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The Freedom of Being: At Ease with What Is
Popular spiritual writer and teacher Jan Frazier shows how to move from emotional and mental turmoil to quiet joy and happiness in The Freedom of At Ease with What Is.
Frazier, the author of the bestselling When Fear Falls The Story of a Sudden Awakening, offers practical and effective suggestions for developing "presentmoment" awareness as the key to awakening. Frazier shows how getting caught up in being on a spiritual journey often sustains the illusion of timespecifically some future time when you hope to awaken. But letting go of the idea of the future and staying focused in the present can give you access to a rich life free of suffering.
"When you are hurting, or feeling very unawake, or dissatisfied with yourself, instead of saying 'I've got to change' or 'I've got to get enlightened,' step outside of the whole thing and simply observe your thoughts and feelings neutrally, without judgment. This nonjudgmental looking is transformative." Jan Frazier
Whether you feel stuck in your life, or simply want to suffer less and live more consciously, The Freedom of Being offers a blueprint to make the shift into the present.
Frazier, the author of the bestselling When Fear Falls The Story of a Sudden Awakening, offers practical and effective suggestions for developing "presentmoment" awareness as the key to awakening. Frazier shows how getting caught up in being on a spiritual journey often sustains the illusion of timespecifically some future time when you hope to awaken. But letting go of the idea of the future and staying focused in the present can give you access to a rich life free of suffering.
"When you are hurting, or feeling very unawake, or dissatisfied with yourself, instead of saying 'I've got to change' or 'I've got to get enlightened,' step outside of the whole thing and simply observe your thoughts and feelings neutrally, without judgment. This nonjudgmental looking is transformative." Jan Frazier
Whether you feel stuck in your life, or simply want to suffer less and live more consciously, The Freedom of Being offers a blueprint to make the shift into the present.
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2012
48 people are currently reading
190 people want to read
About the author
Jan Frazier
22 books24 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Until the summer of her fiftieth year, Jan Frazier lived a life typical for a well-educated, middle-class American woman. A divorced mother of two teenagers, she was making a modest living writing and teaching writing. Following a Catholic childhood in Miami in the 1960s, she had studied English in college and graduate school. In her late twenties, longing for hills and snow, she moved to New England, where she was active in the peace movement. But the inner peace she sought always eluded her.
Then, in August 2003, she experienced a radical transformation of consciousness. Fear fell away from her, and she was immersed in a state of causeless joy that has never left her. While she has continued her life as writer, teacher, and mother, she has discovered it is possible to live a richly human life free of suffering. Her wish now is to communicate the truth that within every person is a pool of calm well-being that waits patiently to be stirred to life.
When Fear Falls Away: The Story of a Sudden Awakening (Weiser Books, 2007) is Jan's day-by-day account of the shift in consciousness and its alteration of her life. Her poetry and prose have appeared widely in literary journals and anthologies. Her poetry collection, Greatest Hits, was published by Pudding House, and she has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She has been inspired by Gurumayi, Krishnamurti, and Eckhart Tolle, but the joy she lives in belongs to no particular tradition, and is available to all.
(from Web site)
Until the summer of her fiftieth year, Jan Frazier lived a life typical for a well-educated, middle-class American woman. A divorced mother of two teenagers, she was making a modest living writing and teaching writing. Following a Catholic childhood in Miami in the 1960s, she had studied English in college and graduate school. In her late twenties, longing for hills and snow, she moved to New England, where she was active in the peace movement. But the inner peace she sought always eluded her.
Then, in August 2003, she experienced a radical transformation of consciousness. Fear fell away from her, and she was immersed in a state of causeless joy that has never left her. While she has continued her life as writer, teacher, and mother, she has discovered it is possible to live a richly human life free of suffering. Her wish now is to communicate the truth that within every person is a pool of calm well-being that waits patiently to be stirred to life.
