The Awareness of Self-Discovery by William Samuel pp. 27 - 32
THE HERENESS AND NOWNESS OF REALITY
I do not know of a better way to begin a discussion of the Truth
than to call attention to the here and now of conscious awareness.
Our "work" in the Absolute begins with the hereness and nowness of
the conscious awareness presently reading these words.
Awareness is self-evidently ALL-inclusive. Our "beginning" has to do
with the perfect ALLNESS that ALL, GOD, ISNESS is!
THE SINGLENESS OF HERE AND NOW AWARENESS
This here-and-now is perfect. All we are actually concerned with is
this here and now. The Christian era began with the words, "The time
is fulfilled; the kingdom of heaven is at hand." What is this but
the statement that Heaven, Harmony, Perfection are here and now the
Fact?
Consider this "here" and "now" a moment: When do we read these
words? When do we look across the way and see a familiar face? Or
any face? When do we see children scampering with their toys? NOW is
the "time" that "seeing" takes place. Seeing is NOW.
When do we hear the sounds of children at play? When do we hear the
voices of friends, the sounds coming from the television, the rustle
of leaves underfoot? NOW. Hearing is ever NOW. When do we catch the
smell of breakfast bacon frying or feel the touch of a hand? NOW is
the time of all tangible experience, isn't it? Tangibility is
NOW-not yesterday, not tomorrow, not even the next moment, but NOW.
(And where is the tangible "demonstration" so many are looking for?
In the tangible now of this experience.)
Now consider: where is this conscious experience going on? Where do
we do all this seeing and listening and experiencing? Not somewhere
else-but HERE. And not another time, but NOW. The tangible aspect of
conscious awareness is ever HERE and NOW
Listen again: the here and now are present as this consciousness
reading these words. This is the here-and-now-consciousness that
individual Identity is! And this is the only one we are ever
concerned with. This is the one we "put in order." This is the eye
from which we remove the beam.
Actually we have never been concerned with another conscious
awareness. Even when we think we have been confronted with "another"
experience of son, daughter, husband, wife, friend, partner,
associate, leader, national figure, potentate, king, Christ Jesus or
the hosts of heaven, hell and the universe, the knowledge of these
figures and the consciousness of their actions are always this
conscious awareness even now examining these words! They are every
one included "within" and "as" this here and now consciousness that
says, "I am!" Who can deny that consciousness lives forever as
itself, here and now the eternal moment and infinite place of all
that we call "our own" Identity-Experience?
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"But, Mr. Samuel, my here-and-now is so limited."
The here is infinitely more than a point in space and the now is so
much more than a moment in time, despite education's declaration to
the contrary. Illumined consciousness reveals ("illumined
consciousness" is simply unbound, uninhibited, childlike awareness
freed of personal possessorship) an expanding consciousness-an
expanding hereness and nowness such that we find the strictures of
space-time losing their grip and letting us go. Youth reappears
tangibly! Love blooms anew.
Consequently, simple honesty demands that we come in from a
disproportionate time in the boondocks of the not-here and not-now,
from the agonizing world of fear we create for ourselves by the too
long sojourns into the past or the future. Notice that even these
sojourns are now-experiences because the resurrection and reliving
of memories is done in the now. We make plans and calculations in
the now. We dream in the now. We have missed many tangible wonders
in our here and now while wrestling with intangible dreams of a
not-now or worrying about events that are not here.
THE BEGINNING
Enlightened philosophy often speaks of finding the beginning and
staying there. The beginning for us is this present here and now
awareness. "Take no thought for the morrow," said the one called
Jesus. Sufficient unto this day, this NOW … let us get the beam out
of THIS eye, this here and now awareness I am, then shall we see
clearly … Perfection is even NOW spread over the face of the land …
Beloved, NOW are we the Awareness of Mind. Coming home to the here
and now "it doth not yet appear what we shall be," but we "see"
unfolding consciousness AS IT IS (because we are unfolding
consciousness) and not as it appears in the dream of a not-here,
not-now.
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Our activity begins with a "coming home" from the far country of
not-here and not-now. We "return" to the fact of this here and now
awareness ITSELF that presently includes these words. We end the
tortuous meanderings of the prodigal and leave the pig sties of his
far country. We make a personal discovery of the present
consciousness being Identity. This is where we stay.
Said Jesus, "Blest is he who shall stand at the beginning, and he
shall know the end and shall not taste death." Said Laotse, "The
Sage is the one who has found the beginning and then does not wander
from the ways of the ancients." Here is the "secret place." This NOW
is the Shekinah. This here and now consciousness is the Holy of
Holies into which nothing enters to make a lie.
Oh, but the action of "remaining" here is not the lethargic task one
might think. For myself, I became aware quickly and painfully of the
old nature's reluctance to give up the ghost. I was sorely shocked
at the tenacity of old habit and the lingering smell of smoke. I had
to bring myself back time and again to that place where, in
actuality, Awareness had never left. I had to bring attention back
repeatedly to the conscious recognition of a perfect awareness, the
real and only fact of now.
THE NOW IS NEW
Happy new Now, reader. This year, this day, this moment is new. The
life that reads these words is God's consciousness of being-an
eternal Identity about the business of Self-discovery,
Self-contemplation and consideration, Self-communion and enjoyment.
Awareness is Mind's Self-functioning, not the personal activity of
one called Bill, Jack, Mary or Jane.
Suppose we resolve to "begin" this New Now looking "with the eyes of
God" at the majesty and wonder Isness-as-us is. Let us further
resolve to let go, as persistently as we can, Bill's, Jack's, Mary's
or Jane's view of things. To do so is to find ourselves letting go
the "old man's" fears, frustrations and confusions. To do so is to
find ourselves looking at a tangible harmony on the
here-and-now-scene -a harmony we can see even when others won't. To
do so is to live a deep and abiding JOY that cannot be taken from us
even if our personal opinions and their pleasures appear to be.
The musician begins with the principle of music, not the discord.
The mathematician begins with the principle of his science, not the
error. WE BEGIN AS THE IMMACULATE, PRISTINE, PURE AND PERFECT
IDENTITY WE ARE ALREADY, not the personal sense of things, not the
world's ideas, opinions and judgments of things. We "begin" with
God, the ALL that Isness is, and rejoice at the wonders this ever
new view reveals. We LET that Mind be us which IS the awareness of
the Christ Truth we are.
Reader, I write these words so that during the coming pages we may
study together from a common ground-the absolute totality and
aloneness of this single, simple and perfect Awareness-we-are. You
shall find that an honest, selfless examination of Awareness
discloses perfection already at hand, merely awaiting our
acknowledgment and honest action in accordance.
(For additional study on this subject see A GUIDE TO AWARENESS AND
TRANQUILLITY: Pages 9 - 26; Page 36, the selection Happiness is
Here; Page 38, the selection About Books. )
A LETTER ABOUT AGE AND NOWNESS
My dear friend,
After nearly three weeks away from my green hills, I return and find
your letter waiting for me. How nice to have homecomings like this!
It is good to hear that you are snapping back. Why not? You have
never been away! We do not have to be concerned about the events of
last night's dream. We snap home to the Now to find that everything
is all right. We live in the Now, as the Now of perception. We look
around enabled to say, "Behold, everything is very good!"
Awareness does not "retire" but goes on being all there is to
"activity" itself-forever and ever!
Give my back-road and river-bank regards to everyone you love.
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It is always NOW-and right now, everything is all right.
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