The Calm Center: Reflections and Meditations for Spiritual Awakening

by Steve Taylor, Eckhart Tolle (Introduction)

Discover the Essence of Who You Really Are

These powerful meditations and poetic reflections will comfort, inspire, and gently bring you out of the hectic day-to-day and back to the bedrock of peace, and even joy, of your true, essential, and authentic self. By encouraging you to see the limitations of your everyday, conditioned personality, Steve Taylor empowers you to step outside of it so you can breathe the fresh air of freedom. His words will guide you on a journey through the landscape of wider awareness, pointing out the obstacles and landmarks along the way to enlightenment. A profound modern spiritual text with the power to transmit awakening, The Calm Center will help you open to the deepest and highest experiences of a life fully lived.

Genres: Poetry, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Meditation, Philosophy, Self Help

128 pages, Hardcover

First published April 27, 2015

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Steve Taylor is a senior lecturer in Psychology at Leeds Beckett University, UK. His latest books in the US are The Calm Center and Back to Sanity: Healing the Madness of the Human Mind. He is also the author of The Fall, Waking From Sleep, and Out Of The Darkness. His books have been published in 19 languages. His research has appeared in The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, The Journal of Consciousness Studies, The Transpersonal Psychology Review, The International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, as well as the popular media in the UK, including on BBC World TV, The Guardian, and The Independent.

Reviews

[Diana Raab · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steve Taylor's eighth book and, like all of his others, should rest either on your night table for private viewing or on your coffee table to be shared with loved ones who appreciate the connection between poetry and spiritual musings. His latest book is packed with universal wisdom to ponder, reflect on, and integrate into a seeker's life. Taylor has an innate knack for articulating what we all feel but may be unable to express. Each poem needs to be read and savored like a fine piece of chocolate. Taylor's sageness, coupled with his poetic sensibilities, not only makes this an easy read, but one that needs to be read over and over, since with each reading comes a new revelation.

The introduction by Eckhart Tolle deftly states that many ancient scriptures were either considered poetry or on the border of poetry and prose. This book may well become one of those classics that future generations look to as the scriptures of our times. He speaks of love for self, the relationship of the self to the universe, life and death, lightness versus darkness, fearlessness, gratitude, the importance of listening to the sounds of silence, the importance of seeking in all realms of our lives, and many more essential subjects.


For those who are believers in mindfulness, Taylor claims, "Attention is an alchemy that turns dullness to beauty and anxiety to ease." There is much truth in this statement. This book is highly recommended!

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful little book in hard copy which is rare for New World Library. Maybe because it's a first for NWLs Eckhart Tolle collection, I'm not sure. The meditations are short, allude to universal feelings, and do give the reader pause and permission to reflect. I would gift this book to close friends as I find it to be a precious gem. I can't wait to see what the next books are like in this collection.

[Donnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

These poems can be life-changing.

My favorites:

"The Voice Inside Your Head"

"The Shock"

"You Don't Have to Think" and

"Death, The Mysterious Sttanger"

[Kurumayu · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good book, but too much centered about christinism for me; it’s not a bad thing and I will be listening again some or it afterwards. But not quite what I was excepting.

[Crystal Carney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah. I don't really have any words for this book. If you're restless, if you can't seem to stop your thoughts. Take a few deep breaths and sit and read this book. This is the one book you'll wanna read in your restless times.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little book has Presence.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very peaceful

[Tristy at New World Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Endorsements:
“If you open yourself to their transformative power…each piece will work its magic within you.”
— from the introduction by Eckhart Tolle, author of The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment and A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose

“Every now and then a book appears that adds beautiful drops to the stream of ineffable wisdom that has flowed through the ages. The Calm Center is such a book. It opens a path to the authentic self.”
— Elizabeth Lesser, author of Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow and cofounder of Omega Institute

“Transcendent yet grounded, profound yet simple, timeless yet refreshingly new. Steve Taylor’s book takes flight and lifts us up, up, up beyond ourselves.”
— Arjuna Ardagh, author of The Translucent Revolution: How People Just Like You Are Waking Up and Changing the World

“The Calm Center calls us back, encourages us on the journey, and reminds us of the joy and ease beneath all the daily trying. These poems help take us home.”
— Oriah Mountain Dreamer, author of The Invitation

“A beautifully written guide into the fierce, liberating aliveness within the present moment. Steve Taylor’s intimacy is transforming.”
— Michael Bernard Beckwith, author of Life Visioning: A Transformative Process for Activating Your Unique Gifts and Highest Potential

“A delightful and inspiring collection of teachings spoken from the heart of one who knows.”
— Peter Russell, author of From Science to God: A Physicist's Journey into the Mystery of Consciousness

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, mainly as a soothing piece of work to listen to (audiobook) when dealing with physical, emotional, spiritual or relational pain. It is a good reminder of the following: mindfulness, awareness, spaciousness, home, resilience, openness (as opposed to resistance), self-compassion, connection. I would like to read the text some day and perhaps purchase a hard copy to keep alongside other books that I reach for when I feel the need for comfort or a tool for remembering.

