Mindfulness | Awareness | Present Moment | Spirituality
What Exactly Is the Present Moment?
Quotes, Great Teachers, Science, and a Story About The Moment That Is Always With You
Maybe you read Eckhart Tolle’s book, “The Power of Now” or watched one of his popular YouTube videos and were deeply moved by his message.
You were probably struck by how he so simply and clearly explained that the present moment is all that is real; that the past and future are nothing more than thoughts in your mind.
You may have even had a moment of clarity where you realized that he was right and that the present moment is all that matters.
But what exactly is the present moment? And why is it so important to be aware of it?
So let’s get started by looking at…
Right Now.
You are reading these words and the only thing that is real is this present moment. The past is gone and the future has not yet happened.
Even your thoughts about the past and future are happening right now in the present moment.
You may be thinking, “But wait, I can remember the past and plan for the future.”
And you would be correct. But it’s important to understand that those memories and plans are always happening right now, in the present moment.
They are not actually happening in the past or future; they are happening right now in your mind.
You may be thinking, “But the future is going to happen, isn’t it?”
Yes, the “future” will happen, but only when it becomes the present. And when it does, it will no longer be the “future”; it will be the present moment.
So you see, the only thing that is real is this present moment. The past and future are nothing more than thoughts / concepts in your mind.
This may be a difficult concept to grasp at first, but if you take some time to meditate on it or just sit with it for a while, you may start to experience a deeper understanding of what various teachers have been saying for centuries.
The Vibration of the Present Moment is that of Love, Joy, and Peace. The Ego lives in the vibration of Fear, Doubt, and Worry. When you are present, you are aware of your egoistical and animalistic thoughts and can let them go.
This is how you connect to the energy of love, joy, peace, and hope, which is always available to you in the present moment. The more mindful or present you are, the less you are swept away by arguments with others, by traffic, or by the general stress of daily life.
So where is the Present Moment? Where and who am I in the present moment?
You are the present moment.
You are not your thoughts or your emotions; you are the Awareness that is aware of them.
You are the space in which they arise and pass away.
You are the silent witness to all that is happening in your life.
The Observer that may sometimes get caught up in the drama but is always there, watching and waiting patiently for you to return home… to the present moment, to your true self which ultimately lies beyond thought.
“The greatest gift you have to give is that of your attention.” — Jim Rohn
“Wherever you go, there you are.” — Jon Kabat-Zinn
“Be here now.” — Ram Dass
“Your entire life consists of the present moment.” — Eckhart Tolle
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” — Steve Jobs
“The past is history, the future is a mystery, and today is a gift… that’s why it’s called the present.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
But what about science? Can the present moment be explained scientifically?
Quantum physics has shown us that matter is not solid; it is made up of vibrating energy. And what is vibration?
Vibration is simply a change in energy. Energy can neither be created nor destroyed; it can only be transformed from one form to another.
So what we call “solid matter” is really just vibrating energy that appears to be solid.
So if matter is not solid, then what are we? We are also made up of vibrating energy.
And if we are made up of vibrating energy, then what is the vibration of the present moment?
The vibration of the present moment is simply put a change in energy.
The change in energy of the present moment is simply the flow of life itself. So in other words, the present moment is the flow of life!
You may have heard people say that they feel “in the zone” or “at one with the universe” when they are doing something they love.
The more you are in the flow of life, the more you are in the present moment and your vibrational frequency, energy or (e)motion is higher.
When you are “in the flow”, you are in alignment with your true self and your highest purpose. You are living in harmony with the universe.
You are in a state of flow when you feel joyful, peaceful, and loving. You are connected to your higher self, your intuition, and your guidance system as is also described in the article below.
You know what to do next because it just feels right.
I also have an article on mindfulness and the present moment that you might find helpful. In it, I give clear advice on how to be present and more mindful in your everyday life:
The Story of the Two Wolves:
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.
“It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One wolf represents fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The other wolf represents joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, faith, humility, kindness, generosity, truth, compassion and faith. This same fight is going on inside you — and inside every other person too.”
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one that you feed.”
You as the observer can choose which wolf to feed. The choice is yours. You can choose to focus on the negative or you can choose to focus on the positive.
It’s up to you. You get to decide what thoughts, emotions, and actions you feed each day.
So which wolf are you feeding? The one that represents the present moment or the one that represents your thoughts about the past and future?
Technically, you dont even need to choose, because you could also observe instead of react to thoughts, feelings and emotions.
But whatever is the case, let us all feed the wolf of love, peace, and joy, and let go of fear, anger, and resentment. Choose to be in the flow of life, rather than being controlled by fear, ego and self-doubt!
There’s much more to say about the present moment but I’ll leave it here for now.
I hope this article was helpful in explaining what the present moment is and why it is important to be aware of it. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment below. I would love to hear from you!
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