Recently I received an invitation to attend a session called the S-Word. Normally this kind of situation would send me running in the opposite direction. I admit, I was intrigued. I didn’t think to queston what the S actually stood for. Could the S be for secret or sensual or sunshine ? It was in fact none of these and after a brief intro at the meeting, I was correct in my assumption that the S stood simply for, Spiritual. Once again, under normal situations, this would have me running for the door.

I was keen and fascinated to know why 20 to 25 mainly women gathered together to talk about their inner selves.We were introduced to the written work of Eckhart Tolle. I admit my ignorance of this author, left me somewhat blank faced. I was still curious. The women I met moments before seemed level headed enough and most pleasant, so perahps this was an experience worth having.

Eckhart Tolle is widely recognised as one of the most original and inspiring spiritual teachers and he travels and teaches throughout the world. His recent book ‘A New Earth - Awakening To Your Life’s Purpose' is already a best seller.



We began to watch an interview given by Oprah Winfrey with Eckhart Tolle. I must say that his Germanic manner had me mesmerised but it was his wit that kept me listening. I had missed the first part of this interview from the week before but was soon able to get to grips with his ideology.

Before I go into the ins and outs of the interview, a good point that should help in grasping his teaching, is that this is all about getting to know yourself and finding your peace but all in your own time.

Expressions and phrases kept hitting me in the face:

Ego – this is a crave that does not satisfy.
Basis for present life is the moment.
What is my relationship with the present moment?
What you resist you persist.
Before you change, you need to accept.

Eckhart cutely says, that if after you have read the book and you do not understand it, you are not ready. You need to experience it and reading the book is a process. This can be most confusing, or extremely ingenious. Actually, I found the later to be more the truth.

To condense his whole teaching, for which I am no disciple or expert but he talks of finding your inner space. Now we’re talking, I thought. From this point I was beginning to relate to what he was saying. Not because I was suddenly a convert but because what he was saying had implied logic.

There was a great deal of focus on ‘Ego’. Humour me on this now and take ten seconds to be aware of your breathing. Go on, just stop and close your eyes and concentrate on the one thing we take so much for granted. Be aware of your breathing. The ten seconds of indulgence is actually quite revealing. It alerts you to the essence of life itself. And any chance you have to bond with nature will help with the reality process. It is true that whilst walking in the woods with nothing but bird song and the rustling of leaves that we feel this inner peace and we believe we have found our sanctuary. Bonding with animals too all helps to relieve the strains of a difficult moment. Energy that is not used for Ego is then released and becomes presence.

Eckhart goes on to say that, ‘I’ refers to me and myself and personal history. Who am I? This is always a question. But leave the answer blank and in that spare time you get a sense of self-presence and aliveness. He goes on to tell you to try this exercise, ‘close your eyes and place your hand in front of you and be aware of your hand. Just concentrate on where your hand is. This consciousness is a process called embodiment.’ Ego is something that starts in childhood. We are quick to learn when we say, ‘this is ‘my’ toy’. This kind of possessiveness continues through life and we attach ourselves to outside influences, which makes us forget about our true being. He continues by talking about ‘Content’ and ‘Structure’. This is to help identify with ourselves. He makes examples such as ‘ a job is not a part of you’. In that, he is saying that should we lose that job for whatever reason, we should still feel complete and not as though a part of us has died. Ego can be negative or positive. Ego is identification with form and ‘products’ are identity enhancers. There is no problem with having possessions but there is no need to be attached. This may seem profound but in truth it all makes sense.

There are so many of us who are obsessed with youth… age brings us a deeper dimension into our lives. How can we help ourselves and what can we do? We should raise awareness and have acceptance of who we are and of how we look. With acceptance comes a feeling of spaciousness and peace. What is the destiny of life forms? We all die.

I can see now, that if there is something I do not understand, it is because I am not ready and have not found my self-awareness. The same, I say, applies to you.

I came away feeling very open-minded on what we sometimes taboo in spiritual teachings. I decided to conclude by believing that by the fact I was questioning the teachings of Eckhart Tolle, I was beginning to be aware of my own existence and point of being. Acceptance, I feel is well and truly on its way. And if it made you feel better, then that cannot be all bad. For me, I have used my personal experiences to find myself, I didn’t think it was in a spiritual way, but in a way that left me feeling more at ease and more complete. So perhaps the S Word is something that you may want to experience for yourself. You certainly can, every Thursday from 2 – 4pm in Fusion at Star’n’Bars in Monaco. Superb people, Safe environment and certainly a Soothing ambiance. This is my experience of the S Word.

By ANNA FILL