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May 2008

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Eckhart vs. The Secret
By Elma Mayer / Ledger Columnist

   Eleven million people are watching Eckhart Tolle on Oprah.com, as of this writing. A year ago, Oprah’s viewers were abuzz about The Secret. Even though Tolle and The Secret play to the same audience, they are actually at odds.
   The Secret says that our thoughts create our reality. Tolle, on the other hand, teaches that we are not our thoughts. Since we can observe them, we can transcend the ego thinking those thoughts.
The Secret’s cheesy title, vague attributions to mysterious cabals, and materialistic focus gloss over any kernels of real value. It does make a few good points, and it introduced the principles of the Law of Attraction to a wide audience. But lack of intellectual and spiritual integrity place The Secret at a relatively low level of consciousness.
When applied properly, the Law of Attraction presents a complementary angle on Tolle’s view. It teaches us to observe how our thoughts affect reality. A key ingredient is allowing—similar to Tolle’s concept of letting go of ego. The Secret kept this a secret, and instead focused on how to get what we desire.
   Tolle’s A New Earth vibrates much higher. His teachings of presence, and being the observer of your thoughts, are flowering into the collective mind. Eleven million participants certainly could tip the scales toward a critical mass of enlightened awareness. Everyone’s talking about A New Earth. It’s no secret!

Elma Mayer, MA, is a Certified Practitioner of The Yuen Method of Chinese Energetics.
www.nowhealing.com
(323) 309-7687

Best Mother’s Day Ever By Kristen Taylor Ledger Columnist

   OK, Kids! Mother’s Day is a couple of weeks away, which is plenty of time to prepare. While the flower pot you’re covering with seeds and glitter in Mrs. Bipson’s class is going to turn out great, face it: Mom knows that pot is Mrs. Bipson’s vision for Mother’s Day, not yours. So if you want to show your mother just how much you care, and make this the best Mother’s Day ever, listen up.
   The good news is that this Mother’s Day isn’t going to cost you one dime of your Wii game fund. The bad news? It will require a little thought and conscientiousness (look it up!).
   What your mother really wants, for just one day, is proof that all of her hard work is actually paying off. You can think of it as a mothering report card, and you need to show her that she’s getting straight As. How do you do this? Easy! Whatever you would do on any other day, do the opposite. Here are some examples.
   It is an hour after lunch. Instead of asking your mother what’s for dinner, ask your father (don’t forget the usual frown and groan when he tells you).
   You need pencils, a protractor, solar cells and low-gluten rice for a school project due tomorrow. Instead of sending your mother to six different stores, make due with pens, a compass, a flashlight, and Arborio rice. If your mother taught you one thing, it’s that every teacher can be distracted by a good risotto.
   Instead of texting/emailing/IM-ing/ichat-ing with your friends, have a conversation (look it up!) with your mom.

   This next one, I’ll admit, might be the toughest thing that mothers try to teach their children, so follow closely. If you take something off, open something up, or otherwise move something from where it was… stay with me here… put it back. Right away. No, not after you finish that episode. Now.
   This is all a little advanced for the preschoolers out there. My advice for the little ones? If you’ve been toying with the idea of giving up diapers once and for all, Mother’s Day is the day to do it.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Kristen Taylor lives in Silver Lake with her family. She is the owner of Juvie, a store for older boys and girls. Her e-mail address is kristentaylor@sbcglobal.net.