"Everything has to stop at some time in order to keep going. A pause in life's journey does not mean that nothing is happening. In reality, it is a divine opportunity to be present and
catch up with all that is going on."
Then, I stumble upon an article on Brainpickings.org that takes a closer look at one of Alan Watt's books and dives into Happiness and How to Live with Presence. The author of the article talks about the concept of presence - "the ability to go through life with crystalline awareness and fully inhabit our experience." And, he quotes Watts - "to understand music, you must listen to it. But so long as you are thinking, 'I am listening to this music', you are not listening."
And right before I headed out to run a few errands, Marilyn Jennett, the guest on the Manifest Everything Now series, started saying that to create the connection to your true source of supply, you must be in the present moment.
When something like this happens, I tend to take notice. That's especially true when the first reminder to be in the present moment also talked about a pause in life's journey and that everything has to stop at some time. Hmmm, like my job? I did recently take a sabbatical from work.
So, to me, the Universe is obviously saying, "Hey, Sandy, listen up!" Taking this to heart, here's what I've been present to so far today:
A graceful hummingbird flitting around the flowers outside my front door.
The sun shining on my sleeping dog, warming his coat, as he sleeps soundly.
The fan blowing a gently breeze across my shoulders as I sit and drink my coffee.
The delicious scents of Indian food coming from my neighbor's window as she cooks dinner.
All of these carried a feeling of contentment and grace with them, however, as I started to deepen my present moment awareness, there were also more mundane things I noticed.
The candlesticks lined up on the credenza next to, Albert, the fish.
The basket slightly overflowing with various half-finished bags of bread and tortillas
The forgotten Wall St. Journal still sitting on the coffee table from this weekend.
Then something clicked for me and I realized that these things simply ARE WHAT THEY ARE. And as I become present to them, I label them and react to them in a number of ways. What if I just started to notice without attaching a feeling or label to them?
Nothing is 'good' or 'bad', 'boring' or 'exciting' until I give it that label. If I just see things as 'Life', then I believe I start to really tap into the receptivity of the Divine Presence that moves through everything.
Maybe this is what Iyanla meant when she talked about stopping and catching up with all that is going on. Everything today is becoming more vibrant. Even the newspaper on the table takes on lines and forms that are edgy and brilliant.
I feel as if I'm almost hyper-sensitive as I remain present and I'm really starting to GET that I am part of the Oneness. They are becoming no longer words that I speak, but something that I experience at a visceral, gut level.
As I change my focus from labeling to experiencing, it is creating a space for the crystalline awareness of what is around me. And, rather than simply think about the breeze from the fan, I get to understand that breeze and savor the nuances of it as it flows over and around me.
It's always been available to me and I've danced around the edges of it. I just haven't truly slowed down enough to tap into it. Until today.
So, where in YOUR life can you change the way you look at a pause in your life's journey? And can you be present during that pause?
Today, I set the intention to fully inhabit my experience, embracing the divine opportunity to be present and catch up with all that is going on.
"The overcoming of all the usual barriers between the individual and the Absolute
is the great mystic achievement. In mystic states we both become one with
the Absolute, and we become aware of our Oneness."
"There is a side to us which lies open to the Infinite. The infinite wisdom becomes
human knowledge in such degree as the human furnishes a channel through
which it may flow. The greatest people who have ever lived have recognized
this fact. They have consciously expected it, and there came a time when they
consciously received it, and there came a time when they
consciously felt it flowing through them."
~Ernest Holmes, Can We Talk to God
Affirmative Prayer:
Turning within and allowing this moment to unfold, there is a recognition of One Divine Power, One Creative Intelligence. This Power and Intelligence is a presence that is only a resounding love, only a resounding joy, only a resounding enthusiasm as the beauty of each day is revealed.
Embracing the love, joy and enthusiasm that is a powerful force for good, I let go and celebrate the knowing that this Divine Power is also in me. It is a comforting Presence that expresses as me in unique and positive ways. It is a Source that I call God and I am always supported by this Source, filled daily with infinite and unlimited possibilities.
I am so unified with the presence of God, I only need to say I am peace, I am harmony, I am grace, and that is what is revealed throughout the day. I stay present to all that surrounds me, simply noticing and I am overwhelmed by the Divine aspects of life. Walking the dog, cooking dinner, listening to music - all are expressions of Source that become so vibrant as I stay present and allow them to flow over and around me. My day-to-day experience stays centered in Spirit and nothing that unfolds is too good to be true.
Joyfully, I give great thanks for the presence of Spirit that inhabits my daily experience. I am grateful for the vibrancy of life that is becoming so clear. And I am filled with a deep, profound gratitude for the pause in my life that is making space for so much more - more goodness, more prosperity, more than I can imagine.
Complete in my intention to stay present for the greatness within me, I release my word to the Divine Action of the Law, knowing it is already done. Moment by moment, my good is activated and revealed. Something wonderful is happening right now! And I let it be so. And so it is.
Photo courtesy of Greg Westfall/Flickr
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