Status
Available
Call number
Collections
Publication
New Harbinger Publications (2013), Edition: Gift Edition w/ Ribbon Marker, 232 pages
Description
Psychology. Self-Improvement. Nonfiction. Who are you? When you start to explore this question, you find out how elusive it really is. Are you a physical body? A collection of experiences and memories? A partner to relationships? Each time you consider these aspects of yourself, you realize that there is much more to you than any of these can define. In The Untethered Soul, spiritual teacher Michael A. Singer explores the question of who we are and arrives at the conclusion that our identity is to be found in our consciousness, the fact of our ability to observe ourselves, and the world around us. By tapping into traditions of meditation and mindfulness, Singer shows how the development of consciousness can enable us all to dwell in the present moment and let go of painful thoughts and memories that keep us from achieving happiness and self-realization.The Untethered Soul offers a frank and friendly discussion of consciousness and how we can develop it. In part one, Singer examines the notion of self and the inner dialogue we all live with. Part two examines the experience of energy as it flows through us and works to show listeners how to open their hearts to the energy of experience that permeates their lives. Ways to overcome tendencies to close down to the rest of the world are the subject of part three. Enlightenment, the embrace of universal consciousness, is the subject of part four. And finally, in part five, Singer returns to daily life and the pursuit of unconditional happiness. Throughout, the book maintains a light and engaging tone, free from heavy dogma and prescriptive religious references. The easy exercises that figure in each chapter help listeners experience the ideas that Singer presents.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member sublunarie
Full disclosure: I chose The Untethered Soul because of the cover. I looked at it and said to myself, "Self, a horse running wild and free on a beach? That is so damn cheesy, they might just be on to something."
And, oh, they were.
I could count the number of "self-help"/"personal growth" books I've
There was nothing in The Untethered Soul that I haven't heard before, nothing that I hadn't already thought of myself. But it's the way that Singer says things, and repeats them (he repeats himself a lot, which I've read criticism about, but I think it's being used as a gentle way to drive really important points home) that really made all these things make sense to me. I am still not quite sure if I totally believe that my whole sense of being and my whole life is completely in my own control - I love science, so I understand chaos - but I am teaching myself to control some of it.
I am not the kind of person that would all of a sudden turn my back on everything in my past and live by the rules of one author, and one book alone. However, reading this book has been a really important experience for me and has given me some basic tools to take control of the ways that my life changes in the next few months/years, instead of feeling totally out of it.
And, oh, they were.
I could count the number of "self-help"/"personal growth" books I've
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read in my life on one hand, but I've always side-eyed them with interest. As I am in a MAJOR turning point in my life right now where I can't tell if it's all a shambles or it's just being re-built, I was looking for some guidance.There was nothing in The Untethered Soul that I haven't heard before, nothing that I hadn't already thought of myself. But it's the way that Singer says things, and repeats them (he repeats himself a lot, which I've read criticism about, but I think it's being used as a gentle way to drive really important points home) that really made all these things make sense to me. I am still not quite sure if I totally believe that my whole sense of being and my whole life is completely in my own control - I love science, so I understand chaos - but I am teaching myself to control some of it.
I am not the kind of person that would all of a sudden turn my back on everything in my past and live by the rules of one author, and one book alone. However, reading this book has been a really important experience for me and has given me some basic tools to take control of the ways that my life changes in the next few months/years, instead of feeling totally out of it.
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LibraryThing member Gnorma
In this remarkable book, you will meet your inner roommate, who never shuts up. You will learn to recognize who you really are beyond the outer trappings and inner ramblings. You will realize that you often close your heart and you will begin the practice of keeping it open always. It will take you
There are many metaphysical/philosophical books that are too cerebral or academic, but this is not, it is more hands-on, how to. The author does tend to explain each point more than once. More than 10 times, but you will get it, it will never be over your head. You can buy this book used or as an e-book and save half the cost of the list price. It is well worth it.
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beyond your fears and walls, and show you how to open up to a whole new magical world.There are many metaphysical/philosophical books that are too cerebral or academic, but this is not, it is more hands-on, how to. The author does tend to explain each point more than once. More than 10 times, but you will get it, it will never be over your head. You can buy this book used or as an e-book and save half the cost of the list price. It is well worth it.
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LibraryThing member alancaro
In very easily readable language Michael Singer provides a wonderful pre-meditation primer.
LibraryThing member scottcholstad
The Untethered Soul is a unique book and it obviously means a lot to a whole lot of people because I've never seen a book with a higher rating on Goodreads than this one. Yet I had some problems with it. For that, I'm a little embarrassed, to be honest. Nonetheless, I did.
