“Be Here Now” Rev. Dr. Christine 7/16/2023
Today’s talk, Be Here Now, is about being present in the moment. People can say, of course I’m here, where else could I possibly be, but where my body is. We may think we’re right here, but really we could be a million miles away, or years into the past or into the future. We’re judging this and that. We’re telling all kinds of stories in our head.
Having a person sit before you, doesn’t mean they are truly listening or hearing you. They can be thinking about what they want to say as soon as you stop talking. Have you ever been on a phone conversation and suddenly feel something not quite right. There is an energy shift. What felt like a connection between two people has become an energy disconnection, and its not the phone dropping the call.
Remember when suddenly, you may realize that you have been talking to yourself. Then you say, Are you there? Can you hear me? Can you hear me now?
What I’m talking about is that the person on the other end got distracted, they were no longer being consciously in the present moment with you. Truly listening. That quality of listening to another is truly exchanging love energy, healing energy. It’s being that silent witness, truly in the present moment without judgement. Then whatever comes out of their mouth, from truly listening, is from the heart, intuition, wisdom, and on the topic of discussion.
Have you seen people, practically jumping out of their chairs, waiting to say something the moment the person stops talking, or they don’t wait until the full thought is expressed before jumping in. They may have heard one word, and then off into their own stuff.
How does it make the other person feel? I would say, unimportant and not heard or respected. To be a friend, or have more friends requires being here now and listening. That is letting them know how important they are to you.
I’ve had employees from my prior career say to me, “I can eat and work at the same time. Well that’s not really true. Either a person is doing one or the other. Its impossible for the mind to do two things at the same time. It also showed up in the quality and quantity of their work. Although, we are told that a computer can handle many tasks at the same time. Well that’s not true, its an illusion - a quick slight of the hand so to speak. A computer is actually switching very quickly between tasks. Sometimes a computer will just freeze up - stop, because of overload and out of memory. Only one thing left to do, shut down and restart, and begin again.
Much like a juggler who tosses up the balls and quickly grabs one before it falls and tosses it upward to grab another. We’re amazed at how many balls can be in the air at the same time without being dropped.
I recall ads for job openings requesting excellent multitasking skills. This became a way of life for many people. I was one of them. Being present in the here and now gets lost in all the multitasking, and the quality of life goes down.
In today’s world so many people are staring at their cell phones while jogging, in conversation, driving, shopping, or walking their dogs or strolling their babies. We have whole families having their meals seemingly together while each person is on their phone, and they call that eating together. Not much family connection going on during those meals. When we’re with another person, we can ask our self, what is my intention here?
A couple of weeks ago, I highlighted the seven dimensions of Intelligence of the heart from the book Love Without End by Glenda Green. Today I’m expanding on the 3rd dimension of heart intelligence that of Life as it relates to this talk.
Jesus says, “Life is love in action. Purpose and action. Follow life, serve the living, and fulfill your love by following pathways that life is revealing to you. This is why I said, Let the dead bury the dead. Dwelling on old mistakes can be very costly. Forgive yourself and others, for yesterday has already been lived. That is what I meant by the dead. Be here now and face the path in front of you, for that is where life is. Regard the sacred moment as sacred. Life is not the history of a memory, its not behind you. Life is that which is birthing before your very eyes.”
So when Jesus the Christ said to let the dead bury the dead, it wasn’t to tell people to ignore their loved ones who just died. But, it is to let go of the past, our regrets, and to forgive. Then we can be free to move forward in our journey of life.
In Genesis 19, we’re told of a story of Abraham’s nephew, Lot and his family, escaping from Sodom that is about to be destroyed because of the immoral ways people were living. They are told to run and not look back. So Lot, his wife, and two daughters ran. But, then Lot’s wife suddenly stopped and turned around, and she became a pillar of salt. The rest of the family escaped harm.
Now becoming a pillar of salt, that surely sounds like a strange thing to happen. Especially if you take it literally. We are reminded that in the Bible there are other meanings of interpretation. According to the Aramaic, a pillar of salt means she became petrified with fear and died.
According to the Metaphysical Dictionary, salt is a preservative, corresponding to memory. When we remember the pleasures of the senses, and long for their return, we preserve the sense desire. This is another way of saying that Lot’s wife looked back in regret and sorrow in leaving her beloved home. Either way, Lot’s wife couldn’t move forward and died. The message is to not look back in regret.
While looking to the past can stagnate ones life, so then can worry over the future. Worry too can hold us back from moving forward in life, and certainly from enjoying the moment. Living in fear of past or future is keeping people from truly living life. Or, we live in a fantasy of what was or what will be, and this can distract us from our current life. The only way to move forward is to be here now in this moment.
Have you ever lost or misplaced something, can’t remember where you put it because of not paying attention while doing it. A few years ago I had something like that happen to me. I was on a phone call to a person who wanted to book an event for the upcoming year.
I’m old schooled and use a paper calendar, and there were only 3 places where I kept it. I reached for the calendar as I usually do, but this time it wasn’t there. I re-looked at all the places, but still I couldn’t find it. I had to make my apologies. It took several hours to make a calendar and add all the scheduled activities.
Two days later, I found the original calendar while looking for something else. It was right there where I always kept it. I had been interrupted while being deep in a project when the call came. I had to quickly shift gears, a little multitasking, and wasn’t fully present to see what was always there. When we can clear our mind of those endless thoughts and distractions we are able to be in the now, this very moment without stress. Then answers come, inspiration and new realizations. This is tapping into the hidden genius within us - the intelligence of our heart.
It is in the here and now that we experience the Presence of God. We do this being quiet. It can be while taking a walk and seeing the beauty of life in the plants, people and critters. Or, enjoying that deep breath, just sitting and appreciating. Then a silence takes over, a quickening of the spirit, a oneness in communion. This is practicing the Presence of God.
The following are a few simple exercises to begin detachment from the mental and physical concept of the body. Within this body and beyond the form is an intensely alive energy field. These exercises will help to experience this energy.
This 1st exercise is about feeling the body from within. We begin by shifting our attention away from the external form of our body and any thoughts about the body. Now close your eyes and find if there is life in your hands. Focus on your hands. Become aware of the subtle feeling of aliveness inside them. Can you feel it? Now open your eyes. Practice this at home going through different parts of your body starting with your feet. This exercise helps to become in touch with the inner body. This helps to anchor you in the present moment.
2nd exercise: Now being fully present, fully focused on your hands, bring your palms of your hands together. Rub your palms together until you can feel a warmth. Keeping palms facing each other and now slowly separate your hands a few inches. Keep your vision on the space between your hands. Next with your hands a few inches apart slowly rotate in a circular motion. With your full focus on the space between your hands you may feel an energy, and see a shimmer of light between the hands.
The 3rd exercise you can do at home: This will take another person to participate, or if there is no one else, then use a mirror. It is important to leave all judgements and set aside all thoughts and be fully present. The two of you face each other and look into their eyes. Focus only on the pupils of the eyes, and deeply look for a minute or two. Feel this connection an exchange of energy. Now you can truly say, “I see you, the Christ of the living God.”
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