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A Guide and Index to Genuine Spirituality
Embracing the Now
Finding Peace and Happiness in What IsBy Gina Lake
Reviewed by Dennis L. Trunk
"Happiness isn’t something to attain or achieve but something to notice." - Gina Lake
The latest book from Gina Lake is a collection of 52 essays packed with practical advice about how to find happiness by living in the now. Although organized under several themes, they can be read conveniently in any order. And, because each one is brief, they can be absorbed at a leisurely pace. However, I recommend starting with the "Introduction," especially if you have not read any of her previous work. It defines some of the terms used throughout, and it also provides background information about the essays, which arose out of her one-on-one work with others to help heal them emotionally and to bring about spiritual awakening. In addition, the "Introduction" offers its own set of valuable insights which are worthy of an essay all on their own.
If you have read her earlier books, then you will be familiar with her frequent portrayal of the ego as "the enemy," which she compares and contrasts with "essence," her term for the Self. Her discussions remind me of those of a former teacher I greatly respected who once explained the nature of the ego. It is not a thing of any substance, he said. Rather, it is merely a process in consciousness. For me at the time, that insight by itself was a revolution in understanding.
But the insight is complete only when, as Gina adds, the ego is understood specifically as a process of consciousness misidentifying as something other than itself: misidentification with the body, with concepts, with desires, with fears, etc. The ego is the source for the illusory sense of being a separate individual. Gina understands its nature very thoroughly and examines it in many different ways in these essays. After setting up the ego as "the enemy," she leads the reader into analyzing it, exposing its many pretenses, and then shredding it. In the end, there's nothing left. And that reveals the ultimate truth about the ego. As Gertrude Stein once famously said in another context, "There is no there there."
But why place so much emphasis on understanding the nature of something that is nothing more than an illusion? In part, as Gina points out, it's because the ego is a very potent illusion. It doesn't give up easily or go away without a fight. It's true that it's not a person and it's not the real you, but it acts as if it is. And it's very convincing. As seductive as the Sirens of Greek myth, and as regenerative as the many-headed Hydra, which grew two new heads for each one that was cut off, the ego has to be thoroughly understood and undermined before its many illusions are weakened and destroyed.
As Gina explained to me recently in a brief e-mail exchange, it has been her experience as a teacher that the ego is so strong that even those who awaken to their true nature as the Self may find themselves falling back under its spell. In different terms, her experience is confirmed by the observations of other teachers, such as Eckhart Tolle whom she admires and who has said, "...it does take time before you can stay awake in all situations. Often you may find yourself being pulled back into old conditioned reactive patterns, particularly when faced with the challenges of daily living and of relationships."
But the most important reason by far for understanding the nature of the ego, Gina advises, is that servitude to the ego's demands is very painful. It is felt as a center of tight constriction in both body and mind. Most of the pain in our lives can be traced to its endless cravings, fears, doubts and conditioning, its endless catalog of reasons to heed and obey its loud, insistent voice.
Gina's purpose in these essays is to help move her readers beyond that pain. To do that, she points to another voice, one more subtle and quiet, one that sometimes requires spiritual sensitivity training to hear: the voice of essence. Essence - also known as Awareness, Being, Self, etc. - is who you really are. As Gina says, "You know essence when you experience it, just as you know the ego when you experience it. They feel very different and are very distinct."
Unlike the constrictive ego, essence is expansive and remains in the present by its very nature. It expresses itself as boundless energy, vitality, joy and openness to the now. Gina offers guidance on developing sensitivity to it, such as by meditation and by the simple but powerful act of "noticing." By various means, its presence gradually becomes obvious, so much so that it can actually be felt, and it becomes an anchor for living in the now.
Gina's writings have an especially notable characteristic. When she discusses the nature of essence and how to live from its perspective, her words take on a special life and energy. There is a feel of essence speaking through her. In this set of essays, that voice has come to the fore, speaking ever more strongly and with the authority of understanding. And that may be an understatement.
Published by Endless Satsang Foundation, 2008, ISBN: 978-0-6152-4068-8.
About Gina Lake
Gina Lake has a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology and over twenty years experience supporting people in their spiritual growth. She has authored and edited several books on spirituality.
For More Information
To learn more about Gina Lake and her writings, or to purchase her books, visit Radical Happiness. She is also available for phone consultations.
Copyright © 1999-2009
Dennis L. Trunk
All Rights Reserved
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