Emotion of Presence and Memory
We have been Prefaced, Introduced and Prologued. Now we come upon Chapter 1 of the Invocation of Presence. E.J. has entitled this chapter Emotion of Presence and Memory. This is a curious title that makes itself clear – in time.
The author starts us off by asking us to consider our memories. Reflect dear reader, for a moment. Is it not true that the bulk of your memories are hazy – at best? Ah, what was I doing last Thursday? … ah, oh Yeah! – I went to see___________. That is how it is mostly.
THEN – E.J. says, yeah that is true, but there are some memories that remain clear and distinct. These memories stay with us most of our lives. These seem to be easy to recall, and these memories seem to have special characteristics. The recollections may take the form of an encounter or an event. Or, it may even take the form of an Objective Dream.
But, right now, we can access that vivid and clear memory. Something happens when we recall such events. Can you do so right now?
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Standing in Two Worlds
(Chapter 1, page 2)
“The most that any ordinary man is able to say, and then only by accident of circumstances, is ‘I happen somehow to be Here Now, to my utter astonishment…’ This form of consciousness, in which we are for a moment able to sense the presence of the real ‘I’ in the present, and not just the dim, automatic-imaginary ‘I’ of the personality, is called ‘awakening’.
EJ offers us a simple yet potent way into this method. We can begin where we are at any given moment. “I am right here right now.” Quite frankly the person that is able to say just that – “I am here right now” – is truly on the first steps of the spiritual path. Let us expand.
As you invoke that moment, let us study for a moment just what happens. Let us see what tools are available right at that moment. We pause in astonishment at our existence. We have been granted existence for the briefest moment – a mere 75 years say. Okay, now let us work with this gift.
At this moment of “I am here right now.” We can also see that is a mood that ascends. That is important to remember and to recall. That is our point of navigation. We are becoming pilots and we are navigators upon an unusual sea. But, we discover we have many tools.
The pilots of old sailed upon unknown seas using the (now) crude tools of navigation – sextants, chronometers, the Pilots rutter obtained from others, telescopes, and rules of celestial navigation. We have tools, we simply are learning how to utilize the tools presented to us.
Okay, stand firm in you sense of Self. Lavish yourself in this sensing. Now, look out, but do not lose your sense of Self. Do not lose your Self. Continue to look forth with two points of focus. Hold this. Hold it a moment longer.
We have begun.
Chapter One Continued:
“He then stood in front of the group…”
As the chapter continues there is another simple exposition of the exercise:
“He then stood in front of the group in a bow-and-arrow pose. Indicating the forward hand holding the bow, he said, ‘This hand represents the world of ‘it’, what we call ‘the present’ – the outer world, including our organic machine and its functioning centrums.
Drawing his other hand back in a smooth, swift motion he added, ‘This other hand represents presence becoming for the first time aware of its presence in the present, by drawing away from identification with events by observing impartially and at the same time using subjective sensations to sense its own presence in the present.”
It is through the continual practice of this posture whereby we begin to develop Being. We are growing a Soul. This is achieved through a gentle, yet continual process.
In the book “The Way of the Pilgrim” the voyager sets about to answer the challenge posed by Paul in I Thessalonians 5:17 – “Pray without ceasing.” How can one pray without ceasing in such a busy complex world? The prayer must enter our hearts he is told by his master. How can this happen? After many thousands of repetitions the pray moves of its own into the very heartbeat within us.
“We must invoke our presence many thousands of times”… say E.J. Gold. Here we understand that continual and non-ceasing efforts actually create something real and permanent. … it is worth the stretch.
“Man is educated to ‘fall into’ his outer world…” We, must, and will create new habits. We are constructing something new. We are using the simple tools we have found along the way. These are tools too simple for the human mind.
Archery Lessons for beginners.