“A New Earth,” by Eckhart Tolle, is the #1 best-selling non-fiction book from the Penguin Group.

It retained the #1 spot on “The New York Times” best-seller list for weeks in a row, while topping “USA Today,” “Publishers Weekly" and “BookSense” best-sellers' list, among others.

Since “A New Earth” was named the 61st selection of Oprah’s Book Club in January 2008, and Oprah Winfrey announced that she would join author and renowned spiritual leader Tolle to teach a free, live interactive Webinar starting last month [which I signed up] exclusively on Oprah.com -- more than 500,000 people, representing 125 countries, from around the world, also registered.

But, the big question: why has this book made such an impact on society? How is this book different from any other spiritual/self-help publication?

Well, for starters, most books aren't endorsed by Oprah; they are telecast across the entire world to spread learning – it’s also more than just food for thought.

What Is “A New Earth”?

Published in 2005, Tolle’s "A New Earth" encourages a collective sense of commitment to changing the way we live and for people who want to make an impactful difference in life. While the world is at war -- mentally and physically -- Tolle underscores the desperation for global change. His book also answers the question: what can one person do to enact that change?

With clarity and uplifting practicality, Tolle gently leads readers to an original level of consciousness, awakening them to their lives' purpose and inviting them to envision A New Earth where peace and fellowship are the norm. "We perpetuate the insanity of the past [which we can see most clearly in the history of the 20th century], or, at best, we only treat the symptoms of the disease, not the underlying cause.”

“The disease, of course, is the collective dysfunction of the egoic mind,” says Tolle. Finding the inspiration behind writing "A New Earth" Tolle said, "I collected hundreds of talks and teaching sessions given all over the world during the seven years after ‘The Power Of Now’ was first published [and] incorporated them into the new book; but, now, there was also an added sense of urgency, a realisation that what the planet and humanity need[ed] the most was, and is, a shift in consciousness -- a spiritual awakening."

Wanting Change For Myself And Doing It

A few months ago, I met a lively man, a trainer and friend to a colleague of mine. His enthusiasm came with a purpose as he had recently undergone a dramatic change in his life from listening to Tolle’s audio book, "A New Earth." I'd never heard of the name before, but from curiosity and pure adrenaline I felt, from the mere mention of this book, I was sold. The gift of spiritual consciousness was given to trainer Lapelle and he, in turn, wanted to lend his new-found prosperity to me. For several weeks I digested every word and lesson. Since then, I reviewed the lessons of the book four more times with pre-meditated intention to incorporating its practices into my life.

Internal And Eternal Lessons

For the first time in my adult life I felt a strong connection of divine spirit around these spiritual teachings; every lesson made sense intuitively. This '”message in a bottle” came serendipitously to me through a random meeting that mysteriously felt “on purpose” and out of my control. But, just like the saying goes, when the student is ready, the teacher will appear -- I was ready.

A divine epiphany that opened my life in a new-found direction of positive change forever is the best way to describe the effect of Tolle’s teachings. Unlike other self-help or spiritual books -- which help many people, including myself -- this book left no questions unanswered. From the purpose of our lives to the purpose of God creating beauty in flowers, and how we all connect from the beginning of time to the present-moment reality in this Universe, though difficult to grasp at times, no stone was left unturned.

Yes, “Inherited Dysfunction,” “Spirituality and Religion,” The “Urgency in Transformation,” “A New Heaven and A New Earth” are not just names, but profound insights, of a few select “titles” from the first chapter of the book, to highlight one example.

An Inevitable Transformation -- Spread The Word

"A New Earth" makes you take a deep look at yourself and who you really are inside. It then helps how you relate and connect to others. The positive message grows inside as a planted seed, but it needs to be cultivated by spreading the word to others.

Oprah was moved by Tolle's teachings. "Being able to share this material with you is a gift and a part of the fulfilment of my life's purpose," Oprah said, as she revealed the book selection. She added, "It was an awakening for me that I want for you too."

Oprah admits to having experienced a great change after reading Tolle's book in the same manner as my friend was compelled to share his lessons with me. Even now, the purpose of writing this article is because I felt obligated, no less, to share Tolle's lessons as well -- with readers of HealthPrism.

Though this book is not for everyone, but thanks to the biggest book club in the world, Oprah's Book Club, which has approximately one million online members, it makes me wonder how many people will now subconsciously awaken!

Spiritual Globalisation

Each of Oprah's selections have skyrocketed to the top of best-sellers’ lists. Interestingly, without heavy endorsements, the books have shaped their own momentum.

Starting last month a 10-part interactive worldwide telecast of “A New Earth,” a pioneering venture, has the potential to reach an unprecedented number of people, or readers, in all English-language territories, far and wide. With key market positions in the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, Canada, India, China, New Zealand and Ireland, "A New Earth" has a worldwide audience for Tolle's teachings through his online telecast class for 10 weeks. It brings together a new community of international spiritual thinkers. Undeniably, there’s something special happening and it’s moving with and without our control, or intention.

Free Spiritual Online Class

For the first-time ever, readers around the world will also able to participate in a free, live interactive classroom discussion, led by Oprah and Tolle. Each weekly class corresponds to a chapter from "A New Earth," with the discussion focusing on each chapter's themes. The 10-weekly sessions will be Webcast every Monday night, from March 3 through May 5, 2008, at 9:00pm ET.

In Tolle own words: “With Oprah’s support and blessings, a wider audience is now being reached.”

“I invite you to join Oprah and myself in our weekly online sessions. We will be studying “A New Earth,” but not as an academic subject or in order to acquire new theories or beliefs. Our aim is to explore through the teachings of the book the most important question you can ask: What is the purpose of my life and how do I fulfil that purpose? It will be a course in self-exploration and awakening. It will help you see what the dysfunctional patterns are within yourself that create unnecessary conflict and suffering and prevent you from finding true fulfilment in life.”

“’A New Earth’ will help you to access a dimension within yourself that, perhaps, you didn’t know existed, or you only caught glimpses of it on rare occasions. Don’t be trapped for the rest of your life within the narrow confines of your personal history and your conditioned personality -- allow your life to be transformed from within, through the power of consciousness itself.”

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Readers around the world, including celebrities, have been sharing how the book has enriched their lives:

Jim Carrey: “I think one of the most important questions that people ask in life is who am I, and why am I here? This book gets as close to an answer as any book could ever get.”

Russell Simmons: “When you get it, it’s like a key turning inside you… [Eckhart] Tolle offers that bridge from this unconscious state that we live in to the state that we are evolving towards, like it or not.”

Jenny McCarthy: “What happened to me as I was reading ‘A New Earth!’ I can best describe it as if someone came and woke me up out of a dream, and the dream just happened to be my entire life. It definitely made me realise that I was playing a role.”

Guy Ritchie: “One of the first categories of people I think should read this book is anyone who suffers from any form of anxiety, or any form of fear…I think, in that respect, this could be the most liberating thing they could ever read.”