When Fear Falls Away: The Story of a Sudden Awakening (Weiser Books, 2007) is Jan's day-by-day account of the shift in consciousness and its alteration of her life. Her poetry and prose have appeared widely in literary journals and anthologies. Her poetry collection, Greatest Hits, was published by Pudding House, and she has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She has been inspired by Gurumayi, Krishnamurti, and Eckhart Tolle, but the joy she lives in belongs to no particular tradition, and is available to all.
(from Web site)
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 20, 2017
If I had more than 5 stars to give, I would. This felt like a tremendously important book. Not since reading Eckhart have I been so affected by a voice of spiritual experience. Jan is the real thing, and speaks with a lucidity and clarity that conveys the ancient truths of spiritual awakening with contemporary intelligence - and best of all - within a framework and language of psychology that considers the whole human psyche. This book has changed the way that I see myself, my clients, my world. Immediately goes on my 're-reading' nightstand books.
I recommend this to every friend who is into Eckhart, Katie (frankly even reminiscent of Nisargadatta) and self-growth in the transcendent mode. It is thicker, wordier and more grounded than both of these, but no less unwavering in the description of that territory. Hope to meet her someday!
I recommend this to every friend who is into Eckhart, Katie (frankly even reminiscent of Nisargadatta) and self-growth in the transcendent mode. It is thicker, wordier and more grounded than both of these, but no less unwavering in the description of that territory. Hope to meet her someday!
May 2, 2013
If you're wondering how one goes about being present, then this book is for you. Frazier explains presence is a way that is meaningful and clear. The best book on the subject I have ever read and I've read more than a few.
May 12, 2021
I hesitate to call this a "self " help book , since it is the writers assertion that the "self" that our ego/mind is constantly reviewing, protecting, and updating is the cause of much of humanity's suffering.
Drawing on the Buddhist principle of being "present" and living in the moment, she even challenges the concept of time, saying the the future and the past exist only in our minds, and the only true reality is this present moment.
Somewhat repetitive and not an easy read, but a very convincing work.
Drawing on the Buddhist principle of being "present" and living in the moment, she even challenges the concept of time, saying the the future and the past exist only in our minds, and the only true reality is this present moment.
Somewhat repetitive and not an easy read, but a very convincing work.
May 25, 2020
Its an odd thing that in the search for spiritual growth what works for one person leaves 3 or 4 or 5 or more people completely cold. So when I say that Jan Frazier is one of the few people who manage to communicate parts of the "awareness" that I know from personal experience and more importantly the parts of "awareness of what is" that are currently beyond me and even more important indicates how to become more open. Then of course what works for me very likely won't work for someone else.
Like much about the search for spiritual growth the message is simple, "acccept what is" its the living it that is incredibly difficult. I mean if I accepted what is I would never have bought the book in the first place.
As usual I make a few notes as I read and I am copying them here with no idea that they will make sense.
==================
As someone who gets glimpses of the absolute then there are sections of the book that seem a bit repetitive as it is covering the ground for people who have never had a glimpse. And there are other parts where I feel like she is talking about something that I am never likely to experience and this can also seem a little tedious.
Where she talks at the level that is relevant to me then I can't think of a more powerful book.
Part 3 opens with a quote from John O'Donohue
"If there were a spiritual journey it would be only a quarter inch long!"
The more I go round in the circles the more true that seems to be in the moments I feel "at home"
In chapter 14 she seemed to be talking directly to me!
"This where you walk to the edge of the cliff that has been your life. This is where you learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable."
"Occupy the present moment of living awareness, or confront it as a bundle of thoughts."
"Give up the idea of being on a journey. This is it. This now is it."
Chapter 15 also felt very relevant with the sense that somehow the spiritual life can get divided off as separate to everyday life and this was very relevant for me. It seems easier to be free of self for brief periods in safe company but then Jan says if you do this then its not the real thing.
Chapter 16 also challenging in a direct and relevant way.
"anytime you think that you know something . . . you can be certain it's the ego that's thinking this."
This has the ring of truth however often I try to convince my self that understanding is good!
pp220 "it isn't for lack of understanding that you're still living life as your ego. It's because you aren't willing to go where you need to go."
Tough love from Jan.
pp222 "If you're noticeably more able to step outside of a thought and see it as such, you may find your less inclined to buy into thoughts in the first place."
