for Authentic Living, in 10 words.
Read them carefully:
BE PRESENT
PAY ATTENTION
LISTEN DEEPLY
SPEAK TRUTHFULLY
ACT CREATIVELY
Read them again.
Now, without peeking at them, see if you can recite them.
How did you do?
The one or 2 that you find you just went blank on, could be the ones you need the most in your life right NOW.
I’d love to know which ones you resonate with, and struggle with. As for yours truly, I couldn’t distinguish between the first and second one. I wrote on Robert’s blog asking about this and his answer painted a beautiful picture I won’t soon forget.
I asked my kids what they thought MY blind-spots were…Landon, age 12 said: ‘You certainly Act Creatively…’ to which Liam nodded. Then, ‘You certainly Speak Truthfully.’ Liam smiled. ‘You certainly are Present. You definitely Pay Attention. But even though you listen deeply to US, you don’t always listen to yourself.’! Liam age 11 added, ‘Landon’s right. You always say ‘Rushing means fear’ and constantly tell us to slow down- but YOU rush the most!’
BUSTED
My husband high-fived the boys, but they said, ‘It’s kind of hard for you to Be Present, isn’t it, Papa?’ LOL!
Back to curling up on the couch with the book for me and Tsegi! What about you? If you can handle the heat, the passion, the thrill of the being touched right to your core, read this book. It is outing us all!
DEDICATION
I created a special CAPPUCINO CHEESECAKE I dedicated to Robert HERE
Tagged: empowerment, exquisite self care, family, natural health and beauty, raw foods, raw renewal, rejuvenation, sensual beauty, travel, yoga
Beautifully written post. I was also stuck between the first two words “be present” and “pay attention”. I look forward to reading the book…
@Ulyana:
Ahhh, so us two beauties fell into the same trap…Did you check out Robert’s answer on his blog…I found these points indistinguishable and finally had to go straight to the source for help. He really clarified it for me. I look forward to your thoughts, Ulyana…Enjoy the delicious, dangerous, and compelling journey.
You are a humorous writer. I love it. I can totally see you stretching on your yoga matt listening and then whispering to your aloe plant about your epiphany. This man sounds amazing, down loading now. =)
@Tatiana:
O, Beauty, I feel happy knowing I won’t be alone now on this rollercoaster…I can’t wait to hear YOUR epiphanies, Tatiana. If it gets a little rough, I’ll be here to hold your hand.
Dear Shakaya,
Thank you for the glimpse inside your experience. When I start reading a book and know it’s going to change me forever, THAT is a moment and a feeling to be present to with every cell. Yes? The last book I read like that was by Michael Brown, The Presence Process. The last article was the preview chapter from Martha Beck’s new book (free download). I will be checking out this book and see if it resonates. But the real gift for me in the post was the peek inside, the kids, the images, the REAL. Thank you. Namaste.
@Jana:
Dear Jana, OOoooo I love how you said that…how you brought us into that moment…this book has changed me forever which is why I had to share it. It will resonate. Let me know…
Yes…Its all REAL, or for me, its dead. Let us shine, let us accept and support and shine some more. Thank you for being here ♥
so what is the difference between ‘being present’ and ‘paying attention?’
thanks
Thanks for being present for my transition through the book. I will keep you posted on my epiphanies.
P.S. Your children are so wise. You brought in some great souls and they are so lucky to have such amazing parents!
Oh yes, he says it so simply. This is such a blessing to read. I’ll see what happens for me on the other side of this book xx
@spirit:
Hello dear Spirit, I am going to quote Robert’s answer to me that I highlighted in my post for you here- but I really recommend you check out his site and book if it calls you.
FIRSt let me say I couldn’t resist the urge to chastise him for his coffee habits based on one of HIS posts LOL- then asked my question about these two principles and how to distinguish between them, to which he graciously responded:
‘Basically, the first principle, Be Present, helps us step from thoughts-as-real to silent awareness that includes thoughts but is not limited by thoughts. Exactly what happens for you when you walk barefoot in the woods. But, while you might be in that expansive state of awareness, you might not notice the fallen tree limb in front of you. You might trip over it, even as you are enjoying the expansive awareness.
So, both Be Present, expansive awareness, and Paying Attention are required. Paying Attention is how we direct awareness. It is the extent to which we notice what is happening inside us and around us.
Through meditation and other means, we can achieve this state of awareness, but that does not, in and of itself, cause us to notice. Paying Attention helps us to notice things, and from this noticing we can make choices and decisions that affirm our authenticity, our Deep Listening.’
@Tatiana:
You are welcome, Tatiana, its my pleasure to be present for you and I look forward to anything you wish to share as you go through the 5 Principles.
