"The Untethered Soul" By: Michael A.Singer - Book Review
Updated: Jul 12, 2022
An open mind is what you need in order to read this book. It has a fantastic perspective on consciousness and the awareness of one's consciousness. It's nice because it's new info. It's a new perspective to me and makes so much sense. I have started to step back and observe my thoughts differently. It is quite comforting and empowering.
All these books that basically say you're responsible for everything are so empowering because you just realize it all truly is in your head. It's how you perceive everything. I thought I was a pretty aware person but I was still getting sucked in by the thinker in my mind, I am now learning how to step back even more, and simple experience every moment instead of getting stuck in it by overthinking anything. It is a work in progress absolutely but it's a start. I'm excited to try out this new perspective for myself.
I heard a friend saying he thought it was a bit woo-woo, which yes it technically is but it also feels like truth to me. As a society, we're so trained to think one way, it's simply a new perspective on being alive and beautiful. It's our choice, how we go about life and I think the main issue is that we are unaware of other ways to perceive and reflect on life.
The gist of it is to let go. Which we hear oh so often, and I constantly strive to let go a little more, which is extremely difficult for me. I am a high achiever and always plan and am in control of most things. This book actually explains how I can let go, which is precisely what I needed.
Give it a read.. it won't bite ;)
acknowledgments
the flow of words brought a sense of peace to the heart, mind, and soul.
introduction
"This above all: to thine own self be true." pg.3
part 1
awakening consciousness
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. pg.10
Billions of things are going on in this world. You can think about it all you want, but life is still going to keep on happening. pg.10
In fact, your thoughts have far less impact on this world than you would like to think. pg.10
They have no effect on anything or anybody, except you. pg.10
You re-create the world within your mind because you can control your mind whereas you can't control the world. pg.12
Basically, you re-create the outside world inside yourself, and then you live in your mind. pg.13
Reality is just too real for most of us, so we temper it with the mind. pg.13
You will be forced to constantly use your mind to buffer yourself from life, instead of living it, pg.13
In the name of attempting to hold the world together, you're really just trying to hold yourself together. pg.13
True personal growth is about transcending the part of you that is not okay and needs protection. pg.13
constantly remembering that you are the one inside that notices the voice talking, That is the way out. pg.13
To be aware that you are watching the voice talk is to stand on the threshold of a fantastic inner journey. If used properly, the same mental voice that has been a source of worry, distraction, and general neurosis can become the launching ground for true spiritual awakening. Come to know the one who watches the voice, and you will come to know one of the great mysteries of creation. pg.13
Chapter 2
your inner roommate
you'll never be free of problems until you are free from the part within that has so many problems. pg.15
"What part of me is being disturbed by this?" pg.15
understand why you perceive a particular situation as a problem pg.15
"Who is it that sees this? Who notices this inner disturbance?" pg.16
The process of seeing something requires a subject-object relationship. pg16
"The Witness" pg.16
But nobody has ever truly become okay by changing things outside. pg.16
The only real solution is to take the seat of witness consciousness and completely change your frame of reference. pg.16
You will not be able to solve anything outside until you own how the situation affects you inside. pg.16
The only permanent solution to your problem s to go inside and let go of the part of you that seems to have so many problems with reality. pg.16
Just be aware that you are aware of what is going on in there. pg.17
What you'll notice is that you're watching a human being's personality with all its strengths and weakness. It's as though there's somebody in there with you. You might actually say you have a "roommate." pg.17
If you would like to meet your roommate, just try to sit inside yourself for a while in complete solitude and silence. You have the right; it's your inner domain. But instead of finding silence, you're going to listen to incessant chatter pg.17
The first is you pg17
the other is that which you watch. pg.17
first, you have to realize that you've been locked in there while a maniac. pg.18
Spend a day watching every single thing your roommate does. g.18
personify it externally. Make-believe that your roommate, the psyche, has a body of its own. pg.19
give it a body pg.19
there's no hope of getting rid of it until you really want to. pg.21
These practices are what you do with your time in order to free yourself from yourself. pg.22
You will eventually catch on that you have to distance yourself from your psyche. You do this by setting the direction of your life when you're clear and not letting the wavering mind deter you. Your will is stronger than the habit of listening t that vouce. There is nothing you can't do. Your will is supreme over all of this. pg.22
This is your life - reclaim it. pg.22
Chapter 3
Who are you?
