RETURN to ESSENCE - How to Be in the Flow and Fulfill Your Life’s Purpose

When you are in the flow, you know it. It does feel like a flow, like moving through water, going with the current. It’s easy. You feel light. You’re having fun. The flow feels magical because it is mystical. The flow is the experience of who you really are as it moves through life. It is the experience of Essence, your true self. Once you experience the flow often enough, you don’t want to go back to not being in the flow. But how do you get there and how do you stay there? That is what this book explores. Being in the flow and not being in the flow are two very different states of consciousness. One is dominated by the ego-driven, or egoic, mind, while the other is the domain of Essence, the Divine within you. Not being in the flow is caused by identification with the egoic mind, which is most people’s ordinary state of consciousness. Ego-identification is a state of unhappiness and discontentment. Being in the flow, on the other hand, is the experience of Essence as it lives life through us and fulfills its purpose for this life. It is an experience of true happiness, peace, and contentment. We will explore each of these states in depth and the interplay between them. Introduction Chapter 1: The Nature of Life Who You Are—The Flow—The Ego and the I—The Life Plan—Discovering Essence Chapter 2: Challenges to Being in the Flow The Ego’s Opposition to the Flow—Ego-Identification—Not Believing the Flow Exists—Turning Away from the Flow—Being Identified with Thoughts —Being Identified with Beliefs—Letting Fear Rule—Being Identified with Feelings Chapter 3: Overcoming the Challenges to Being in the Flow Discovering the Flow—Choosing to Be in the Flow—Meditation—Inquiry— Becoming Aware of Thoughts—Becoming Aware of Feelings—Identifying Your Stories Chapter 4: Getting into the Flow Recognizing the Flow—Experiencing the Flow in Extraordinary Moments— Dropping into the Flow in Ordinary Moments—Being Present—Being Present to Whatever You Are Doing—The Power of Meditation Chapter 5: Making the Flow Go The Ego’s Relationship to the Flow—The Flow Has a Direction—Waking Up—The Life Purpose—What Moves the Flow—Facilitators of the Flow— Desire's Impact on the Flow’s Direction—Blockages to the Life Plan Chapter 6: Co-creating with the Flow Choosing by Deciding—Knowing all of a Sudden—Why the Ego's Decisions Can’t Make You Happy—Another Way of Choosing—Co-creating with Essence Chapter 7: Finding the Flow The Tyranny of the Egoic Mind—Getting Free from Ego-Identification and Negativity—Ask and You Shall Receive—How Good Habits Keep Us out of the Flow—How Bad Habits Keep Us out of the Flow—Habits that Bring Us into the Flow Chapter 8: Discovering the Direction of the Flow Knowing and Not Knowing—Recognizing the Flow’s Direction—The Feeling of Being in the Flow Chapter 9: How Life Comes out of the Flow How Planning Keeps You out of the Flow—How Planning Comes out of the Flow—How Talking Comes out of the Flow—Work and Play—Creativity Chapter 10: Fulfilling Your Life’s Purpose How Feelings Point to the Flow—How Ease Points to the Flow—How Events Point to the Flow—How Longing Points to the Flow—How Excitement Points to the Flow—How Opportunities Point to the Flow—How People Point to the Flow—How Intuition Points to the Flow—How Talents Point to the Life Purpose—How Family Points to the Life Purpose—How Culture Points to the Life Purpose—Preparing for the Life Purpose— Recognizing the Life Purpose—Success and the Life Purpose—The Timing of the Life Purpose—Carrying out the Life Purpose—Fulfilling Your Destiny About the Author