The Spiritual Practice of

P R E S E N C E

The WISDOM podcast  Season 2  Episode 23

with Dorothy Ratusny

 

 

TIMESTAMPS:

Podcast Intro: 0-2:09  |  Change and Free Will Choice:  2:14  |  How to Begin A Practice of Presence:  5:00  |  This Is What Meditation Teaches Us:  5:30  | How You Live In Presence:  7:21  |  There Is So Much In Your Life To Be Thankful For:  8:39  |  P R E S E N C E  Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect: 9:41  |  The Touchstone of The Present Moment:  10:40  |  A Little Back Story Of My Life: How I Practice Presence:  11:20  |  The Path of ONENESS:  15:49  |  An Afterward: 17:50  |  Presence Gives You The Perspective ‘To Be’:  20:33  |  Podcast Outro: 21:37

 

 

TRUTH SERUM:  Presence is your witnessing of what ‘is’, in this moment; in both your external environment and the infinite space of what you are as you look within.

A-HA MOMENTS:  To hold presence is to become a oneness with everything.

PRACTICAL WISDOM:  Develop a practice of presence as you take stock in what is important right now; and as you allow everything else to be – to be right here for you when you are ready to return to it. Then slowly everything gives away as you focus on the presence of this moment.

 

Watch the video on P R E S E N C E in this week’s WISDOM Note

 

“Presence embodies both mindfulness and a meditative focus that allows the mind to witness; to be the observer of what you become aware of.”  – Dorothy Ratusny

 

In this episode of the WISDOM podcast, I am suggesting that you hold presence; presence to what is right now in front of you; presence to change as everything is not quite the same, as much as we may long for it to be; and yet everything has the potential to change for the better.  Namaste!  xo

 

There is a lot of change that we are keenly present to right now; a most obvious change is that of the seasons, as we migrate from warmer temperatures into fall. It’s a little like finding your footing into something new even if you’ve been here in the experience of this particular climate change many times before.

Change is what moves you out of your comfortable routine. It is what inspires growth; and through change we witness and learn so much; we step out of our ritualistic habits and thinking to something new that has the potential to open our eyes, to widen our perspective, to facilitate understanding; and to become ‘unstuck’. Openness to change is what helps you find the right path for what you have wanted and wished for, for so long.

Change reminds you that life is in perpetual motion; no moment is the same as the one before it. We filter everything through eyes of perception; that may have roots in kindness and certainty or the uncertain notions that can keep you far removed from your self.

“Let your free will choice be at the root of change.”

 

I speak a lot about choice; free will choice, with all of my clients. It’s to drive home the important of choosing change and to remind them of this vast potential that they – that we all have for choosing our life even as we are also the primary witness of it.

Your practice for this week and I hope what will become what you always do, is this… As we enter upon a new season, as we witness the quiet and gentle reprieve of stillness; of presence that leads us to look inwards; that is a reminder that after the busy activity of summer, fall is a sustainable time to gather, to shed what is no longer needed, to go within; to examine, to take stock, to decide what will come next; to nourish and replenish – to harvest our beautiful talents and to prepare for a deeper calling of our soul – to follow the path inside our self – to be nourished – to be whole – to be one with all of life.

How to Begin:

Make it a deliberate practice to be still; eyes open or closed; to take in what you witness, for brief moments or lengthy reprieves where you can soften into the existence of what it means to be here and now.

Develop a practice of holding presence whilst being still; and also as you move through your life. This means that you give your attention to the present moment; as you remain open to what you witness as an observer. Perhaps this practice of presence will become a daily sacred ritual and a way of adorning your self in the beauty of each moment.

This is what meditation teaches us about stilling the mind for moments at a time; of softening into our life; for pausing to catch our breath; to unplug from technology; from the matrix of our complicated and complex lives; and to go inward – to be reminded to witness – to hold presence to what is right here; presence to the realization that life could be lived as a series of ever conscious, ever deliberate sacred moments – sacred because you are here in this time and space to witness.

In this moment it does not matter what you already did or did not do; it matters only what you will think and feel and do now; of how you will appreciate this moment out of resilience and anticipation, with gratitude and the willingness to honour yourself because it is right here that you hold the ability to marvel, to wonder, to be reminded that you are choosing your future with your thoughts.

This is what presence gives you… the ability to choose in this moment and each moment that you hold presence to what is and what is wanted. And in the moments when you are choosing to hold presence, these thoughts become the quieter but ever present will of your heart – if you choose this.

 

How do you live in presence?

You take stock in the moments of what is important right now; and you allow everything else to be – to be right here for you when you are ready to return to it. Then slowly everything gives way as you focus on the presence of this moment. What sounds do you hear?

Perhaps as you witness your breath; the sound of your breath? How it feels to breathe with presence. What do you witness inside your body? And to the stilling peace of gratitude for this moment; for each moment that you continue in the presence of now.

This is what it means to live life; to be of it; to live open to its wonder. Everything then becomes sacred. Your actions not a mindless task but intentional, directive, deliberate and significant.

There is so much in your life to be thankful for; to witness with appreciation, certainty, and love outpouring.

In this time of continued change; of establishing the best practices that will allow you to lead your life in liberation and freedom of who you are at your core; take pause, hold presence – see presence as the sustenance for what will propel you forward – into deeper appreciation and heartfelt wonder.

Witness presence as the thought-filled moments, purposeful in design; that honour the deeper meaning of freedom; freedom to step out of the busyness and never-ending doing and instead find the pause, the space, the wonder of what these moments of the present offer and bring.