to attain inner freedom one must continuously and sincerely ask the question "Who am I?" pg.23
more important than reading books, learning mantras, or going to holy places. pg.23
"Who am I? Who sees when I see? Who hears when I hear? Who knows that I am aware Who am I?" pg.23
You're the one who is inside looking out at that world. pg25
In essence, inside and outside objects compete for your attention. pg.26
"I think, therefore I am." pg.26
How long would it take your mental voice to describe all that detail to you, versus the instantaneous snapshot of consciousness must-see? When you just look without creating thoughts, your consciousness just seeing? When you just look without creating thoughts, your consciousness is effortlessly aware of, and fully comprehends, all that it sees. pg.28
There is nothing higher or deeper than consciousness. Consciousness is pure awareness. pg.28
What would I be like if your awareness didn't exist? pg.28
You wouldn't be there. pg.28
"I am the one who sees. From back in here somewhere I look out, and I am aware of the event, thoughts, ad emotions that pass before me." pg.28
Just as you effortlessly look outside and see all that you see, you will eventually sit far enough back inside to see all your thoughts and emotions, as well as your outer form. All of these objects are in front of you. The thoughts are closer in, the emotions are a little further away, and form is way out there. pg.29
you have always been the conscious receiver of all that was. pg.29
The great mystery begins once you take that seat deep within. pg.29
chapter 4
the lucid self
The consciousness has the ability to do what is called "focus". pg.32
The essence of consciousness is awareness, and awareness has the ability to become more aware of one thing and less aware of something else. pg.32
the ancient teachings of yoga are all about consciousness. pg.32
If you ever want to re-center, just start saying "hello" inside. pg.33
For the deepest meditation, you must not only have the ability to focus your consciousness completely on one object, but you must also have the ability to make awareness itself be that object. pg.37
You're not even a human being. You just happen to be watching one. pg.37
You are the answer. Be the answer, and everything will change. pg.38
Part 11
experiencing energy
we ignore the energy within pg.41
you have a phenomenal amount of energy inside of you. It doesn't come from food and it doesn't come from sleep. pg.43
various energy centers exist within you, the one you intuitively know the most about opening and closing is your heart. pg.43
The only reason you don't feel this energy all the time is that you block it. You block it by closing your heart, closing your mind, and by pulling yourself into a restrictive space inside. pg.43
the heart is an energy center, and it can open or close. The yogis call energy centers chakras. pg.44
Chinese medicine, Chi pg.44
yoga, it is called Shaki pg.44
It's just energy. Energy doesn't get old, it doesn't get tiring, and it doesn't need food. What it needs are openness and receptivity. pg.44
True spiritual teachings are about this energy and how to open to it. pg.44
enjoying a full life means experiencing high energy, love, and enthusiasm all the time, then don't even close. pg.44
All you have to do is decide whether you are willing to stay open pg.45
You can actually train yourself to forget how to close. pg.45
Closing is a habit. pg.45
it can be broken. pg.45
You can train yourself to open up every time you see a person. pg.45
It is ultimately under your control. pg.45
you should never leave something as important as your energy flow to chance. pg.45
The more you learn to stay open, the more energy can flow into you. pg.45
You just make a commitment to explore your capacity for receiving unlimited energy. pg.45
just say, "No. I'm no going to close. I'm going to relax. I'm going to let this situation take place and be there with it." pg.46
By all means, deal with it pg.46
Let go of that. Dare to be different. Enjoy all of life. pg.47
You become a source of light for all those around you. pg.47
Energy can heal, and that's why love can heal. pg.47
The most important thing in life is your inner energy. pg.47
Remember, if you love life, nothing is worth closing over. Nothing, ever, is worth closing your heart over. pg.47
Chapter 6
the secrets of the spiritual heart
But in truth, you are not your heart. You are the experience of your heart. pg.49
They are passing into you, awakening and stimulating you. They are actually having a profound effect on you. pg.51
What is happening is that unfinished mental and emotional energy patterns are getting stored and reactivated pg.56
In both cases, you are not letting them pass, and you are wasting precious energy by blocking the flow through resisting and clinging. pg.56
Of course, it hurts when it comes up. It was stored with pain; it's going to release with pain. pg.57
chapter 7
transcending the tendency to close
where you understand that if you protect yourself, you will never be free. It's that simple. pg.61
Real spiritual growth happens when this is only one of you inside. pg.61
All parts are unified. pg.61
