"A New Earth" Phenomenon: An Hour That Can Change Your Life”

0:00Through 25 seasons, 4 ,561 episodes, I believe The Oprah Winfrey Show is one of the greatest classrooms in the world. I really never thought of it that way. The aha moments, the breakthroughs, the LOLs, the connections, the occasional ugly cry. I miss him so terribly. I miss him every single minute. The moments that mattered. Maddie! The eye-opening life lessons. Never allow them to take you somewhere else. I'm bringing them back. It's time to open the vault. I've personally chosen these classic episodes to share with you again. Every single person you ever will meet shares that common desire.

0:45They want to know, do you see me? Do you hear me? Does what I say mean anything to you? You are listening to The Oprah Winfrey Show, the podcast.

1:00Just the most exciting thing I've ever done. Just the most exciting, I've got to tell you. So, for me, every show that we do here has the intention of sparking something for you, the audience, that can help you live your best life. Now, it wasn't always that way. In the beginning of TV, I was just happy to have a job. But around the 90s, I started to see that this was a really great platform, and I wanted to use it for something really powerful in the world. Today, full court press. In just weeks since I selected the book A New Earth for our book club, millions of people around the world, and I do mean millions, have begun experiencing a new earth for themselves and are awakening to the possibilities of their lives.

1:48A new earth is not, let me repeat, not a new religion or a new doctrine. But it really is an invitation for you, the reader, to connect to your authentic self, to begin to connect to your spirit, to your soul, to your inner being, to your consciousness, whichever word you want to use. The one thing I know for sure is, is that you cannot, you cannot even begin to live your best life without being connected to your spirit. It's absolutely impossible. That is the reason why I am doing this show today. Now we're discussing chapter by chapter in this book how to quiet our minds, how to put our egos in check, how to not be defined by or dwelling in the past, not projecting in the future, but to be fully present for this moment now.

2:44I promise you this. If you're ready, it could help transform your life. Right, audience? For sure. You know. So, in little ways and big ways. So today our New Earth students are joining us from all around the world. Iraq, Australia, Mexico, Canada, the United States, and our audience here. Hi, everybody. Hi, everybody. Whoo! So fun. A worldwide conversation about my all-time favorite topic. So let's start with Jillian and Doug, who are Skyping us from their living room in Washington State. Here is their story. My husband and I have been married for 22 years. We have two grown children, and then we have four adopted children.

3:34We had a beautiful 5 ,000-square-foot home. We had an 80-mile panoramic view around this home. We had a beautiful pool and a spa, and we had beautiful cars and Lexuses, and we had a Russian au pair that lived with us and took care of the children. We had a gardener. We had a housekeeper. Essentially, everything that needed to be done, we hired someone to do it. A little over a year ago, our world came crashing down. We lost 60 % of our income. We couldn't sustain the lifestyle that we had built, and slowly we lost everything. When we knew the home was going to go into foreclosure, closure, the bank came out and put locks on the garage door and the back door and we knew that it was getting serious.

4:1990 days ago we filed bankruptcy. I at some point had to admit to myself that I had failed at all of those things. I'd lost our dream home, our dream cars, the dream job, the dream business. When you lay in your bed at night and you put your head on your pillow and it's quiet and it's dark and there's no one there but you, you have to face the fact that you went You hear about it happening all the time, but when it happens to you, it is different. It's humbling, and it just strips you bare. Jillian said that she suffered from anxiety and was barely able to go out in public, and then she joined our web class and says these words from Eckhart saved her.

5:02And for many people, that's a very important lesson when suddenly they do lose something. It can be a wonderful spiritual lesson and then perhaps you suffer and then your attachment gets broken and suddenly you go beyond the attachment. So there have been people who have lost everything and suddenly become free of the ego because the ego had nothing left to identify with. So this can happen. And another important thing to mention with regard to manifestation is the basis for your life is the present moment. You need to, first of all, the very basis for everything is to come to an acceptance of this moment as it is.

