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ISIC – The Present Moment

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“Life is a preparation for the future; and the best preparation for the future is to live as if there were none.”
― Albert Einstein

In our society we are always thinking about and planning for the future. We go through the day thinking about spending time with a friend at the end of the week, being able to afford the bills, or wondering if we will be able to get a job when we graduate. Not only do we worry about the future, but we tend to relive and mull-over the past. Wondering how our life could be different if we just did this or said that. We spend a fraction of our time fully engaged in the moment.

How would life be different if one were to be fully engaged and present from moment to moment?  Would it be happier, more rewarding, or less stress-filled?  Would one’s memory be better, and possibly cognition or retention of reading?  Is it possible that there would be less accidents and road rage?

Some people have lately expressed concern over stepping back a bit and learning how to fully listen to others. Others have had a hard time concentrating on the task at hand.  Still yet others are concerned about their loved one’s inability to be fully present in the relationship or family. These are all different situations in which one would like to be present. Let’s start be defining what it means, feels like, and looks like to be in the present moment.

Learning to be in the present means being fully in your body, full in the moment and fully there, wherever that may be. It is having your awareness on your surroundings and those you are interacting with. It also means being in touch with your feelings as they arise.  It is like living every moment like it is the only moment right now!

Suggestions on how to be present:

  • Focus on your breath
  • Focus on your heartbeat
  • Use crystals
  • Ask a couple key questions
  • Learn from children and animals

 

Putting attention on one’s breathing can help focus you on the present moment.  As you breathe in and out, feel the air and notice how it travels through your body. Find a style of breathing or a breathing technique that works best for you and incorporate that into your day. Ocean Jasper is a stone that helps one when practicing certain types of breathing.  It can be carried in the pocket or worn as a pendant.

Focusing on one’s heartbeat is another helpful way to stay in the present moment. Focusing on that central spot in your energy system helps to focus and distribute energy evenly. Hearing the beat of a heart is calming relaxing and centering. Rhodochrosite is a stone for the heart chakra and encourages spontaneous expression of feelings.  Expressing and releasing feelings helps one to live in the moment and stay centered in the heart.

If just getting focused is hard to do, use a piece of tiger’s eye which is helpful in focusing and pulling together scattered energy. Make it a red tiger’s eye so it can help you stay motivated to be present!

To help bring one’s self back into the present moment, there are some many questions to consider asking:

  • What am I being told today?
  • What am I aware of right now?
  • What is the next step for me in this moment?

 

These questions help bring one back into the present moment and bring awareness of the present activities. No need to come up with long answers. Asking the right questions help to focus thoughts in the here and now.

Children and animals are perfect examples of being in the moment.  Have you ever watched a young child so wrapped in their play that they did no notice anyone else in the room?  They get so engrossed in what it is they are doing, nothing else at that moment matters. The expression, “like a dog with a bone” also illustrates being in the moment.  That dog wants to get that bone and gnaw on it to its heart’s content. The common denominator is that both children and animals do what they love to do and they wholeheartedly immerse themselves in it. Find what you love to do and get lost in it. “I can’t do that,” you might be saying right now. “I’ve got bills to pay.” There are many reasons to not be doing something that you love. I am suggesting that you figure out what you do love and start out by scheduling an hour a day to do that and only that. Try it for a month and observe the changes. Ruby can be worn to encourage you to make time to do what you love.

Taking small steps on a consistent basis to live in the moment will benefit you in a multitude of ways. The preceding information touched on a handful of tips to accomplish this.  It is a journey to always be present so remember to always give yourself grace during the process. Try many different techniques to see what works best for you. Be aware that what worked last year, may be different than what will work today.

