There is only now

Spiritual consciousness has no boundaries and there is no running away from past-life lessons. Outwitting the universe or manipulating our destiny do not have the answers that we need to be searching for because ‘instead of thinking of ways to escape the situation, it is better to face it gracefully, doing whatever we can’ and Jal Patel, the writer of this immensely readable book ‘The bedside book of life’, is in many ways attempting to help a reader find the missing pieces that complete the mystery that has the potential to let us live life to the fullest.

This book goes on to talk about karmic contracts and soul pacts made in past lives and focuses on the possibilities of being able to diffuse negative energy with positive actions. Time and karma, writes Jal Patel, are powerful forces that ‘can change everything in a blink of an eye’ and need to be understood and channeled correctly. This is because ‘our destinies are inter-woven through our karmic actions from the past- and present-life karma’ though most of us may not recollect any ‘agreements made on a soul level’. This could be because of the veil that separates us from past memories resulting in what can be called spiritual amnesia. Not that this state of forgetfulness is evil because this is what gives us enough leverage to influence outcomes by our actions and start afresh. The insights into PLR or past life regression, conditioned minds, the way planetary positions affect the choices we make, and the art of realigning ourselves with the interrupted process of living the present life make this book an essential read for most of us.

The writer informs us that ‘the inner space is the eye of the storm, no matter what is going on around us, we are ok here. This is where we are connected with the universe’ and this is where a better awareness can start the real action. The reason for action to awaken is necessary because ‘in about 50,000 to 70,000 thoughts in a day, 80% of them are negative’ and when this sequence takes over, it is the monkey chatter that reigns supreme. This monkey mind is nothing but our ego that ‘tricks us into thinking many things that are not even true’ and initiates our journey into the land of disorientation which is nothing but an obsession with the material world. Quite obviously then, if this march into the land of disorientation is an adversity, it is only reasonable to move inwards for a realization that ‘human life is so precious is not because we are superior to others but because we have an opportunity to co-create and deliberately change our lives.’

What the writer is telling us is that even though we are connected with our past karmas in time and space, the only way to move ahead is in the present. The present can prosper and proliferate when we learn to disengage with our unconscious past-life layers to manage the ‘now’. Even the blurb of the book proclaims that it a ‘guided tour into the spiritual scheme of life, revealing the intricate pattern of the bigger picture as it unfolds and adds up to your existence’. This definitely is one of those rare books that any reader may want to go back to repeatedly as one hurried reading isn’t enough. Let me add here that as Jal Patel dissects layer after layer one does tend to feel like he is reading an intricately woven thriller. One is perpetually on one’s guard as each chapter opens up the possibility of new and unexpected villains and it is such a relief to find the writer suggesting a way out of every quizzical twist and problems that seem hazardous and almost unconquerable. One does feel sort of safe all through this journey of self-discovery primarily because one knows that life is not a dead-end and that more than one way out exists.

Talking of solutions, answers, and safe exits from constantly threatening facets that are revealed, the writer does suggest a number of healing tools towards the end of the book. This compilation of the author’s time-tested healing tools and practices is exhaustive and a few even date back to Huna healing methods that the ancient Polynesians practiced. No, these aren’t a complex mumbo-jumbo of indecipherable chants but short actions that can be easily understood and adopted. For instance, the easiest are salt showers and salt clearing that have a positive effect on negative energy that could build up and be an obstacle to psychic progression. Everything from correcting your body aura to being able to handle life’s adversities gracefully and living a life of fulfilment is a part of this toolkit shared by the author.

We are living in times when upheavals of varying intensities are faced by everyone and these obstacles in our path to an evolved spiritual awareness are heavily mutated and come at us with great force. It is books like the one written by Jal Patel that help us understand these regressive powers, giving us the resolve to fortify ourselves to move into higher planes of spiritual consciousness. The journey of our soul through time and space is intrinsically bound by our karmas and yet we need to keep moving forward to wherever it is that the universe intends us to reach. We have only ‘now’ with us.

Book details:

Title: The bedside book of life
Author: Jal Patel
Publisher: Hay House Publishers India
ISBN: 978-93-88302-38-8