Book summary The Tale of the Truth is about the new world view that is emerging, about consciousness raising and the interconnectedness of all things. It shows similarities between quantum physics and Eastern philosophy and weaves together personal and transpersonal development with the development of society. The book brings pieces together and explains the most complex facts in a simple and understandable way. The Tale of the Truth describes the world we can create by expanding our consciousness; what we can do individually and together to create a viable world. It emphasizes the importance of vision and intention, and the role of business life in the transition we are going through – where work and business are seen as platforms for personal growth. The book offers many exercises guiding us to higher states of consciousness, such as managing our thoughts, going beyond thought, freeing ourselves from negative and painful emotions. It also includes breathing techniques, meditation and mindfulness. Tools to move from a fragmented state to a coherent state of mind – to find inner peace and joy, meaning and purpose in life. We are living in the middle of a miracle but rarely have the time to see it. What if this really is Paradise – but in a Do-It-Yourself structure! ISBN:
9789186613099
Author:
Marianne Hallberg
Published by LightSpira, Sweden www.lightspira.com ISBN 978-91-86613-09-9 First edition, 2012 Author: Marianne Hallberg www.thetaleofthetruth.com Editing: English translation: Fact review: Cover photo: Book design:
Bo Hallberg Paul Brook Benny Johansson Marianne Hallberg Recito / Förlagsservice.se
The Swedish original Sagan om Sanningen was published in 2009 by TÄNK OM. © Marianne Hallberg
Contents
Foreword by Lars-Eric Uneståhl
9
Author’s foreword
11
Introduction
15
Chapter 1 Transition
17
Chapter 2 The new physics
21
Chapter 3 Levels of identity
27
Chapter 4 The development of a self
33
Chapter 5 The power of thought
35
Chapter 6 Stress
51
Chapter 7 Breathing
57
Chapter 8 Feelings
67
Chapter 9 Subpersonalities
83
Chapter 10 Transpersonal development
91
Chapter 11 Consciousness
103
Chapter 12 A holistic world view
113
Chapter 13 Quantum psychology
123
Chapter 14 The energy system
139
Chapter 15 The heart’s intelligence
149
Chapter 16 Meditation/Mindfulness
155
Chapter 17 Time
177
Chapter 18 The Now – authentic presence and happiness
189
Chapter 19 Relationships and love
199
Chapter 20 Beauty
221
Chapter 21 Vision, goals and meaning
233
An interconnected world
251
Bibliography
269
Introduction The Tale of the Truth is a book about consciousness development, self-discovery and finding the path to self-realization. It is intended as a guide to help us expand our self-awareness and get in touch with our higher Self, our inner source of insight, and in so doing, deeply transform our way of seeing life. Self-realization in this context has nothing to do with ego-realization1 but is more about diminishing the ego. To succeed in this we need self-motivation, a great deal of patience, time for reflection, exercise, stillness and silence, so that we can begin listening to our inner self. It is said that we have all the answers within us, but we need to develop our sensitivity to see this – and the consequences are often a change of lifestyle, based on inner maturity. This book can also be seen as an “alternative” recipe for success. A way to reach inner success by finding freedom, peace and joy within us, without having to take a detour via external success and material status. External success is no guarantee of inner well-being, while inner peace and harmony give us a sense of freedom and reduced attachment to the material rewards of the outside world. However, it is important to point out that there is no conflict between inner and outer success. On the contrary, the more we get to know ourselves, the more easily we can see what needs to be done. In the planning of this book, I have chosen to start with society at large, the times of upheaval and transition in which we find ourselves, along with observations of the new physics – as far as I am able to understand them – to personal development; what we ourselves can do in order to make contact with that center of unity which 1 For a definition of the ego, see Chapter 3.
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exists inside us all and which – once we have come into contact with it – changes our lives forever. In this state of being, we can see that we are part of everything, experience the whole universe inside us and there the circle ends for me. In this experience, everything is perfect and complete, and there is nothing left to add. This is perhaps the biggest paradox of life; that the more I go into myself, the further out into the universe I come and the more I experience a presence and a connection to everything. There I meet eternity and infinity. A recurrent theme in this book is also what I am going to term a “separate or fragmented” state of consciousness versus a “connected or coherent” state which influences our whole interpretation of existence. It is an advantage if you can read this book at times when you are relaxed and in harmony, in order to more easily come into contact with your own inner wisdom. Even though this book is ultimately about the oneness of all things, I have chosen to structure and treat different areas under their own headings, so you, the reader, if you so wish, can choose topics which feel important at that moment, or start where you are in your own development. I also believe that we need to see through the parts to be able to discern the underlying wholeness. The intention with this structure is also to make it easy for readers to go back and reread certain areas.
