A Guide to the Deeper Levels of Your Being -

Finding Clarity is not a novel; it is not a page turner….it is about finding clarity. 
It was edited by several friends and students of Jeru’s over a two year period.  It is not designed to be read in one sitting but rather one or two chapters at a time and savored.  It is not particularly linear and most chapters can stand on their own.  Like all growth into greater illumination it takes practice, dedication and commitment. 

One will benefit by the reading alone, will gain much greater benefit by including  the practices and finally, will experience the greatest benefit by also having the guidance of a Clarity teacher trained in Jeru’s work.

What makes this book different from other spiritual books?

Many books extol the virtue of being in the moment. Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now and Ram Dass’s Be Here Now are just two examples. The popularity of these books demonstrates the hunger for a simple presentation of the value of being in the moment.

Finding Clarity is deeply rooted in the tradition of books such as these, yet there are important differences in the techniques and theoretical foundations. For example, Jeru illuminates the origin and relationship of fear and desire. He helps readers recognize why we live among so many adults who seem to function like four-year-olds. He introduces new approaches to the concept of memory and its relationship to unhappiness.

Significantly, Finding Clarity focuses on the practical side of accessing our subconscious in order to discover and address what stymies us and drives us to embrace unhappiness and failure time and again. So while this book is particularly appealing to those with a spiritual orientation, it is also accessible and has great relevance to those interested in simply wanting to better understand themselves.

Jeru has a talent for giving “old” ideas new structure and strength.The simplicity of his language speaks to us all without the use of jargon or pretense.

Readers will learn to appreciate who they are, not who they think they ought to be. As they practice his techniques, noisy minds move to quieter places. Jeru Kabbal offers a way to the next level, a way of being, a way to look, a way to awareness, a way to oneself.

OVERVIEW of CHAPTERS

Finding Clarity
Based on the Teachings of Jeru Kabbal
Edited by Leonard M. Zunin, MD, Robert Strock, MFT, and Victoria Ritchie

• About the editors

Introduction by Leonard Zunin, MD and Robert Strock, MFT
 
1)    From Paradise to Panic
 
It may be hard to hear, but the story of your life is primarily a story of dealing with fears.  These aren’t the fears of today. They’re the fears of the subconscious, programmed by the mindset of a four-year-old.  A happy ending can be written only by discovering yourself as you truly are in the present.
 
 
2)  Nature of the Subconscious
 
The subconscious constitutes about 99% of the mind, with the conscious mind taking the other 1%.  Therein lies the challenge because we identify with the 1%..  The subconscious mind is where our early defensive strategies originated from and still remain a central influence   Nevertheless, as an adult, you identify with the conscious mind, but it’s the subconscious mind that provides most of your programming and behavior. The good news is that you can reprogram the subconscious.
 
3)  The Four-Year Old
 
Your defense system, personality and most of your fears of survival solidified  by about age four.  They once served you well, but since then, they essentially haven’t changed and undermine your adult self.   You can, however, teach your four-year-old that most of your fears are no longer based in reality.
 
4)  The Nature of Memory
 
Memory is a kind of artificial reality.  It is not the original event, never was and never will be.  In spite of this, the subconscious believes that the memories seen in old inner photographs and movies are really happening right now.  They aren’t!   Helping the subconscious see this, you are enabled  to live more fully in the here and now.
 
5)  The Nature of Desire
 
The major obstacle to being present in the moment is the chasing of desire. Underneath every desire is another one ultimately leading to the fear that you won’t survive. Your four-year-old needs to be helped to see that you are safe in this moment.
 
6)  Are You a Self-fulfilling Prophecy?
 
You unconsciously created a “script” to guide your life as a four-year-old and carefully continue to follow it.  The script has a beginning and middle, but it has no ending.  You repeat the same unfinished story endlessly.  If it looks as though the script will be completed, you somehow sabotage it to stay with what is familiar.  By releasing the old scripts and patterns, you open up to real life in the moment.
 
7)  Fear of the Positive
 
Here’s a paradox:  Beyond your desire to be happy, you also unconsciously hold on to your fears.  The strongest fear is your fear of the positive, your own potential.  Why is that? The programs that keep you unhappy originated when you were dependent on others for your survival.  Restrictions and dependency always create fears.
 
8)  Love, Sex and Relationships
 
Your need for an intimate relationship, surprisingly, doesn’t have much to do with love for the other.  It primarily comes from neediness and concern for yourself.   It is more an expression of your early belief that your survival depends on someone else taking care of you.  True love is complete in itself.   When this is realized, being with the other is  based less and less on neediness.
 
9)  The Senses
 
The world is what you see and feel at this moment.  Through your five senses, you detect real danger in the here and now.  Unfortunately, your mind often bases your sense of danger on prior experiences rather than the sensory input of the moment.  If you listen to your senses, you’ll find that there is seldom a danger in the present moment. 
 
10)  Practical Enlightenment
 
You can be in one of two places:  in memory or in the present moment.  One is a dream world and one is reality.  All things exist only in the present.
 
11)  Existence is Doing All the Work
 
Your concerns about survival begin to diminish when you become aware that you are no longer the helpless infant you used to be, but are now a capable adult.  Then you begin to recognize that miraculously, Existence is allowing your breathing, making your heart beat.  Everything truly important is being done for you.  Knowing that something greater than you is taking care, you can relax and trust. 
 
12)  Gratitude
 
The origin of gratitude is in recognizing that you are surrounded by innumerable supports.  When you shift from feeling that you need something, you recognize you are full and complete right now. 
 
13)  The Practices
 
The exercises and techniques in this chapter help bring awareness into focus.  This Chapter is the heart of how to put into practice the teachings discussed throughout the book
 
14)  Final Days - Final Requests  by Leonard Zunin, MD
 
Jeru’s remarkable last days and unique requests. A look into how Jeru lived his teachings in the days that lead up to his death. A living and dying manifestation of being in clarity.