Becoming 3 Faces of Presence
Journey through phases of a spontaneous ceremony in the morning
As the last shreds of the morning dream float away, my attention is discovering being alive in a body. I let it leisurely wander in it and marvel at its myriads of mysteries… I am grateful for life ~
The joy of that experience feeds my curiosity: where am I? I slowly open my eyes… They meet the familiar contours of the bedroom and the light streaming in through the small gap between curtains. As I grow awake, so does my appetite to become present to my world: the agony of soldiers dying on battlefields and the happy harnessing of profits by weapon makers, friends who work for an AI-enabled flourishing for all and friends afraid of an AI apocalypse, the scents of the fragrant flowers in our garden and the pesky squirrels frolicking in it and damaging our solar panels… I am grateful for living on a living planet ~
Now, I’m becoming present to and connecting, in my mind’s eye, with my friends, family, members of the tribe, and all those in my circles. My attention is caught by and responding to the curiosity about to whom I need to bring what gift today. The presence of my daily work/play welcomes me… I am grateful for the connections that weave our lives together with all of you ~
What you will see in the flow of your personal ceremony will be different. If You use the same stepping stones of “I” (1st person), “it” (3rd person), and “you” (2nd person), then, of course, the content of what will appear in your faces of presence will be different from mine.
For some of you, the 1–3–2 flow you just saw in the description of my experience may work the best. For others, it may be more like 1–2–3. Whichever flow is more natural for you, use those precious moments in the morning to get in the flow and enjoy the feeling of being connected with all three faces of presence.
You can do this ceremony any time, but it is especially potent in the morning. If you don’t want to wait until tomorrow or just want to make sure you will remember as you wake up by experiencing it now, find a comfortable place to sit or lie down.
Close your eyes and take a few slow and deep breaths. Focus on your breath and let go of any thoughts or worries. Take your time to scan your body for places where your attention is attracted to rest… become aware of your surroundings with childlike curiosity, as if you were seeing them for the first time… and connect with people in your life with loving care.
I just came back from my daily slope walking. As usual, it brought me into intimate contact with my lungs, heart and leg muscles. The wind was strong. It made me look up to the sky as if I could discern the battling volumes of cold and warm air. The enormity of the open sky put me in my place — a temporary hyphen between heaven and earth.
At the top of the slope, I paused my walk, pulled out my iPhone, and looked at the list of my faves in the contacts. The sweet memories with them became a present force and inspired the wish to write something that would bring a smile to their face. Maybe this improvised ceremony doesn’t require any special circumstance for my lungs and the heart, the sky, and my iPhone are always with me.
p.s. Oh, I forgot to tell you what I meant by “ceremony.” First of all, nothing ceremonious; more like a celebration and observance of life in and around you. This usage of the term was inspired by my beloved teachers in the Native American tradition, where ceremonies mark, for example, progression from one stage of life to another. I use it for marking the passage from one state of consciousness (dreaming) to another (waking).