"You just go about your business and put your whole being into whatever's happening, instead of putting your whole being into your personal sensitivity. pg.62
Spiritual growth is about the point at which you start to feel your energy change. pg.62
If you don't want it, let it go. pg.63
You will eventually get conscious enough so that the minute you see the energy start getting strange, you stop. pg.63
So you decide to use life to free yourself. You become willing to pay any price for the freedom of your soul. You will realize that the only price you have to pay is letting go of yourself. Only you can take inner freedom away from yourself, or give it to yourself. pg.65
This is how you ake freedom a game. Instead of getting into being bothered, you get into being free. pg.65
You will break the ultimate habit: the constant draw of the lower self. You will break the ultimate habit: the constant draw of the lower self. You will then be free to explore the nature and source of your true being - Pure Consciousness. pg.67
Part III
freeing yourself
let go now or fall pg.71
You only have to be willing to open your heart in the face of anything ad everything and permit the purification process to take place. pg.74
As long as you're watching, you're not getting lost in it. pg.75
But the moment you allow it to express itself, the moment you let that energy move your body, you have descended to another revel. Now it's almost impossible to let go. pg.77
Once you externalize these energies, you will want to defend your actions and make them look appropriate. But the other person will never think they were appropriate pg.77
When a blockage gets hit, it's a good thing. It's time to open up internally and release the blocked energy. pg.78
Do not rationalize, blame, or try to figure it out. Don't do anything. just let go immediately. pg.79
So don't fall. Let go. No matter what it is, let it go. The bigger it is, the higher the reward of letting go and the worse the fall if you don't. It's pretty black-and-white. You either let go or you don't. pg.79
Chapter 9
removing your inner thorn
In order to grow, you must give up the struggle to remain the same, and learn to embrace change at all times. pg.81
You free yourself by finding yourself. pg.85
The one who notices is already free. pg.86
Be an explorer pg.87
Chapter 10
stealing freedom for your soul
You only think about your body when there is a problem. pg.90
People are constantly thinking things like, "What if I get to put on the spo? What should I say? I get so nervous if I'm not prepared." That is suffering pg.90
It is all so easy to see once you step back and are to look at it honestly. pg.93
Your daily life can be like a vacation. pg.94
You just live your life without getting uptight and worrying about it. You actually live life instead of fearing or fighting it. pg.94
But the bottom line is, that all you have to do is stop putting cigarettes in your mouth. pg.94
The truth is, everything will be okay as soon as you are okay with everything. pg.95
Do not ever fight your mind. You will never win. pg.95
You are not the thinking mind; you are aware of the thinking mind. pg.95
Every time you get into your car, as you're settling into the seat, just stop. Take a moment to remember that you're spinning on a planet in the middle of empty space. Then remind yourself that you're not going to get involved in your own melodrama. pg.97
Then, before you get out of your car, do the same thing. pg.07
These practices create moments of centered consciousness. pg.97
This freedom is so great it has given a special name - liberation. pg.98
Chapter 11
pain, the price of freedom
One of the essential requirements for true spiritual growth ad deep personal transformation is coming to peace with pain. pg.99
Physical pain is only there when something is physiologically wrong. pg.100
simple view inner pain as a temporary shift in your energy flow. pg.103
You will never be free, however, until you get to the point where you are willing t release the initial pain instead of avoiding it. You must learn to transcend the tendency to avoid the pain. pg.104
Part IV
going beyond
taking down the walls pg.111
you will never know the abundance of natural light that is beyond the confines of your house. pg.115
Your house is made of your thoughts and emotions. The walls are made of your psyche. pg.115
you are not willing to approach them, you cannot see what is beyond them. pg.116
Eventually, you will realize that darkness is not what's really there. What is really there are the walls that are blocking the infinite light. pg.116
Focus, instead, on the walls of your own making that are blocking the light. Of what purpose is it to build walls that block the light and then strive for enlightenment. pg.118
chapter 13
far, far beyond
If you never stop, then you go beyond boundaries, beyond limitations, beyond the sense of a restricted self. pg.119
Things seem finite because your perception hits mental boundaries. In truth, everything is infinite. pg.119
If you really want to see why you do things, then don't do them and see what happens. pg.121
see what happens to you when you don't do the things that make you comfortable. pg.121
