It’s a rare skill to be able to use words, ideas and concepts to describe so clearly the silent and unbounded universe of consciousness.  In the ‘inner space’ of being words have no place and meaning becomes increasingly irrelevant.  Yet Jonathan is able to erect all the right signposts and this book is a testimony to the clarity of his insight, purity of vision and subtlety of awareness that takes many years to cultivate.  But you’ll need to move slowly and stop frequently to gain full value from his illuminating descriptions, reflections and interpretations in order to see if you can ‘see’ for your self.  If you do then it’s a book that will rightly remain by your side for a very long time. ~ Mike George , Author: The 7 Myths About LOVE Actually!

From the moment I held this book in my hands I felt it was going to be a good one. The cover itself radiates positivity and as you turn the pages within, you won’t be disappointed. Being only 136 pages I did wonder how it would hold the 450 insights, but this book is unlike others. The quotes and musings are concise and eloquent but also hold such thought provoking power.
As I read it I was reminded of the books by Eckhart Tolle, Anthony De Mello and Diana Cooper, and so I was not surprised to see the two former listed in the notes and recommended resources section.
This is a book of multiple aspects, looking at thoughts and teachings from religions organisations and spiritual individuals from around the world, but written in such a way that there is no need for held belief or religious following on your part to find reading this book a fantastic experience. And this book is certainly an experience, you can take as much or as little as you need from it, You can read it cover to cover, ask for daily guidance from an individual insight, or use it in group discussion.
Its simplicity is its real beauty. It raises and compiles spiritual ideals about you, us, karma, ego, free will, forgiveness, reincarnation, meditation etc that for novices to this area will find easy to test the water with as it has a helpful glossary of terms, and for those who are a little more advanced in exploring the spiritual, adds even more depth and throws open further questions.
This really is a book for everyone to enjoy. I did, and I hope you do.
 

Something of a hidden treasure.  Naked Being is a breath of fresh air for all seekers of the inner self.  A beautiful fusion of insights in spirituality, esoteric oneness and advaita, or non-duality, it provides a powerful foundation for positive and lasting life changes.  A fine investment for your journey of discovery, this is a book that merits close attention. 

If you are looking for the purpose of being and the way to the heart of your true nature then you will find this book of limitless benefit. Naked Being is not a self-help book. It is not a guide. It is a collection of wonderfully illuminating quips and insights that will change your life. This book is not to be read in an afternoon and then shelved. Life changes take time and so does reading Naked Being. Readers must read the insights one at a time, taking time to absorb and reflect on each one. I was particularly impressed by the formatting of the book; each insight is separated from the next by the symbol of Oneness, inviting a pause, a reflection. I found that I often reflected for days before returning, and other times, minutes of reflection would suffice. The well- written, yet easy to understand, teachings will reach to the depth of your soul. Totalling 450, each insight brings the reader closer to self- realization, to enlightenment, to Naked Being. Each reader will find that the insights speak personally to him or her. Whether a new spiritual seeker or a more advanced enlightened being, this book has something for everyone. Naked Being is remembering who we are. It is discovering the limitless potential in each and every one of us. Naked Being is simply being all that we can be. I guarantee you will pick it up again and again, each time seeking and finding answers to the purpose of life, your purpose. Discover your Naked Being today. Author:Highly Recommended by Reviewer: Shirley Roe, Allbooks Review. www.allbookreviews.com May 2010 ~ Shirley Roe, Allbooks Review www.allbookreviews.com

Jonathan has a deep understanding of how to connect with, and express heart talk from his inner knowing. I love this book because it is simple and expressive, connecting the reader straight away with the deeper meaning of life. By holding this book in your hands each day and intuitively opening at a page that holds a paragraph relevant to you at that moment in time, it will help you gain a whole new perspective about your way of living. By surrendering to and letting go of all preconceived ideas that you have been conditioned to believe, you can draw on the wisdom and insights in this book to awaken a whole new way of being - naked and empowered with your true source. ~ Barbara Meiklejohn-Free, The Highland Seer - Author of 'The Heart of all Knowing' and 'The Shaman Within'

"I shall give you what no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, what no hand has touched, what has not arisen in the human heart". These words of Jesus from the Gospel of Thomas would not stop repeating themselves in my mind as I read Naked Being. They point to the nameless, pure, unborn presence that we all are, before we become. It can never be seen, heard or touched because it is what we truly are. It is who we are before anything was. The saying suggests that our deepest identity is like a source of light that can never shine on itself, but illumines everything on which it rests its gaze. And too easily it can become confused, believing itself to be that which it only really sees. It is when this timeless essence remembers itself that what Jonathan Harrison calls "naked being" arises. It is what is revealed, as Jesus explains elsewhere in Thomas, "when you take your clothes and put them under your feet like little children, then you will see the child of the living one and you will not be afraid". There are many great teachings from the past, like the Gospel of Thomas, that seek to evoke this awakening. But they come from a different time and another culture and can struggle to fully connect with modern twenty-first century minds. So we need such teachings for our own time and Naked Being is such a contribution. Like all authentic teachings of awakening it does not offer yet another doctrine or philosophy, yet more information to fill our already overloaded minds. Instead, it seeks to evoke in the reader a taste of that to which it points. It uses short, penetrating sayings that work away in the mind, gently dismantling the false, intensely personal thought world in which most of us live, most of the time. The passages are not statements on which one takes a position, agreeing or disagreeing, but are given for deep reflection - a journey that can take us to an experience far beyond their literal meaning. All minds are wonderfully different, so a great variety of teachings are necessary. For many, Naked Being will be a powerful and true mirror.

