As one comes to experience the sacredness of life and the divinity of souls, an opening takes place within the heart and within awareness.  As consciousness expands to know that all that is, is part of the Divine, the heart that recognizes such blessing opens with love.  It becomes able to respond in a way that says: “Beloved God, I am here.”  This is the origin of presentness.  It is the heart’s response to the sacredness of life and to its Creator.  It can be found in the statement: “I am here.”

To be present means to embrace in the fullness of the moment, that which is encountered.  In relation to other souls, it means a deep affirmation of their reality, of their Divine essence, and a sense of joyful participation in sharing love. Yet, for this to happen there must be an inner space which allows the other to become more real.  There must be a shift in perception so that self-preoccupation gives way before the increased desire to love and serve another.

When the heart opens in this way, then all whom one meets become beloveds.  They gain in importance because they are part of the Divine and part of one’s own heart.  They are not intrusions into one’s inner world.  They are part of one’s inner world to the degree that love is present within that world and to the degree that life is perceived as sacred. 

Presentness is part of love.  It is part of the Covenant that souls made at the beginning of time, to worship and love God before all else and to receive God’s gifts with a sense of gladness.  Presentness does both.  It reveres God within the soul and being of all.  It also celebrates each encounter with the life of another as an encounter with God.  Such a perspective allows the heart to want to give more, to want to love more, and to desire to meet others in a way that allows them to feel seen and met.

All of these things become possible to the extent that self-protection and fear no longer rule the heart’s responses and no longer create self-immersion and preoccupation. To that degree is the heart free to love others and to share in their reality.  It is not a matter of learning how to do this.  It is a matter of un-learning the mechanisms of distancing and separation, based in fear, that have caused the heart to become smaller and the sense of reality to become more limited.

Presentness is a gift.  It is the enlargement of one’s personal sphere of concern to include all of life. 

It is the capacity to respond fully to life and situations so that they open out into the most complete expression of Divine purpose. 

It is the ability to believe in oneself and one’s deepest knowing so that true response is possible. 

Such response enlivens life itself.  It brings the heart fully into contact with every moment and every situation. It unfolds the Divine potential for healing in every circumstance.  When this can happen for people everywhere, then all of life will be benefited, for all of life asks as part of the Covenant with God, that each one may say: “Beloved, I am here.”

Look, see, know.  Who is before you?  What lives in their inner world?  What language does their heart speak?  What pain does it carry?  Your eyes may see the outer, but your heart can see the inner being, for your heart’s wisdom is the wisdom of your soul.

Article Section -  Sacred Relationships