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Chapter 1 – Transition You have certainly heard the word paradigm shift1 – maybe too many times – but even so, I have chosen to use this word to label what is going on around us right now. A paradigm shift is not a small change, but a fundamental “change of pattern”, a completely new way of understanding the world and reality. A revolution in “rethinking” where we have to leave much of our present understanding of reality behind us in order to start sensing the outline of the new world order. Much of this has been brought about by modern physics, which with its discoveries, has radically changed most of what we – at least in the West – have believed in. Much is also dependent on the information flow that reaches us from Eastern teachings; which contain a message similar to that of quantum physics. More about that in the next chapter. What we, in the Western world, have studied by examining the external world has in the East been studied through introspection, with both approaches yielding results that are astoundingly similar. The new physics has provided revelations about the universe that are quite close to what Eastern philosophers have been teaching for thousands of years. I believe that this will mean a fundamental change in our way of viewing life – both individually and collectively. 1 Paradigms succeed each other regularly, when new approaches and scientific findings clash so strongly with old “truths”, that the earlier model of reality is no longer considered valid. A paradigm shift therefore is a natural evolutionary process where new knowledge emerges, old knowledge is discarded, and we gain new perspectives. Today it is commonly regarded that we are leaving behind the scientific paradigm, which prevailed for about 300 years, and transitioning to the holistic paradigm and its completely different world view. But even the holistic paradigm is grounded on scientific discovery and can be seen as a synthesis of modern physics and Eastern ideas.
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The land of happiness At the moment we live in a society where it might seem that “everything is getting worse”. We are flooded daily by alarming reports about such things as dramatic job losses, increasing sick leave, corporate greed, widespread despair and violence. Schools are not given the resources they need. It is claimed students can no longer read or write well. We have no time to laugh. People want to retire early, dream of taking a year off or retiring to some exotic spot. Much of the global economy is perceived to be built on “air”. The four most profitable “industries” in the world today are internet poker (with much criminality involved), drugs, sex and the weapons industry. Material prosperity was supposed to give us freedom, security and happiness. Instead, we have become trapped in economic growth. We have sold out our time so that we are not able to manage anything properly. We have to produce more and more to keep the whole process going, and we must consume ever increasing amounts. If we stop consuming, everything will come to a halt, and the whole system will collapse. After 9-11, the American people were urged to show solidarity and set out for their local shopping centers to “shop” their way out of an economic downturn. At some point, people are going to wake up and wonder if the most important thing is to “shop” our way out of every crisis, and thereby “save the world”. There must be a higher meaning in life than to cure societal ills with a trip to the mall. One day someone will utter the timely words – like the child in “the Emperor’s new clothes” – and the smoke screen will disappear. What on earth are we doing? We humans have apparently put ourselves in the precarious situation of consuming the world’s resources about 30 percent faster than they can be renewed. I am talking about the resources that with careful use, are endless. Fish that constantly reproduce, trees that renew themselves through eternity. The system is perfect, if it were not for mankind. How many problems would there be if there were no humans on earth? Ponder that for a while!
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We, who call ourselves the crown of creation, who regard ourselves the most highly developed on earth, do not have the ability to understand the laws of nature. People much wiser than I say that our time is beginning to run out. The planet itself will probably make it (it has millions of years to renew), but something else will replace us and evolution will continue – with mankind as a small footnote in history. That is perhaps quite all right from a higher perspective, but in this scenario mankind will have failed to reach its potential. This may sound like a doomsday prophecy, but we still have a choice and it is important to see that things were not better in earlier times. Today, we can view the world from a global perspective and observe the repercussions of our actions. On the other hand, with the help of modern technology, we also have possibilities like never before to spread knowledge and use our resources in a common effort for a better world. During the writing of this book, I have looked more closely at people in town and I think of the old story about “the native” who said: “it is so scary to look into the eyes of Western people because there is no one there.” Smiles are easily counted, especially those that are seen in the eyes. If joy and happiness were related to material prosperity, we Swedes would have laughed ourselves to death a long time ago. But we have not done that. On the contrary, depression and burn out is on the increase. We have to understand that happiness does not correlate with material prosperity – at least not beyond our basic needs. Freedom, peace and joy are inner states of mind that we can learn to reach.
Why are people experiencing burnout right now? Maybe you could say that the time is right. More and more people are affected by feelings of emptiness, hopelessness and depression because our lifestyle no longer feels sufficiently meaningful; and without meaning, we become worn out more quickly. We are hit by a feeling of being lost. As it is said in the East: in order for something new to be born, the old must die and in between, before the new comes forward, emptiness must enter. And the point is that there 19
should be emptiness – in order for us to be able to set a new course. There is an enormous development potential here. It is our outdated perception of reality that represents the biggest source of stress, and we can see those who are now experiencing burnout as pioneers of the new that is emerging. I believe they are the forerunners of a society with deeper values. You could say that it is our Western lifestyle – with its exaggerated focus on material things – that creates this inner emptiness, which is now leading us to a higher level of consciousness. But at the same time, it is our material prosperity that is giving us the opportunity to take the leap. If we were poor we would have enough of a challenge on our hands just providing ourselves with food and shelter. A new awareness is now emerging and we have a fantastic opportunity to take a giant leap towards a society where growth primarily means human growth. Where technology develops in response to the needs of humanity and not primarily to keep the economy going. Where our inner growth takes on a dominant role and we are allowed to develop as humans. Where we learn to make contact with our inner strength and authenticity, understand that our inner emptiness must be filled from within and where we have a higher vision for our lives, rather than just being “human capital” in the service of economic growth. In the middle of the technological revolution, new business ideas are starting to emerge, like hotels with a silence guarantee and holidays to places where people are not reachable. The new status symbols are said to be having access to clean water, clean air and to “own” your time. Something is obviously happening, and if it is our outdated view of the world that is the problem, let us look more closely at it and see what now is likely to come forth.
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