The million dollar question for some is existential - how will I choose to change as result of this experience, at my deepest levels? For others it is more practical - what will the future look like and how can I plan for it? Either way Corona virus has the mind dwelling in the future.
The brain wants us to time travel - pulling us into fearing the future or idealizing or bemoaning the past - all in service of keeping us from being present. Time travel is a trap, don’t take the bait.
We have an opportunity for great change and it can be transformative but it requires that we disconnect the time travel program and stay right here, right now. The brain hates change and it uses time to keep us distracted and stuck. Whether we feel that there are not enough hours in a day or too many, time is the source of the bulk of our problems. By understanding the mechanics of the brain and the function of time we can liberate ourselves from what is truly ailing us, and we can access inner peace and freedom even before our confinement is curtailed.
Time is a brain construct used to help catalog, categorize, compare, compartmentalize and make sense of the world. The glitch in the program, however, is that it consists only of the past and the future. There is no intervening present. Why is this important? Because the past is gone, the future never comes and change can only happen in the present.
Often in my life, in my heart, I wanted change. Dutifully, I looked at my past so as not to fall in the same hole. But with each attempt not to repeat my history, I succeeded only in doing just that. I kissed a lot of frogs until I finally caught on that something was wrong - and it wasn't me, it was this insidious ‘time travel’ program.
I have learned to debug my brain by observing the mechanics rather than identifying with and getting lost in its content. If homeschooling is a bust - throw away the crayons and the calculus and focus of bringing the present back online.
Fun Facts and Brain Hacks:
Did you know that thanks to our programming we spend over 90% of our day in made-up mind reveries of the past or the future?
When we are future tripping or past dipping, we are actually spending most of our time in our imagination, which the brain presents as reality. We are taught that analyzing, strategizing, anticipating and planning is essential. Not so. When we are time traveling, we are not in the present. Ever get the feeling that you are going though the motions of life without really living? Or find yourself pining for ‘someday’? If? When?
Did you know that every moment is new?
It is true. We have never been in this moment before. If it doesn’t feel that way it is because we are in a program which, to our detriment, is invested in preserving the past as it if were the present. If we are feeling as if we have said, done or seen something before, we are in a programming loop. Get the socks off the floor anyone???
Why haven’t we ever been told that time traveling is a problem?
Because we all do it. It is considered normal. It pervades our institutions. Medicine and psychology each teach the value of referencing history and rehashing the past. By focussing on history, however, the present is overlooked as the source of mental or physical dis-ease as well as the source for healing. Without access to the present, we look for something in the past to explain our present condition and devise a cure. If the cure fails, we go back into the past, pull out another ‘cause’ and devise a new strategy for healing.
What is the way out?
Getting Present. The present is referred to as the eternal moment of now. No other ‘time’ actually exists. It is always and forever now. If we want something new to happen, if we want to heal, NOW is the time. If something is wrong, now is the cause. We can’t fix what is in the past. Having that as our model for healing is terminal. The great news is that the problem and the solution are right here, right now.
Getting Practical with Getting Present:
We are far too tolerant of our minds wandering and the brain does love to time travel. But not to worry this can be shifted. This week, simply notice when your brain is dipping into the past or projecting into the future. This includes favorites such as planning, strategizing, analyzing, expecting, recalling, remembering, reminiscing, and attributing cause and effect.
If you are thinking about something other than where you are, you have left your life unattended. No wonder there is so much chaos here! The practice of catching the brain in the act is the key to having a new experience in your life and we don’t need to be sprung to be liberated.
I hope you find this to be well worth your time. Email with any questions or ahas. No effort is wasted. Enjoy!!!
xoxo Jill