| Ongoing Daily Insight into the Nature of | | | | out of the Hebrew scriptures, insights of |
| Consciousness from the Story of The Little Prince | | | | Mohammed, profound truths from the Bhagavad |
| The Little Prince has such a strong sense of | | | | Gita, or sayings of the Buddha on the petals of |
| presence that the pilot picks up his fountain pen | | | | flowers, the leaves of trees, the wings of |
| and draws a sheep for him even though he has | | | | butterflies, or even under rocks? |
| drawn nothing but boa constrictors since he was | | | | The divine isn't religious. God isn't enamored with |
| six years old. | | | | "spirituality" in the way so many hurting humans |
| There's a lesson in this for all of us, though | | | | seem to be. |
| especially for parents. When we come from a | | | | The point of a spiritual journey is to live the |
| centered state of presence, people experience | | | | journey of life in its most authentic, natural |
| our power and respond. | | | | form—which is to live it consciously. |
| Children don't respond well to parents who are | | | | The word spirit means consciousness. Spirit isn't |
| out of control. But they respond to the parent | | | | some otherworldly reality but an awake approach |
| who is truly centered and present. So, too, do | | | | to this life. |
| adults. | | | | If we are awake, we notice the beauty of petals, |
| The first sheep doesn't turn out too well. The | | | | leaves, butterfly wings. We take it all in. We enjoy |
| Little Prince deduces that it's a sickly sheep. It's | | | | the gorgeousness of nature. We rejoice in it. |
| reflective of so many of us when we begin the | | | | We don't make it mean something else, but just |
| spiritual journey. Having been trapped in the grip | | | | appreciate it for what it is. To be with the "what |
| of the boa constrictor of family and society ever | | | | is" of life is the essence of consciousness. |
| since we were little, we don't know how to be | | | | A continual preoccupation with "spirituality" is a |
| ourselves in a healthy, vibrant, alive sort of way. | | | | sickness in people. It has nothing to do with living |
| We are more like the walking wounded. | | | | life consciously. |
| The spiritual journey isn't a way to wallow in all | | | | Much that goes under the name of spirituality is |
| the heartache of our past, although this is what | | | | actual a desperate neediness, an endless |
| many seem to do. | | | | searching, to the point people dub themselves |
| People go years dealing with the same issues, | | | | with the identity of "seeker" and imagine this is |
| never truly resolving them. They are always | | | | something to be proud of. |
| "getting there," healing, working on themselves, | | | | We don't tend to realize it, but the sort of |
| but never seem to awaken to the fact there is | | | | "spirituality" that's always looking for something is |
| nowhere to get to, just a life to live | | | | just a well-camouflaged version of what Eckhart |
| spontaneously and naturally. | | | | Tolle calls the pain-body. |
| To invest years in going to retreats, following one | | | | Have you ever considered that your thirst for |
| spiritual teacher's path after the other, and yet | | | | something different from simply being true to |
| never resolving what's troubling them is viewed | | | | yourself and living a wholly natural life might be |
| by many as normal. People imagine they should be | | | | coming from your pain-body? |
| interested in "spirituality" for the rest of their life. | | | | Most of what I see people chasing after as |
| Personally I'm not interested in focusing on | | | | "spiritual" has all the hallmarks of the pain-body. |
| "spirituality," trying to fix myself, or attempting to | | | | The Little Prince isn't into a wounded way of living. |
| improve myself and become more "spiritual." | | | | He's not about to wallow in pain. He has no |
| What I'm interested in is living an abundantly | | | | interested in a life that smacks of something less |
| joyous, peaceful, creative, and fulfilling life. | | | | than wholeness. |
| Did you notice that the divine didn't write verses | | | | So he tells the pilot to draw him a different sheep. |
| of the vedas, statements from Jesus, principles | | | | |