5:47Wow. So, Jillian, did it take bankruptcy to get you to this moment? You know, I think that it did. Looking back, I don't really think that I perceived myself as being a materialistic person. You know, we weren't overly exuberant with our spending, that kind of thing. But, yes, I think that it did take that experience to bring us, to bring me to that point. Yeah. So how did those words help you that you heard Eckhart say the other night? I think the way that the words helped me was to see that those attachments were very, very superficial. and that what I was experiencing, the anxiety and the loss and everything, was really just an acceptance of looking in the mirror and seeing myself and finding out what was left when all those things were stripped away.

6:35So, Doug, have you noticed a change in Jillian? I've absolutely noticed a change. She's a lot more connected with life and me with the kids, and that's a great thing. She's much more peaceful, and it's been a wonderful change over the last few weeks. You were saying, Jillian, that, you know, you lie in bed and you think, I'm one of those people who just had to file for bankruptcy. How are you then when you wake up the next morning? How are you now with that fact that you had to file for bankruptcy? Well, you know, it's an interesting thing. The ego can really wrap around that concept and take you to some pretty dark places.

7:09You know, we consider ourselves to be people that when we make a commitment, we keep our commitments. When we built a marriage over 22 years and never defaulted on anything. But I just, I have to say that when those things are stripped away and you see who you really are, and now I wake up in the morning, I go to sleep at night. I haven't slept so well in years. Wow. I sleep very peacefully. Really? Do you think you've lost the attachment to things? I think so. You know, that voice in your head that's continually feeding you these images. You know, we're raising four special needs kids. And one of the roles that I had laid on myself was that I needed to be this perfect therapeutic mother for these children who had lost their mother.

7:54And that role nearly buried me. And this book helped me to see that really my gift to my children is that I'm present, that I'm with them, that I'm here. That's the biggest lesson, I think. That's the biggest lesson. And Doug? Doug, I hear you haven't read the book yet. No, it's on my list of books to read. I read quite a bit, so I'm going to read it next. Doug, we are suggesting, Jillian and I, that you move it up on your list. Thank you, Oprah! Thanks, Jillian. Thank you all. All right, 24-year-old Chris from San Antonio, Texas, is now Skyping us from her living room. Chris says that her struggle with weight came to an end after reading A New Earth.

8:42Tell us about that. That's the miracle I'm seeking. Go ahead. I've always been a very active person. I run five marathons. I play sports. I have a personal trainer. I've had, like, struggle with food that has kept my weight about 30 pounds above what it probably should be. Then I was reading A New Earth, and I read on page 86 that behind every negative self-concept is the hidden desire of being the greatest or being better than others. And I know that that means a lot of things, but for me, I realized that it was weight-related. The reason why I'm having this battle with my weight is because I really, my inner egoistic desire was to be skinnier than other people or better than other people because I was skinnier.

9:32And it just really resonated, like, inside my entire being, because I don't think I realized that I had that inside of me. So what shifted? What shifted for you after reading it? It just helped me let go of that need to be skinnier, be anything-er than other people were, you know, just to be present in my own life and be where I was and not be worried about how I compare to other people. Boy, that's a great comment, to be anything-er. To be anything-er. than other people. Okay. And so did that calm you when it came to eating? Did it make you not less emotional when it came to eating or what? I don't really think I've had any emotional eating since I let go of that.

10:17I just eat if I need to. It's like a fuel and I try to be healthy just because I want to be a healthy person. But if I get upset about something, I don't know. I just have this ability now to sort of just stay in the moment that I'm in. Not always. I mean, it takes work. Yeah. But I'm a lot better at it than I ever was. I heard you dropped three pant sizes? I'm so...yes, I have. Excellent. That's great. The producers told me that you were a size like 16, 18 or something, and that now you don't even know what size you are because you let go of that, too. Yeah, I don't really need to weigh myself anymore.