The book is divided into 450 brief passages of wisdom and insight, designed to assist the reader in self-discovery of their own spiritual journey toward non-duality and wholeness. The format is certainly reader friendly and allows the opportunity to pause and consider the wisdom each passage offers without losing momentum. I recommend this book to anyone with a keen desire to mine the boundaries of human finiteness and simultaneously ascend into the infinite-ness of universal being. ~ Julie Clayton, New Consciousness Review

A truly lovely book, whatever style and genre of writing you enjoy.  This is a book to make you feel good and give you a refreshed feeling when looking at the world.  A book to be picked up each day when you've only got a few minutes to spare or to sit down and read from cover to cover.

A book that needs to be tasted and savoured.

This is a collection of over 400 insights for all seekers of the inner self. It is a fusion of mainstream spirituality, esoteric oneness and non-duality. It is a powerful foundation for positive and lasting life changes. The author gently guides the reader into the experience of present moment awareness (the Now) and then shows you how to go beyond this.

I read this book cover to cover and then found that I wanted needed to revisit sections and reflect deeply upon what was written there. The numbering of the statements makes it easy to dip in and out in this way. The book attempts to deliver answers to the reasons for being and the way to the heart of your true nature and does present spiritual ideals in an accessible form. It is challenging reading however and does need profound reflection to begin to gain understanding of the deeper meanings enclosed in the simple statements within the book e.g. “If you want to see the truth of what you are, then empty your mind and give the stillness that remains your undivided attention.”

Not an easy book, but a very worthwhile one.

Throughout the pilgrimage of life, we are always searching for a deeper sense of identity and purpose, which is often hampered through identification with a false ego-based consciousness. In Naked Being, Jonathan Harrison compiles a collection of inspirational and powerful texts that evoke a deep remembrance of our essential "true" nature and sacred sense of "home'. ~ Annamaria Hemingway Ph.D., Author of Practicing Conscious Living and Dying and Myths of the Afterlife

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, 'Spirituality Simplified'

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

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. ~ Reviewed by Dominique Sessons for APEX REVIEWS, Official Apex Reviews Rating ***** www.apexreviews.net

Naked Being is a wonderful book that deserves wide distribution and readership.I love the format of separate numbered verses. The individual verses are an excellent way to present such profound and timeless truths. It is a book of deep wisdom, a book of great seeds for contemplation. The ancient timeless wisdom of the ages is here brought to life in modern language accessible to any interested reader. Naked Being, the book, should take its place on the bookshelves and reading tables of many folks who love the power and the glory of the Non-dual literature blossoming in our time. As Consciousness itself is evolving and expanding throughout the hearts and minds of sincere truth seekers every where, here is potent fuel for that pure flame. I hope it is a great sales success story. The message is oh so right in this time of madness in the world where people are starving for food to feed their souls. Here is a rich banquet. ~ Orva Schrock, - author 'Grandpa's Notebooks: The Evolution of an Amish Soul'

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, Amazon.com #3 classic reviewer

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.

This great book teaches us that our amazing ordinariness is not found by accumulating as much material wealth, status, and power as we possibly can, nor through the recognition of the mystifying emptiness discovered beyond self-identity, but shares insights through which our true Naked Being can manifest in the present moment, leaving us aligned with the process of life itself. ~ Mick Quinn, Irish-born author of the Amazon Bestseller - The Uncommon Path

This book is broken down into bits of wisdom that you can read, study, meditate upon and carry with you throughout the day. It's one of those lasting books that you can open to any section and find just what you need to help you through your journey. But the book also provides the reader with specifics to assist them in their journey - insights such as becoming mindful of both weaknesses and successes (when generally don't we do one or the other?). Naked Being is what is found as a result of removing layers and layers of conditioning that the author discusses in the book. This can be done by reading and meditating on one section of the book during your meditation session. Learn how to unravel the layers of the mind that keeps us from our true selves. The author realizes that this may be a tough task as some of us have so much baggage. The real peace we long for, J.M. Harrison writes, is deep within us. In this book, the author realizes that we are creating our own futures in our minds; therefore, we must replace fears and worries that inhabit our minds currently. Harrison knows the true value of peace and internal happiness and that those cannot be received by other people or material gains. For example (and I love this part) he writes that if a person's thoughts do not add to the quality of life, then they are detrimental and should be let go. And he helps us learn how- and this will be so helpful, readers. Intuitively, we may know we need to rid ourselves of negative or destructive thoughts but we often fight them which makes them grow - the author tells us how to rid ourselves of this destruction once and for all. WE have all we need to have, we are all we need to be - Harrison helps us to see this and shows us the way to attain it! ~ Sue Ayers, www.catgoturtongue.com (USA) writer and critic

