A Guide to the Present Moment (Norah Elkrief)
A Worthwhile New Age Guide
[My four-star Amazon review (April 15, 2014) of “A Guide to the Present Moment†by Norah Elkrief.]
This author of this book, Norah Elkrief, believes he is enlightened—but I don’t. His description of his “enlightened state†bespeaks of one who lives in the passing, or temporal, now, not in the immutable, or timeless, Now. His “enlightened state†is bereft of the Power of Now, the radiant Light-Energy that spontaneously accompanies true Awakening (to one’s Self-nature).
Here is his description of his enlightenment: “Enlightenment [for me] turned out not to be an achievement or attainment, but rather the recognition that I don’t know whether the thoughts that are in my mind are true. In other words, enlightenment is just what remains when we don’t have or don’t believe our thoughts: quite simply the present moment with nothing added.â€
Even though I don’t consider Elkrief spiritually enlightened, he does possess insight into psychology, the workings of the human mind, and that alone makes this book a worthwhile read for New Age types who looking to attain the so-called ‘present-moment enlightenment†that he points people to.
The essence of Elkrief’s teachings is his Five Steps to the Present Moment:
Pick an unwanted emotion.Identify the thoughts behind the unwanted emotion.
Recognize your emotion has been created by your thoughts and not your circumstances.
Discover that you don’t know if your thought is true.
Question the validity for any reason to keep suffering.
Elkkrief, properly, informs readers that: “thoughts create feelings; feelings don’t create thoughts...Reality itself is freedom. It is only our thoughts about reality that create all of our suffering and discontent.†But, as Elkrief makes clear, “The more we try to stop thoughts, the more attention we give to them.’’ Hence, Elkrief, rather then directing us to try to stop thinking, elaborates his Five Steps to the Present Moment and provides numerous detailed examples of how we can apply them to the various types of emotions, or psychological thoughts, that afflict us. In short, he teaches us how to to creatively question, and thereby vanish, disturbing thoughts.
If you’re looking for a spiritual book that tells you how to live in the eternal Now, then this book isn’t for you; but if you’re interested in a psychological guide to living more freely in the passing now, then you might find this book an enlightening read.
[My four-star Amazon review (April 15, 2014) of “A Guide to the Present Moment†by Norah Elkrief.]
This author of this book, Norah Elkrief, believes he is enlightened—but I don’t. His description of his “enlightened state†bespeaks of one who lives in the passing, or temporal, now, not in the immutable, or timeless, Now. His “enlightened state†is bereft of the Power of Now, the radiant Light-Energy that spontaneously accompanies true Awakening (to one’s Self-nature).
Here is his description of his enlightenment: “Enlightenment [for me] turned out not to be an achievement or attainment, but rather the recognition that I don’t know whether the thoughts that are in my mind are true. In other words, enlightenment is just what remains when we don’t have or don’t believe our thoughts: quite simply the present moment with nothing added.â€
Even though I don’t consider Elkrief spiritually enlightened, he does possess insight into psychology, the workings of the human mind, and that alone makes this book a worthwhile read for New Age types who looking to attain the so-called ‘present-moment enlightenment†that he points people to.
The essence of Elkrief’s teachings is his Five Steps to the Present Moment:
Pick an unwanted emotion.Identify the thoughts behind the unwanted emotion.
Recognize your emotion has been created by your thoughts and not your circumstances.
Discover that you don’t know if your thought is true.
Question the validity for any reason to keep suffering.
Elkkrief, properly, informs readers that: “thoughts create feelings; feelings don’t create thoughts...Reality itself is freedom. It is only our thoughts about reality that create all of our suffering and discontent.†But, as Elkrief makes clear, “The more we try to stop thoughts, the more attention we give to them.’’ Hence, Elkrief, rather then directing us to try to stop thinking, elaborates his Five Steps to the Present Moment and provides numerous detailed examples of how we can apply them to the various types of emotions, or psychological thoughts, that afflict us. In short, he teaches us how to to creatively question, and thereby vanish, disturbing thoughts.
If you’re looking for a spiritual book that tells you how to live in the eternal Now, then this book isn’t for you; but if you’re interested in a psychological guide to living more freely in the passing now, then you might find this book an enlightening read.