So there are two ways you can live; you can devote your life to staying in your comfort zone, or you can work on your freedom. pg.122
the confines of your comfort zone create just such a cage. This inner age doesn't limit your body; it limits the expense of your consciousness. Because you are unable to go outside your comfort zone, you are, in essence, locked in confinement. pg.122
You know the limits of your cage when the psyche starts to resist. pg.123
It can be a cage created by your fear of discomfort. pg.123
And remember, decorating your cage with beautiful experiences, fond memories, and great dreams is not the same as going beyond. pg.124
Spirituality begins when you decide that you'll never stop trying. Spirituality is the commitment to go beyond, no matter what it takes. pg.124
Eventually, you will realize that it cannot hurt you to go beyond your psychological limits. If you are willing to just stand at the edge and keep walking, you will go beyond. You used to pull back when it got uncomfortable. Now you relax and go past that point. That is all it takes to go beyond. pg.125
You end up loving your edges because they point your way to freedom. All you have to do is constantly relax and lean into them pg.125
chapter 14
letting go of false solidity
Consciousness is a dynamic field of awareness that has the ability to either narrowly focus or broadly expand. pg.128
You literally define yourself based on what you believe. pg.130
You want people to be steady enough so that you can predict their behavior. pg.130
But what about you, the one who is holding the facade together? pg.131
So we are all clinging and then building. pg.131
If you get that model down absolutely right and behave consistently every time, you have actually "created" someone. And if the someone you create is what others want and need, you can be very popular and successful. pg.131
It's important to realize that it's not just up to you what thoughts you cling to and what person you create. Society has a lot to say about this. pg.131
The noise, the fear, the confusion, the constant changing of these inner energies - it can all stop. pg.132
But if you really want to break through, you have to be willing to just watch the fear without protecting yourself from it. pg.133
You will see that you're literally taking all your memories, pulling them together in an orderly fashion, and saying that's who you are. But you are not the events; you're the one who experienced the events. pg.133
This is a false self you are building inside. It is just a concept of yourself that you hide behind. pg.134
It means that the events that happen at the moment belong to the moment. pg.134
Don't allow events to leave impressions inside of you. pg.134
You must learn to be comfortable with psychological disturbance. pg.135
The only way to inner freedom is through the one who watches; the Self. pg.135
Of course, this will be painful. pg.135
When your mind is disturbed, don't ask, "What do I do about this?" Instead ask, "WHo am I that notices this?" pg.135
If you pass through a period of darkness or depression, just ask, "Who is aware of the darkness?"
If you're willing to let go, you'll fall back and it will open into an ocean of energy. pg.136
There is no need for false solidity when you are at peace with the universal expanse of your true Being. pg.137
Part V
living life
on the path of unconditional happiness pg.141
The highest spiritual path is life itself. If you know how to live daily life, it all becomes a liberating experience. pg.141
You have to realize that you really only have one choice in this life. pg.141
Do you want to be happy, or do you not want to be happy? It's really that simple. pg.141
If you decide that you're going to be happy from now on for the rest of your life, you will not only be happy, you will become enlightened. pg.142
You were not put on Earth to suffer. You're not helping anybody by being miserable. pg.143
If you are committed, nothing can stop you. pg.144
The key to staying happy is really very simple. Begin by understanding your inner energies. pg.144
So to stay happy, just don't close your heart. pg.144
If you want to be close to God, learn to be joyful. pg.147
chapter 16
the spiritual path of nonresistance
What we're really resisting is the experience of the event passing through us. pg.150
This is because events are not problems; they're just events. Your resistance to them is what causes the problem. pg.153
You will be surprised to find that in most situations there's nothing to deal with except for your own fear and desires. pg.153
Letting go of yourself is the simplest way to get closer to others. pg.154
The way to work with resistance is by relaxing. pg.155
chapter 17
contemplating death
The question is, are you going to wait until that last moment to let death to your teacher? pg.157
A wise being completely and totally embraces the reality, inevitability, and unpredictability of death. pg.157
Any time you're having trouble with something, think of death. pg.157
Why wait until everything is taken from you before you learn to dig down deep inside yourself to reach your highest potential? pg.158
Death is not a morbid thought. Death is the greatest teacher in all of life. pg.158