§ § § "The concept of Naked Being brings a fresh new clarity about the truth of our Being. I highly recommend it to anyone who desires to know their true nature." ~ Burt Harding, Founder of the Awareness Foundation in Vancouver, teacher of Advaita Vedanta in the lineage of Ramana Maharshi, based on direct experience of awakening. www.burtharding.com

§ § § "Jonathan Harrison's presentation the teaching of non-duality, is crisp, concise, and clear. Instruction on dealing with the habitual, addictive mind, or the ego-self gives this book more traction than the purely confessional books of new non-duality (neo-advaita). Love, karma, death, meditation, suffering, compassion, the mind, separateness, and the soul (a rarely seen theme in non-duality and a welcome carry-over from Harrison's first book), are topics that bridge mainstream spirituality with non-duality, or naked being." ~ Jerry Katz, author of One: Essential Writings on Non-duality (Sentient Publications 2007) and founder of www.nonduality.com

§ § § "Jonathan Harrison presents Ancient Wisdom of the Perennial Philosophy - TRUTH with a capital 'T' ... You don't have to DO anything, just BE. What you seek, you already ARE. Still your mind and know Peace. Look inside, and find out Who you really Are. Kill the ego; you are Pure, Changeless BEING. Pay attention to the Silence between thoughts - ABIDE THERE. The Present Moment is all there IS. There is only ONE and You are part of THAT; there is only ONE and You Are THAT - the ONE, the ALL. Pure Consciousness, Aware of itself; THAT is Who you Are, THAT is What you Are." ~ Gary Seth Petra , California, USA

§ § § "Naked Being shows you how to know and understand yourself, without the help of any psychiatrist or analyst. By showing you how to strip yourself back to the essence of your being, Jonathan Harrison takes you home. 'Naked Being' is written in an easy to read style that both draws you in and at the same time amazes you with simple truths that have probably never occurred to you before, and yet will immediately strike you with the resonance of reality." ~ Jenny Smedley, Author of 'The Tree That Talked', 'How To Be Happy' and much more. www.jennysmedley.com

"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'

Lovely book, a great opportunity to deepen your understanding and personal experience of the spiritual path, many special insights and wise words to help the reader develop their inner qualities and move towards a better understanding of themselves and their place in the world. ~ David.F.Vennells, Award winning author of 5 books, including 'Reiki Mastery'

§ § § "Jonathan leads the reader on a great ride through the journey of self. He helps us to understand that we are all one at our core. By changing our perception we are shown what is there, what has always been there and what will continue to be our Naked Being. Jonathan has done all this by simply taking the lens that we look through and reverting back at the self, thus exposing the Naked Being." ~ Tracy Ann, Radio show host (Contact Talk Radio) Animal communicator & Zimbaté practitioner www.naturestranslator.com

§ § § "With elegant simplicity and power, Jonathan Harrison brings clarity and focus to spiritual ideals that are often challenging for beginners to understand. At the same time, he adds profound depth for the advanced seeker. Jonathan is a master teacher, storyteller, and guide, and his writings mirror his own true self, his most authentic expression, his passion for revealing our oneness, wholeness, and Naked Being." ~ Linda Panell, CEO and founder of Conscious Alliances, a University for the study, expansion and awakening of consciousness. www.consciousalliances.com

"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'

§ § § "On reading Naked Being I instantly connect with a pure sense of Being. It's as if the words hold a slow primordial beat that resonates with my heart." ~ Stephanie van den Bergh, author of Mindscaping (Thorsons 2000)

# # # We all go out into the world looking for happiness. For some reason, we believe that we will find what we need when… When we get enough money. When we find the right lover. When we get that perfect job. After some measure of success and failure, it becomes very obvious that something is very wrong. We just aren't getting what we want, even when we are getting what we thought we wanted. The problem is that we are looking for happiness in the wrong place. What we really seek is within. Naked Being tells us that the key is letting go of all of our baggage, our social masks, and our complexities. To really allow ourselves to be naked, to be completely who we are. Nothing to hide, no excuses, and no special meditations to complete. Just be aware and be willing to let go. I like that. Sometimes the answer is simple. We are the ones that create complexities, perhaps so that we have reasons to fail. # # # ~ Tami Brady, TCM Review (USA)