Today this powerful quote by Alan Watts was shared on a chat group that I belong to. It reminds me of my eternal quest for living in the now, in the moment. Just to BE. It reminds me of hearing my shamanic teacher talk about the principle, “Now is the moment of Power”. As soon as I say those words to myself I feel a wonderful stirring of power within myself. If only I could hold onto that feeling and embrace it every moment of my day.
I do remember during one particularly stressful time in my life last year when I decided that I would literally live in the moment and I did precisely that – instead of thinking about past thoughts, worrying about what tomorrow would bring, I only allowed myself to feel what was happening to me right at that moment – whether it was typing up something on the computer, sitting talking to someone, drinking my coffee or meditating. At those very moments, all I did was focused on what I was doing at the moment. I cannot tell you how powerful those moments were and how I managed to come through that stressful period relatively unscathed.
The trick, though, is to integrate this principle into our everyday lives without giving it a second thought. The skill is to acknowledge and allow life happen as it unfolds in front of us but at the same time, acknowledge and allow the power within us to enable us to live in the ETERNAL NOW, in the moment. To be PRESENT.