Living Limited – Living in the Now

~ Mother Sha-Riah – via Caroline Allinson Dunn

Part One

We are amazed that there is this emphasis on this idea of living in the now. Living right now, not looking at the past, and not looking on the future, not worrying about the past, or worrying about the future, and not to regret the past, or plan for the future, and all of this kind of thing. Just to forget that, and just live in the now. This we find very confusing because from the perspective that we are, you are living in the now. There is no trying to live in the now, you are in the now, you are living in the now. Right now I am speaking to you, but already what I have said is in the past, but we are in the now.

This is something that we are amazed at. People spend so much of their time, anguish and energy trying to change the way they live, and their belief system, because they want to live in the now, without actually realising that they are living in the now. They are already here. They try to not look back and have regrets, and not to live in the past, or they try not to look forward and wish, or plan, for a different life, and so on. People are led to believe that by doing that you’re wasting your energy, you are spreading yourself thin, and you can’t focus on what is happening right now, living in the now.

We find this very confusing because you are living in the now, and all of these thoughts and ideas that you are having of the past and the future, you are having them in the now. So, we question this emphasis of living in the now, as if it is something that you are actually not already doing. As if it is something that is so separate from the world you are currently inhabiting, this living in the now, that you must actually strive to do it. And, by striving to do it, it is like you are living in the future, striving for that, instead of just acknowledging that that is what you are actually doing, living in the now. Already you are here.

Every breath that you take, you are doing it right now, not in the past and not in the future. However, it is simultaneously the past and the future when it is the present. So when people are saying focus on the present, live in the now, at the same time the past and the future are happening. So all of these things, the past, the present, and future are all happening together, but if you’re just focusing on the present, saying this is where I want to be now, I can forget everything else, I will just look at where I am now, then you are not actually living a whole life. You are separating yourself from all these things that are going on in the background.

The past, the present, and the future are all happening at the same time. You think that by living in the present, and not worrying about the past and future, that you will be happy. You think that by living in the now, nothing that has happened in the past will bother you, or you will try to suppress anything that does, and by not thinking about the future your attention will not be taken away from what is happening right now. This is why we are confused, and maybe you are confused as well, because that’s what you’re doing anyway, you’re already in the now; already living in the present.

So, we ask you, why are you worrying about living in the now, about having to be present? When people can realise that that’s where they are, that they don’t have to worry about living in the present, or living in the now, because they know they’re already there. And every single thought that they have, whether it’s from the past, or the future, is actually in the present, it is actually happening in the present. You can’t get away from that, anyone who reads this, you can’t get away from the present because that is where you actually live. So, we’re saying please, please don’t try to live in the present, and separate it from all these other aspects of yourself, things that have gone on in the past, or are still running in the past, or things that are in the future.

The more you separate yourself, the more problems you will have. So, please focus yourself, and understand that you are already in the present.

Part 2.

If you are getting thoughts in the present from things that have gone on in the past (not just in your past but the past in general), perhaps you are thinking that all you want is to live a simpler life, or you want to go back to a time where there was this idea that you got up with the sun, you went to bed with the sun, and you worked in the fields, or hunted, you fed and looked after yourselves in this way, and so on (we have to laugh at that idea because if people think that was simple they’re very mistaken, but anyway), if you are thinking this right now, then that is actually in your present. Not in your/the past, but in your present.

So, we would say to you, why is it in your present? What is it that’s knocking on your present door that is from the past (we won’t worry about the future right now), from the past but actually happening in the present? So, the question is, is it the past, or is it the present? Now you could say it doesn’t really matter, and we would perhaps clap hands and say bravo, exactly does it really matter? But for some people it does matter. Some people are focusing, and spending a lot of energy on this past experience and it’s bothering the present. They think it is holding them back, stopping them from moving forward, stopping their life from actually happening, stopping them from actually existing; that’s what they think of the past when it’s coming into the present to bother them. However, we would say that these “stoppings” may be happening, but that they are happening in the present.

