The Sacred Now
I am a Virgo, so naturally I am a master planner. I can't tell you how many times I have planned out my life--down to the month--only to scratch it all and start over again with tangible excitement because the act of planning in and of itself makes me feel alive.
Living in the moment, though? That doesn't come so easily for me.
Over the past 5 years, however, I have been learning patience and presence, and the realization that came to me that there is magic in the now. Planning is great and foresight is extremely helpful, but in order to achieve real balance in this life, we must also surrender ourselves to the moment by moment whimsies. Each breath, each beat of your heart, each whistle of wind against the window pane, and each placement of your feet on the earth below is sacred.
Anxiety gets in the way of our purpose and weakens our faith. In many ways, over-planning robs us of magic! When we take the time to focus on the moment, on the small things, and on feeling the movement of Spirit, we are finally able to hear from God in a tangible way that otherwise gets drowned out by the day to day minutia.
Have you ever walked through the woods in a rush? Speed walking on a hike is one of the most tragic wastes of experience. Sometimes I walk with my husband in the forest and I tug on his hand, urging him to slow down and look around--to breathe in the scent of the plants and the soil, to touch the bark of the great trees all around us, to dip his toes in the stream that makes music just off the edge of the path. It can be all too easy to miss the magic of the moment when you rush on to the next thing. And that's the most unfortunate part: in the hurry to move on, your present moment becomes meaningless.
When we take time to bask in the present moment, realizations of purpose begin to shine through the fog of stress, responsibilities, and expectations that you or others may have placed on the future. When we pause and appreciate the seemingly simple or 'little' things in each moment, we open ourselves up to the truest places within ourselves. Sometimes we mistake quietness or meekness for being weak or unimportant, but in fact the opposite is true! It is the softest inner spaces where our true identities lie, just waiting for the ego to quiet down, melt into the present, and notice.
Why are you here today? Why are you in that body? Why have you been placed in your hometown in this century? Human beings love to ask why questions, but some of us are terribly afraid to answer them because we assume that the answers must be fathomless--HUGE, even. But this is simply not the case.
There is a beautiful design unfolding in the universe and by simply being yourself and being alive you are part of the grand story. In our current form, we humans are too small to understand the entirety of the big picture, but rest assured that there certainly is a plan and a purpose. Each of us is an integral piece of the puzzle and our unabashed embodiment is magic, plain and simple.
You exist in this moment for a reason--even if that reason is nothing more than pure discovery. There is much to learn, see, and uncover within each instance--to better understand your Higher Self, your purpose, the world around you, and the Creator.
Living in the moment, though? That doesn't come so easily for me.
Over the past 5 years, however, I have been learning patience and presence, and the realization that came to me that there is magic in the now. Planning is great and foresight is extremely helpful, but in order to achieve real balance in this life, we must also surrender ourselves to the moment by moment whimsies. Each breath, each beat of your heart, each whistle of wind against the window pane, and each placement of your feet on the earth below is sacred.
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"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ...Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6: 26-30, 34)
There is magic in the now.
Have you ever walked through the woods in a rush? Speed walking on a hike is one of the most tragic wastes of experience. Sometimes I walk with my husband in the forest and I tug on his hand, urging him to slow down and look around--to breathe in the scent of the plants and the soil, to touch the bark of the great trees all around us, to dip his toes in the stream that makes music just off the edge of the path. It can be all too easy to miss the magic of the moment when you rush on to the next thing. And that's the most unfortunate part: in the hurry to move on, your present moment becomes meaningless.
When we take time to bask in the present moment, realizations of purpose begin to shine through the fog of stress, responsibilities, and expectations that you or others may have placed on the future. When we pause and appreciate the seemingly simple or 'little' things in each moment, we open ourselves up to the truest places within ourselves. Sometimes we mistake quietness or meekness for being weak or unimportant, but in fact the opposite is true! It is the softest inner spaces where our true identities lie, just waiting for the ego to quiet down, melt into the present, and notice.
Why are you here today? Why are you in that body? Why have you been placed in your hometown in this century? Human beings love to ask why questions, but some of us are terribly afraid to answer them because we assume that the answers must be fathomless--HUGE, even. But this is simply not the case.
You are exactly where you are supposed to be right now.
There is a beautiful design unfolding in the universe and by simply being yourself and being alive you are part of the grand story. In our current form, we humans are too small to understand the entirety of the big picture, but rest assured that there certainly is a plan and a purpose. Each of us is an integral piece of the puzzle and our unabashed embodiment is magic, plain and simple.
You exist in this moment for a reason--even if that reason is nothing more than pure discovery. There is much to learn, see, and uncover within each instance--to better understand your Higher Self, your purpose, the world around you, and the Creator.
So curl up with a cup of tea and a cozy throw blanket, and take some time today to reflect on your own presence within the sacred now by meditating on the following questions.
What did I notice today that I would normally not think twice about?
Why did I notice it and why do I remember it in this moment?
When I sit quietly with myself, what do I notice within my own being that is otherwise drowned out by my surroundings?
What prevents me from routinely noticing the 'little things' in my presence?
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