The Magic of the Present Moment

I think there is nothing like the song of a bird to bring you back into the present moment...

But frankly, any well cherished song has the power to bring you back into the present moment...

Yesterday afternoon I drove down to Charlottesville with my husband to meet our son - who will be graduating from the University of Virginia in a couple of weeks - to hear Bruce Springsteen in concert.

It was a magnificent afternoon and the drive down was beautiful. Everything was green and lush - verdant and teeming with life. We drove with the windows down listening to Springsteen's new CD - Magic. I thought to myself - this ride - this moment - this experience - the view - everything - indeed - life itself - is magic!

I remember thinking - "This is the only moment there is - there is no where else I need to be - there is nothing I need to do and nothing I need to think about. I love this moment! Ah! I am enjoying it fully!" I think Eckhart Tolle and Oprah would be proud!

And it seemed as though time stood still...

I enjoyed the time after the concert even more as we went to one of my son's favorite haunts - the Buddha Biker Bar to drink pitchers of beers at midnight. We walked the streets of Charlottesville past midnight and traced paths that my son took so many times and which were alien to me. I was so into the experiences of each moment...

This morning, before we drove back home, on another magnificent blue sky day with sunlight drenching everything - I heard a bird chirping and I was drawn into its beauty and simplicity.

For a moment - that was the present moment - and which spilled into the next moment and the next one after that - there was nothing else. There was only this sound. And it was perfection itself. It was pure magic....

And I thought - this song is more beautiful than any I have ever heard...

In this present moment - it is everything - and yes - in this moment - it is truly the most beautiful song and sound...It is a manifestation of the Divine...

This simple sound of a bird chirping disclosed the magic of the present moment...

Nothing more and nothing less...

Comments

Anonymous said…
Olga, I believe you have found serenity in your life and it makes me wonder why I worry at all. Life is short and your writing is beautifully descriptive of how we should live each moment. Thank you for your writings. Sincerely, Jan
May 2, 2008 at 6:54 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rumi - "The Lord is in Me" and "Love Said to Me"

I was sent a couple of poems by Rumi recently, and I wish to share them here. May you find inspiration in them for a glorious weekend! The Lord is in Me The Lord is in me, and the Lord is in you, As life is hidden in every seed. So rubble your pride, my friend, And look for Him within you. When I sit in the heart of His world A million suns blaze with light, A burning blue sea spreads across the sky, Life's turmoil falls quiet, All the stains of suffering wash away. Listen to the unstruck bells and drums! Love is here; plunge into its rapture! Rains pour down without water; Rivers are streams of light. How could I ever express How blessed I feel To revel in such vast ecstasy In my own body? This is the music Of soul and soul meeting. Of the forgetting of all grief. This is the music That transcends all coming and going. Love Said to Me I worship the moon. Tell me of the soft glow of a candle light and the sweetness of my moon. Don't talk about sorrow, tell me of that treasure...
Read more

Upside Down Siva and Ultimate Freedom

Image
While I was in Denver last month, on Thursday May 7th, the day of the week in which the Guru and teachers are traditionally honored, I was drawn to buy a "murti" (sacred statue) of Siva doing a one-handed handstand. I bought this statue the very morning I was to demo this pose, unbeknowst to me... The murti of Siva is now on my desk in front of me, where it is constantly in my peripheral vision, every time I sit at my computer. It is also to the left of the meditation alcove I built into a closet. I was drawn to this piece from the first moment I laid eyes on it, and so after receiving it in the mail, I wrote to Dr. Manoj Challam, from whom I purchased it, asking him to give me more insight into the meaning of this representation of Siva. A primary focus of the week that Anusara Yoga teachers gathered in Denver was the study of the Siva Sutras with Dr. Paul Muller Ortega, a pre-eminent Siva scholar. I have always been very drawn to Siva , and this particular murti was so ...
Read more

An Advent Guided Meditation

I wrote this meditation for an Advent Quiet Day for St. David's Episcopal Church in Ashburn, Va, last week. And while it is long, I wish to share it here, for those who would like to embark on a little journey of going inward to experience the quiet and the true gifts of this season. Enjoy! Introduction: Advent is a time for waiting, for preparing, for embodying joy, faith, peace, and love… Advent is a journey, which invites us to sojourn more deeply within ourselves. Advent is a time to slow down, to open our hearts to receive the Gift of the Divine in our lives, and to share our own lives with one another, for there is no greater gift that we can give… Let us take a few moments to settle ourselves – our minds and hearts and body into stillness, that we may open, prepare, and receive the gifts of the season… Centering: Begin by making yourself as comfortable as possible, sitting in whatever way will enable you settle most deeply… If you have to make...
Read more