So, you don’t need to force focus on the present because if these things are happening, or have happened in the past, then that is the behaviour that is informing your present behaviour, it is informing those thoughts. You can see from what we are saying that this is very confusing, and you can see why we would be confused when people are saying that they want to live in the present and must focus their energies on the present and not focus on what could be, or what has been, but just be here. That’s confusing in itself, because you are trying to be in the present even though you are already in the present! You can see already there is confusion trying to be somewhere that you already are. A further confusion comes when something from the past is bothering the present and you want to push it away because it stops you from being present, but it is bothering you in the present and you are pushing it away. This is confusing because you are saying I want to live in the now, be present, and here is something in the present that you are pushing away, so the energy gets confused.

The same thing happens when you look to the future. You might say that you don’t want to focus too much on that, you have to live in the present, what will be, will be. So, the future, in the form of expectations, desires, and so forth, is bothering you in the present and you’re going to push that way, even though it’s in the present. You want to work in the present, you want to be in the present, but this thing from the future is coming to bother you, so you push it away; there is confusion all around. When there is confusion like that, how can you possibly live your life? How can you possibly move forward, or even just move on the same spot up and down? You can’t because you are so confused, do I want to be here, do I want to be there, I can’t be here because that’s here, and I can’t be there because that is there, and that needs to be here, and so on. Can you see why we would be confused that you want to live your life like this?

So, the first thing is that you live in the present, you live in the now. You cannot get away from that absolute fact because your physical body is right here with you, right now, right here. You live here, you can’t get away from that. If things from the past are coming into the present to bother you, to make you question things, or make you behave in particular ways, it is happening in the present. The same is true for the future, the energy may be coming from somewhere else but it is happening to you in the present. If you say, that I do not want that kind of energy in my life, and you try to separate these things that you do not want from the present, you are actually separating aspects of yourself. When you start to separate aspects of yourself you’re no longer whole, you are bits of yourself. How can bits of yourself function together if you want to separate them? If you want to separate them, how can they function as a whole, complete unit? It is impossible.

So you just imagine that you are in the present, and that is it. There are things coming from your past that are bothering you in your present, what do you do? Do you suppress those botherings, do you accept them, or do you work on them? Whatever you do it is going to be done in the present. We are not saying that you do nothing, that you do not focus on these things, or look at anything in your life; what we are saying is that by signifying something as past or future, you are separating it from your present which actually makes it more difficult to deal with because it is “over there” and not here, it is separated from the “now” self.

For example, let’s say that 10 years ago you had the option of two jobs, and you took the one that at the time was the best fit. Now, 10 years later you are unhappy and really feel that you should have taken the other job. Now, is this problem of the past or the present? We would suggest it is in the present, because it’s now that you are discovering that this job isn’t great, and this might not be because of that decision in the past. If you try to separate this problem by feeling that if you had taken the other job 10 years ago you wouldn’t be in your current situation, then we would say that you are separating aspects of yourself. When you made that choice you were obviously in the present, at that time, and there were things that were informing you that made you make that choice, and you were happy about it. Now you are in the current present, and you are unhappy, in the current present you don’t like that job, or you should have taken the other job, but it’s in this period right now, this present right now that you’ve discovered this.

So, our message to you is this: incorporate the past and future energies into the present. Accept that what has happened in the past is affecting right now, and the expectations of the future are affecting right now. Do not blame the past or future for your present, this is separation, and separation means confusion, agitation, anxiety, and stagnation. Incorporation of these aspects of the self (past, future and present), means that you are a complete unit, and it is only by working on, and with, the complete unit that you can effect change, growth and development.

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Part 3 – The Creation of You

In Part 2 of this series of articles we introduced the idea of incorporating the past and future into your present self, your now self, and growing from that incorporation. In this article we are going to tell you how to do it.

The first step in this process is to understand and know “the creation of you”. We are not just talking about the conception, gestation, birth, growth, socialisation, conditioning, and so on, of you, but also where and how those aspects were created. Did you have anything to do with it? Was it all by chance? Are your family and community responsible for the person you are today, including all of your past experiences in this life and beyond, and your future expectations and desires? How are you really created? And in that creation how do all of the aspects of you, past, present, and future, come together to produce your behaviours, thoughts, feelings, and strivings?

