The Sanctuary of The Now

"Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have.

Always say 'yes' to the present moment.

Say 'yes' to life - and see how life suddenly starts working

for you rather than against you."

Eckhart Tolle

You've probably noticed that it's always Now (or perhaps you haven't?). When you woke up this morning, you did so in a space called Now, and when you ate your breakfast and drank your tea or coffee, it also happened in the Now. In fact, as you read these words, you are doing so right Now. If you contemplate deeply; your whole day - let alone your whole life - has taken place in the Now, and not once, not even for a second, have you ever left it. Amazing, isn't it?

Yet, the truth is that rarely, (and only for brief moments), are most people actually aware of the Now. Instead, we spend our precious days obsessed with getting to a destination called, The Future; that perfect place where everything has worked out in a way that allows us to feel a sense of security in our lives. Yet, no matter how much we worry and struggle to arrive at this 'future', we never seem to get there, and the reason for this is quite simple: The future doesn't exist. Or said in another way: There is no future. Of course, we can easily verify this truth for ourselves. Ask yourself; have you ever, even once, arrived at this future that you spend so much time thinking and worrying about? The answer is obvious, isn't it?

The good news is that, if we look deeply, there is a space in which we CAN find the certainty and peace that the mind is desperate for; a space that is always available and - best of all - requires no time to get there. That space is called the Here and Now, or as I like to call it, The Sanctuary of Now. It's a sanctuary because, once you enter it, you realize that it contains all of the certainty and security, in fact everything you've been looking for your whole life. If you doubt this, take a moment right Now and ask yourself the question, 'Here and Now, is there anything lacking'? Really feel into this question, and notice that, no matter how much you may be worried about what's going to happen tomorrow or next week, Here and Now is actually pretty good; it is actually a space that unfolds without force, and with no stress at all.

Best of all, we can actually center ourselves and come home to this calm and reassuring space anytime we choose too. Just take a mindful breath, and here you are. Like the still point in the middle of a raging hurricane, the Now is always calmly unfolding, just as it is. So If certainty and security, not to mention joy and peace, are what you long for in your life, then you must accept that it will NEVER be found in the illusion of 'The Future', and all you have to do is bring your awareness to the Now, where everything is unfolding with effortless ease. After all, if not Now, when?