Time. The most precious commodity. Why is there
never enough?
And what to do about it.
Time. What is time? Seconds ticking into hours,
inexorably moving forward. Or so it seems. In
this dimension, time appears to be a continuum. Science
and metaphysics however hold that there is no linear time,
everything that has ever happened or will happen already exists
all together in the same moment, the ‘eternal now’.
And our lifetime here on this planet is merely a way of looking
at things, like looking through a window, as time moves past
it. Interesting! You may get a sense of this if
you try the Time meditation below.
Well, here we are, living in the ‘linear time dimension’.
So what to do! The first thing to know is that there
is only this moment. The past (even the last second)
is over! And the future doesn’t exist. So
all we can work with is now. We need to be present right
now, because that is where our lives are happening!
So why should this be difficult? Well, the mind chatter
take us away from the present. Tells us to focus on
this and that rather than what is. Meditation can help
you feel more comfortable in the present, and still the mind
chatter.
Meditation for ‘Now’
Breathe in, relax, and try just noticing what is around you,
right now. Sounds, smells, touch. Feel your feet
on the ground. As you breathe, notice a deeper you,
watching. Know that the sensations in your body, thoughts
in your head, and your emotional responses to those sensations
and thoughts are all conditioned responses. You learned
all of it! Now consider a situation in your life.
Watch the sensations in your body and realise the sensations
don’t mean anything! (‘ah, tightness in face;
ah, heaviness in chest’). Let them stay as mere
sensations without attaching meaning to them. Hear your
thoughts and realise they aren’t ‘true’
(‘ah, looking for someone to blame, ah, trying to make
myself feel better..’) Feel the emotions arise and know
you don’t have to act on them (‘ah, sadness.
Ah, anger’). And notice, now you have detached
from your conditioned responses, how you feel and how many
more options are open to you. Gently return. (Adapted
from: ‘Be The Person You Want To Find’ by
Cheri Huber).
On the mundane level, how to manage the time that we ‘do’
have? (Notice how we make time a ‘thing’!)
Well, a belief that ‘there is always enough time for
me’ is helpful. Also, noticing the choices that
we make in what we do. Perhaps we beat ourselves up
for not doing things that actually, we do not want to do!
If you have the nagging fear or doubt that ‘I am not
doing the right thing!’ or ‘I keep trying
to do x but there is no time!’ you may be suffering
not from a lack of time management, but from a fear that is
keeping you from what you desire. This often happens!
For example, fear of success, fear of being overwhelmed (if
you had what you wanted) or fear of happiness. This
last is surprisingly common! Because our childhood conditioning
is that we are ‘bad’ and therefore, undeserving.
If you’ve already considered your beliefs and fears
around something you are trying to do, and feel it really
is time that’s the problem, you might like to try these:
1. Nibbling. Often we wait for a whole day to do something,
which never comes! Instead try ‘nibbling’
– you take ten minutes and do one small thing towards
your task. Sharpen your pencils, get the spade out of
the shed etc. 2. Distractions. Notice how you let other
people, tasks, pastimes distract you. Don’t let
them! 3. Visualise. Get excited about what you
want to create. See it, feel it, make it real.
4. Goals. Write down and display in a visible place.
Make it ‘SMART” – Specific, Measurable,
Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Based’. Phew!
When you say ‘I can’t do something’ you
mean ‘I won’t do it!’ It’s all
about choice. And you do have that choice. You
are creating everything in your life and around you.
Time Meditation
Relax, breathe, and imagine yourself standing in the centre
of a three metre ruler, stretching to left and right.
The centre metre is the present. The far left metre
is the past, and the right metre is the future. Now,
imagine the present metre is very short. It only lasts
a second. Breathe and experience how it makes you feel.
Next, make the past metre very long. How does it feel?
Now, make the future metre very long. How does it feel?
Now, allow yourself to whizz forward along into the future.
How does it feel? And along the past? If you wish,
allow yourself to go off the left end of the metre rule into
before you were born. How does it feel? Breathe
and gently come back to the room.
I wish you the time of your life!
NEXT ISSUE: Wants, Needs, and Desires. How to
get clear on what you want – and what you don’t!
Jeli Lala is an intuitive visionary with a playful and creative
approach to healing. Her gifts of channeling light and
information from other realms and her loving sensitivity have
helped many people along their path to wholeness. Her
healing space, Ashram, is at no. 1, Sukma St., Tebesaya, Ubud
(Opp. Jazz Café). Ashram also carries crystals
and inspiring gifts. Tel: 081 239 43354.
Jeli welcomes comments and may be contacted on:
Email: jelila@jelila.com
Website: www.jelila.com or www.imagine-retreats.com
