Tag: The Still Point

Book review: ‘The Still Point: The Simplicity of Spiritual Enlightenment’ by Kevin Krenitsky, MD

‘The Still Point’ is Kevin Krenitsky’s new book on spiritual enlightenment and awakening. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Kevin Krenitsky has been, at times, a professional rock musician, a medical doctor, and a business executive. Despite leading a life deemed outwardly “successful,” he lived with a deep background of anxiety, fear, and stress that came and went since early childhood. At the age of forty, in the midst of decades of suppressing tremendous inner and outer conflict, he reasoned there must be another way. This “willingness” led to a decade of studying non-duality by way of “A Course in Miracles.” At the height of a successful business career, he turned away into relative isolation and soon found the direct path to the recognition of our true nature. One day in meditation, a thought came that a book called “The Still Point” would be written. Five years later, the first words arrived. Krenitsky’s “The Still Point: The Simplicity of Spiritual Enlightenment” takes readers on a journey of self-discovery, ultimately leading to the recognition that our self-aware nature is happiness and peace itself.

“The Still Point” begins with an Introduction where the author explains that this book is about “discovering and living as your indestructible, true self, which is deeper than just the body and the mind.” He refers to our true self as the Still Point and defines it as the experience of recognizing our own awareness; simply put: “being aware of being aware.” According to him, our unconscious living has not only created stress, anxiety, wars, and famine, but our choices have brought us to the edge of mass destruction. The earth has suffered greatly from our collective human unconsciousness. With this book, he shows us how to discover and live our lives in alignment with our true self. Each chapter begins with an introduction of the subject and is followed by a question and answer discussion. Some of the questions are from people he has encountered but most of them are questions he himself has had in his journey to self-discovery. The book is divided into two parts: the first has chapters such as The Discovery of Our True Nature, The Healing of Our Relationships, and Awakening and the Limits of the Mind; the second part deals with subjects such as Taking Responsibility for Your Happiness, Be a True Student of Peace and Happiness, and The Illusion of Control.

For such an intense subject, “The Still Point” is relatively easy to read, due in part to the Q & A format that the author chose to present his ideas. It reads like an interview and the language is straightforward and down to earth. The important takeaways include the significance of living in the moment, realizing that we share a consciousness with each other and the planet, and self-awareness. When we focus on the noise of the outside world, we lose our feelings of peace and happiness. Highlight include Chapter 14: Taking Responsibility for Your Happiness, as it reminds readers that “The desire to project blame on others, the world, or past events is a universal trait of the egoic mind” and Chapter 20: Be a Seed of Light in a Desperate World where it emphasizes the importance of taking pride in your job. It is important to find a job you like but “…never diminish whatever it is you find yourself doing in the present.” These may not be new theories, but in today’s world, in the midst of all the chaos, both external and internal, it pays to slow down and re-evaluate what makes life worth living. Filled with practical life advice, “The Still Point” is recommended for readers who value concepts such as meditation and self-awareness and are searching for tips on easing the load we all sometimes have to carry.

“There is no denying the terrible injustice that has been happening for a long time, but treating people who are desperately calling out for love with hate and anger simply will not work.”

*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.

Read an excerpt here. 

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Book excerpt: ‘The Still Point: The Simplicity of Spiritual Enlightenment’ by Kevin Krenitsky, MD

‘The Still Point: The Simplicity of Spiritual Enlightenment’ is Kevin Krenitsky’s new book on discovering and living our lives in alignment with our true self. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

An excerpt from “The Still Point: The Simplicity of Spiritual Enlightenment” by Kevin Krenitsky

Reprinted with permission from Waterside Productions Inc. 2022

THE UNNATURAL STATE OF BOREDOM AND IMPATIENCE

If we begin to truly examine our day-to-day experience, we will see that most of us are in a constant state of either impatience or boredom. We are always looking to the next moment, or the next experience, to come and deliver us into some sense of peace and fulfillment, but it rarely does. It rarely does because when it comes, we go right on anticipating the next moment without enjoying the peace of the only moment we are ever given, which is now. In the rare times we are not continually waiting for the promise of the next moment, we wander into the past with thought and either regret what has already occurred or fantasize about what we could have done differently. Take some time to really look at your life in this way and see how very rare the moments of true peace and relaxation are. The near constant state of unease most humans experience is usually the best-case scenario because when you add any amount of anxiety to the mix, which a huge number of people suffer from, the anticipation of the future contains a constant level of worry. With anxiety, we still continually reject the present moment in favor of a future moment, but now we also expect something bad to happen in that very future moment we pine for. This is living in bondage that has become so “normal” to most people they don’t even question it or recognize its insanity.

At some points during our lives, we get something that we have been greatly desiring, such as a new job, a big house, or a romantic partner, and for a short time we are content. Instead of realizing this brief happiness is due to the cessation of the constant wanting that came from acquiring the object of our desire, we wrongly project the cause of the happiness onto the object itself. As soon as the happiness or contentment wears off, we start subtly, or not so subtly, searching for the next object to acquire to become happy again. All the while we overlook the true cause of our misery, which is the constant desire to reject the now or “what is” in favor of a better future moment. Thus, the nature of ignorant living, or “living in delusion,” is living as a prisoner to thoughts. The price you pay for identifying your very self with your thoughts and feelings is unhappiness at best and misery at worst. With the rejection of your true nature as the Still Point of awareness, you willingly give up the only recognition that is happiness and peace itself.

Kevin Krenitsky is a medical doctor and author of “The Still Point.” Despite leading a life deemed outwardly “successful,” he lived with a deep background of anxiety, fear, and stress that waxed and waned since early childhood. At the age of forty, in the midst of decades of suppressing tremendous inner and outer conflict, he reasoned there must be another way. This ‘willingness’ led to a decade of studying non-duality by way of “A Course in Miracles.” In 2015, at the height of a successful business career as Chief Commercial Officer at Foundation Medicine (FMI), Kevin turned away into relative isolation, and found the direct path to recognizing ones true nature. He wrote “The Still Point” to help others find their eternal nature, which is happiness itself.