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January-March, 2021

The Present Moment Is the Gateway to Eternity

by Rev. Dan Strodl, Ordained Ministerial Counselor

When your mind is full of thoughts, you are living in the past or future. This is the ego’s domain. Past and future thoughts bring you into a state of fear, anxiety, guilt, separation, judgments, stress and worry. When you’re in the present moment, you feel relaxed, peaceful and joyous. You are receptive to guidance from the Holy Spirit. Your Inner Teacher can’t be heard when your mind is filled with mind chatter. That is the ego’s plan, to keep you locked in your thoughts.

But you can break free. A Course in Miracles is a mind-training program, and learning to quiet your mind and live in the present moment is within your reach. All you need is willingness and diligence. First, watch your state of being … Are you filled with thoughts? What are you feeling – sad, anxious, fearful, worried? … Or are you peaceful and happy? If your mind is filled with anxiety, redirect your attention to what is in front of you now. Experience the now moment. Feel the energy in your body, hear the sounds around you, be absorbed in whatever you are doing right now… washing your hands, walking in nature, reading these words. 

With willingness and practice, you will be more in the moment, and you will break free of the incessant chatter. Peace and happiness will be your reward. And the biggest reward to living in the present moment is that it creates space for your Inner Wisdom to be heard. The door will open to your true Self… Love. This is the gateway to eternity.

“... now is the closest approximation of eternity that this world offers. It is in the reality of “now,” without past or future, that the beginning of the appreciation of eternity lies.”  (T-13.IV.7:5)

A helpful tool I found is first, to notice when I drift into a busy mind. Then I stop, breathe deep, quiet my mind, and be still for a minute … it’s like a mini-meditation. This brings my mind back to the quiet center where Inner Wisdom resides. I do this many times during the day. Each time, the ego program weakens a little, and the Voice for God can get through. I feel more joy, more peace. I can still plan when I need to, but now Holy Spirit is with me directing the plan. This is true freedom. 

There are some days when the mind chatter is particularly noisy, so I need to pause more frequently. The other day the mind chatter was particularly strong when I was walking home from the shops. I was thinking of all the things I needed to do that day and I was feeling anxious. Then I saw graffiti on the side of a building which said … “Slow down. Take a deep breath. It’s not a race.” So I stopped, breathed deeply, and stilled my mind … and I felt peace return. The Holy Spirit finds so many ways to get through the ego’s defenses.

“The Holy Spirit leads as steadily to Heaven as the ego drives to hell. For the Holy Spirit, Who knows only the present, uses it to undo the fear by which the ego would make the present useless.” (T-15.I.7:4-5)

© 2020, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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