The Power of Now

Tolle covers no new ground in this book. Lao Tzu, Buddah, Casteneda, and many many others have have written far more words far longer ago. What Tolle brings is a bell clear distillation of the essence of mystical, divine experience to the englsh-speaking western mind. I feel for the first time that a surgeon's knive has cleanly cleaved a divide between my ego and awareness. This is the power of this book.

Oddly enough I started reading it long ago. I breezed through the first few chapters and thought "Well written, he knows his stuff. Nothing new". I put it down and didn't pick it up again. Untill.... other experiences in life cracked something open in me. Budding awareness had me confused and in searching for answers and confirmation, I picked it up again. WOW!! what a difference a different perspective can make! On second reading, every word was pure juice, a road map to divine presence.

I firmly believe that everyone should have this book on their shelves. Now may not be the time for you either, but when it is, pick it up. I have been amazed by the number of people who have found it on my coffee table, breezed through it, and then gone out and bought a copy without telling me. Until... they stop me on the street and are literally gushing about what a great book that was that I turned them on to.

The Power of Now. Remarkable.

You already know the first half of the story,  wherein Kelly Cookson becomes the first Zelebrity. With a start like that you just have to go for the encore, so we figured that if we both squeezed and stretched a little, we might be able to fit in a quick chat at a local café…  if Kelly arose extra early :)

What a morning! It is one of those t-shirt days in the last days of winter that California’s famous for providing. Kelly just lives 2 blocks away (why is it that we never crossed paths before?) and we meet on her corner to head over to Caffe Luna.

The sharing starts the moment we meet. No awkwardness, no second guessing, no reserve. Of course we started off talking about Zaadz and then moved to Robert Densham, up to Hopedance, laterally to San Luis Obispo, hitting on Dinner groups, tangentially over to Breast pumps, back to Zaadz. Dwelling on moving to LA which is a lot about more Zaadz,  I bring up Bicycle activism which leads to John and retirement and encompasses Evangelical Parents which implies Oklahoma and More Zaadz. Moving on to past livlihood necessarily requires chatting about Shoes or maybe CoHousing which is not complete with bringing up Radical Simplicity or Real Estate. Kelly is big on Divination and Tarot, but what does that have to do with Being stood up at the gates of enlightenment or Sailboats for that matter, but we again bring it back around to Zaadz. I think that Contra Dancing may be in Kelly’s future and is certainly more inspiring than Meth addicts. Pablo Neruda had something to say about Chickens, but I had something to say about Hallucinagens which is never complete without discussing Cosmology and Photography. Did I leave anything out?



All the while our voices flowed and intertwined with bared hearts, free of Ego, and with ever-present eyes. Well, 7 Hours later!… it’s probably time for each of us to get on to what we had actually planned for the day. I wish paid work days passed this effortlessly.

I don’t know why I was surpised, she has a Zaadz tattoo for Zaadz’ sake, but she handed me a Zaadz business card.  Now THAT is a Zaadz ambassador for you.