I get this seeing thoughts from the outside in meditation and it's interesting that she seems to intrinsically rely on direct inquiry and contemplation.
pp223 "At times, you may experience periods of backsliding into the pull of patterns you thought you were done with. don't waste energy on getting discouraged just stay with what's happening without resistant and keep aware."
This is so helpful and practical. I have started to see this sort of honesty as the sign of the real thing. Rupert Spira talks this way as well.
Like much about the search for spiritual growth the message is simple, "acccept what is" its the living it that is incredibly difficult. I mean if I accepted what is I would never have bought the book in the first place.
As usual I make a few notes as I read and I am copying them here with no idea that they will make sense.
==================
As someone who gets glimpses of the absolute then there are sections of the book that seem a bit repetitive as it is covering the ground for people who have never had a glimpse. And there are other parts where I feel like she is talking about something that I am never likely to experience and this can also seem a little tedious.
Where she talks at the level that is relevant to me then I can't think of a more powerful book.
Part 3 opens with a quote from John O'Donohue
"If there were a spiritual journey it would be only a quarter inch long!"
The more I go round in the circles the more true that seems to be in the moments I feel "at home"
In chapter 14 she seemed to be talking directly to me!
"This where you walk to the edge of the cliff that has been your life. This is where you learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable."
"Occupy the present moment of living awareness, or confront it as a bundle of thoughts."
"Give up the idea of being on a journey. This is it. This now is it."
Chapter 15 also felt very relevant with the sense that somehow the spiritual life can get divided off as separate to everyday life and this was very relevant for me. It seems easier to be free of self for brief periods in safe company but then Jan says if you do this then its not the real thing.
Chapter 16 also challenging in a direct and relevant way.
"anytime you think that you know something . . . you can be certain it's the ego that's thinking this."
This has the ring of truth however often I try to convince my self that understanding is good!
pp220 "it isn't for lack of understanding that you're still living life as your ego. It's because you aren't willing to go where you need to go."
Tough love from Jan.
pp222 "If you're noticeably more able to step outside of a thought and see it as such, you may find your less inclined to buy into thoughts in the first place."
I get this seeing thoughts from the outside in meditation and it's interesting that she seems to intrinsically rely on direct inquiry and contemplation.
pp223 "At times, you may experience periods of backsliding into the pull of patterns you thought you were done with. don't waste energy on getting discouraged just stay with what's happening without resistant and keep aware."
This is so helpful and practical. I have started to see this sort of honesty as the sign of the real thing. Rupert Spira talks this way as well.
July 13, 2017
I have stopped counting the number of times I have read this book
I believe this is one of the absolute best reads : It is the experience of reading this book that is so profound not the completion.
I believe this is one of the absolute best reads : It is the experience of reading this book that is so profound not the completion.
January 6, 2019
Beautiful!
May your journey be blessed and sweet as described here. May we all know this peace and beauty. Thank you for sharing Jan.
May your journey be blessed and sweet as described here. May we all know this peace and beauty. Thank you for sharing Jan.
August 28, 2021
Walk to the well.
Turn as the earth and the moon turn, circling what they love.
Whatever circles comes from the center.
-Rumi
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
- T. S. Eliot
To be conscious is not to be in time.
- T. S. Eliot
The Freedom of Being: At Ease With What Is offers a life changing new perspective. In 2021, I read The Greatest Secret by Rhonda Byrne multiple times. Jan Frazier was frequently quoted in The Greatest Secret and was the teacher that connected with me the most. I'm looking forward to reading more books by the author.
Favorite Passages:
Invitation to the Reader
This book means to open you to possibility beyond what you've known thus far. It means to draw you closer not to certainty, but to comfort in the absence of answers.
Introduction
There is possibility yet, in the given time, to come alive, to remember ourselves. Our intelligence is wide-ranging enough to intuit that what the mind produces, what it has access to, may not be the ultimate truth. We are like our own prodigal children. Though we've become lost in all our highly evolved mental finery, the truth of what we are can be discovered anew. We can come home to the presence we were born to.