Aw, yes, my boys are a dream! My husband and I am so glad they chose us xo
@Ulyana:
Yes Ulyana! Its really genius how simply he can describe and elucidate these big topics into beautiful, bite size portions, making them so easy to grasp.
I look forward to your journey and am with you in spirit xo
This is so powerful; from Robert’s book- describing being a 10 year disciple of his famous teacher:
‘I did did not focus on what my teacher said in his long and lovely talks. I did not take notes. I did not try to remember anything he said. Instead, I focused on the shakti, the energy, in his words and on the silence around and behind them. As a result, time after time and talk after talk, I was carried by the power of his speaking to the silent source from where he was speaking. Of course, I ended up somewhere deep inside of myself, eyes closed, no longer hearing what he was saying. I think that his talks were a delivery device for shakti (life force), for the inner energy of awakening and meditation on one’s own self. His speaking put me into a profound state of inner absorption, becoming intimately acquainted with the place from where he spoke.’
Just reading that is so beautiful it touches me deeply, I hope it blesses you too!
I could recall all but LISTEN DEEPLY. There is now a note on my wall with those two words printed. I love the way you describe your experience with this book. I want to go see what you see and have my own experience with the book. But it is not time for this book and I to get together. I will wait patiently. (Ok, maybe, on the patience part!)
@Stephanie:
Hi Stephanie, Hmm, fascinating is it not..? Blissful listening…
Here is what is coming up for me…Robert says anxiety is just a preview of coming attractions that we have fantasized about that aren’t good (or that would be anticipation), a projection into the future that we think will happen that is always bad.
ie my mom died at 48 of a sudden heart attack so I am nearly 45 with a heart condition and it could happen to me too because I don’t sleep enough to regenerate…
When I project into the future and imagine this happening, I can literally feel my heart squeezing in pain…
So I am learning, through the ‘Big 5’ to Be Present. In this moment there is no anxiety, fear, heart attack or pain. I am doing well despite that I could use more sleep. The main thing is that what I am fantasizing about, which causes me to be sad and worry, is just a thought somewhere in a future. Breathing helps me to get present. Breathing into this moment, and the next, feels doable, and much better. I hope my sharing this helps someone…
Here are some of my favortie quotes from Robert’s book:
‘For me, living at the effect of another’s authority, at another’s truth, at another’s set of answers to their questions is no life at all. It is too painful, isn’t it, to live this way? It’s hard to breathe, to sleep, to eat, to work, to function if you aren’t living your life. If you aren’t living your authentic life, how can you have any life force in you, how can you feel connected to and a part of this huge and gorgeous thing we call life, existence, the world, the cosmos. Until we wake up to an authentic life, to authentic living, everything we do will have a shadow of sadness and a subtle feeling of weird failure.’
‘we walk along a beach in that beautiful time
of twilight and dusk
as we walk, our thoughts and concerns leave us one by one
we walk farther and we become still without even noticing it
until we step out of time
we are no longer walking on the beach
we are no longer looking at the sky or sinking sun
we are no longer watching the birds or running away from the surf
something has happened
we’ve walked out of ourselves into everything, we’ve become everything
we don’t know if the birds are circling and diving out there or in here
we are the bird, the waves, the sand, the cool air, the fading light, the setting sun’
‘Who am I? What do I want? What should I do? Where do I belong?
What is my truth, what do I value, what is important to me?…If we Listen Deeply we will always know the answers..Listening Deeply feeds us with
a constant stream of inspiration, intuition, and insight which we can use to light
our way and act impeccably.’
‘Listening Deeply is an active meditation. Dipping our mind into silence
does not make us passive and indrawn; it provides the clarity and confidence we
need to live authentically, and the courage and creativity to make magic.’
‘Speak Truthfully is how we bring what is inside, outside. This is how
we mark the world with our presence..Speaking Truthfully is not about being right. It is about being real.’
‘To Act Creatively is to build a bridge that spans our fears, doubts,
uncertainties, challenges, impediments, inexperience — and takes us safely to
an authentic life..I love to watch kids play. They are so exuberant and full of enthusiasm
for creative action. They say, Hey, look at me! Look at what I’ve done! They
don’t say, Hey, look at what I’m thinking, look at what I believe. They skip and
hop, play and dance, sing and draw. No one teaches them. They just start doing
it, using their unfettered energy to act. They are little action figures.Their lives
are active expressions of their life force. They can’t help but paintbeing. They are not trying to be successful or right, just authentic.’
@Earth Empress:
‘Be Present is the foundation upon which an authentic life is built. Being
Present is a single, simple step that takes us across the threshold from one world
to another: from confusion, doubt, and fear to clarity, courage, and confidence. In
an instant, we become awake, alert, and alive. It is the principle that makes the
pinball machine of our mind go tilt, so we can begin to connect with, experience,
and explore things as they are, not as we think they are.’
