Finding the Power of Now

In this story, Baz tells us how he was inspired by Eckhart’s teachings at a time when he was not a spiritual seeker and had no formal religious beliefs. His life changed in ways he never expected when he began to explore a new spiritual awakening and conscious self-realization.

It was July 2005. I was living with my partner, my two-year-old son and my mother in-law.

It was a happy home, where we all loved and cared for each other. My mother in-law came to live with us to care for our child, so my partner could return to work as a primary school teacher, after staying at home with our son for the first two years of his life. I was employed as a grounds manager at a local resort in Broome, Western Australia.

My mother in-law was an avid reader of magazines and had many subscriptions to a variety of publications. There was always a stack of these magazines piled high on the kitchen servery bench top. I, personally, was not much of a reader of anything back then, so some of those magazines may have been there for months. I think it may have been a Sunday morning, I was just relaxing and for no apparent reason, I started to look through some of the magazines.

I don’t remember the magazine’s publication name, but inside was a small article on Eckhart Tolle and his book The Power Of Now. There was an accompanying picture of Eckhart Tolle and Kim Eng. I don’t really remember that much about the article, but the next day I went to a local Broome bookstore and bought a copy of The Power Of Now.

I was not a spiritual seeker and had no formal religious beliefs. I was 44 years of age and had my fair share of ups and downs in life. I had experienced loss and gain, major tragedy and triumphs, had lived hard and worked hard, as was the general cultural expectancy in Australia and with my generation at that point in time.

Once I began to read The Power Of Now, I could not put it down. I did not understand the meaning behind Eckhart Tolle’s words, but something within me just kept wanting to read this book. After reading the book five times continuously, the words began to make sense, I was starting to discover who I truly was. Many changes began to take place in the way I lived. Old unhealthy habits stopped (smoking, alcohol consumption).

My eating habits changed to a more healthy approach. I had changed outwardly so much that people thought there was something wrong, but the more I tried to explain what was happening, the more unbelievable they found it.

February 2006 was the beginning of my greatest transformation. I received an invitation through the mail to attend a two-hour workshop at a local Broome Art Gallery. In total, 20 people took part in the workshop. We were simply introduced to different paints (oils and acrylics), but we didn’t actually paint anything, just blending the colours for effect. I was mesmerized, I just became one with the paints and before I knew it everybody had gone, except for myself, the artist instructor and the gallery owner.

These two lovely ladies said to me, ‘you have got something here, just continue painting.’ The next morning (at work) I drew on the palm of my hand the outline of sunrise over Roebuck Bay. I started my work at dawn to avoid the heat of the day. I photocopied my palm in the front office/reception (I still have my colour blending paintings and the photocopy) and over the next three weeks I created my first painting (which I also still have).

By May 2006, I had left my job and dedicated myself to painting. At the time I had no explanation for my actions, it was just what I had to do. In December 2008, I had returned to the Margaret River region in the South West of Western Australia, where I first lived 20 years previously. After living in various houses, I settled into a beautiful property (a farmhouse) in a farming region called Rosa Brook. I share the custody of my son with my now ex-partner, who I’m happy to say, has remained my friend.

Eckhart’s words are the foundation to my spiritual awakening and self-realization. Since that time, I have painted continuously, inspired by the plants, flowers and trees around my property. It has been a beautiful and intense experience to be so immersed in the moment of creating my paintings, with little else (besides my son) that I need in my life.