APEX REVIEWS - review by Dominique Sessons

“Man did not weave the web of life - he is merely a strand in it.
Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.” This enlightening quote from Native American chief Seattle not only leads off Naked Being, it also sets the tone for what readers should expect within the tome. Throughout the pages of his profound new volume, author J.M. Harrison shares invaluable insights and eye-opening truths, all in an effort to promote higher thought and foster a greater awareness of our individual and collective significance in the universe. In so doing, he invites the reader to “un-learn” years of misleading preconceptions and flawed logic that continue to entrap us under myriad layers of misguided effort and false expectations.

Broken down in more than 450 separate parcels of wisdom, the topics of Naked Being cover the full spectrum of human emotion and experience, spanning everything from love to pain to meditation to death. As one may infer from the title, the purpose of Harrison’s opus is to strip the reader of any lingering facades, eventually shifting his/her focus to the common, essential core that lies within us all. By helping to undo the damage of personal and societal conditioning, Naked Being opens the mind and heart to a world of promising new possibilities, providing an all-important first step on the journey to ultimate Self-realization.

More than just a typical, garden variety self-help book, Naked Being is a crucial guide to emotional and spiritual well-being. Kudos to Harrison for crafting such a much-needed tool for the betterment of his fellow man.

Official Apex Review Rating: *****

New endorsement - Liz Hill

"As a writer interested in spiritual topics, my hat is off to any author who attempts at the outset of his book to define terms like true self, pure consciousness, and joy of being. But it makes so much sense to do that, before launching into a work that is meant to guide the reader into “naked being” or pure-minded nature. Harrison has chosen to guide us in small, logical, manageable bites, numbered from 1 to 450. Though short, they are meaty enough for reflection or discussion. After reading it end to end, you may want to keep this one on a bedside table to flip open before bedtime or upon awakening. If you are familiar with mystical or enlightenment teachings, the ideas expressed in this book won’t be “new” to you. But then, these ideas are as ancient as creation itself, and every attempt at bringing them into the world is to be applauded."

Liz Hill - (www.singingmeditation.com) co-author of 'Singing Meditation: Together in Sound & Silence'

New endorsement - Unmani Liza Hyde

"Naked Being is like a strip-tease, slowly undressing all the beliefs and concepts that appear to conceal our natural naked being. Each layer of clothing is an insight which strips away yet another spiritual concept or idea of limitation, leaving nothing but the Freedom that is our true nature. Jonathan writes with very simple clarity to reveal the nakedness that we are beyond all ideas."

Unmani Liza Hyde (www.not-knowing.com) author of 'I am Life itself' and 'Die to Love'

MEGO AND IDENTITY

These days there is a growing sense of awakening. Many more people are having experiences which cannot be logically explained via logical patterns of mental analysis. Unfortunately this provides a consciousness 'trap' for anyone to fall into. A self inflicted trap which pulls us back from growth, and leaves us stagnating in the mire of mis-identification. This comes about when we 'become' or identify with our thoughts, emotions and experiences. But we are not our thoughts, emotions or experiences. Neither are we the conditioned mind or senses which translate them. All these appear in front of and to us, for in essence we are the background awareness or pure consciousness which sees and experiences all such occurrences.

Periods of stagnation and non-growth arise when we become carried away with the Mego's desperate need and desire to assume some identity or to 'become' somebody. You cannot become what YOU are.

It's predictable for the Mego to become entangled with any phenomena. One of the characteristics of the Mego is attachment to ideas. In the act of having a vision one's Mego identifies with the idea of being a visionary. Thinking oneself to be intelligent, one identifies with intellect. Thinking oneself to be unhappy, one identifies oneself with unhappiness. The truth is that all these are experiences and notions which the Mego becomes absorbed by to such an extent that they 'appear' to be inseparable from the truth of who we are. And yet they are not what the Self is. They are simply covers which camouflage the ONE essence we are.

You cannot think or imagine the essence of what YOU are, you can only BE it.

New Endorsement - David Bingham

"As Consciousness reveals Itself with increasing clarity and simplicity, 'Naked Being' will prove to be an invaluable resource to all those wishing to enjoy the amazing adventure of Self Realisation."

David Bingham www.nonconceptualawareness.com

New Endorsement - Grady Harp #3 Amazon.com Classic Reviewer

Jonathan Harrison is best described as a Teacher of Being. In his previous book WE ARE ALL ONE he gently but firmly and supportingly guided his readers towards a path of self-realization. Now in this superbly written new book NAKED BEING: UNDRESSING YOUR MIND, TRANSFORMING YOUR LIFE he advances his ability to assist the reader in purging the misconceptions of self, offers an understanding of the non-duality (not separating the individual from the universe but instead realizing that all is one) of each of our existences.