Second: Sacral Chakra

Name Svadishthana Chakra: “Dwelling place of the self”. Sacral Chakra or Cross Center (sometimes referred to as Spleen Center, which is actually a secondary center or the 3rd chakra).
Location Upper part of sacrum, approximately at upper limit of pubic hair, opens forward.
Symbol/Yantra 6-petaled lotus. Circle with crescent.
Basic Principles
Sensation. Creative reproduction of being—sensation. Acquire power of love; love everyone and loved by everyone. “I rejoice in my desires and my pleasures”. Reason. Home of intellect, logic, analysis.
Often considered real seat of Shakti, female aspect of God. Water. Physical level: decontaminating functions of kidneys and bladder: spiritual, liberated, free-flowing feelings enable see life ever-primordial and new. Lower/digestive: analyzes food ingested, separating useful and transforming for use. Higher: acceptance & integration of our feelings).
Primal feelings, flowing with life, sensuality, eroticism, creativity, awe and enthusiasm.
Ruling Planet Mercury
Astrological Sign Gemini. Cancer/Moon, Libra/Venus, Scorpio/Pluto.
Understanding Circular
Element Water (fertilizes, purifies, dissolves blockages)
Sounds D (re). 292.1 cycles per second. VAM. Flowing music (folk dances, dance music); birdsong, sound running water, splashing of small indoor or outdoor fountain. short “o”, as in “November”. Sets off circular movement: in many languages, sound expresses emotional amazement; at end, when approaches a “u”, awakens emotional depth, leads to circular unity where Yin/Yang interact to form harmonious whole.
Color Orange-Red. According to Ayurveda, is inner color of water. Encourages self-esteem, increases joy from sensual pleasures. Also blood red.
Deity Vishnu. Shakti: Rakini.
Animal Crocodile
Plants, Aromas Ylang-ylang oil (feel safe, encourages to entrust to flow of feeling; dammed up feelings dissolved and carried away), sandalwood (integrate spiritual energies on all levels of thinking, feeling, acting). These two are considered either very spiritual (high level consciousness or aphrodisiacs (low level consciousness).
Gemstones Amber. Carnelian (grounding energies into physical: brings into contact with beauty and creative energy of earth, helps live fully in present, stimulates concentration, brings back awe at miracles of Creation). Garnet (utilize of creative energy). Red Jasper. Moonstone (opens to own emotional richness, connects with sensitive, receptive, dreamlike part of self, accept it and integrate. Takes away fear of emotions, harmonizing effect; cleansing of blocked lymph glands, ensures female balanced hormone level). Ruby (creative energy developed to highest aspect of self). Red and Orange stones. Clear Quartz.
Nature Experience Moonlight (especially when full, brightens feelings, makes receptive to message of soul as revealed through dreams, imagination); clear water: if combine two, very beneficial.
Age 8 — 14
Sensory Function Taste
Body Issues: Parts, Glands, Hormones Genitals. Pelvic area, reproductive organs, kidneys, bladder, all liquids, such as blood, lymphatic fluid, digestive secretions, sperm (liver/digestive: analyzes food ingested, separating useful and transforming for use – higher, acceptance and integration of our feelings). Reproductive glands, ovaries, prostrate gland, testicles. Estrogens, testosterone. Organ of cognition: tongue. Organ of action: hands.
Body Issues: Proper Functioning Purifying, starts things to flow. Natural flow of life and feelings; of creative life energy flowing through body, soul, mind. Utilization of creative forces in all aspects being. Emotionally gratified. Creative reproduction of being: sensation, sexuality, family, fantasy. Primal feelings, flowing with life, sensuality, eroticism, creativity, awe and enthusiasm.
Body Issues: Dark Aspects of Energy Here people fall from path of light and truth: lower vital sex forces try lower consciousness of seekers but if can bring down purity from hearth chakra, ok.
Body Issues: Insufficient Functioning Usually traced back to childhood: parents suppress sexuality, transfer it. During puberty, you suppress sexual feelings, result in lack of self-esteem, emotional paralysis, sexual coldness: life seems dreary and not worth living.
Body Issues: disharmonious functioning Often originates during puberty with rules imposed by society, parents; negation or excessive fantasies or sex as drug. Lose sense of wonder at miracles of life. Restless, confused.
Body Issues: Physical Problems Impotence, frigidity. Affected by cycles of moon/emotions. Envy, jealousy.
Sleep Mode Prenatal position, 8 — 10 hours
Spin of the Chakra (facing the body) Female: right. Male: left.
Occupations When educated: logic, analysis. Pundits, pragmatists.
Yogic Discipline Tantra Yoga (sees nature as play between female and male energies, Shiva/Shakti, who bring forth visible world in never-ending dance of Creation).