10:59I used to weigh myself several times a day. Wow. Like, it was gonna change from morning to mid-morning, you know? Like, I was gonna lose 20 pounds or something, but... I know the feeling! That is so great, Chris. Thank you so much. Thanks for sharing that. Here's Jim Carrey talking about a new Earth. Eckhart's philosophy is basically about the idea that the present moment is all we have. It's all there is and all there ever will be. And most of us live trapped or lost in the movement of thought. Sometimes I've spent two hours of my day thinking about one person I resent, you know, and going through orations and, you know, if he ever says this, I'll say that, and all of those things.

11:47And you go, I find myself now when I get caught up in something like that, becoming conscious suddenly and going, oh, wait, I'm here. I'm not with that person right now. I'm creating things that don't even exist, you know? And it's useless. It's time badly spent, you know?

12:13My friends will tell you that this is absolutely my favorite thing to talk about, connecting to the deepest part of ourselves, yourself, your spirit. My friend Elizabeth Lesser is an author and the co-founder of the Omega Institute. You may have heard of it. It's one of the premier centers for spiritual growth and healing in the United States. And Elizabeth has been working with us on our New Earth web classes and has an XM radio show on Open Friends immediately following our webcast where she answers more of your questions. One of the most asked questions about a New Earth is, will it interfere with my religious beliefs?

12:49What do you say to that? Well, I don't see why it would. It's not a belief system. It's not another belief system that we have to lay on top of anything we believe in. It's actually, it's almost like saying, Will, putting a spoonful of honey in my tea, wreck the tea. It's really a sweetener. If you are a religious person and you practice, like what Jim Carrey was talking about previously, being fully present and alive in the moment, Yeah. And let's say your moment is church. Yeah. Or the mosque or temple. Wow, that's just going to make it even better. It's the honey and the tea. It's the honey and the tea.

13:28Sugar and the coffee. Sugar and the coffee. Okay, Elizabeth does a great job explaining the difference between spirituality and religion in her book. It's called The Seeker's Guide. You've heard me mention it several times on our webcast. On page 51 and 52, if you want to see a full definition, spirituality, religion, from The Seeker's Guide, You can go to Oprah.com. Those pages are there. Tell us the difference as you see it. Spirituality is? Well, spirituality is the longing in each one of us, every one of us here in this audience. We long for something more than just getting up and battling our way through life.

14:04We somehow kind of sense that there's something more, that we came from somewhere, that we're going somewhere, and this journey we're on in life is really an eternal journey. Religions grew up around those deep questions. Who am I? What's my purpose? Where do I go when I die? Great beings come into the world in all eras who somehow have answers to that. Yeah. So spirituality is different from the religion in that spirituality is the longing for something more. And for many people, religion feels that answer for them. But the spirituality is the longing. I just got that in a way I hadn't seen it before.

14:46And really, you're welcome. That was really great. Margit Wyers is a Catholic lay minister from Lampasas, is it? Yes. Lampasas, Texas. And Margit says that she's changed the way she teaches after reading A New Earth. How so? What changed for me was that I lived by doctrine most of my life and taught doctrine. And one of the things that changed for me was from Zen, what Eckhart was saying about Zen, that trying to get somewhere, it drained him of the power, and that's exactly what I felt I was doing. Yeah. We have that clip. Let's look at that clip. We have that. We're going to pull it up. There was a Zen master.

15:29He was watching somebody in a competition archery, and a man was trying very hard to win this competition. but he just couldn't make it. And then somebody asked the Zen master, what's he doing wrong? And the Zen master said, his need to win drains him of power. Wow. And so his need to win is some future. He wants to have some future moment where he's going to be fulfilled. Wow. So his attention is not totally in the now. So the now, where all power resides, this power that resides in the now cannot flow then into what you're doing. The openness isn't there. Yeah. Because to have mastery in any endeavor, whatever it is, you need to be total in what you do.

