(Follow-up to last week’s post)

During a conversation one evening, Stu (my partner and spiritual mentor) addressed my favorite topic–being present: “The Now rips away secrets. Unless we are present for the twists and turns of each moment, we are not authentic. The Now demands we be there for it. What matters is what we are feeling, experiencing in each moment. Am I the Now or the story I tell myself about the Now? Each moment demands a unique set of responses. Unless we are present, we are answering the moment from a memory of the past. Authenticity is responding to the present without the limitations or the programming of the past. When we are present inside, we match outside, rather than being in conflict with what is. In ordinary consciousness, the internal world of memory is in conflict with the external reality. In higher consciousness, the conflict between the inside and outside ceases. What remains is a singular experience, an integrated whole.

“Memory is a protection offered by the past to insulate us from our fears. When we impose memory (stories) on the present, we are inauthentic. The present is always brand new, unique—never what happened in the past. Truth only exists in the narrow sliver we call the Now. It doesn’t exist in past and future. When we are riding the wild horse of life, wherever it takes us, we are authentic—we are one with Nature. We are totally shaped by the needs of the moment rather than the structure of the personality, the past.”

If I am not here for it, the story controls me. Am I that six-year-old girl who was afraid to be the angel in the Christmas program? Is that who is navigating my life? Or am I living the demands of the moment just as it is, free of  the constraints of the past? I am here right now and, as Stu says, “There is nothing written here.” My programming still exists but I am not the victim of that programming. I want to point out here that this is not “spiritual bypass,” where we try to avoid, skip over what we are feeling and pretend we are above it all. This is just the opposite. Being fully present means being present for the fears and discomfort if that’s what is here in the moment. But making a story about what’s here only keeps us from being present.

Stu went on to explain, “All our experiences lead us to the simple truth of authenticity, where every moment is fresh and brand new. Being vulnerable is allowing the programming to be what it is and seeing it is paper thin. What is valuable is the awareness, not the programming. Your actions and responses don’t come from your story. They come before you can think about it. Even if you have a great story, it is not the Truth. The Truth demands we be attentive to it, but not with the mind. When you reflect on what is happening, it is already gone. Infinite possibilities exist outside your structures. With the mind, what was is looking at what is. Authenticity is spontaneous action devoid of reflection. Action that serves the needs of the moment is right action. The highest level of development is navigating the Now without a story. To navigate in the world requires a structure, a story, conditioning, but we can culture our brain and nervous system to favor the Now.

“We are the sum total of whatever we are experiencing in the moment. It is life that is determining the truth, not our memory. We are always imposing memory on the truth of the moment. We resist the Now because it exposes our inauthentic parts. Our story can never adapt to the speed of the changing present. Develop the Now nervous system that runs parallel to the reflective nervous system. Develop a brain that prioritizes the present, through spiritual practice. The inauthentic brain is a story, a recording. Experience the live broadcast.”

He added, “The Now is the basis of transforming your life. If you are having a thought in the Now you are having a thought in the field of Truth. You are brand new each moment.”

He ended the discussion by pointing out that we are at a point, in the development of our species, of transition between the importance of thinking and the importance of being.

Consider This: Are you responding to the needs of the moment, here and now, or are you living what is already gone? Let’s wake up to the importance of being versus thinking.