First: Root/Base Chakra

Name Muladhara Chakra: “Foundation”. Root Center, Base Chakra, Coccyx Center, Root Support.
Location Base of trunk. Between anus & genitals, connected to Coccyx, opens downward.
Symbol/Yantra 4 red-orange petals, chrome–gold inside.
Basic Principles
Survival. Physical will to be. Grounding, feeling love of universe, security. “I rejoice in my physical existence.”
Connects us with physical world: transfers cosmic energies to physical and earthly level, lets earthly energy stream into our subtle system. The memory center. Creates a consciousness of time through the power of memory, travel through time through memory.
Primal vital energy, primal trust, relating to Earth and the material world, stability, the power to succeed.
Ruling Planet Mars (solar, masculine)
Astrological Sign Aries. Aries/Mars, Taurus, Scorpio/Pluto, Capricorn/Saturn (in Ayurvedic teachings: the Sun).
Understanding Linear
Element Earth
Sounds Lower C (do). 261.2 cycles per second. LAM (said powerfully). Strongly rhythmic (stomping beat). Monotonous, emphatic rhythms: ancient music of primitive tribes. Sounds of nature. U (“ooh”).
Color Fiery red, also black. If red, tinged with blue, helps permeate vital with spiritual energy. Healthy chakra glows fiery red.
Deity Brahma, Ganesh. Shakti: Dakini.
Animal Elephant
Plants, Aromas Cedar (serenity, feeling security), clove (dissolves dammed up energies in root chakra, liberating self from old social patterns).
Gemstones Agate (seriousness, firmness, equanimity, dissolves negative emotions, protects inner self, stimulates esteem for own body). Bloodstone (blood jasper: cleansing, energizing of creative, feeling security within natural life cycle). Carnelian. Garnet (drive, willpower, self-confidence: helps heal diseases of genitals). Hematite (strength, energy). Red Jasper. Obsidian (awakening dormant unmanifested potential). Black Onyx. Red coral (encourages flexibility, remain rooted within Self while flowing along with life). Rhodonite. Ruby (harmonic synthesis between physical and spiritual love). Smokey Quartz. Black Tourmaline. Red & Black stones. Clear Quartz. All here help strengthen blood system in some way.
Nature Experience Dawn, sunset, fresh soil.
Age Child 1 — 7 acts from here, acquires language skills, relationships, cultural ways.
Sensory Function Smell
Body Issues: Parts, Glands, Hormones Everything solid, spine, bones, teeth, nails, legs, anus, rectum, colon, intestines, prostrate gland, blood, cell multiplication. Glands: suprarenal. Hormones: adrenaline, noradrenalin. Organ of cognition: nose. Organ of action: feet.
Body Issues: Proper Functioning Ground spiritual forces in body, gain ability to work lovingly on physical plane. Primal vital energy, primal trust, relating to earth and the material world, stability, the power to succeed, health, courage, patience, security.
Body Issues: Dark Aspects of Energy Violent behavior based on insecurity. A fearful person may strike out blindly like a cornered animal.
Body Issues: Insufficient Functioning Physical condition weak, lack physical and emotional stamina. Worry, uncertainty. Life is a burden. If higher chakras developed to detriment of the lower, sense not belong on earth; feels fearful, anxious, angry and frustrated. Blocked: feel fearful, anxious, angry & frustrated.
Body Issues: disharmonious functioning Thoughts and actions revolve around material possessions and security, or sensual indulgences and thrills. If challenged, easily irritated or upset.
Body Issues: Physical Problems Constipation and overweight (inability to let go, desire to maintain possessions). Anorexia (if sacral and solar plexus also blocked). Obesity, hemorrhoids, constipation, sciatica, degenerative arthritis, knee problems.
Sleep Mode On stomach, 10-12 hours.
Spin of the Chakra (facing the body) Female: left. Male: right.
Occupations
Yogic Discipline Hatha Yoga (unfolding of awareness through cleansing, stimulating physical body through exercise), Kundalini Yoga.