This was my first introduction to Tolle and I confess, by the end of the first CD I was completely lost. So then I got the book, and did the two in tandem. Once I understood the basic concepts from the book, I quickly discovered that I preferred the CD retreat. So I guess my point is: if you're unfamiliar with Tolle, this is not the place to start. But it's a powerful supplement if you are.

BTW, I purchased the audio download from Audible and made my own CDs (a LOT cheaper, and easy to do. the link should be up above somewhere under "other editions." )

Curator, AfroAmericanHeritage dot com


Dip into the Now and shine brightly   December 6, 2003
 99 out of 101 found this review helpful

It's hard for me to rate one of Tolle's offerings over another for each of them takes me to that place that I've always longed for and looked for through a long history of meditation practice (which I dropped when I first encountered him three years ago). However, if I were put in the position of saying which of his works after Power of Now is my favorite I would have to say Realizing the Power of Now is it.

The Power of Now snapped me out of the seeker's mode and woke me up to the truth of my being and the ocean of peace of that's already and always within "me" - it's all I or anyone who is ready will ever need if they are ripe to accept the invitation to return home to one's being. Once that invitation has been accepted and the various portals to now are explored it will be seen that every life situation is another invitation to return home and to deepen presence. That's where Realizing the Power of Now comes shining through with tremendous clarity, not only for understanding but for what's most important, the actual experience of being/now/presence.

This is a full-blown retreat and each successive tape takes you a little deeper until at one point near the end Tolle leads you masterfully to unplumbed depths of being. Those who are familiar with his speaking style will understand when I say that he has a way of pacing his words and phrases so that one who listens simply drops into the gaps between them and is left in pure being/pure awareness until another phrase pops you back into the phenomenal world, and then back into being.

It reminds me of how a wick gets repeatedly dipped in paraffin thus creating a candle. If you want a candle with some substance to it you must keep dipping it - if you want a life that shines brightly keep dipping into the now. At some point the listener will realize that even while engaged in the phenomenal world pure being has shifted to the forefront of awareness. At first this may simply be the act of simply listening, listening without internal comment/judgement. Gradually this pure being will be seen to accompany you during all activity. It always was there of course, but now it becomes self-evident and so it is realized that your real essence IS the power of now.

Realizing the Power of Now should satisfy those who have listened to some of his abbreviated tapes and were disappointed because they didn't get the whole thing. I have to shake my head when I read those sorts of reviews, as if the amount of content determines one's ability to drop into now/presence. This mindset completely misses what Tolle is getting at. The same can be said for his brilliant Stillness Speaks. All mindsets must be dropped. There are no "mental nuggets" missing to be who you are. Now is literally beyond the mind and once that's seen you will laugh at your previous efforts to rely on mental understanding to live a happy and peaceful life.