First of all, I don't
The book, while small and apparently easy to understand for many, seems fairly heavy to me. Perhaps that's because I'm stupid, although I've read an awful lot of philosophy over the years, but there's an awful lot of advice here, some of it quite good when you can follow it. And if I were to follow it, I'd have to read this book some five or six times to just be able to even try to follow all of the advice he gives. I can't do it with one reading. I tried out some of the things in the early chapters and it's quite difficult.
In the later chapters, he starts to get pretty redundant. Actually, he is pretty much throughout the entire book, but it becomes more noticeable in the later chapters. He also starts talking more about God, which is the subject of his last chapter. I actually got something out of this, although I'm not sure I agree with everything he asserts.
Singer believes one can become totally free and totally happy, but in order to do so, one has to seemingly completely clear oneself of any distractions and thoughts of virtually anything, becoming a nonhuman organism (in my words). That doesn't appeal to me. I think that's a weakness of both the book and his approach.
The Untethered Soul is an ambitious book and parts of it are quite good, but I think some of it's pretty vague, some of it's pretty damn difficult to actually accomplish, some of it's boringly redundant, and it might be a little overrated by some. I'm glad I read it and I might reread it again at some point, but it's not the greatest book ever written. Nonetheless, recommended.
First of all, I don't
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normally pick up too many spiritual books to read. I bought this one on the recommendation of a relative. And I found it intriguing. Singer has some interesting concepts. He wants people to stop suffering, to be free, to find their consciousness, to become self aware, to attain true enlightenment. In that regard, it's largely an Eastern religious book, although Singer tries to "Westernize" it by mentioning Jesus (and other spiritual leaders) throughout the book. He begins with the voice in your head that is always talking to you, your own, always second guessing you, offering you advice, often wrong, etc. He writes that if the person behind this voice were on the sofa beside you, you would kick him out in a heartbeat, thinking him crazy. Not a bad point. He writes of the "monkey man," the person inside your head who makes your life miserable and how you can go about silencing him and attaining your true freedom. Yet at the same time, his instructions for doing this seem to me -- but apparently not to others -- to be rather vague, as though the reader already knows some of the steps for going about this. For instance, if your heart is closed, you'll be hurt by things. You need to open your heart to attain true happiness. Um, okay. How exactly do you "open your heart?" Cause I don't know how. I don't think it's as easy as just that.The book, while small and apparently easy to understand for many, seems fairly heavy to me. Perhaps that's because I'm stupid, although I've read an awful lot of philosophy over the years, but there's an awful lot of advice here, some of it quite good when you can follow it. And if I were to follow it, I'd have to read this book some five or six times to just be able to even try to follow all of the advice he gives. I can't do it with one reading. I tried out some of the things in the early chapters and it's quite difficult.
In the later chapters, he starts to get pretty redundant. Actually, he is pretty much throughout the entire book, but it becomes more noticeable in the later chapters. He also starts talking more about God, which is the subject of his last chapter. I actually got something out of this, although I'm not sure I agree with everything he asserts.
Singer believes one can become totally free and totally happy, but in order to do so, one has to seemingly completely clear oneself of any distractions and thoughts of virtually anything, becoming a nonhuman organism (in my words). That doesn't appeal to me. I think that's a weakness of both the book and his approach.
The Untethered Soul is an ambitious book and parts of it are quite good, but I think some of it's pretty vague, some of it's pretty damn difficult to actually accomplish, some of it's boringly redundant, and it might be a little overrated by some. I'm glad I read it and I might reread it again at some point, but it's not the greatest book ever written. Nonetheless, recommended.
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LibraryThing member KrystleLow
FINALLY I've finished this book! It's the longest I've EVER taken in my life to finish a 180-page book. And truth be told, after finishing it, I still think the price of it (RM42) is a bit too much. That's saying something, as I managed to find a website selling it at the lowest; other sites were
It feels like a great weight off my shoulder, finishing this book. It has been dragging on because most times I never felt pulled enough to pick it up and finish it; yet I wanted to get it over and done with as soon as I could, so I would be able to finally pick up another book. (I have this thing where I have to finish a book I started before going on to the next one)
I first got to know about this book through an Oprah video where she interviewed the author. Back then, the topic they were discussing intrigued me, and I read an excerpt of it on the Oprah Book Club website, and it sounded interesting too.
I admit I was disappointed though. Don't get me wrong, there were some good bits here and there that I've taken to practicing, but what I found especially annoying was Singer's tendency at starting sentences with "If you were wise, you would...", "People who are wise would/would not do so-and-so" and "It's really that simple". I dunno about other readers, but those words made me feel like I was stupid. After all, he mentioned that 'if we were wise' we would do it. And we as readers obviously haven't, because well, we bought his book to learn how, didn't we? And when he mentioned that it was 'really that simple', it somehow felt like a bit of a mockery to me.
