Magic of Now

Have you heard of the phrase “live in the present” or “live in the now” lately? Learning to be in the “now” or living in the “now” is not a new concept. However, the popularity of the phrase began with the book Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle, the German spiritual teacher who went through a personal spiritual transformation at the age of twenty-nine.

Eckhart Tolle says: “In a sense, the state of presence could be compared to waiting. It is a qualitatively different kind of waiting, one that requires your total alertness. Something could happen at any moment, and if you are not absolutely awake, absolutely still, you will miss it. In that state, all your attention is in the Now. There is none left for day-dreaming, thinking, remembering, anticipating. There is no tension in it, any fear, just alert presence. You are present with your whole Being, with every cell of your body.”

Our mind is usually either busy trying to figure out an assessment about what it has done in the past or look into the future as to see what will come by. However, according to our three dimensional world and five-senses-perception, neither the past nor the future is accessible to us. We are able to bring back a memory, yet the human life is at the present moment, in the now. It is taking place in the now. It is being shaped in the now. “Today I look at life with fresh eyes,” says Louise L. Hay, and suggests capturing the unique gift of the day. As we live in a place that we know, our mind wanders into the past and the future because we believe that we know what is available (or not) in the present. Yet, this means we are usually looking at today wearing the glasses of yesterday. We are not seeing today as what it really is or can be. To be able to experience the whole of Now “see with the eyes of the out-of-town people,” Hay recommends.

Concentrating to the now can also give us an opportunity to clear a lot of the pain in our lives. Regardless of the conditions of our lives, all of us are faced with difficulties. Tolle believes that much of human suffering is due to our association with a “pain-body” that is formed by and through our negative and painful past experiences. When we are faced with a new painful event, since we cannot disassociate from the past memories, the pain of all those instances reappear. The pain from the past that continues to live in our mind and body in the background comes out to the surface.

And fighting with this pain-body does not help us to free ourselves from it, because this is basically a trapped-life-energy. It belongs to us, but it doesn’t function with our complete energy field. We need to release this energy. When feelings of anger, grief, hatred, or even illness come up, realize that these are the energies trapped in. Focus to the present feelings. Be aware of them; allow yourself to feel the feelings, and the hidden feelings which give the pain most of the time. Stay present and observe of what is happening inside you. Be the silent observer. This will allow you to reach and grasp the power of the now, and let these energies to be released by themselves. Also, be aware that fear based feelings such as unease, anxiety, stress and worry, originate due to focusing on the future too much and not focusing to the present.

Being aware of something contains in it the power to accept it and to let it go. No fancy tools? Usually we do not need any. Just be aware of what is.

There is a short breathing exercise you can do to bring your focus to the present:
Sit with your eyes closed. Relax your body. Then, breathe in and out consciously. Follow your breath in and out of your body. Feel you abdomen expanding and contracting as you breathe. After repeating this for a few minutes, this time breathe in the light, wherever you choose from. It could be from the sun or the sky, or from the moon at night. Make your body fill with light with each breath. Be in your body. Feel yourself in your body. This exercise will allow your energy to be more aligned with your whole being. It is easier to focus and to stay in the Now, when we are more in touch with our body.

My bioenergy and reiki master Moshe Abudaram would say that everyday comes with a special energy. “We all are given a special energy to deal with the load of that day, with the events of that particular day - not the energy needed to deal with the day after, or the energy needed for next week. Those energies will come down when the need for them is in the present. The universe operates energetically in such a fashion,” he would say. Of course, he did not mean delay or postpone actions. Also, this is not to say that time will solve things. Rather, it is a “let’s start by solving the problems of today first” approach. Do what you need to do or can do today, as the best action for tomorrow. “The energy is given to us by the universe day by day. That is the magic of life,” he would repeat.

So when you go to bed at night, or wake up in the morning, please remind yourself, today has a unique date; it is a unique day. We might have another Monday, or Tuesday, but I believe not that same day again. This energy is available only that day. Use it; make the most of it. Do not label it good or bad. The definitions of good and bad are rather subjective. Live it. And if it works for you, that would be great. As Paul Arden says: “It’s better to regret what you have done than what you haven’t.”

May you make the most of your gifts of life.

With love, Z.

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Affirmation of the Week:
“I am safe in all my relationships and I give and receive lots of love.”
By Louise L.Hay, The Author of Life! Reflections on Your Journey.
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Quote of the Week:
“There is the risk you cannot afford to take, (and) there is the risk you cannot afford not to take.”
Peter Drucker
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Suggested Reading:
“The Power of Now” By Eckhart Tolle.
This book is available in Turkish under the name “Şimdi’nin Gücü.”