The Untethered Soul - Michael A. Singer
Someone kindly once gave me ‘The untethered soul’ PDF some years ago - perhaps as many as ten. If I remember correctly, I had attended a meditation retreat down the country and they kept referring to it, before emailing me a link.
As indicated by this blog post on books about meditation and the picture of my shelf above, I much prefer to have meditation books to reference, lift, and peruse at my choosing, so it wasn't long before I purchased a copy. But when I saw the audiobook was available in my local library (always support your local library dear reader) I had to give it a listen.
Non-Duality
I'm currently discovering so many new teachers on YouTube talking about non-duality, and am attending an online Rupert Spira retreat next month. When I'm not watching, I'm listening, and in my daily life, I try to be mindful. I get inspired by so many teachings.
And have no doubt, this is one of the best. It's plain speaking, clear, and cuts to the chase. It's intuitive and grounded, and Micheal A. Singer has a wonderful way of voicing truths that you always knew deep down.
One of the pleasures I found listening to this book was sitting out the front of my apartment early in the morning. I would have taken a picture only but I was trying to stay in the moment, with my coffee and audiobook and the rising sun, I was completely immersed.
Letting Go
It's very natural to feel resistance to some of the ideas in 'The Untethered Soul' because they seem so simple. One of them is the idea of just letting go, which it suggests - letting thoughts, and emotions pass on. I've been practicing this a lot recently and it's incredibly effective. We don't have to hold onto anything.
Not letting go of emotions leads to blockages, and these become the focus of our consciousness. We get stuck, and it becomes a negative energy around our heart, which we then turn away from, making it worse.
But if we can let it go as it's happening, we can purify it. We can sit in the seat of awareness, and let it go. I've been trying to do this a lot with anger and frustration recently, and it's such a great technique.
Inner Roommate
There are chapters like 'The Voice Inside Your Head' where Singer describes how the incessant chatter of our 'inner roommate' is causing us countless problems. It's pointlessly narrating the world to us, telling us what we know. It makes us anxious, confused, despairing, and depressed - but the truth is the thoughts are useless and we can decide not to listen to them. Simply put, our thoughts are not us.
When the chatter stops, there is just awareness/consciousness (call it what you want); our true nature. And it is here that we can rest in peace and contentment. Inner freedom is so close, we just don't realize it.
It's become easier for me to talk about non-duality over the years, as the journey has become such an important part of my life. But nothing is a substitution for experience. This is a practical book, one that can lead to transformation.
The Untethered Soul Summary
I can't praise 'the untethered soul' enough. It’s so thoughtfully written with the reader in mind, clearly explained and easy to understand. This was my second reading (listening) and it's as fresh as ever. I wouldn't bother with the untethered soul PDF if you come across it - buy the book and add it to your shelf (or buy it for friends) and it's sure to become well-thumbed if it's anything like mine. As I continue to move along the path, I'll be keeping this wonderful book close by.
Audiobook first released 12 December 2011 - 6 Hours long
The untethered soul quotes
“There is nothing more important to true growth than realizing that you are not the voice of the mind - you are the one who hears it.”
“The truth is that most of life will unfold in accordance with forces far outside your control, regardless of what your mind says about it”
“To get some distance from this, you first need to get some perspective. Walk outside on a clear night and just look up into the sky. You are sitting on a planet spinning around in the middle of absolutely nowhere. Though you can only see a few thousand stars, there are hundreds of billions of stars in our Milky Way Galaxy alone. In fact, it is estimated that there are over a trillion stars in the Spiral Galaxy. And that galaxy would look like one star to us, if we could even see it. You’re just standing on one little ball of dirt and spinning around one of the stars. From that perspective, do you really care what people think about your clothes or your car? Do you really need to feel embarrassed if you forget someone’s name? How can you let these meaningless things cause pain? If you want out, if you want a decent life, you had better not devote your life to avoiding psychological pain. You had better not spend your life worrying about whether people like you or whether your car impresses people. What kind of life is that? It is a life of pain. You may not think that you feel pain that often, but you really do. To spend your life avoiding pain means it’s always right behind you.”
“How would you feel if someone outside really started talking to you the way your inner voice does? How would you relate to a person who opened their mouth to say everything your mental voice says? After a very short period of time, you would tell them to leave and never come back. But when your inner friend continuously speaks up, you don’t ever tell it to leave. No matter how much trouble it causes, you listen.”
“Your inner growth is completely dependent upon the realization that the only way to find peace and contentment is to stop thinking about yourself.”
“If experience is the best teacher, there's nothing that comes close to the experience of life.”
“There is nothing more important to true growth than realizing that you are not the voice of the mind - you are the one who hears it”
“To attain true inner freedom, you must be able to objectively watch your problems instead of being lost in them... Once you've made the commitment to free yourself of the scared person inside, you will notice that there is a clear decision point at which your growth takes place.”