Now

(This article originally appeared in the WLLC blog on January 26, 2006)

Eckhart Tolle wrote a marvelous little book that would make a powerful personal life manual for each of us—Practicing The Power of Now. (New World Library; http://www.newworldlibrary.com ) The book is based on his best selling book, The Power of Now. As you might assume the focus of his writing is upon really being in the present moment. Often we think we are in the moment because we are doing something. The truth is we are only in the moment when we are free of anything that draws our attention to the past (remembering) or to the future (wanting to be somewhere other than where we are).

Major religions all teach the power of being in the NOW. Yet being free of time appears to be most difficult to do. Eckert Tolle says, When every cell of your body is so present that it feels vibrant with life, and when you can feel that life every moment as the joy of Being, then it can be said that you are free of time. To be free of time is to be free of the psychological need of the past for your identity and the future for your fulfillment. It represents the most profound transformation of consciousness that you can imagine. Being in the Now is thoroughly experiencing right now, free of the past in every sense and not depending upon some hoped-for future. It is only in this Now moment that reality, real living is experienced.

As important as the past may be in bringing you to this Now moment, in truth it is a series of Now moments. Full attention to where you are right now makes the fullest use of Now and will automatically become the next powerful Now moment..
Now