“What I liked about working with Michael is that the focus is always on the present moment and not on the ‘next’ thing.” -Tom Bunzel
I really appreciate Tom’s unsolicited testimonial, and it does highlight one of the differences between myself and many other “spiritual teachers.” The NOW is truly all that IS. Unfortunately, most of us are addicted to our thoughts, whose content is past-future, and so we are rarely as present as we could be.
And so when working with people, I listen. And rather quickly I can see/feel the stories that the person is still identified with. Being attached to a story is not right or wrong, but it does open up the door for suffering. Why? Because they are identifying with something that they are not.
And so, together, we put the story under a “microscope” to see if it truly defines them in anyway. And when the story is seen through/begins to thin out, a space within them opens up that was once occupied by the story. And that space is NOT filled up with a “better story,” but rather left empty! With the result being the person has a direct experience of their own timeless/intrinsically peaceful nature. It’s obvious when this happens, because we both fall into silence.
-Michael Jeffreys