what does "living in the now" mean to you?

[Plenum]

what does "living in the now" mean to you?

does it mean not fretting about the past and thinking mistakes will repeat, and not being overly concered with possible future scenarios (both positive and negative)?

I mean, would truly "living in the now" be an absence of memory? (if that question makes any sense).

[Namaste]

Bashar mentions that they are in the now to the point that thy have no memory at all.

Information comes to them when they need it, and only then. Someone asked him if he knew everything and his reply was: we really don't know :¬)

This is a great talk on being in the now:

[Aureus]

I think it is to be as aware as possible, without attachment. To feel content, attentive, to bask in awareness. To be in balance, without swaying from the pulling strings of desire/emotion. This removes distraction, allows your lenses to purify and the retinas of thine eyes to continually sample the light of the creator in a less distorted form.

[Spaced]

I see it as investing your awareness in the here and now as opposed to worrying about past events or worrying about what you might been missing out on, or what could have been. I don't think that to live in the now you need to forget the past, I think you need to be aware of the past but not focused on it.

One recent phenomenon which I find detracts from people's ability to live in the now is fear of missing out (as mentioned earlier). Here's an article on the topic: http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/20...ssing-out/

[anagogy]

what does "living in the now" mean to you?

does it mean not fretting about the past and thinking mistakes will repeat, and not being overly concered with possible future scenarios (both positive and negative)?

I mean, would truly "living in the now" be an absence of memory? (if that question makes any sense).

To me, living in the now equals a pure acceptance of the present moment. All suffering equals a lack of acceptance of the present moment. This is resistance. When you let go of resistance, you are dwelling in unity.

I've gotten rid of physical pain this way. Rather than resisting it, I accepted it completely, and the sensation didn't necessarily immediately go away, but the interpretation of it as something aversive did, if that is possible to imagine. It was no longer negative. Thus, the suffering ended.

And I think that yes, to some extent it means being "memory-less". Without looking through the lens or screen of interpretive projections about the past, and speculative projections about the future, you can feel the perfection of the eternal present.

[Guardian]

Being present. Being mindful.

[zenmaster]

what does "living in the now" mean to you?

The present is the fundamental source for how things unfold in this density. First off, no one is actually "living in the now" as these bodies/minds are not conducive to that balance. Nothing but a higher-vibrational body/mind actually afforded such an awareness. Even Tolle and Krishnamurti admit that they need to come back to thinking processes in order to live. If anyone claims they are always in that state, they are full of it.

At some point one becomes aware of that possibility which is also akin to so-called "non-dual" states. But being in the now necessary entails lack of attachment to comparison or ideas which are duration based. But since comparison and identification with ideas (i.e. discernment) is how we learn here, no one here is "in the now". But ridiculous new-age notions which inevitably merely address apprehensions of what is possible, rather than experience from actualization of that possibility, will mistakenly claim "this is what now is like" with banal phrases like "life is a gift, thats why its called the present"

[Plenum]

thanks for all the answers everyone. They were quite helpful in my exploration of this topic.

what I have found (recently) is that over my explorations of orange-ray unblocking there has been a greater ability to be 'present'. This has unfolded in the many months since posting the original question.

basically, it seems as though the more you can clear the orange ray centre (understandings of mind to do with personal power, personal acceptance, personal autonomy), the less one is displaced from the 'self'. Having this seat of personal power (orange ray clearance and activation), means that one is centred and engaged with the experience of the 'now'.

for someone who is displaced from their orange ray centre, there is always an appeal or attraction to future events ... becuz ... well ... it will be 'better' than what is here and now. For someone with self-confidence and self-belief and self-actualization there is no 'future better' ... there are only the choices and decisions made 'in the now' that bring that notion of a 'better future' into the present 'now'. For someone with a clear orange centre, the choices and decisions present themselves now, not as some future hope or desire or dream. The actualisation of that 'future possibility' is happening in the present.

and if somehow the 'future' does not seem appealing, or is somehow blocked in imagination ('I can't imagine how things could get better from where I am now, things are so dire'), then the gaze of hope looks backwards, and one becomes somewhat nolstalgic - thinking that everything was so much better in the past when such and such was the situation, or I was in a relationship or I was earning more money etc etc.

that cleared orange ray centre firmly seats the moment of action in the present. One is clear about one's strengths and weaknesses, one works within the given parameters. There is a certain pragmatism, a recognition of what is doable and not-doable; there is no fantastical hoping for a win on the lottery ... or that someone will magically save you. The power is firmly centred in the self ... and this is acknowledged. The autonomy of the Creator.

and with a clear orange ray, there is also the recognisition that others have this full potential too ... there is no need to try and save others, well, because, they can save themselves. They have an equal power and presence ... it is just that they don't realise it because of blocked understandings. And these faulty beliefs about the self (which I myself have lived with most of my life) are the result of just accepting societal notions about what an individual is, and what place they have in our society as currently configured. Watching 'Django Unchained' recently brought it home how much society has a hand in enforcing these orange ray attitudes (the distorted ones that is) into the self.

- -

so in short, a clear orange ray implies a strong self confidence in one's abilities to handle present catalyst, so there is no running away or avoiding of that catalyst - ie 'I have the abliity to handle all situations, no matter how seemingly difficult or novel'. And when there is no shirking away from the present catalyst, one can be firmly in the present, in the now of one's life. There is no desire to displace oneself into future scenarios or past longings ... there is only the present moment to be engaged with with all one's attention and care. That doesn't mean that the present moment is always joyous or pleasant (dealing with catalyst rarely is), but you, at the very least, are not running away from the situation.

[AnthroHeart]

I've learned that taking responsibility for your actions is a form of catalyst as well. It could easily be avoided, but then lessons aren't learned, and you're doomed to repeat them. I'm not sure if it's karma that brings lessons back for you to learn. I'm learning to use ho'oponopono when dealing with my mother. It makes it easier for me to see Creator in her eyes. She's always wanting me to do something, and I do it. She thinks it's my job to make her happy, and I tell her that it's not my job to make her happy. But is it?

[Raz]

For me, living in the now means to be aware of the witness of the one thing happening and understanding that life is not built up of separated experiences, just one unfolding experience.

[Eddie]

Excellent thread, and excellent answers all of you.

I am impressed. We are farther along than I had hoped.