You know what they say, ‘Presence is a gift from God’! (tee tee) Seriously, what is presence and how do we focus on being present? One of my best friends, at the age of 8, once offered his definition of consciousness: “Consciousness is being aware of the present moment and how you are in it.”
A consistent theme of spiritual teachings these days is to remain present. The way our world is today, isn’t there way too much to think about outside the present moment? Everyone has their traumas and dramas of the past, and doesn’t everyone need to be thinking about their future? So what can we do to obtain a constant state of presence in a modern world? Perhaps technology and social media manage our presence with the constant need to search for the next viral cat video!
Maybe my young friend is correct to draw a connection with presence to consciousness. Presence of mind is defined as self-control in the face of a crisis, or the ability to say or do the right thing during an emotional event. That sounds a little bit like defining how to remain grounded, which signals the time has arrived for a whisper on presence:
There is a connection with being grounded, maintaining energetic stability, aspects of presence, and consciousness. When one is ungrounded, they cannot easily be present. When a person’s energy is not stable, they cannot totally respond in a clear and concise manner to the present situation. When there is a loss of conscious awareness, presence is illusive.
The ability to resolve any issue of the past relies on the willingness to release the emotions connected to event cleanse. Part of being present depends on whether one has gained emotional neutrality with regard to the past as perceived in the present moment. When the past becomes a collection of stories that seem separate from the current self, neutrality has been accomplished at some level and it becomes easier to be in the moment.
Detaching from outcome brings greater presence along with a release from too much focus on the future. The mind easily attaches to any story that has become part of one’s identity. The personality develops under the conditions and perceptions of the mind. The inability to balance emotions from events of the past can lead to instability under a disorganized flow of energy. The result is thought patterns anchored in the lower emotions that support a challenge with being in the present moment. Negative emotions present the greatest obstacle with being present, so it is the responsibility of every human to clear away the lower emotions.
Presence requires quieting the mind and limiting distractions, along with gaining the clarity needed to take action. Presence requires faith in action as the defining force that leads to love. Presence is stillness and it is movement, deemed an appropriate response to any situation. Presence is realized when awareness of the bigger picture brings internal peace. Beauty brings presence through higher awareness at the soul level.
Bring joy, ease suffering and create beauty, then dance like you mean it!
Blessings, Russell
“Your hand opens and closes, opens and closes. If it were always a fist or always stretched open, you would be paralyzed. Your deepest presence is in every small contracting and expanding, the two as beautifully balanced and coordinated as birds' wings.” Jalaluddin Rumi
