The Untethered Soul

Oooo I love Michael Singer.

This book gave me a new framework for how to live.

I felt like I was writing down a passage from every single page, it really hit me hard.

Here are my notes:

Consciousness takes on the disguise of forms until they reach such complexity that it completely loses itself in them. However, the suffering that arises from this apparent distinction forces consciousness to dis identify from form and awakens it from its deep self. It regains self consciousness but at a far deeper level than when it lost it.

In order to bring yourself back to the present, ask yourself “what at this moment is lacking?”, “if not now, when?” or indeed “what is the next thought that will appear?” Listen to the silence underneath or between sounds.

All negativity is caused by an accumulation of psychological time and denial of the present. Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry - all forms of fear - are caused by too much future and not enough presence. Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of non forgiveness are caused by too much past and not enough presence.

Do not be concerned with the fruit of your action - just give attention to the action itself. The fruit will come of its own accord. Non-attachment to the fruit of your action is called Karma Yoga and is described as the path of ‘consecrated action’.

Wherever you are, be there totally. If you find the here and now intolerable, you have three options: remove yourself from the situation, change it, or accept it totally. Choose one of these three and accept the consequences. No psychic pollution, keep your inner space clear.

Christ refers to your in dwelling divinity regardless of whether you are conscious of it or not, whereas presence means your awakened divinity or god-essence

Presence is Being conscious of itself.

Darkness cannot recognise light. Egos are drawn to bigger egos. Only light can recognise light. This is why you may find yourself drawn to other teachers.

Attention is like a beam of light - the focused power of your consciousness that transmutes everything into itself.

Forgiveness is to offer no resistance to life - to let life flow through you.

Reserve some consciousness for your inner body in whatever you do, whether that’s reading or walking. When thinking, think with your whole body and not with your mind. If you become overwhelmed with the ego at any time, focus on your breathing and the movement of your lungs and gradually return to your inner body.

The impermanence of life is linked to the cyclic nature of the universe. Growth and dissolution, creation and destruction. The down cycle is absolutely essential because without it the up cycle wouldn’t be possible. It allows for new growth. Your physical energy will also be subject to cycles and if you do not allow yourself to rest, the intelligence of your Being will manifest an illness to force it. Do not label any condition as ‘good’ because a happy wedding can be an unhappy divorce, it all is the same from higher above.

Things can give you pleasure but nothing can give you joy as it is uncaused and comes from the state of Being.

The Unmanifested is present in the world as silence and as space, from within and without. All manifested form is a vibrational frequency, like music. You cannot think and be aware of space or silence. This is why becoming aware of the space around you becomes a portal to Being as you become aware of the space of no-mind, pure consciousness, the Unmanifested.

The inner equivalent of space is no-mind, and of time is Being. Thus infinity and eternity.

When you are enlightened, there is one relationship you no longer have: the relationship with yourself. When you have a relationship with yourself, you split yourself into two: “I” and “myself”, subject and object. That mind-created duality is the root cause of all unnecessary complexity, of all problems and conflict in your life. Do not judge yourself, feel sorry for yourself, love yourself. Just be.

Full attention is full acceptance is surrender. Presence removes time. Without time, no suffering and no negativity can survive. The acceptance of suffering is a journey into death. You realise there is nothing to fear and only the ego does.

Imagine a ray of sunlight has forgotten it is an inseparable part of the sun and deludes itself into believing it has to fight for survival and create and cling to an identity other than the sun. Would the death of this delusion not be incredibly liberating?

The way of the cross means the worst thing in your life, your cross, turns into the best thing that happened to you by forcing you into surrender, into death, into becoming nothing. To become as God because God is nothing.