16:17That's what athletes know. Yes. The great ones know. And then when they enter that, they call it the zone. Yeah, I loved that moment too, didn't you all, when he said the need to win drains you of power. It's like run your own race. Any energy you give to somebody else's race takes energy away from you. That changed you? Absolutely, it did. It did. And you say Eckhart gave you a different way, or reading the book showed you a different way to look at Jesus Christ? Yes, absolutely. How so? I've always tried to find a deeper inner connection with the purpose that Christ had here on earth. And all my life I thought it was just for Him to die on the cross for my sins.

16:58But I now recognize that Jesus actually taught me Christ consciousness is who to be fully human is to be Christ-like. Yeah. And so any time that you not follow your spiritual calling, that you are lesser of a human. Yes, I'm Christian too, and I got that a long time ago. I mentioned this also in this book called Discover the Power Within You by Eric Butterworth, where he talks about the Christ consciousness. And up until then, I was like you, Margit. I thought Jesus came, died on the cross, that Jesus' being here was about His death and dying on the cross, when it really was about Him coming to show us how to do it, how to be, to show us the Christ consciousness that He had and that that consciousness abides with all of us.

17:49That's what I got. That's what I got. Thank you.

17:56This book is about you. It'll change your state of consciousness or it will be meaningless. It can only awaken those who are ready. A couple of weeks ago, Billy Joel and his wife Katie were here. She was here for her new book called The Comfort Table. And during a commercial break, I chatted with Katie's mom, who told me that she was reading A New Earth and taking our web class. And they are now both joining us via Skype today. Katie from her study in Miami Beach, Florida, and Katie Joel's mom, Kim, who is a teacher, who's joining us from her classroom in Huntington, West Virginia. So, Katie, I hear you're reading the book now, too.

18:35Your mom gave it to you. Yes, I am. And I have all of my little Post-it notes and I'm highlighting. And I actually, I was reading it when I came to your show. I was just a little bit into the book and I had an aha moment while I was at your show. Okay. And the aha was what? The aha was, you know, I was backstage and I was feeling kind of nervous. And a friend of mine had once told me that nervousness is selfish energy. And I never fully understood that until I experienced it for myself and I read A New Earth. And I realized that selfish energy or that nervous energy is actually selfish because you're making the situation all about yourself.

19:11So I walked out onto your set and I looked at you and I said, Oprah, I'm feeling kind of nervous. And you gave me a big hug and we turned around to the audience and you said, she doesn't need to be nervous, does she? And I looked out at them and I thought, today's really about them. It's about them having a good time and enjoying being here on this show. So I took a deep breath and I was able to leave my nerves behind and I made peace with the present moment. And I enjoyed every moment of it. And since then I've done a couple other television interviews and I haven't been nervous for a single one of them.

19:45Wow, that's really good. Katie's mom Kim told us what Eckhart said in class had really helped her. Let's look at that. Sometimes when children become adults, the adult children are still treated by their parents, parents who are stuck in the role of parent. They can't let go of the role. Yes. So they believe unconsciously that they need to continue to protect and ultimately control what the child does. Yes, because you don't parent a child the same at every age. No. Absolutely. Yeah. Boy, was that good for some parents to hear. So why was that an aha moment for you, Kim? Well, you know, right before I watched Lesson 4, I called Katie up and I wanted to give her some advice about something.

20:28And she wasn't really up for it. And she really wasn't in the mood for my unsolicited advice at the time. And she got defensive and we really didn't hang up on good terms. And then I immediately watched Lesson 4 on role playing. And that's when I had my aha moment because I caught myself playing the role of mother and unconsciously saying, I know what's best for you. And I thought it was my obligation to give her advice rather than whether she asked for it or not. And I realized that I need to learn that this is a role that's no longer required of me. She's an adult and I need to be there for her on a different level.

21:13And, you know, Eckhart said, when you play roles, you're unconscious. Yeah. So I just want to be more conscious and more present for her in a different and not in the role as mother. Did you feel that shift from her, Katie? Did you feel that shift? Yes, I was so glad that she watched that class. I apologize. And, you know, I mean, she's still, I know that she's coming from a good place. And there are times when she'll call me up and say, did you eat your vegetables today? and did you take your multivitamin? Yeah. So, you know, and I know she's coming from a good place, but it feels really good for me to know that she's aware now and that I do notice a change in her.

21:54She hasn't been calling me and giving me unsolicited advice. When we talk, I feel more like we're having a conversation, like she's one of my friends. My mom's my best friend. That she's in the now with you. So I'm really happy about this shift. That she's being present. Thanks, Katie. Thanks, Kim. Thank you. Okay, we'll talk again soon. Thank you. Bye. Bye. Now let's go to Los Angeles, where my friend Kadada Jones joins us via Skype from her dad, Quincy's house. Kadada was in our third class a couple weeks ago with this question. Okay, my question is, this book hits me really, really deep in my heart, and I know it to be the truth, but I have such resistance, and I feel like if everything in form is an illusion, it feels really disenchanting.

22:38And I'm at a point in my life where I have goals, I'm excited about my career. I want to have kids. I want to meet a great partner. And if it's all illusion, where's the fun? Well, we didn't, I, and I said to you, Kadada, and even to Eckhart the next week, that I don't think we fully answered your question that week, but the next week you said you felt it got answered, right? Yes, it definitely got answered the next week. Well, people are still on message boards saying, Kadada, listen, I'm thinking the same thing. I think that question resonated with a lot of, lot of people. What did he say that resonated with you now?

23:14I would have to say that his very specific instructions of feeling the subtle body, breathing, paying attention to nature, those very specific instructions brought a space into my life that I haven't experienced. And within the space came all these gifts. Compassion, patience, newfound oneness. All of my time kind of slowed down. Everything just like kind of had breaks. And when I pay attention to those very specific directions, it's a whole new reality for me. Really? Are you able to be more present? Oh, yes. When I access those specific points that he tells us, I am definitely able to be more present.

23:55And it feels like a veil, just like, boom. And then all of a sudden, I'm just here. And I hear things, and I see things, and I smell things, and I feel them. Meaning what? You used to be in conversations with people and waiting for the conversation. Here. Yeah. In the head, like, come on, come on, come on. Get it over. It's like a freeway, a mind freeway. And this just feels like a break. It just feels like one big break. Wow. And you feel a greater sense of confidence? I feel a greater sense of confidence. I feel a greater sense of togetherness. I feel like we're all on the same path. We're all headed to the same thing, and there's no need to be judgmental.

24:29Yeah. More important to be compassionate. I saw an email last week, I think, that you'd sent to Jill, one of my producers, And you were saying that immediately after the webcast that you and your family and friends get on the phone and talk about it. Haven't you noticed how, and all of you, have you noticed how this changes your conversation with your friends? Has this changed your conversation? We're not all just talking about each other, gossiping all the time now. We got something better to talk about. Yeah. Now the conversation is rich. Yeah. Rich. Well, thanks, Kadada. Thanks for sharing with us.

25:02Thank you.

25:08We have Penny Frappier from Ontario, Canada, who says she's also been practicing staying present even though she's facing her greatest challenge. In 2004, I was diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer. Doctors estimated I probably had about five years left to live. The cancer has spread to my lymph nodes. I've done 18 rounds of chemotherapy, which has left me nauseous and throwing up. Recently, my depression has been getting worse because I'm now approaching the five-year mark. I'm coming to terms with my mortality, thinking about how I'm going to die, when I'll die, and if it'll be painful. Mm.

25:52That's real. Penny is Skyping from her kitchen in Ontario. Penny, what connection did you make for yourself through reading the words. Hi, Oprah. Hi. This was really depressing for me. It consumed me. It consumed me so much. The thoughts were running and running in my head to a point where it was really, really overwhelming. And then I got the book. There's a page. Would you allow me to read this for you? Yeah, I would allow you. This is what changed me. In the book, it says, while he was walking through the park, with a friend, Once you realize and accept that all structures or forms are unstable, even the seemingly solid material ones, peace arises within you.