If you become more conscious, it will be like coming around from a coma. You’ll remember that you are alive. You’ll discover who you really are. You’ll know that all is one. And you’ll fall in love with the present moment.
Hi Folks,
Before we begin, pop this on in the background.
Not that I’m a big Christmas fan, but there are only 12 more sleeps until JC’s birthday. I do the minimum to keep from being called a total Scrooge. That said, I like this time of the year because this is the time I start to prep the battlefield for the New Year so that I can hit the ground running with whatever new direction, intention, goal(s) I set for myself.
While we do have a vaccine kicking around (just after I typed that line a notification popped up on my iPad informing me that the trucks carrying the first Covid-19 vaccine in the U.S. have left the Pfizer plant in Michigan). I don’t see the world returning to any semblance of “normal” for some time. And when I say normal, I mean things like unrestricted travel, being able to deliver workshops in person without worrying about Covid-19. Normal as in being able to socialize with whom you like, when you like, where you like.
As much as I love social tech, I’m ready to be back in IRL mode.
What is the meaning of this moment to you right now? And in answering that, what meaning does that give to the experience of your life as you’re experiencing it from moment to moment?
There’s this idea that what is happening to you now depends on the myth or metaphor that you live your life by that explains why anything is happening.
To play with this idea a little more, read through the following statements and choose which one resonates with you most.
The world is an artifact shaped by a divine craftsman. Time is the moving image of eternity and this moment should be used for contemplating the eternal forms and making things in the world conform to them.
The world is a battleground on which the forces of evil have nearly defeated the forces of goodness. Time is a prison that keeps man’s spirit locked into matter and this moment should be used for escape.
The world is a material illusion in an eternal sea of nothingness. Time is a dream and this moment is for enlightenment, awakening from illusion.
The world is the arena God assigned to His free creatures. Time is an opportunity for freedom and the present moment may be used for deciding, creating, and enjoying.
The world is a happenstance conjunction of erratic atoms. Time is unbridled chaos and it doesn’t matter what you do with the present moment.
The world is a mystery to be savored and used responsibly but never explained. Time is the filter through which the human-animal perceives the mystery of being, and now is a strange gift that will never come again.
The world is an immense organism that is dying and being reborn like a plant. Time is a recurring cycle and this moment is not new and may occur again and again.
The world is a place where only the fit survive. Time is money and this moment should be used productively to better oneself in the competition.
STOP HERE for a moment and reflect on the 8 statements. Which one resonates with you most and why?
So here are the corresponding philosophical worldviews embodied by each of the statements:
Cosmic, maternal religions, Nietzsche
Evolutionary capitalism
I resonated most with mysticism and the world being a mystery to savor. And that once our time is spent, that’s it, game over. Back to no-thingness. There will come a time when I cease to exist. I wonder what non-existence feels like.
Dying is not romantic, and death is not a game which will soon be over…Death is not anything…death is not…It’s the absence of presence, nothing more…the endless time of never coming back…a gap you can’t see, and when the wind blows through it, it makes no sound… - Guildenstern, from the play, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead
So, my friend, what is the meaning of time for you?
Who’s watching you now?
Sometimes we hold ourselves back out of fear of who might be watching us and how they’ll judge us based on what they see. We fear the judging eyes.
To free yourself from this judgment, and therefore self-consciousness, try playing with these questions to identify the invisible eye that you imagine is watching and judging your every action all of the time. Remember that which you are aware of you can control; that which you are unaware of controls you.
When were you first aware of being watched?
Who is watching you now?
For what imagined audience do you perform? Dress? Work? Create? Make love?
What look is most often in the eyes of your watchers? Do your actions please them or do they disapprove? Of what are you proud or ashamed of when you imagine that X is watching you?
When you are most self-conscious and self-critical, what ideal are you chasing?
If you weren’t busy watching yourself, what would you do?
By working through these questions you can open up your life to greater spontaneity and freedom.
Adopted from – Your Mythic Journey
Somebody’s Watching Me – Rockwell
Let your absurdity out
All that psychology has accomplished is to make the inner life the subject of science, and in doing this, it dissipated the idea of the soul. But it was the soul that once linked man’s inner life to a transcendent scheme of cosmic heroism.
You can’t tell who you are unless someone is listening and I’m wondering if this is a contributing factor to why we are addicted to social media. When you post on social media, theoretically there are thousands of someones listening to you. And if they ‘like, share, or comment’ on your post, “they” further validate and confirm your existence and that you are at least being heard, if not listened to.
The secret thoughts of a man run over all things, holy, profane, clean, obscene, grave and light, without shame or blame.
Thomas Hobbes
Instead of keeping your absurdity under tight control, what would happen if you stopped pretending you were normal and let your absurdity out?
i had a new insight into me…that i am stuck in perpetual beginning…i’m addicted to beginnings…when i don’t know what to do, i start something new…beginnings are exciting, beginnings are creative, there’s always something to do in beginnings…look at how many projects i’ve started in the last month and how many i’ve started this year…
How easy can you cross the borders of your public self, private self, and unknown self?
OK, folks, that’s it from me this week. I hope you have a fantastic week this week. Hopefully, you’ll be winding down for the holidays soon. Oh, on Monday 21 December, I’ll be live-streaming the Digital Calm show with my good friend Mike Trussell. Mark your calendars. We’ll be streaming from 8 - 9:30 PM over on MixcloudLive. They’ll be live chat so you can participate in the conversation and also request any tunes you’d like us to play.
Peace and love to you,
Clay
Endnotes
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Lastly
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