Dear Shakaya,
I bought the book and downloaded… I too, cannot put it down!! Thanks for the tip. I am remembering the principles too..10 words is all they are.
Love, hugs and wishes,
Dear Muneeza, Hooray for you! You are so welcome! Enjoy the book and practicing those amazingly simple, deceptively difficult 10 little words xo
Hey Shakaya! I am toggling between Naked Beauty and my 10 words reading… its really a tough call. Both are feeding different parts of me! What is speaking to me the most is ‘Listen Deeply’. From the moment I read the 10 words, that one not only stuck in my head, its been twirling around and around in my mind, my third eye, my being. My intuition is telling me I need to listen deeply to myself. It’s not about others, its about me…
@MUNEEZA A AHMED: Shakaya…this is funny – I JUST re-read your blog post! Somehow the first time I missed the bit where you asked your kids about 10 words… how funny that they felt you too are needing “Listen Deeply”! My goodness… synchronicity is such a teaser. I have to say I laughed out aloud!
That is so funny Muneeza! I am laughing with you!
Listening deeply, laughing loudly!
hahahaha
DARLINGS! ROBERT RABBIN HAS JUST RELEASED AN AUDIO BOOK OF THIS AMAZING WORK for only $10- I am listening to it now and I LOVE IT! His voice is warm as cocoa and the words are strung together like poetic pearls on a golden string. Now we can be SATURATED in this wonderful prinicples while we do dishes, yoga, or on a walk if you put it on your ipod.
In -Joy!
LOVING the part on anger…it is never about what is happening in the moment; Robert calls anger ‘suppressed prior expression’…anger stems from something that happened in the past that wasn’t expressed…and then we all know what happens…it builds until it cannot be repressed any longer and it comes out in a wild torrent of emotion that is usually hurtful and inappropriate to the situation at hand. I truly believe this book is a life saver. If only we learned how to express our anger as children….Thank you Robert, I’ll be conscious of speaking up in the moment.
I like this part where Robert gives these tools:
1. This is what I think
2. This is what I feel
3. This is what I want
4. This is what I don’t want
This is wonderful clarity for kids…of all ages 😉
I liked the pie ingredients, nice touch~
I, am blown away by your description, your fluency in describing your budding experience AS YOU ARE IN IT just 1/4 of the way through the book you tell us exactly the excitement you sense in Robert’s words and how it affects you.
This is what my world needs just now. I’ve been trying so hard since I was a teenager to create paradise or even just to live it as an example–and, try as I might to be confident and not blame anyone else for my own falling short at transforming the world, I’ve gotten discouraged over the years. I’ve been soooo grateful for the newer wave of raw foodist and spiritual encouragers being so bold such as yourself. It seems to be pulling me out of my own muck 😉 and I see that I, too, need to share and inspire others in my own voice.
Anyways, thank you for all you’ve been doing lately. I do hope you will get some rest and get to bed early on a regular basis. I struggle there as well and several things help and can be rotated: melatonin, (the best!) chamomile tea, hot neck rolls with lavendar and after a nice (early)hot bath get in bed and read with a hot water bottle, if need be. Don’t drink too much water or anything within the last hour or so before getting in bed. Read a book that’s not too exciting, but lovely nonetheless, then lights out!! Period! 😉
My question for you is: does loving this new author in any way diminish your respect and awe for your own husband? Does your husband have any feelings about your public display of high regard for this author?
I will tell you why I ask. I found this whole posting transformative for a second and third (fourth?) reason: I don’t have to be married to every huge presence I encounter on this planet or in this Universe. I can be married to a man with a heart of gold who may never ever philosophize or intellectualize or meditate-ize or any of that with me. And this question was in my mind when I stumbled upon this delightful scenario of yours.
love,
cindy
@Cindy:
Dear Cindy,
I love that you said you wish to share and inspire others in your own voice. That is beautiful, and exactly what the book is all about.
It is so powerful- the book, and being authentic.
That you found this post ‘transformative for second and third and possibly fourth reasons’ is wonderful. I do write in layers like that and allow people to receive whichever level they are resonating with.
OMGosh no! having high regard for a brilliant author or dear friend or anyone else as I often do for the amazing people who cross my path daily is not the same kind of love I share with my beloved. He is very secure, and understands my passion for expression. We have such a deep and sacred connection. He is the tallest man in the world to me, a King amoung men, and the only one who gets to have me.
I’ve just downloaded the audio book – his own voice in this!! 🙂
Can’t wait x
This book is still teasing and pleasing and seizing me in profound ways…and even my son today who got hurt scoring the winning goal in socceer today said it was life telling him to pay attention! My whole family is practicing the principles and probably will be for life. Enjoy Alani and please share your musings when you feel inspired.