Harrison’s book opens with a fine Foreword by Linda L. Pannell who offers a quote form the native American Chief Seattle – ‘Man did not weave the web of life – he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.’ Pannell then proceeds to open the door to the thinking of Jonathan Harrison in her thoughts: ‘Naked Being holds the promise and the power to re-create our planet, making pollution, illness; terrorism, greed, and inequality disappear. It holds the possibility of healing the past, making gold from all the ‘stories’ we have spun into a million reasons to struggle, strive, endure, and suffer in pain. It holds all possibility for celebrating our children! Now is the time! We hold within our hearts all the creational power of the Universe.’

And with this informed introduction, Harrison uses a clear, focused manner in sharing his gradually developing thoughts. Uniquely he offers his thoughts on love, on death, on suffering, meditation, on the mind and more in 450 separated modules or parcels of wisdom, a technique that almost demands that the reader pause with each new thought, absorb it entirely and then move on to the next process of self-realization. ‘Your True Nature can be considered ‘Naked’ – because it is the bare essence of what you are, and ‘Being’ – because it is unblemished existence.’

Reading this book is more of an experience for opening our previously sequestered minds to the possibilities of finding true peace and happiness in being at one with every atom of the Universe. This is not another ‘self help’ book. This is an invitation to an internalized map of being. And Jonathan is a generous and loving guide.

Grady Harp

New endorsement - Jeff Maziarek

“Naked Being” is an insightful spiritual growth book with thought-provoking content that is both inspirational and compelling. In this ground-breaking work, J.M. Harrison uniquely shares timeless spiritual wisdom in an easy-to-read format consisting of 450 brief passages that are meaningful either as standalone quotes, or as elements of a unified message of wholeness. Anyone who considers themselves on the path of self-discovery will benefit by reading these truly profound words.” - Jeff Maziarek, author of “Spirituality Simplified”

BEYOND IDENTITY

The experiencing of the ego by the Self is the human predicament and not the other way around - for you can never not be the Self. YOU are the enlightened awareness reading these words. The One True Self is always here - and can never not be.

When identity is reversed, that is shifted from the Mego to Self and firmly grounded in the awareneness of the Self, then you continue to recognise the existence of the body-persona, but know it is not your primary identity. Your primary identity is awareness. Unchanging and always here.

To know you are the Self does not mean that there is no 'me' in your personal life. You can still say 'me' and continue to refer to oneself as 'I'. It is simply that the egoic 'me' or 'I' no longer dictates your thoughts and actions, for you know that YOU ARE THE SELF.

The awareness YOU are, the ever-present YOU underlies all arising ideas of identity. It underlies the ego, body, mind and intellect which are all dualistic notions and tendencies. The real YOU is non-dual awareness which is unconfined, transpersonal, complete and yet limitless.

In NAKED BEING I brought forward the concept of a Tridentity. This consists of 1) what we APPEAR to be 2) what we THINK we are and 3) the non-physical REAL-ity which WE ARE. For despite what we look like or might think, it is impossible for us to be anything other than the Self - as there is nothing without or 'other' than Self.

As the title suggests, NAKED BEING is all about undressing the mind, removing the patterns and contents which obstruct us from knowing the truth of what we are. That what we discover from that experiencing will undoubtedly transform our lives in a positive manner. By seeing through this process with honesty and a relentless onward movement towards Truth, there can be only one conclusion for everyone; I am the unborn, undying One True Self.

ONLY EGO LOOKS OUT

Only the habitual mind of ego looks outside of itself, believing there are other opportunities, other things, other selves to find. This 'me' obsessed Ego or Mego dredges up past memories and their associated patterns, and speculates whether the speculated future is going to be good or bad. The reality is such that the future cannot be absolutely discerned as being this or that, and so doubt and fear arise. The fear of not knowing.

On the other hand, present moment awareness - the Self YOU are - is nowhere other than here and now. It is the aliveness from not knowing! It is the real in this very moment. The real is only ever found in this moment. So if you are not thinking about the past or the future and the mind is quiet and still, without commentary - then awareness is all that IS.

This stateless state is what YOU are - it is the Heart of all existence. In knowing that Self you will cease outward projections of the mind and be at peace in the world. You will be at peace with the entirety of existence because you'll realise that you are not "one with life" or "at one with everyone", but that YOU ARE EXISTENCE.

New endorsement - Chuck Hillig

'An exhilarating feast of nondual truths that will resonate with the core of “who-you-really-are.” Heart-felt wisdom for the ages. Highly recommended.' - Chuck Hillig, Author of Enlightenment for Beginners, Seeds for the Soul, Looking for God: Seeing the Whole in One, The Way IT Is, and The Magic King.