In a world that seems to spin faster every day, where news cycles overwhelm us and uncertainty feels like the only constant, presence is both the practice we need most and the one that seems hardest to maintain. Yet it's precisely in uncertain times that the power of being fully present becomes our greatest refuge.
Presence isn't about controlling circumstances or predicting the future. It's about anchoring so deeply in this moment - the only moment that actually exists - that you find unshakeable peace regardless of external chaos.
Why We Resist the Present Moment
The mind is terrified of the present moment. It prefers to dwell in the past, where it can replay and analyze what already happened, or project into the future, where it can plan and prepare for what might happen. Both activities give the mind a sense of control, even if that control is completely illusory.
When uncertainty increases - during times of personal or collective upheaval - the mind goes into overdrive. It frantically searches for answers, tries to predict outcomes, creates worst-case scenarios, and generally exhausts us with its attempts to find solid ground in shifting sands.
But here's the truth the mind doesn't want you to discover: the present moment is always okay. Right now, in this very second, you are breathing. You are alive. You are here. And that's enough.
The Portal of Presence
Presence isn't a state you have to achieve through years of meditation (though meditation helps). It's available right now, in this breath, through the simple act of bringing your full attention to what is rather than what was or might be.
The present moment is a portal to peace because it's the only place where your thinking mind has no power. The mind can only operate in past and future. It has nothing to work with in the now. In presence, the mind becomes quiet, and a deeper intelligence - the wisdom of your soul - can emerge.
Practical Pathways to Presence
Body Awareness: Your body always exists in the present moment. It never worries about tomorrow or regrets yesterday. Bring your attention to physical sensations - the feeling of your feet on the floor, your breath moving in and out, the temperature of the air on your skin. Instant presence.
The Five Senses: Engage your senses fully. What can you see right now? Really look at the colors, shapes, play of light. What sounds can you hear? What can you feel, smell, taste? The senses only operate in the now, making them perfect anchors for presence.
Conscious Breathing: Your breath is a bridge between your conscious and unconscious mind, between tension and relaxation, between past/future and now. Take three slow, deep breaths and notice how impossible it is to be anywhere but here while you're doing it.
Mindful Action: Whatever you're doing - washing dishes, walking, typing, listening - do it with full attention. Not thinking about it, but actually experiencing it. Feel the warm water on your hands. Notice the movement of your feet. Really listen to the words being spoken. This is presence in action.
The Sacred Pause: Throughout your day, create tiny moments of conscious pause. Before picking up your phone, pause and take a breath. Before entering a new space, pause at the threshold. Before eating, pause and feel gratitude. These micro-moments of presence accumulate into a transformed way of being.
Presence in Uncertain Times
When everything around you feels unstable, presence becomes even more vital. Here's how to anchor yourself when chaos swirls:
Accept the Uncertainty: Fighting against uncertainty creates suffering. Accepting it - not liking it, just acknowledging it's there - releases tremendous energy that was being used to resist what is.
Focus on What You Can Control: You can't control world events, other people's choices, or what tomorrow brings. But you can control your breath, your thoughts, your actions in this moment. That's enough.
Create Islands of Stillness: In your daily routine, build in non-negotiable moments of presence - morning meditation, evening walk, conscious tea drinking. These become anchors that stabilize you through turbulent times.
Trust the Unfolding: Everything that's happening is part of a larger pattern that your mind can't see but your soul understands. Trust that the uncertainty is not random chaos but necessary transformation.
The Peace That Passes Understanding
There's a peace available that doesn't depend on circumstances being comfortable or outcomes being certain. It's the peace that comes from being so rooted in the present moment that nothing can shake you.
This doesn't mean you become passive or stop caring. It means you act from clarity rather than fear, respond from wisdom rather than reactivity, and trust in a bigger picture even when you can't see it yet.
The mystics call it many things - the peace that passes understanding, the eye of the storm, the still point of the turning world. It's all describing the same thing: the unshakeable serenity available when you stop resisting this moment and finally, fully arrive in it.
Your Practice This Week
Set a gentle reminder to go off several times throughout your day. When it sounds, pause and ask yourself: "Am I fully here?" Notice if your attention is scattered into past or future. Gently bring it back to now - to your breath, your body, your immediate sensory experience.
Don't judge when you find yourself lost in thought. Just practice returning. Again and again, return. This is the practice. And with each return, you strengthen your capacity to find peace regardless of circumstances.
The chaos will continue. Uncertainty will remain. But you can be the eye of the storm, the still point, the presence that witnesses it all with perfect peace.
Here. Now. This breath. This moment. All is well.
āØ With Infinite Love from the Crystal Sphere āØ