Tosha Silver - Outrageous openness: letting the divine take the lead

Join Tosha Silver in her home in San Francisco, California, as she teaches you how to let the Divine take the lead.

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Copyright 2014 by Tosha Silver

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Atria Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

First Atria Books hardcover edition June 2014

Jacket photograph provided by the author

Author photograph by Donna Insalaco

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ISBN 978-1-4767-8974-3

ISBN 978-1-4767-8975-0 (ebook)

Dedicated to Mom and Dad

Its been said that serendipity is Gods way of remaining anonymous. So true. The Divine was clearly at work when I met Tosha Silver and discovered how to allow my relationship with God to truly blossom. I was fortunate to receive one of her last astrology readings gifted to me by my daughter. Later, Tosha sent me a copy of Outrageous Openness . That was the beginning of my renewed love affair with Spirit. Not only did I read the whole book in one day, finding great joy and relief along the way, I also began to use it as an oracle. Now I keep it at my bedside and open it at random for inspiration when facing a particular challenge. This magical and unique book launched me into a deeper connection with my spiritual heart than I had ever known.

Given our crazy culture where were taught weve got to be a slave to dogmatic rituals, Toshas approach is a breath of irreverent fresh air. She describes herself as Plutonic, a devotee of the Hindu goddess Kali, known for her ability to cut through the egos bullshit and get right to the point. I find this approach spot-on, exhilarating, even hilarious! This chick, a hip tattooed yogini, was an English major at Yale.

She knows how to write prose and poetry that moves the Soul!

Not only did I absorb the book in both written and spoken form like a parched plant that finally got watered, I also joined Tosha Silvers Facebook community, where I soaked up her everyday wisdom. I learned how to offer my life, my heartaches, my problems, and dilemmas to what Tosha calls The Divine Beloved. This way of relating to God, inspired by the teachings of Sufi poets like Rumi, is reflected in Toshas message that an intimate, passionate love affair with the Divine is available for everyone.

My own relationship with Divine Order started one morning back in the 1980s. I was reading Florence Scovel Shinns book The Game of Life and How to Play It . Following the instructions, I stood by my bed and said aloud, Infinite Spirit, send me a sign. Show me the next best use of my gifts and talents. That afternoon I got an unexpected call from an agent I had met several years earlier: Its the perfect time for you to write a book!

This was my first direct experience of the truth of Divine Guidance, which is so beautifully articulated in the book you are holding in your hands.

Like most people, I find that I need to be reminded about Divine Order over and over. Because we forget. The ego truly thinks its in charge. It believes that turning our problems over to a greater power is ridiculous. Our culture is all about hard work and control but zilch about letting go and following the lead of a higher power. After all, theres an acute shortage of double-blind, placebo-controlled studies to prove that offering your troubles to the Divine can work miracles. Yet this is my experience, and that of thousands who have embraced this way of being.

As Tosha illustrates in her wonderfully zany, entertaining stories, Divine Order does not imply that all our desires are instantly granted and we fly away on a magic carpet. Nor does it require that you become passive or colorless, giving up all your preferences. Instead, you become aligned with the spontaneous creative impulses of the Universe in a way thats unique to each person.

In my case, when I got the inspirational call from the agent, I was up to my ears with patient care while also raising my two little girls. I had absolutely no idea how to write a book. How was I supposed to DO that, let alone find the time? Nevertheless, the ideas that led to my first book were saturated with a Divine Destiny. I knew that I was picked to do this job. Along the way, there were big challenges. I had discovered essential information for women that was not covered in medical school or even in my residency. I knew I must create a new positive language focusing on womens health, not womens disease. Despite my commitment, at that time almost no one understood what I was writing about. There was no support from doctors or publishers. Amid all the rejections, only one person, Leslie Meredith, then of Bantam Books, understood my contribution. She skillfully and beautifully midwifed the manuscript and believed in it, every step of the way. Five years later, Womens Bodies, Womens Wisdom was published. It went on to become a New York Times bestseller in both editions and was translated into eighteen languages. I still get letters from women all over the world whose lives have been changed by its message.

And it all started with a simple act of offering myself and asking for guidance from the Divine.

Knowing that my book was part of a Divine flow helped me keep my faith and stay on course. When God is invited in, its always a magical experience, and marvelous signs can appear when we least expect it. So, what a so-called coincidence that Leslie Meredith is now at Atria Books, where Toshas book is being recognized for the true gem that it is, and she too had to travel a difficult road to get here.

With the help of Toshas amazingly effective Change Me Prayers, I have learned how to truly Let the Divine Take the Lead in my own life. I couldnt wait to share Outrageous Openness with my community and invited her to be a guest on my Hay House radio show, Flourish ! After many years of doctoring, I can honestly say this message is the one medicine we all require. Everyone needs a prescription for this universal balmwhich has the power to heal our wounds, give them meaning, and release our attachments to what no longer serve us.

I always keep a stash of Outrageous Openness to prescribe as needed for those who are ready for it. The relief it provides is truly extraordinary. Toshas stories are current, humorous, irreverent, and life changing. Theyre applicable whether youre having a medical crisis or a relationship drama. Her advice that the perfect solution to any problem is already picked, you will be guided to it in the right way at the right time has helped me and thousands of others metabolize more stress hormones than any medicine Ive ever prescribed. You simply sit back, offer the challenge youre facing to the Divine, and wait for a nudge... from a more expanded version of your own self, not some white-haired judgmental guy with a beard sitting on a cloud, waiting to punish us. Youre shown what steps to take.