The Blog of Secrets

Each secret revealed in Deepak Chopra's "The Book of Secrets" feels revolutionary to me in my spiritual journey. Consistently, I was blown away by how simple yet completely life changing each one is. Published almost 20 years ago (September 2004), I am shocked at how relevant they are today. A few of the secrets and revelations that have come out of reading the book have inspired me to write about them and share my take-aways with you. Hopefully, you can:

• Appreciate his teachings as much as I have

• Feel motivated to set an intention or goal for your spiritual and personal journey

• Pick up the book and read it

There are so many great nuggets of information in there. With fifteen secrets total, I'm going to share excerpts from three. If any of this inspires you or you decide to read it, shoot me an email or a text so we can nerd out about it!

Reading the "Book of Secrets" in the van in Acadia National Park with Charlie.

The first to share is the seventh secret, "Every Life is Spiritual." In the teaching, he discusses two operating systems that humans can choose to adhere by. The first one is the "operating system of duality" and the second one is the "operating system from wholeness." The idea is that it is our choice how to interpret situations and interact with people every moment. We can decide that each interaction, both positive and negative, are here to teach us something or provide some sort of lesson we can learn from in our spiritual journeys. Here's an incredible example he provides:

You arrive at work one day to find out through the grapevine that your company is downsizing. No one can tell you if your job is at risk, but it might be. In the operating system of duality, the following implications start to come into play:

• I could lose the one thing I need to support myself.

• Someone else has control over my destiny.

• I am faced with something unpredictable and unknown.

• I don't deserve to be blind-sided like this.

• I could be hurt if things go wrong for me.

… these concerns are just part of an operating system. They are programmed into the software of the ego with its total fixation on keeping everything under control. What is really being threatened here is not the loss of a job but a loss of control. This reveals just how fragile the ego's grip actually is.

Now let's reframe the situation in terms of the operating system programmed from wholeness, or one reality. You come to work to find that the company is downsizing, and the following implications begin to come into play:

• My deeper self created this situation.

• Whatever happens, there is a reason.

• I am surprised, but this change doesn't affect who I am.

• My life is unfolding according to what is best and most evolutionary for me.

• I can't lose what's real. The externals will fall into place as they need to.

• Whatever happens, I can't be hurt.

You can see immediately that plugging into the second operating system brings a far greater sense of security."

I've been thinking of past scenarios that have happened in my life where I reacted as if I were the victim, like I didn't deserve what was happening. Or when I've worried about something in the future, afraid of the unknown, suffering, and pain. This concept can easily be applied to our biggest fears, like not being in control (flying in an airplane, speaking in public, an event not going as planned), losing our independence or freedom (starting a new romantic relationship, beginning a demanding profession, changing jobs), or being alone (leaving a relationship, moving to a new city, getting a divorce).

Change is hard but what if instead of being scared we can appreciate the situation that's happening because we understand that we created it, and there's a reason we did. Then, we can trust that who we really are deep down, our souls, will be untouched by the circumstance and that nothing can hurt us. Finally, we can be in flow, ready to sit back and witness how everything will fall into place, and realize that life all around us is happening as it's intended. Eventually, we can get to a point of understanding that absolutely everything that's ever happened or will happen in our lives is what was/is best and necessary for our personal growth and evolution.

After reading this chapter, I've been trying to find little moments throughout the day where I can apply the wholeness operating system into my life. Regardless of what's happening, from minor inconveniences to major shit happenstances (like losing my phone on a ferry to Canada), I've been seeing them through the lens of gratitude, trust, and flow.

It is a magical head space to be in, and throughout your day, you can find opportunities to implement the wholeness operating system when you notice your ego starts feeling hurt or scared.

The next secret that I wanted to share with you is the twelfth one, "There is No Time But Now." I was amazed by his description of time and the different ways we can experience it:

"The trick to dropping the past is to find out how to live now as if it were forever. Photons move at Plank time, which matches the speed of light, while galaxies evolve over billions of years. So if time is a river, it must be a very deep one and broad enough to contain the least speck of time and the infinity of timelessness.

This implies that "now" is more complex than it looks. Are you in the now when you are most active and energized, or when you are most still? Take a look at a river. On the surface, the current is fast and restless. At the middle depths, the flow slows down, until one reaches the bottom, where the silt is only slightly stirred before you touch bedrock, where the motion of water no longer has any effect. The mind is capable of participating at every level of the river."

Thinking of time as a river blew my socks off! Time is a hard concept to grasp… and each person has such a unique relationship with it. We all value it differently, treat it differently, and have different approaches on how to squeeze every last drop of time out of our short human experiences. Some prioritize work and career, working their whole lives to save for retirement. They value being busy and never feel like they have enough time to do what they actually want to do. Others prioritize stillness, slowing down, and connecting with others and the world. Being busy scares them and they are able to find peace in the nothingness. And there's everyone and every moment in between.

Personally, I can oscillate within the spectrum, as I'm sure you can relate to as well. There are times I can feel overwhelmed with everything I have to do or get done. And other times, I am incredibly patient while experiencing life flowing through me and I'm able to sit completely still. Currently, I'm deeply satisfied with the stillness. I'm finding more peace and harmony when I can be still, calm, and at peace. This doesn't mean that what I'm physically doing brings stillness, calmness, and peace. Moving multiple times a week doesn't exactly equate to stillness. But, those are my goals for my mind, which is a huge distinction.

When time goes too fast or it feels like there's never enough of it, I encourage you to slow your mind down as much as possible. It could be a good time to re-prioritize what's important in your life and make sure you're spending enough time doing what fills your most prized cups. Our culture and society have made it too easy and very commonplace to encourage a go-go-go lifestyle. I observe people in huge hurries, going from one thing to the next, never catching their breath. Can you find moments in your day to slow down? Whether it's setting aside time to meditate daily or finding those few moments to take deep long breaths (like while in line at the grocery store). Finding calmness within your mind will help you stay more present ultimately brining more peace to your life.

The last secret I wanted to share is from the last one, "Everything is Pure Essence" and these quotes are actually ones from Yoga Vasistha written centuries, possibly thousands of years ago:

All objects are experienced in the subject and nowhere else.

Whatever the mind thinks of, that alone it sees.

Even as motion is inherent in air, manifestation is inherent in consciousness.

These quotes from that text bewildered me because they so perfectly communicate far-out spiritual concepts that seem difficult to convey, but in incredibly simple sentences that are easy to digest. The previous 14 secrets, explained and transcended so well by Dr. Chopra, all build up to the idea that every single thing in your life is pure essence created by you, the experiencer. Since re-reading these lines, a few times a week, I've been thinking so much about all three of these quotes (mind you, there are about five other mind-blowing quotes in the book from the same historic text that are equally astounding).

We are each creating the exact reality we want every single moment:

• What are you experiencing? That is completely unique to YOUR soul's human existence.

• What are you thinking of? That is ALL you'll ever see.

• Are you conscious? Then you are partaking in manifesting right NOW and all the time, whether you "believe" it or not

It's so simple, yet so utterly mind-blowing. How can you change your mind-set to start creating the life of your dreams right now?

Having completed the book and combining the major takeaways from these three highlighted secrets, my overarching goal is to consciously construct my life while staying tranquil during turbulent situations. Regardless of external circumstances thrown my way, I want to remain non-reactive. I want to operate from wholeness, while knowing that time is malleable and endless. And, I want to consciously fabricate the life of my dreams. I am so excited to witness my entire reality shift while I attempt to accommodate every single one of Deepak Chopra's 15 secrets, and I encourage you to do the same.