Leonard Jacobson

How do You Respond to Criticism?

Question: What is the best way to respond to criticism? Answer: Whenever you feel criticized, the first thing to do is determine whether you are being criticized or whether you are simply being given feedback about yourself. If it is feedback and not criticism, you would be wise to listen carefully and respond appropriately. Is there something being shared with you that you need to hear? It is foolish to defend against feedback that might reflect areas of unconsciousness within you. But in … [Read more...]

Category: Life Tags: criticism, presence

The Path of Presence

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Question: I have been feeling depressed lately. Can you speak about depression? Answer: If you have been feeling depressed, it more than likely indicates that you have anger repressed within you. If you want to come out of the depression, you will have to learn how to express anger in a conscious and responsible way. You will have to liberate the energy of anger so that it is no longer repressed within you. Whenever you feel angry, it is an indication that you are not getting what you want … [Read more...]

Category: Health Tags: depression, presence

The Path of Presence

By Leonard Jacobson 2 Comments

Question: What must I do to awaken and be free? Where is the moment from asleep to awake? Answer: To awaken requires a deep intention on your part to be present. Every moment you have a choice. Will you be present with what is actually here now, or will you allow yourself to be absorbed into the world of the thinking mind, which is an illusory world of thought, memory and imagination. The present moment is always available, but you have to choose it. The more you choose Presence, the more … [Read more...]

Category: Life Tags: awakening, presence

The Path of Presence

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Question: What is fear and how do I deal with it? Answer: Fear is a primal feeling that dates from prehistoric days. It is a feeling that was originally designed to move us to "fight or flight" whenever our physical survival was threatened. This fight-or-flight response has played a large part in the survival of the species. But as we became more sophisticated and moved more and more into the mind and its world of thought and emotion, fear entered inappropriately into that world. The … [Read more...]

Category: Life Tags: presence, present moment

Why Do We Dream?

By Leonard Jacobson 1 Comment

Question: What are dreams and why do we dream? Answer: Dreams falls into three categories. The first category is a meaningless dream. Just like many of your thoughts during the day are random and meaningless, it is the same with this kind of dream. The more silent your mind during the day, the less this kind of dream will occur during sleep. The second category of dream is more meaningful. Dreaming often gives us the opportunity to experience and release feelings like fear, anger, hurt and … [Read more...]

Category: Life Tags: awakening, dreams, presence

Ask Leonard

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Question: How can I know God? I want desperately to believe in God! Answer: From my perspective, belief in God is an obstacle to knowing God. When we believe in God, we create God in our image, and all we are creating is an illusion to make us feel safer. Belief is a function of the mind and we can only know God through direct experience. So how does one have a direct experience of God? God is here now, but we are not! Mostly we are lost in the world of the mind. It is a world of the … [Read more...]

Category: Life Tags: presence

Ask Leonard

By Leonard Jacobson 3 Comments

Question: You speak of a hierarchy of repressed emotions as follows: anger, hurt, need and fear. I gather from what you say that our needs, other than for survival, are an illusion. Is awareness of these needs all that is necessary for them to be met and to move beyond them? Is there some action we must take? Leonard's Answer: The only true need is the need for others to be present with us. All other needs are substitute needs. When we came into this world as tiny and vulnerable babies, we … [Read more...]

Category: Life Tags: mindfulness, presence

Overcoming the fear of death

By Leonard Jacobson 2 Comments

Question: I have been a spiritual seeker almost all my life. I have had many wonderful experiences and feel I have grown and evolved immensely. However, there is still one area which I feel has not changed much and that is my fear of dying. How can I overcome this fear of death? Leonard's answer: If you are not present, and you are functioning mostly from within the mind, then death is always approaching, and it creates fear in two ways. The first is that we are afraid of the unknown, and … [Read more...]

Category: Life Tags: awakening, death, presence

Degrees of Presence

By Leonard Jacobson 3 Comments

Question: Is it possible to think and be present? Leonard's Answer: It is important to know that there are levels of Presence. It is as if Presence exists on a vertical scale or axis. As you deepen into Presence, you cross a point on the vertical axis where time disappears. Now you are in the Eternal realm. There is no time. Life does not exist outside of the moment, and you do not exist outside of the moment. You are completely absorbed into the Oneness. You are completely absorbed into the … [Read more...]

Category: Life Tags: awakening, presence

Overcoming Abuse in our World

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Question: Humans can be very abusive in their unconsciousness. How can we overcome abuse in our world? Leonard's Answer: This is an extremely important question. Humanity is caught in a never-ending cycle of abuse. One lifetime we play the role of abuser, and the next lifetime, we are the abused. The same thing manifests in this lifetime. We are either the abuser or the abused, and sometimes we are both. We are lost in false power, which is the cause of all the abuse throughout history and … [Read more...]

Category: Life Tags: awakening, presence, present moment