Presence doesn’t have to be perfect. That’s the joy of living more moments in presence; you come to witness how perfect life is just as it is; not because there is an absence of harm or unjust, but because you have allowed yourself the ability to harness something more…

You have taught yourself what it means to observe of what is good, what is magical, what is perfect as it is. This will teach you so much about yourself and your ability to hold presence to yourself; to witness yourself with eyes of kindness and compassion; to see what ‘is’ – because what ‘is’ – is remarkable.

The touchstone of the present moment is so that you may find your place; it is the sweet and nourishing call of your soul; of pure wonderment, of taking all of life in through breath – in through the infinite wonder of your heart – in through deep and lasting brilliance – of burrowing a path deep into yourself and for nourishing your needs which arise here.

A little side story from my life…

As much as possible I work outside during the summer months and into fall. I have a small bistro set with a glass table top that requires the attention and presence of a morning ritual of cleaning the glass before I set up my computer to write.

My yoga mat is placed carefully nearby. It is another precise reminder of the fluid nature of my day, of holding presence to the flow of choice; of interceding work that fuels the soul, with deliberate and frequent breaks – of movement – of resetting – of the moments that are for deliberate presence by choice.

The 5-10 minutes of eyes closed practiced often – of going inward to witness my presence; to be right here, mind attentive, yet parked in inspiration and flow of what I am able to witness all around me.

This reminds me that the world is always in perpetual movement and that I have the ability – we all do – to render quiet and stillness; to exist in the conscious space that fills your heart – that offers peace and stability, that reminds you to pause for reflection, witnessing yourself and others; or taking in the present moment as you breathe it in; deliberate and willing.

This is how you call it back. You call back the moments that are right here, waiting for you to take notice. You witness these as perfection, promise, and care.

You may hold witness of these gentle offerings and the quiet that ensues; quiet as your mind softens to witness presence. This is life. “The ever-present, ever beautiful unfolding of each moment in the infinity of consciousness.”

Sometimes we are a better witness to this presence of our life than at other times. Sometimes the calling of our perfect nature is towards what is most wanted; what is of a nonphysical nature.

I call this the ability to instinctively know what is needed in this moment. You soften into stillness the moment that you become fixed on the present – mind open to witness.

And then as you raise your self into the light of day; as you remember that your gratitude is what sets you free; free from worry; free from thoughts that do not matter because your answers – your meaning, your true voice is found in the presence of wonder that fills the space of your heart; your mind the witness your heart open to the ever-present nature of life moving through you; waiting on your gentle recognition of it; everything unfolding in the perfection of what is needed, and of what you need most.

This is where I and most certainly you feel most inspired (in the space of now); it is where the flow of life, the inspiration meets the attentive presence you give it.”

This is the sacred path of oneness – of feeling attuned with what you are, as your nonphysical self. In meditation and conscious awareness you bring yourself into a state of eternal oneness as you exist with all of life; all of the planet, all of your sacred wonder.

Be in the space of your presence. Invite it in. Consider its deliberate source of comfort.

Your breath is the conduit. It is how you experience life force energy flowing into you; as a part of you as you take in breath; and as you live of this. You become a oneness with the greatest source of love that you are. Honour this presence; the state of love that flows eternally through you and that which you are.

Practice the most precious act of remembering what you are; you are of this world and you are infinitely of every other. Let your breath be the inner guidance that nourishes you; that brings you into wonder; into light; into presence.

 

My Recommendation For You:

Here is my recommendation for how you can take my words to heart; to feel inspired. Begin with a deliberate practice of holding presence.

The best way to do this is build presence into your schedule; to remind yourself of when you will pause; unplug; redirect your attention so that you can experience this moment – that you may witness what you observe; what you are aware of – that’s it.

Let it be something playful that you can deliberately witness and then as you explore presence and as you enjoy its simple wonder, it will be far easier for you to go in search of this; to seek it out, to create it for yourself and to feel the depth of rejuvenation, remembering, security, comfort in what you witness, in what reveals itself to your open presence of it; your presence to this moment and what you receive of it.

Think of this practice of presence as an opportunity to play; to live in this moment; to wonder, to notice, to breathe; to be right here, right now witnessing your life, as you live it consciously; as you collaboratively hold presence to what is; to witness the remarkable nature of life all around you and also your inner nature; your inner being; what you know; what your heart is speaking to.

Presence allows this. It allows you to witness the singular moments in which you witness of your physical and nonphysical self; you witness desire, need, yearning and you may then allow yourself to move into this; to acknowledge what is needed and then to make a deliberate call to action what you will choose – based on what is right and best for you.

Presence gives you the perspective to be; to observe; to know what is needed and most helpful so that your actions driven by conscious choice may be ideal, in support of who you are – in support of the very best ways that you may experience your life.

I invite you to share with me in the comments; some of the experiences that have been yours each time that you hold presence to this moment; to each moment; and how much joy is possible as you are awake to the beauty of what rises up to greet you. Thank you so much!

 

 

*If you have a question or if you would like my guidance or help, please reach out to me.  You can find me at: dorothyratusny.com.

 

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A generous ‘thank you’ to Audio Engineer, Pavel Kirpikau for your incredible help! https://platosound.com/

Podcast Theme Music: ‘Aura’ from the Album, Illuvia by Eternell  www.eternell.net/album/illuvia

Accompanying Music: Eternell ‘Lethe’, ‘Haven’,  and ‘Spiraling Light’