The edition I listened to (audio on Scribd) had some production issues, however, that were a bit jarring - often at the beginning of each chapter there is a too-loud white noise sound. So I would have been annoyed at the production value had I actually purchased (instead of "rented") the audio version. The only other caveat is that each chapter is very short, and the book is shorter than a normal book. I tend to feel a bit cheated with shorter books.

[Mary Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

These powerful meditations and poetic reflections will comfort, inspire, and gently bring you out of the hectic day-to-day and back to the bedrock of peace, and even joy, of your true, essential, and authentic self. By encouraging you to see the limitations of your everyday, conditioned personality, Steve Taylor empowers you to step outside of it so you can breathe the fresh air of freedom. His words will guide you on a journey through the landscape of wider awareness, pointing out the obstacles and landmarks along the way to enlightenment.

A profound modern spiritual text with the power to transmit awakening, The Calm Center will help you open to the deepest and highest experiences of a life fully lived.

[Suze · Rating 4 out of 5]

3½ stars. I approached this slim book by reading one poem/meditation each morning to set the tone for the day. The theme is generally about staying attentive in the present moment and not losing yourself in past or future thoughts. As poetry per se I wasn’t particularly impressed, but the author expressed ideas that speak to all humankind.
A few of my favourite lines:
“stretch your wings and become the sky” (p.12)
“there’s too much at stake for the human race to remain fragmented – our broken pieces have scarred the world too much.” (p.57)
“lose yourself in the roar and the rhythm and the rush” (p.98)

[Abdulkhalek Zohbi · Rating 2 out of 5]

هذا الكتاب كان هدية زميلتي في العمل بمناسبة عيد الميلاد، وقد حصلت عليه من سنة ورافقني بصفحاته طيلة العام.

ليس من كتب تطوير الذات بل عبارة عن قصائد روحانية تعطي القارئ بعض من الطاقة الإيجابية ليكمل حياته.

[Khe Loui · Rating 3 out of 5]

كتاب خفيف يجعلك تسترخي .. و يذكرك بالحضور استمعت إليه قبل النوم .. قد يظهر للبعض أنه سطحي لكن الأمر أعمق من ذلك هو تعبير عن شعور إدراك اللحظة الحالية .. هو ليس واضحا لمن لم يعي أو يستوعب الحضور من الأساس

[Andrew Gagne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is perfect for reading before bed. The author place great emphasis on mindfulness and the present moment in poetic form.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Several of the poems were a little repetitive, but overall the messages were insightful. The author puts clear emphasis on mindfulness and the present moment in poetic form.

[Dodie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It is filled with poems that you can reflect on. Beautiful

[Michaela Aerial · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spiritual read in form of poetry... just lovely! Touching, inspiring, simply beautiful. Book i sometimes randomly open and re-read

[Tel · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best poetry books I've read. It's meditation put into words.

[Sylvie M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This took a little while to get into, but once the shift was understood, poetry as the object of meditation was,at least for me, was relaxing.

[Carma · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good, and so much depth in such a tiny book.

I'll be reading this one again, there's way too much in it to capture everything in a single reading.

[Mary Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little book was the perfect companion to bring on a recent meditation retreat. When you want to give your mind a break from prose and fall deeper into stillness, this is the one for you.

[D.J. Desmond · Rating 3 out of 5]

beautiful words and thoughts

[Drew Kolenik · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit more self help and literal than the usual poetry I go for but I still enjoyed a fair number of these. Also a gift, from my amazing therapist of 6 years, Mike.

[Leonidas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only read this because it said 'Selected and introduced by Eckhart Tolle'. Well, I should definitely be more mindful of the 'sponsored content' I decide to click on and buy (purchased on my kindle).

Regardless, this was a bunch of poems about being mindful, and a bunch of different mindfulness principles such as compassion, the transience of everything in life, and death.

While there were 2-3 poems I thought were nice to read, and I even highlighted them for my own pleasure... I have to say, this was definitely more of a 'Chicken Soup for the soul'-type of book. Excerpts to brighten your jolly day, and remind you of something unimportant in a sensationalistic kind of way.

Would I recommend this for a good read? No.

Would I recommend this if you are 'woo-woo mindfulness spirits and energy + yoga pants'? I might.

Not my cup of tea from an objectivity standpoint, but not so boring as to stop reading after 5-10 pages.

It's a short read, and you might get something momentarily inspirational, but I, personally, felt tricked by the mere reference of Eckhart Tolle.

Ah Well. Peace, Love and Mindfulness my hippy brothers and sisters.

3/5