Christmas…

A time for giving and receiving the gift of presence.

True presence is the most loving, life-affirming, restorative and healing gift we can give to ourselves and our loved ones.

Not just at Christmas but throughout our lives. 

'Bringing' our awareness back from the contents of experience.

To become aware of the powerfully convincing illusions and preoccupations of the mind.

Which include the illusion that we can ever experience a richer, happier or more fulfilling future.

'Bringing' our awareness to the present to remember...

Life is always and only ever now.

That we've never actually experienced a past and never will experience a future.

Because all experience is always now.

Which is not to make light of or to dismiss memories or events.

But to remind us that both the past and future exist only now in our mind.

And to remember that now is the only time and space in which we can give life to anything.

When we are fully present, we are free.

Free from the stories of the mind which can often feel so self-limiting or constricting.

Free from fear, anxiety and doubt and free from the bondage of reason.

In the present, we're also free from the perpetual seeking of the ego.

Free from any underlying sense of lack or resistance to our goals and to life.

And we're free from the ego's convincing ‘carrot on the end of a stick’ promise...

The promise that fulfilment and happiness are to be experienced or found in the future when X,Y,Z.

When we're fully present, we're free from the slavery of believing our happiness is dependent upon someone or something.

Free to realise it's always within us and never given to us.

Being present frees us from our ego's convincing stories that our goals and dreams are somehow separate from us.

Or may be unattainable.

And to realise they're ours for a reason.

When we're present, we are free to choose.

To choose what we're going to give life to.

To choose what we wish to experience now in our hearts.

Being fully present is the ultimate gift.

Not just because the outcome of being fully present is that we get to effortlessly experience the happiness, joy, fulfilment and bliss that is our very nature.

But because here is where we are free from our unconscious conditioning.

Conditioning which is so often in conflict with our conscious goals, dreams and intentions.

And which dictates our assumptions, thoughts, feelings, behaviours and results.

But this aside…

Being present is not just the greatest gift we can give to ourselves.

It's also the greatest gift we can give to those we love.

Because only when we are fully present can we truly give the gift of our own presence to others.

Unconditioned by our mind.

Being present means being free from judgement and fear.

Free to be and to let others be.

Unconditional love is letting be.

Letting others be seen and heard for being who they are.

Without us inflicting our own perceptions and conditioning upon them...

Thereby conditioning our love.

Just because we believe we know better or because we're fearful.

The greatest gift we can give is the presence of a full and open heart.

An open heart requires presence and presence requires courage.

But it's the only way to experience the true magic of Christmas.

And the only way to experience the true magic of life.

Wishing you a magical Christmas full of presence.

Love Rob