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If you’re here and reading this, chances are you know who Eckhart Tolle is. If not: https://eckharttolle.com/
I left adrianrorvik.com alone for over five months as I immersed myself in a course that Eckhart and his partner, Kim Eng, offered called Becoming a Teacher of Presence, the longest, most intense course he and Kim have run. Eckhart wasn’t a big fan of the title, because everything is in the now- and becoming should be Being. Of course, he would never say “should” since he is big on the is-ness of things.
For him, troubled times now- with worse to come- requires more present people, therefore more teachers thereof. For him, the survival of the human species depends on there being enough present people to shed light and bring about a new earth- a spiritually conscious world. I have my own take on that, but that certainly intrigued me.
Reasons
My main reason for taking the course, however, was one of the modules: Avoiding Ego Inflation and Other Pitfalls of Becoming a Teacher. I’ve bumped into myself and others enough in my life, so that, along with Overcoming the Obstacles to Becoming a Teacher of Presence and Offering Wise Counsel and Transcending Drama had penniless me wondering how to get onboard.
Happily, I managed to get a scholarship of sorts, paying only three small instalments. I was very grateful. I remain very grateful and, boy, did I learn a lot more than I expected to!
Congruency
Was I a big Eckhart Tolle fan? Well, middling. I was on the mailing list. That’s how I knew about the course. I hadn’t read any of his books but I had watched many of his YouTube videos with great appreciation and thoroughly enjoyed his humour. I certainly didn’t call him Master, as some avid fans do. But I can see why they do.
Someone I chatted to about Eckhart called him “congruent”. I had to look that up as I had only thought of the word in mathematical terms. Congruent: in agreement or harmony, with synonyms such as coinciding. compatible. concurring. conforming. consistent.
That describes Eckhart and his teachings- as well as his way of teaching, perfectly. More so to me, perhaps, than most. That’s because watching him give a talk is remarkably akin to a talk from a spirit guide, which I was privileged to receive for many years. What he says- and what the guides have said- gels, fits, kind of like Goldilocks and the porridge.
It’s ironic perhaps, that Eckhart’s opinion of psychics seems not to be high. Well, it comes down to direct experience and I do not except anyone to understand what being addressed or observed by guides of the same plane/level as Jesus/ Buddha/Krishna- and higher- is like.
There are many dodgy “psychics” around. The guide who most often addressed me, through a late medium and mentor, gave public addresses back in the 80s, including at several spiritual groups, where he denounced the resident psychics, declaring that their abilities would be stripped because of their egos. The same guide sent me to observe dodgy proceedings at a spiritual church.
Also, Eckhart’s words often strongly echo the teachings that I received over the years. The teachings about how to be. Not new (the poor guides tried for ages) but a real refresher and a wake up.
How to be present, to “feel” God, to “Be still and know that I am God”. In a spirit guide’s words “Not until this time can you gain enlightenment. When you try in meditation it is too forced. All the time, watch the mind. The most basic need, the most basic requirement, is to know the mind. Firstly, it helps in an earthly way. When you’re uptight, you tend to lose things etc. It helps you get back to your spirit self- what is inside you. What will help you to the greatest degree is Buddhism. It is the fastest, most expedient method for human beings”. Eckhart is transmitting at exactly the same frequency, moment by moment.
Lessons, Synchronicity, Change
I said before that I learned more than I expected to. I still am- and will for a long time to come, I’m sure. You could say that the course changed my life. I don’t believe in coincidences, but synchronicities, yes. The timing of the course took me out of a situation, a life, that did not meet the expectations that God has of me. Eckhart awakened, or pointed to and at, several aspects of my life, my identity, that required shifting or transcending.
It hasn’t been plain, smooth sailing. The more present and still I have become, the greater the upheaval in my personal and material life. Perceptions changed- or returned, enhanced- and I have left a situation that, on one hand, provided amazing support while, on the other, questioned and challenged (was challenged by) my essence, or by that essence stepping forward and out of the dysfunctional, ego driven, normal.
As I write I am without financial means, but am supported by unexpected kindnesses, understanding and generosity- financially and otherwise. It’s at once invigorating and exhausting. I am more sensitive to energies that are shifting. My spiritual consciousness has, like Atlas, shrugged, and I am more than slouching towards Bethlehem.
The bottom line is: the times in my life that I have lost my direction are the times when I did not heed the messages and signs. The times when I was not still, present. I certainly feel more awake than I have in a long while. “Missing in action” is how a friend described me. Which reminds me: Eckhart has often spoken of “sin” being a term used in archery meaning “to miss the mark.” I feel on the mark. Get set, go- embracing the one constant, change, with increasing equanimity, acceptance and understanding.
Observing Change
The course changed others too. There were online meetings- breakaway groups- which provided a safe space for members to speak openly. Always with a topic, but a lot of shifts welled up. This was also apparent from posts in the Community section of Eckhart Tolle Now (members only, so you won’t be able to view them). That part was relatively Facebooky for my liking, but the course attracted people all over the world from diverse backgrounds, with equally diverse reasons for onboarding.
One could sense the cumulative effect in the intense opening retreat week- virtual for the majority- as well as in the monthly virtual meetings. These proved to provide quite a ‘high’. I once did two sessions in one night since different time options were offered (in the wee hours). I’m happy to report that, since the course ended – and due to its perhaps unexpected success – these sessions have been extended by 12 months.
I think many felt flat and alone in between sessions because, as Kim Eng said to a couple, becoming present is usually a solo event. In my experience, the same old same old chit chat and ways of doing (not being) became something undesirable and untenable. If your colleagues, friends, family or partner are what Eckhart terms unconscious (spiritually speaking) that can be challenging, and an opportunity to practice being present.
Walking The Talk
How does Eckhart help people? Importantly, he walks his talk. His talk investigates, collates and distils (the still part is important) the meaning and truths from many traditions and teachings and points always to spiritual evolvement. He connects dots in a simple, universally acceptable and digestible manner. That is what makes him congruent.
Eckhart teaches that we are not separate, from each other, from all life and from the divine which resides within and without. If we are aware and awake to that, we transcend our ego, our form identity, which is the identity created in the course of our lives. That is illusory. It’s not to say it does not exist, but that it is not the guiding principle behind all existence.
Perception
Some people don’t cotton on to Eckhart. They see, from their own egoic perception an odd looking, odd sounding man. Well, that’s on them. If Eckhart doesn’t gel, I do suggest listening to Kim. She (her form) has a different way of expressing the same as Eckhart. Horses for courses, and whatever gets you over the finishing line.
Personally, what was blocked is clearing and, thanks largely to Eckhart’s very practical advice. That advice included how to write, how to approach speaking and disseminating teachings or information. That is why I will rehash some of my content. My uncertainty had me using a teleprompter, reading off a script. I’ll be chucking those away, allowing presence to dictate, as it were, what needs to be conveyed. That’s what has always worked when clearing places and people. Some call that clairvoyance.
Thanks and Praise
I have such gratitude, once again, for Eckhart Tolle and Kim Eng for the courses, the YouTube videos and philanthropic work that spreads light and raises global consciousness. It is only with an elevated global consciousness that the earth is elevated to a higher state- a new earth as Eckhart calls it.
