“Now has no meaning to the ego. The present merely reminds it of past hurts, and it reacts to the present as if it were the past.”   …ACIM

I’m probably in over my head with this post. But nevertheless, I’m writing it because I feel so strongly we need to become aware of the only time there is, ever was or ever will be, which is the present. I feel this way because I believe when we find the present we’ve returned to our true Self – we’ve returned to Love. If we can learn to understand the present then we’ll have relinquished the ego. The ego will never be in the present because it cannot exist in the presence of love.

I understand that nearly everyone will view this as silly, and think they’re already living in the present. And in reality they are, but this world is not reality. Speaking about the ego, which is the self that believes it lives in this world, the Course says: Its emphasis on guilt enables it to ensure its continuity by making the future like the past and thus avoiding the present. Those who follow the ego’s teachings always base their lives on the past, which they then use to construct the future.

Recognize the Present and You have Recognized Love

It’s the same as saying, recognize Love and you have recognized God. God is Love, and where could God be but in the present, and when would He be there if not now? God isn’t in the past or in the future; nothing is in the past or future for neither one exists. Wherever you are now is where God is, it can be no other way because you are part of Him.

There’s an adage which has been around for a long time, which goes like this, it’s easier said than done. It’s easy to say, recognize the present, recognize love or recognize God, but the question is: How is this recognition accomplished?  The truth is, it should be the easiest thing in the world to do, because to recognize either one is to recognize them all and to recognize your Self. But that being said, we as humans have followed the ego so deep into illusions that we have no idea how to recognize anything representing reality.

“How can you know whether you chose the stairs to Heaven or the way to hell? Quite easily. How do you feel?”   …ACIM

There are no more certain guide posts along this journey than your feelings. If you can accept the idea that you are a part of God, then the power of reason should tell you that joy, and only joy, is your final destination. For it would be impossible for any living thing to fully accept the truth it is part of God and not be completely joyful.

The great spiritual master and author of the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu, informed us of the following truth: “If you are at peace you are living in the present.” The Course concurs with this when it points out: “God’s peace and joy are yours.” It also states: “What time but now can truth be recognized? The present is the only time there is.“

There’s only one way in which the present can be recognized, and that way is through acceptance and remembrance. When you can accept yourself enough to love yourself unconditionally then you will remember the present. You will remember what you are, you will remember God, you will remember Love. In other words, you will remember your Self. For they are all one and the same. I have used the word “remember” here, but I could have used “recognize” for in this context they are the same. What you are cannot be lost therefore it cannot be found; it can only be remembered and recognized.

Accepting your feelings

Every feeling you experience needs to be accepted, for it’s through accepting your feelings that you’ll begin to understand what you are. Feelings are caused by thoughts, therefore whether you believe it or not, you are in charge of how you feel. But you cannot be in charge of, nor change, feelings you reject. For example, if you feel sad, and reject the feeling, you may feel a bit better temporarily, but the sadness will return.

On the other hand, if you accept the fact that you feel sad in the present moment, then you’re accepting yourself as you are now, not as you were, not as you will be, but as you are. And the present moment is the only time there is, therefore it’s only in the present that you can choose to love yourself. And as the Course teaches: “To love yourself is to heal yourself.” You’ll soon discover that sadness cannot remain in the presence of love, for love is synonymous with happiness and joy.

“Be miserable or motivate yourself whatever has to be done its always your choice”   …Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

In illusions you see yourself as living in past thoughts of loneliness. deprivation and weakness. It’s these past thoughts that cause the feeling of sadness.

They do so by raising feelings of need, or of desiring something you believe you can’t have. The Course teaches that this is unnecessary. It says: “When you are sad, know that this need not be.”

In the above header quote the late, great Dr. Wayne Dyer may have been a bit on the blunt side, but nevertheless, his words are true. If we allow ourselves to wallow in feelings of Sadness and depression then it’s certain that we’re going to be miserable. And he implies that we can either accept it or we can do something about it – It is, as he said, “always your choice.” 

“Close your eyes, fall in Love, stay there.”   …Rumi

This quote by the 13th-century Persian poet, Rumi, may seem a bit too metaphorical or philosophical or even too heavily romanticized to not seem out of place here. It may seem like too abrupt of a change from the subject. But due to the shortness of these posts sometimes such a change is required in order to make a point before the end comes in sight.

If you were to follow the first part of his advice for a moment or so and close your eyes; what would you see to fall in love with? It’s an important question because whatever you see with your eyes closed has to be in your own mind. In other words, it has to be a part of who, or what, you imagine yourself to be. Would you see anything there that you could fall in love with; or would you dislike, or even hate what you see? For whatever you see is yourself as you perceive it to be in the present moment.

The quote in the above image implies that nothing but our thoughts can affect us. Therefore, it’s among your thoughts you would have to look to find that which is worthy of your love. Until you love yourself you cannot love anything else, and it’s impossible to love that which you don’t recognize or know.

The ego verses the Self

There’s no doubt that as you look at your thoughts you’ll find many that are unloving, and therefore unlovable.  But the good news is, all such thoughts are of the ego, and are not part of what you are.

The ego is a master Illusionist, and therefore capable of causing you to think you’re not good enough to fall in love with. All such thoughts dwell in that part of your mind that believes it has separated from its Source. To see them is to see the flesh, for they arise from the belief that you are a physical being living in a physical world.

But there is another part of your mind that the ego cannot enter. This is your true Self. As the quote in the above image points out, your mind is part of God’s, and it is very holy. Every thought you’ve ever had that has anything to do with Love has arisen from here. This is what you need to fall in love with. For this holy mind is yours and it’s also part of God’s Mind. It is nothing but pure and perfect Love. Once you become aware of this you will fall in love, and you will want to stay there. For you have recognized the present.

I’m going to close this post with a quote from A Course of Love: “Until you fully recognize your Self, you cannot fully love yourself. Until you fully love, you do not love in truth.”

 

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Thank you for visiting this blog – I am truly grateful 

THERE IS NOTHING BUT LOVE  –  THERE NEVER WAS – AND THERE NEVER WILL BE

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