Living In The Presence; Living In The Present

The question is not how much of the Presence of God you can bring into your life, but how much of your life can you bring to the present. The Presence of God is everywhere. 

You only have to embrace it with your attention. Once you have learned to focus your attention in the present moment, you can begin to refer to your intuitive faculties for direction. These intuitive sources are your direct link with the totality of your being. Trust them. They will not fail you.

They can be your invaluable pilot in the present moment.

Ken Carey The Starseed Transmission Cited in Meditations for The New Age

Spiritual teachers of all sorts are fond of connecting the words, present with presence. It is a core concern shared by all mystical paths. Without being able to be receptive and centered, calm and more serene, our intuitive wisdom can be stifled, and our sense of maintaining a conscious wellbeing an elusive goal. 

We humans can be easily defeated by our anxieties and apprehensions. Without an ability to stay/remain in the present precious moment, we can easily defeat any sense of true knowing. 

As I have experienced it, staying or remaining present is my most effective path that I have that directs me towards attentive and reverent listening to the holy silence or the unspoken language of the soul. 

The quality of attention, and what we are willing or consciously paying attention to in our awareness is the crucial ability that frees us from worry and fear etc., and allows the flow of intuition, creativity, healing to appear! However, this ability to pay attention, to become aware within the here and now, is a learned skill. 

Most often, it is the hard won result that comes from diligent practice, usually over years of meditation, prayer, centering, and other disciplines. And even years of practice, does not insulate or assure us of no self talk or ego interruptions!

Returning to one’s centering practice, we come to know that It is from that more dynamic yet centered perspective, that we can receive greater access to our spiritual and intuitive gifts.

Two Supportive quotes:

The realm of God is right here, right now, in the present tense. … We have to have the humility, and trust to turn around and see it. 

Fr. Richard Rohr- commentaries on Matthew

The true task of the spiritual life is not found in faraway places or unusual states of consciousness: It is here in the present. It asks of us a welcoming spirit to greet all life presents to us with a wise, respectful, and kind heart.   

                       Dr. Jack Kornfield from his spiritual classic, After the Ecstasy, the Laundry