Open the Door
On the other side of the familiar is the extraordinary.
Have you always known this was so?
That quiet hunch, that there is more?
More to life than the day-to-day absence of satisfaction?
Everything is a door, every wall an opening, on second look
Every floor a trapdoor.
Every solid thing you lean against, a thing on hinges.
When you walk through and look back, it's gone.
When you drop through and look up, there's only sky.
You are floating but nothing's holding you up.
It isn't the way it appears to be.
You aren't what you think you are.
The Human Condition
Sometimes you get a whiff of it on the wind. A scrap of a melody playing in the distance, beyond what you're otherwise paying attention to.
_______
Do you think these are just words chasing their own tails?
Discovering the truth about yourself is like cutting yourself for the first time, encountering that sticky red, and realizing it was there all the time.
Turn as the earth and the moon turn, circling what they love.
Whatever circles comes from the center.
-Rumi
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
- T. S. Eliot
To be conscious is not to be in time.
- T. S. Eliot
The Freedom of Being: At Ease With What Is offers a life changing new perspective. In 2021, I read The Greatest Secret by Rhonda Byrne multiple times. Jan Frazier was frequently quoted in The Greatest Secret and was the teacher that connected with me the most. I'm looking forward to reading more books by the author.
Favorite Passages:
Invitation to the Reader
This book means to open you to possibility beyond what you've known thus far. It means to draw you closer not to certainty, but to comfort in the absence of answers.
Introduction
There is possibility yet, in the given time, to come alive, to remember ourselves. Our intelligence is wide-ranging enough to intuit that what the mind produces, what it has access to, may not be the ultimate truth. We are like our own prodigal children. Though we've become lost in all our highly evolved mental finery, the truth of what we are can be discovered anew. We can come home to the presence we were born to.
Open the Door
On the other side of the familiar is the extraordinary.
Have you always known this was so?
That quiet hunch, that there is more?
More to life than the day-to-day absence of satisfaction?
Everything is a door, every wall an opening, on second look
Every floor a trapdoor.
Every solid thing you lean against, a thing on hinges.
When you walk through and look back, it's gone.
When you drop through and look up, there's only sky.
You are floating but nothing's holding you up.
It isn't the way it appears to be.
You aren't what you think you are.
The Human Condition
Sometimes you get a whiff of it on the wind. A scrap of a melody playing in the distance, beyond what you're otherwise paying attention to.
_______
Do you think these are just words chasing their own tails?
Discovering the truth about yourself is like cutting yourself for the first time, encountering that sticky red, and realizing it was there all the time.
July 15, 2024
A book with a lot to absorb
I am quite fascinated with the author's premise for this book. I thoughtbit was a hard read, as she substantiated her thoughts at great length and in great detail to slowly bring you through her elaborate but necessary thinking. I found I began to read small sections as a time, which helped me absorb it much better, with frequent breaks. But I did feel it was an important book with which I hope will clarify my internal view of my life and help me to be more present in my day to day life.
I am quite fascinated with the author's premise for this book. I thoughtbit was a hard read, as she substantiated her thoughts at great length and in great detail to slowly bring you through her elaborate but necessary thinking. I found I began to read small sections as a time, which helped me absorb it much better, with frequent breaks. But I did feel it was an important book with which I hope will clarify my internal view of my life and help me to be more present in my day to day life.
February 13, 2022
I needed this book and it came at the right moment, I felt every word written. Highly recommend it to those who tend to fantasize about the future or think too much about the past, the only moment that exists is NOW. I will re-read this book for sure!
January 4, 2026
probably the most lucid, structured, non nonsense explanation of what it's like when enlightened. if she's not there, she's probably one of the closest living writers who are.
read for insight and instructions to get here. beautiful prose.
read for insight and instructions to get here. beautiful prose.
December 24, 2025
Just the right messages at just the right time, or the best book I've read thus far.
January 20, 2023
A book I read ages ago, however, Goodreads didn't update my tracker when I updated it as READ -:Gee Thanks Guys
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews