Jeff Foster (1) (1980–)

Well, it is an interesting way of writing about non-dualism. Most members of our book discussion group found it interesting, and enjoyed it. I personally found it rather shallow and conflicted at times with other things Foster has written and said.

And, as always, I take exception to the firmly held advaitan belief that there is no free will. Further, I continue to find it amazing that teachers who say there is no way to get there unless you are meant to "get there" (in which case you get show more there whether you wish to, or not) continue to attract students! But I attend these sessions weekly as a contribution to my relationship with my husband. I do enjoy the people, and I enjoy doing something like this with him, but I really and truly don't grok it! Sigh. show less

"It is nighttime, and I find myself back here, in my bed, where the world first appeared this morning. Perhaps a world will appear tomorrow. I don’t know. For now, just this is enough. Just this is the miracle."

This was a decent read overall, but doesn't belong to the best ones I read about non-duality. The concepts presented here feel a bit disjointed, and it seems obvious to me, that Jeff took a lot from other books/talks of that nature. I'm not sure, how it compares to later books from show more him, but here I was sometimes missing his own way of delivering this message.
There are some good bits in here, but I felt the book is too long and repetitive for what it wants to transmit (it's just THIS, why do we need 200 pages for THIS? :D). Furthermore, there were a lot of consciousness/awareness sentences, that I find too lofty, and I'm no longer fond of.
Still, it might be worth a recommendation if you haven't read a lot about non-duality yet and/or are looking for a (mostly) easy and calming read. show less

Name: You were never Broken
Writer: Jeff Foster
Source: Netgalley
Genre: Poetry, Self-Help
Rating: 4/5
Review:
"Your wounds, your turbulent and sorrowful places, your
imperfections, are not mistakes; they are the places in you desperately
yearning for love, waiting to be penetrated with a curious Light."

The book is divided into four parts.
Part One : A field of Meditation
Part Two: Saying Yes to the mess
Part Three: The Courage to stand Alone
Part four: Reasons to stay Alive

Each part is divided into show more different sections dealing with different topics based on a single theme. Each part starts with a detailed introduction on the topic along with the poet sharing his own experiences.

The language is very conversational, its like the poet is directly talking to you. The poet uses friendly tone and easy language in his poetries. Beautiful watermark effects on the pages, brings out an aesthetic feel. The poet has used repetition in many of his poems to lay emphasis on his points.

His poems are really amazing, self empowering, emphasizing, mysterious. He asks to enjoy the present moments, the feels, the sensations, the smells, the sounds and the tastes. He makes us understand the importance of living in the moment.
"Be present, be here
The teaching is damn simple
Be present be here"

I really liked the way he used metaphors is his poems, especially the one with the sacred lotus.
Honest and true exploration of his journey of self healing and self acceptance.

"Oh, the truth you wanted to speak! The words you wanted to
scream. The tears you longed to cry. The uncontrolled, wild ways in
which you wanted to move your body. The healthy human responses,
the urges, and yearnings you intelligently squished down in order to win love, stay safe, even stay alive."

"Perhaps loneliness is like a cosmic"

"Contact your sadness, and you contact the sadness of all living beings.
Contact all living beings, and your loneliness disappears"

"You don’t need to take your life.
Just let your life be taken by all that you see."

His poetries are raw and vulnerable. But the poems are too monotonous for a book of 218 pages. It kind of gets boring till the end. show less

This was a more mature book from Foster. It is good to see him growing as a writer, and in his ability to describe the ineffable quality of no dualism. Throughout he uses the metaphor of each wave being inseparable from the ocean very nicely, as well as continually returning to the notion that it is through deeply accepting our whole selves we will find integration.