First of all, what do we mean by “the creation of you”? Well, we are looking at you as you are right now, in the present. We are looking at such things as your akashic record, the concepts of pre-determination and fate, the notion of a life’s purpose, the human gift of choice, and the spiritual belief of karma. Now, we are not saying that we subscribe to all of the concepts we just laid out, but you might, and that is all that matters. If you do believe in any, or all, of the above, then understand that these are crucial contributors to the creation of you. It is because of these things that have gone on in the past (akashic record, pre-determination, choice, life’s purpose, and karma), and of those that are deciding and calling to the future (akashic record, fate, life’s purpose, choice, karma), that you are the creation you are today. If you try to separate them out then, at best, you are three (past, present, and future) separate and distinct creations, trying to work out three separate and distinct creations in one life. Or, at worst, you are three separate and distinct creations fighting for control of the present, but by trying to make the present win you are denying the other two aspects their contribution to your life.

So, we have incorporation. Incorporating the three aspects of past, present, and future, means at first: take a breath. Take a long, full, and determined breath, taking the outside world in and then expelling it along with all pre-conceived ideas about how you should be, how you should live your life, how you should think, how you should act, how you should feel, and so on. This sounds easy, right? But we all know that this is quite a hard thing to do, because by doing this you are letting a lot of “shoulds” go, and these are the things that make culture and society, thus us, what they are. This just means that you will have to do it alot! But once you set the intention to breathe in the world and then breathe it out again with a little of it’s baggage along with it, it will eventually become easier, more freeing, and you will be lighter in body, emotions, mind, and spirit. Once you feel this lightness of being, then you go to work. Oh, you thought you had already started? No, we have yet to begin. It is always a well-prepared path that makes the way for a well-laid path.

The Past
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Start with a small, current, issue in your life. Sit with it, allow that issue to wind it’s way back, perhaps to an incident in your life, or a family tendency, for example. Imagine the twists and turns in the winding back, what colour is the wind back, is it a piece of string, a web, really visualise it. Does it have any noises, voices, words that are particularly strong for you? Who is involved, are there any stand-outs there? You may feel some distress during the many times that you try this, breath through it, let it wash over and through you, seek professional help, talk to a friend. Don’t punish yourself by not reaching out, or feel shame because this issue is such a small thing. Taking action and being responsible for yourself is all part of the process.

Initially, you may only be able to go back so far, but you may find that each time you do this you can go back a little farther, this means that your consciousness, and thus your self, is growing and expanding. How far do you go back? Only you will know, but a good rule of thumb is, when you feel you have gone as far as you want or need, do it one more time. During all of this you will need to take note of your thoughts, feelings and subsequent actions. You will need to be aware of changes,
both positive and negative, and endeavour to understand them (this is where you may require professional help). There is no point in doing this if you are not going to be personally responsible, and learn about the self. This is your present, your now.

The Present
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Once you feel you have exhausted the past on this issue, start winding forward to the future. Ask yourself, how is this affecting my present? Is it making me behave in ways that are not compatible with my idea of myself? Can I change that? Do I have a choice? Take note of how these questions make you feel; nauseous, frightened, irritated, and so on. What thoughts do they bring into your life; I am hopeless, I am pathetic, I thought I was over this, will it never leave me, and so on.

The Future
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Then, ask yourself how this is affecting your future (NOT, how is it ‘going’ to affect my future)? Is this issue deciding the future for me? Do I have a choice? What do I want my choices to be? Again, take notes because here you will start to see an action plan form. You see, it is all very well and good to ‘know’ and to ‘understand’ but it means nothing if you don’t act.

Grow
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We have said that by incorporating the past, present, and future, you grow. But really it is incorporating the past and future into your present that enables growth. All of those experiences that you have had, all of those experiences that you are going to have, are all available information for the enhancement of the present; the now of your existence. Knowing that, understanding that, and allowing action to be taken on that, gives breadth to your life, now.

Remember, you are responsible for your life. That is why possibilities such as the akashic record, fate, karma, and choice exist. We chose for them to be here/there, we created them, and are, therefore, responsible for them, ourselves, and our input.

Mother Sha-Riah, 2014 – 2019
Channelled by Caroline Allinson-Dunn.

Feature image thanks to: Walking_reflection Tomas Castelazo www.tomascastelazo.com Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0