Imagine if you knew you were going to die within a week or a month, how would that change things? pg.158
Think honestly about what you would do with your last week. pg.158
So why not be bold enough to regularly reflect on how you would live that last week? pg.159
Instead, let this knowledge help you to live every moment of your life fully because every moment matters. pg.160
Death changes everything in a flash, that's the reality of the situation. pg.160
What is inside of us that is so afraid that it keeps us from just enjoying life? pg.160
So start using every day to let go of that scared part of you that won't let you live life fully. Since you know you're going to die, be willing to say what needs to be said and do what needs to be done. Be willing to be fully present without being afraid of what will happen in the next moment. pg.161
Learn to live as though you are facing death at all times, and you'll become bolder and more open. If you live life fully, you won't have any last wishes. pg.161
The only thing there is to get for life is the growth that comes from experiencing it. pg.161
What actually gives life meaning is the willingness to live it. It isn't a particular event; it's the willingness to experience life's events. pg.161
What if you brought that kind of awareness to every conversation? That's what happens when you're told that death is around the corner: you change, life doesn't change. pg.161
Life is not something you get it's something you experience. pg.161
If you're busy trying to get something, you will miss the slice you're actually experiencing. pg.161
It is death that makes life precious. pg.162
It is scarcity that makes things precious. pg.162
The wise person realizes that death is constantly giving them something. Death is giving meaning to your life. pg.162
You really don't need more time before death; what you need is more depth of experience during the time you're given. pg.163
You should have a healthy relationship with death, and it should not be one of fear. pg.163
your life will no longer be yours to waste it will be yours to appreciate. pg.163
Don' be afraid of death. Let it free you. Let it encourage you to experience life fully. But remember, it's not your life. You should be experiencing the life that's happening t you, not the one you wish was happening. Don't waste a moment of your life trying t make other things happen; appreciate the moments that are given. You live it as though you were on the verge of death because you are. pg.164
chapter 18
the secret of the middle way
From science we know that if you pull a pendulum thirty degrees to the right, it will swing back until it's thirty degrees to the left pg.167
Tao is in the middle. It's the place where there is no energy pushing in either direction. pg.167
Its power is phenomenal. If you want to imagine the power of the Tao, examine how much energy is wasted swinging sideways. pg.167
Basically, you waste tremendous energy at the extremes. The more extremes it is, the more it becomes a full-time project. pg.168
It won't keep swinging to the extremes unless you feed the extremes with energy. Just let the extremes go. Don't participate in them pg.169
Remember, whoever remains to prevent with the fixity of purpose comes out on top in the end. ppg.170
In the Tao of sailing, the balance point is not static; it's a dynamic equilibrium. pg.171
chapter 19
the loving eyes of god
deep within us, there is a direct connection to the Divine, There is a part of our being that is beyond the personal self. You can consciously choose to identify with that part, rather than with the psyche or the body. pg.173
As you associate less with the physical and psychological parts of your being you begin to identify more with the flow of pure energy. pg.174
You used to walk around feeling anxiety and tension; now you walk around feeling the love. You just feel love for no reason. Your backdrop is love. pg.174
There was only the ultimate expansiveness of their sense of Self merging into the love and light, like a single drop of water merging into the ocean. pg.175
The individual ray is really no different from the sun. pg.176
Such a state exists one can merge into the Universal Absolute. One can merge into God. pg.176;
Ultimately, the only way to know about God is by letting your being merge into the Being, and then start seeing what happens to you. pg.176
Where there used to be judging, there is just appreciating and honoring. pg.177
Nature just gives and gives to whoever will receive. pg.180
You can't offend the Divine Onel its very nature is light, love, compassion, protection, and giving. You can't make it stop loving you. It's just like the sun. You can't make the sun stop shining on you; you can only choose not to look at it. pg.180
Ecstasy is not the only thing God knows. God's nature is eternal, conscious bliss. pg.180
When you begin to feel this joy, that's when you'll know God's nature. Then nobody will upset or disappoint you. Nothing will create a problem. It will all appear as part of the beautiful dance of creation unfolding before you. pg.180
In truth, you have love itself for a God. And if God is in ecstasy, I wonder what He sees when He looks at you? pg.181