IF ONLY WE WILL LOOK

The tiniest tincture of truth has the power to remove the dust that blinds us

One of my biggest weaknesses has been arriving too late, not to appointments but to my life. The mental energy we give to what happened in the past, or what might happen in the future, is a thief that robs the present of its glory. In the present lies each seed of new beginnings, the potential for every wonderful thing, too often cluttered with the detritus of our obsession with past or future.

What is it about simply sitting here, thinking through what is happening right now, that we so resist? From a spiritual perspective, it’s obvious. A moment truly present to our lives is a moment in which we have no need of the ego’s filter. There is no grasping, yearning, victimization, or frantic obsession - for the very reason that there is no ego. Past and present are lived as through a glass darkly, while in the present we see everything…if only we will look.

In the present, eternity intersects linear time. It’s like a tiny aperture of light that closes or opens, according to the attention that we give it and the focus through which we view it. Seen through the eyes of the ego, it is nothing but a dumpster for replaying old images, carrying shadow figures from the past into the present, and assuming the future will be no different. Seen through the eyes of spirit, it is life in the garden of infinite good.

The rules of consciousness are no different than the rules of the outer world. To learn them is to know how to navigate life in a way that serves us rather than depletes us. The rules of life are simple, though life itself is very complicated. The point is not to do something, get something, or go somewhere; the point is to try to open our eyes. The tiniest tincture of truth has the power to remove the dust that blinds us.

As I was writing the above, I had a powerful moment. I’m on a couch, my legs stretched before me, facing a window. Gazing up for a moment, I realized how much I had not been seeing. Yes, I thought the window was beautiful and I appreciated the view outside. I told a friend yesterday how much sun came in on a beautiful day, how great this must be in Spring or Summer or Autumn when the leaves are on the trees.

But in the moment when I looked up just now, I realized there was so much more to see. What’s winter, Marianne? Chopped liver? Had I really looked at those branches, their shapes, the way they are perfectly placed in proximity to one another? The dance they do while remaining perfectly still. The incredible shapes and designs of nature, never, not even one of them the same. The view of the sky as it peers through the branches … a view that will be unavailable, by the way, once the leaves are on the trees. Had I taken a moment to marvel at the fact that I am here, in this place, safe and protected at this moment in my life?

And that’s just the beginning. Nature is the entry way; people are the living room. It’s a metaphysical principle that everything you need in life is either here, or on the way. We simply don’t know where to look when we refuse to look at where we are.

Who are the people in our lives, right now? Have we shown up fully, as impeccably as possible, in response to every personal or professional responsibility? Concerned so much with what we might not be getting, are we paying enough attention to what we’re not giving? Are we forgiving and letting go past grievances, or nursing them at the ego’s behest?

Every moment, every situation, hold within them the seeds of a miracle. The miracle is the rising up of consciousness, the shift into love, the alignment of any moment with a better version of ourselves. Every moment presents a choice, made consciously or unconsciously, but it is definitely a choice. It’s an invitation to be better than we were, should we choose to accept it. It’s also a temptation to remain as we were; to indulge the default egoic positions that have defined our past and will, if allowed, recreate it in the future.

Love is a mental habit, and so is fear. Forgiveness is a mental habit, and so is blame. Strength is a mental habit, and so is weakness. Happiness is a mental habit, and so is suffering. We have attitudinal muscles, and it’s our own responsibility to hone them no differently than we hone our bodies. Nothing and no one can do that for us. We are not victims of the world we see. We are its co-creators.

That window is there. What I choose to see through it is entirely up to me. And that is what I’ve learned in my life. Don’t just do something. Sit there and try to see.