Feeling What Is

Have you ever thought that 'the secret of life' might be here in front of us all the time but we don't notice it?

Imagine a wild flower growing in a field at the side of a highway. Are we likely to see it as we whizz past in our car? Perhaps there is something beautiful that we are missing.

We spend so much of our time rushing around doing stuff, that we rarely have time to pay attention to what is in front of us. Even when we do stop for a moment, we may be so caught up with whatever is going on in our heads that we still don't look around us. Our thoughts are usually not in the present moment at all. They're bound up in thoughts of the past or plans for the future - and these are often regrets of the past and fears for the future. In other words, we spend so much time thinking about what didn't happen and what might never happen, that we miss the only thing that is ever real. The present moment. What is happening now.

And what is this exactly?

If you allow your body and mind to fall still for a moment, you may find that there is a peace and stillness present in the space around you that you hadn't previously noticed. If you don't find it amongst the crowds, then go somewhere where you are alone. A garden would be ideal. Or into the country, or by a stream. It is easier to find in some places than in others. But it is always present if we can be aware.

And in this stillness, there is something else: a subtle, vibrant energy, an aliveness which seems so palpable that we might be surprised we'd missed it before. This is the flower at the side of the highway: beautiful, peaceful, and bursting with life. The secret of life is to carry this awareness with as we travel, so that every moment of our lives is just as alive.

Thanks to those of you who commented on my previous post about the Conversations With God books, especially Cosmic Sunshine, who contributed an invaluable summary of the later books in the series. See those comments here.

 

These may also be of interest:

Stringing It All Together

A Taste Of Enlightenment?

Comments

[sally]

Thank you for those words Simon. For me I didn't need to go out into the garden or find a quiet place to be. Your words brought me straight into presence. To stop in ones tracks at any stage of the day and just "be" is an absolute joy.
People say to me "I would love to learn to meditate but I just can't find the time" !!! I say it only takes a moment....this moment ....the time is now.. Always! It is just a stepping back and allowing the inner body to really be felt. That is true aliveness.

[Mark]

Simon,
Great article. Yes, the secret to life is within us and available to us all of the time. We simply have to re-learn how to find it within ourselves.

[Marion]

Beautifully explained, Simon! Lately, I discover I am more aware of being in the present moment than I have ever been.

It takes work, but it is instantly noticed inside myself when I wander into what-ifs and past regrets and forget to just be.

Whereas it used to be the other way around. Sudden peace and balance were rare, more a glimpse into what might be, if I applied myself!

Some progress being made on my part, perhaps!

[sally]

Great progress Marion.
When you notice you have strayed into "what ifs and Past regrets" you are instantly present. It is a real joy to know that firsthand......ie. when you notice you are not present ...you become present. Eckhart said that
and when I first realised it for myself it was a real liberation from being a slave to the mind. That seeing is so freeing! The more you do it the less mind run you become.

[Battlerocker]

Good post. I find this helps me relax, and particularly helps with falling asleep. Focusing on the immediate calm around me has a way of driving less pleasant thoughts from my mind.

[Andy]

We spend so much energy trying to get away from where we are right this instant - both physically and in thought. Even much of our 'spiritual path' is actually taking us away from this. Of course we do these things until we truly realise that they are not the way.

[Carol]

Great post, and very true! I work in the middle of busy NYC, and have found that I can experience it while watching the little sparrows on the street outside my office.

[Fluid]

mmm.. do I smell Eckheart Tolle influence :)

[Noi]

Wow, here via BOTB. I like this entry and I agree that sometimes we rush life so much that we forget to enjpy the present.

[Simon]

Thanks to you all for your comments - and welcome to Fluid and Noi.

Yes, Fluid - the teaching of Eckhart Tolle wafts around this blog on a regular basis. I shall be talking about him more explicitly in the next post (I think).

Marion and Sally - To become aware of the moment again as soon as we notice that we have drifted into our inner dialog of fears and regrets sounds wonderful. That's really rewriting our program.

Andy - It's interesting that you talk about us spending energy to get away from the moment. Whenever we simply accept what is, it feels like we're letting go, like we no longer have to work so hard just to be.

Carol - Being in the presence of people who are at one with what is is said to pull us towards a similar state ourselves. So perhaps it works the same with creatures such as your sparrows, which themselves are in the moment. Perhaps that is one of the reasons it can be so restful and beneficial to have a pet.

[Miguel]

I know what he's talking about becuase in my opinion heaven and other dimensions are all around us. One summer I was relaxing in my living room, when brilliant points of light known as psi-balls appeared off and on. That is all the proof I need.

Jesus made it very clear that the best way to get into heaven is to remain still...sound like meditation anyone?

Stephen Hawking came a up with a holographic theory which contends our universe functions much like a hologram. In one cubic centimeter of film, you can imprint 280 quintillion bits of information so that they overlap. Only when light is projected that seperate form becomes defined. By extension, this theory suggests that every element in a system is endowed with the same qualities as the macrocosm and 2) information about one part is instantly made optimal by every other part, just like in a hologram. It is that inner-knowingess that everything is already perfect which is going to get you where you want to be.

For anyone interested, you could read "Holographic Universe" by Michael Talbot.

[Secret Simon]

Hi Miguel - welcome to the blog! Thanks for the book recommendation. I've heard of the book - I should really put it on my list.

It's interesting that you actually *saw* those balls of light. They tend to be there on photographs when people take pictures of Deeksha sessions, but I hadn't heard of anyone seeing them with the naked eye before. Where does the term "psi-balls" come from, I wonder? That's new to me.

[Liara Covert]

To recognize and pay attention to the 'here and now' can itself a measure of personal achievement. We can learn a lot if we step back from what people tell us is worthwhile to figure out what the stillness itself tells us.

[Secret Simon]

Thanks for this, Liara. I think you are right to point out that being 'in the now' can connect us with wisdom, with a new, more enlightened perspective. In a similar way, I sometimes find that answers can come to me while I'm meditating, even if I haven't been consciously thinking about a particular problem.

[carole]

All of this makes perfect sense to me.

Sitting in stillness and silence can bring moments of unforgettable joy, which can change one,s perception forever.

But then one has to remember the Truth of Oneness that is revealed so silently, every moment of life, during both action and inaction.

That is the real challenge...to re-member!

[Simon]

Absolutely, Carole, sitting in silence is a great way to connect with the moment, but to carry that same awareness with us - as you put it - in 'every moment of life, during both action and inaction', that is the real knack, the real challenge: to *live* in that stillness, that peace, even as we go about our daily lives.

Thank you for your comment!