See, Singer's methods require constant repetition of practice. It requires concentration and dedication to follow through it at all times. Sure, when you've become used to it, it feels routine, but TO LEARN TO PRACTICE IT takes time. So when I read lines like that, it makes me feel as if I'm dumb for not finding it as 'easy' as he claims it to be.
Singer also, I noticed, had the tendency to repeat his points. He would repeat a point several times over, just changing the sentence structures (active-passive, passive-active etc). While repetation is good in some ways to get it in your head, it gets frustrating when you have to read the same points 2-3 times over.
While I admit that certain of Singer's good points were, well, good, I wouldn't have paid that much for the book. Initially I hadn't minded as much because I thought it would be a very good book, seeing as it was so expensive everywhere else.
But eh.. I guess I don't regret the knowledge I got from this book (knowledge is never bad, no?) . Just.. not much my cup of tea.
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selling it at about RM80 for paperback.It feels like a great weight off my shoulder, finishing this book. It has been dragging on because most times I never felt pulled enough to pick it up and finish it; yet I wanted to get it over and done with as soon as I could, so I would be able to finally pick up another book. (I have this thing where I have to finish a book I started before going on to the next one)
I first got to know about this book through an Oprah video where she interviewed the author. Back then, the topic they were discussing intrigued me, and I read an excerpt of it on the Oprah Book Club website, and it sounded interesting too.
I admit I was disappointed though. Don't get me wrong, there were some good bits here and there that I've taken to practicing, but what I found especially annoying was Singer's tendency at starting sentences with "If you were wise, you would...", "People who are wise would/would not do so-and-so" and "It's really that simple". I dunno about other readers, but those words made me feel like I was stupid. After all, he mentioned that 'if we were wise' we would do it. And we as readers obviously haven't, because well, we bought his book to learn how, didn't we? And when he mentioned that it was 'really that simple', it somehow felt like a bit of a mockery to me.
See, Singer's methods require constant repetition of practice. It requires concentration and dedication to follow through it at all times. Sure, when you've become used to it, it feels routine, but TO LEARN TO PRACTICE IT takes time. So when I read lines like that, it makes me feel as if I'm dumb for not finding it as 'easy' as he claims it to be.
Singer also, I noticed, had the tendency to repeat his points. He would repeat a point several times over, just changing the sentence structures (active-passive, passive-active etc). While repetation is good in some ways to get it in your head, it gets frustrating when you have to read the same points 2-3 times over.
While I admit that certain of Singer's good points were, well, good, I wouldn't have paid that much for the book. Initially I hadn't minded as much because I thought it would be a very good book, seeing as it was so expensive everywhere else.
But eh.. I guess I don't regret the knowledge I got from this book (knowledge is never bad, no?) . Just.. not much my cup of tea.
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LibraryThing member mirrani
A friend of mine recommended this book to help me with some of the parts of my past that I have been trying to move beyond. I am not the type of person who actively seeks help with anything, so I typically avoid books that try and help you in that way or push you to find motivation in what they are
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saying, because those books simply don't hit me where I need them to. This one did. I have started my healing process and will pass on the recommendation of this book to anyone who needs to to the same. Show Less
LibraryThing member ajlewis2
There were several places in this book that brought to mind experiences I've had in life. I would give it a rating of 5 for being from the author's experience. It was not a belief system or a how-to. I found the book rambled a lot. At times I was bored reading and just when I thought it was saying
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the same thing yet again, there would be something that clicked or related again to something in my experience. I had a sense that the book was helpful, but I do not feel I can really be sure about that. If the title is appealing to you, then I think that, like me, you will not be disappointed. And also like me, you may have a feeling that you might catch on to all he says down the road a bit. Show Less
LibraryThing member Syeu715
This book was unlike any other I had ever read before. Instead of helping me tackle all my problems one by one using different tactics, he made me see how I could get rid of it all in one fell swoop. He made me see the distinction between the lower self and the higher self, although he uses
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different words. Now, whenever I am caught up with the drama of my mind, I remember his guidance and am able to separate myself from the chaos while rising above. This has been a moment to moment practice and I feel that I have been made the better for it. I can't stop recommending this book to the people around me. It really is a gift to humanity. Show Less
LibraryThing member mktoronto
Wow. I found this book really helpful in getting out of my own head and into my expansive self. This is a book you need to read slowly to let everything sink it. Yet it's very easy to relate to as he has fantastic metaphors to illustrate his concepts. You owe it to yourself to read this.
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2007
Physical description
232 p.; 8.5 inches
ISBN
1626250766 / 9781626250765
Other editions
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