There are so many beautifully written books on the subject of present moment awareness, my personal favourites being the Eckhart Tolle books, ‘The Power of Now’ and ‘A New Earth’. But I would like to touch on it a little bit in this blog.
Why must I be still?
When we are still, we are in the present moment. When the continuous noise of the mind is silent we experience present moment awareness.
“We use mantras and meditations as ‘training’ wheels to the stillness that is at the very core of our soul.”
Easier said than done, of course, but it can be mastered. With regular meditation (this just means breathing and quieting the mind for as little as 5 minutes a day) and proper breathing techniques and mantras, one can easily become a master of ones thought pattern. We use mantras and meditations as ‘training’ wheels to the stillness that is at the very core of our soul.
Once you have mastered this you will no longer need the ‘training’ wheels as you will be able to attain stillness instantly.
The Art of Letting Go
For those of you who are new to these practices, some of the techniques used to bring oneself into the present are very helpful but always bear in mind that you will never need anything to realize this potential whenever you want it.
“…when you feel the need to move onto something else or perhaps nothing else, as the case may be, then trust your intuitions.”
Some people cling to their mantras and meditation techniques and this can become a very stagnant practice as the Earth shifts into a new gear. Some practices will already be felt as outdated and one needs to change with the times, so to speak.
So when you feel the need to move onto something else or perhaps nothing else, as the case may be, then trust your intuitions. As practices for the sake of keeping a ritual going is of no good if you are not progressing.
The STOP Signpost
A useful tool to use is the STOP signpost. Clearly see a stop sign in your mind’s eye, now use it every time you identify yourself wondering into the terrain of useless or negative thought.
STOP!
Hold up the sign to your mind. When you do this it is a distraction to get you to stop dead in your tracks. Try it for yourself. Be the ‘lollipop lady’ of your mind by holding up the STOP sign and bringing the traffic of mind noise to a halt to let the helpful and positive thoughts across the road.
For what purpose do I need to get to this ‘Present Moment Awareness’?
Now that you have an idea of how to get to the present moment – what does it do?
“If we could all operate in this space a lot of problems would be alleviated.”
Well, it is the grounding force that enables you to truly live. The present moment is bliss, peace and tranquility. It is a tool to help you to find clarity. But intrinsically it is the place where we are most at peace with ourselves and the outer world. If we could all operate in this space a lot of problems would be alleviated.
When you are in the moment, there is no thought pattern about past or future there is only the ‘now’. You experience life as it is now.
When the constant stream of mind-numbing thought is detached we have no fear/stress of future or regret/anger about past. We are supremely concentrated in the ‘is-ness’ of the now. It is as simple as it sounds. When you attain this degree of inner peace you will find out just how perfect you are and everything around you too.
Problems will lose their potency and you will be able to laugh in the face of fear.
What could harm a being as perfect as you?
You are a soul with no beginning and no end. What a marvelous space to be in! That is why some people are addicted to meditation and forget to live! But the true master finds the balance in-between.
“There are so many basic things that we, as humans, have forgotten.”
We are still human and have to face the outside world but through the practice of being in the present moment and through awareness itself, you will be able to operate in your current reality with a more peaceful and accepting demeanor.
There are so many basic things that we, as humans, have forgotten. We don’t forget to eat or drink – so why do we forget to breathe correctly? We don’t forget to sit on the couch and turn on the telly – so why do we forget to be present?
I am scared of stopping for fear of having to confront what it is I really need to address
Most of us are nervous about being still and we try to occupy every bit of spare time we have in filling it up with nonsense. All this is really just a cover up for the fact that we fear what we may face when we quiet our minds.
We fear the psyche and all the hidden corners that we have not explored. We fear the clutter that we have stored in there, packing it in boxes and labeling it for another day that we know, deep down, we don’t ever want to face.
We must face these fears if we are to move on.
Read Part 2.
Excerpt from Part 2:
“You can plaster a wall over and over but if there are cracks of unresolved past issues hidden in the concrete, they will always break through leaving imperfections in your wall…”
The above blog has been taken from an extract in my latest book ‘Divine You — Redefining Love in the New Earth’, which is available at all leading bookstores. For more information please click here.
You may also be interested in reading this article:
Wherever You Go, There You Are: A Short Course in Mindfulness and Meditation
God gives all of us many gifts, whether they be in the form of talents, love or friendships, etc. What we do with them is up to us but I don’t think He is going to be upset if we don’t use them.
Cherie Roe Dirksen 