The Platform of Now

Dear Friends,

I hope you're doing well amidst all the turmoil. I hope this short reflection (and picture) bring some peace. 

The present moment is like Platform 9 3/4 in Harry Potter. Short of a ride on Hagrid’s broom, it’s the only way to get to Hogwarts. So if we want all the magic in our lives, the present moment is our ticket.

I had the blessing of spending time with Ram Dass, and “being here now” was one of the first things we explored together. I think many of us have become numb to the phrase because we’ve heard it so often. "Be here now. Be present." We stop relating to it as something precious, something that deserves real attention. It can become just another bumper sticker.

What I learned from Ram Dass is that being here now is essential. But it’s also not just an end in itself. From learning how to stay present, real change becomes possible. When we are here and now, we can commune with each other, with nature, and with our own minds.

When we pay attention, we can see what’s happening inside. And in that seeing, we gain leverage. Otherwise, our minds take us for a ride on their broomsticks and we’re the passengers to who knows where!

Practice helps us get back in the driver’s seat. Ram Dass was adamant about this kind of training himself, and for years after returning from India, he chose mindfulness as his main means of travel.

In my own experience of sitting, the biggest shift isn’t that I never get reactive any more—it’s that it doesn’t last as long. It doesn’t spiral the way it used to. That is a big, big deal unto itself. The more I practice coming back to the Now, the easier it becomes.

And being present opens a portal, the doorway to Soul Land—the platform where we catch the train into our bigger truth.

Ram Dass once said to me, “A moment doesn’t have time or space, and Soul Land has neither time nor space. Just like a moment. Ahhhhh…”

Coming into the presence of the great saint Sri Siddhi Ma, heir to Maharajji’s lineage, gave us the experience of someone fully immersed in the Now. Being with her showed me how deep the field of being is when one is fully here. Krishna Das once asked her, “Ma, if grace is always present, why should we bother doing anything anyhow?” She told him, “The rain of grace is always falling, but we need to cup our hands to receive it.”

We have to bring ourselves along on the path. No one can do it for us. Only we can cup our hands. Awakening may look accidental, but as Ram Dass said in his witty way, we have to "make ourselves accident-prone." :)

I’ve found a very interesting question to ask myself is, “What’s my relationship to the present moment?” Just asking it opens a door and allows for new relationship. 

At some point, we get tired of our patterns, tired of stepping in the same s@#* over and over again. Enough is enough. When we make the decision to be here now more of the time—not just as a bumper sticker, but as a real choice—something shifts. We catch sight of the portal into our bigger selves. We catch the train to Joy.

And from that place, we can embrace this moment we’ve been given, however it shows up—“good” or “bad.”

And we can truly be of benefit to others too.

Join me for a Ram Dass Workshop—Bringing our Lives to the Path, Exactly as They Are, on March 14th. We'll explore RD's precious teachings in an experiential afternoon of meditation, music and hanging out in the heartspace. Early bird pricing through March 1. Some scholarships are available. Learn more and register here.