The space beyond time
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The space beyond time
Most people would say that time is a fact of life, and it is a reality that our lives are time structured; for example, each day is defined by a 24-hour time cycle.
Having a common understanding of time is undoubtedly useful in a myriad of ways so that there is some form of organisation by which we know when to get children ready for school and when to pick them up, be at the bus stop or train station, arrive at and leave work, attend appointments and so on. But we never stop and consider how the whole concept of ‘time’ has become warped to such an extent that if it was a company listed on the stock exchange, it would be considered ‘blue chip’ stock.
It is something that everyone wants more of because, despite everything they try, there is never enough. In other words, the demand for more time seemingly far outstrips the limited supply.
Our world is thus dominated by the pressure of time with people always watching the clock, trying to meet deadlines and worrying about finding enough ‘time’ to get everything done on our ‘to-do’ list. Time seems to have us in a vice-like grip from which there is no escape – and we barely register the impact on our lives because of the belief that in all the busyness, we don’t have ‘time’ to waste on such seemingly pointless topics. After all, the majority of societies in the world normalise the conditioning of people living in a time-bound fashion, so this model of life passes by unquestioned – but we are paying a heavy price.
The way time tends to govern our lives leaves many feeling defeated by the seemingly endless battle to somehow eek out more time in our days for one reason or another.
How many of us wake to the sound of the alarm going off, letting us know that it is time to get up and on with the first task of the day, and already feeling the pressure of knowing that there is a trailer load of ‘next’ demands waiting for us to attend to after we get through the first job?
Even those at the other end of the spectrum who feel lonely, ill, bored or depressed still feel time-bound because they are wishing for time to pass in the hope that something different will happen ‘tomorrow’ to take them out of the miserable hole they are stuck in.
Many parents feel they are on a fast-paced treadmill as they try to keep up with the demands of parenting while maintaining the running of the household and often, attending work. Workplaces have also become more and more time-driven, with businesses constantly looking for ways to economise and maximise profits. Staff are frequently asked to increase their output, but with fewer resources provided for them to do the job they have been allocated to do. Courses in time management abound, aimed at teaching people how they can structure their lives so that they fit more into their day. Any workplace will have its busy moments where staff may need to miss breaks or work overtime, but it is fast becoming the norm for staff to be expected to be available 24/7, simply at the whim of management. But this only adds to the ‘finding more time’ dilemma because then people are constantly playing time catch up in other parts of their lives. No wonder all forms of illness and disease are on the rise when this is how we are living! But what can we do about it?
What if there was another way of living that acknowledged that time is part of our lives, but that we do not have to live in the compression of time and with the high levels of burnout and exhaustion that currently underpin our lives?
What if time was a small bit player and that the real behind the scenes power lay in learning to live in harmony with the ‘space’ around us? We don’t need to board a rocket ship and head to another planet to be in space; what is being suggested here for consideration is that we undervalue or dismiss what living in space represents, the quality it brings to our lives and how it takes care of our time woes.
Space fills up more than anything else in the universe, but we take it for granted when in fact it is one of the most valuable assets in the world.
Simply stopping for a moment and feeling the space around us is a most glorious feeling. It helps us to settle, be aware of our in and out breath and what is happening in our body. Yes, the thoughts will want to rush in and tell us to hurry up because there is so much still to be done before XYZ time, or that we will miss out on something that is going on around us. But, even if the stop moment was only for a few seconds, we will have had a momentary register of how amazing it feels to step back from the grip of ‘time’ and experience what it feels like to be held in space.
What’s more, the longer we can hold this connection with space, the more we can feel its impact on and in our body. There is no imposition; it is the opposite with a lessening of the hardness and tightness in the chest, shoulders and or tummy. Our legs can move more freely and the tightness in our head eases off, making it easier to think and respond with a steady, rhymical flow to the next task we are to attend to.
We may only have snippets of what living in space, rather than driven by time, feels like initially, but why not experiment further and see what happens? We can always go back to our former way of living – after all, ‘time’ isn’t going anywhere (pun intended!). Space, however, aligns us with presence, so we make fewer mistakes and as we attend fully to what we are doing, we usually find that things roll along more smoothly and we actually end up getting through tasks with less effort and time than would normally happen. The added bonus is that we may be tired at the end of our day, but not as drained and exhausted as we are when we have been a slave to ‘time’, so we tend to have a deeper, more restorative quality of sleep.
But why have we allowed ourselves to become so fixated on time? What is the attraction, given that we have space as an alternative, both freely available and in endless supply?
Many people feel extremely uncomfortable when they slow down or stop, unless it is under the guise of having ‘me’ time – having a few treats while watching a movie or scrolling through social media or playing online games, drinking alcohol, using drugs, shopping, gambling and so forth. We don’t want to feel what is there inside of us; the sense of emptiness, the unsettled feeling of something missing that we are not able to describe in words.
The way we mostly handle this situation is to quickly go to whatever will distract us from what we can feel inside. Sometimes we think the solution is to dull down our awareness of these feelings, for example, sitting in front of the television for hours or jump to something that will stimulate and cause us to become racy and revved up in our thoughts and movements, such as eating lots of sugary foods. Or maybe the thought of any type of transparency with others terrifies us, so we withdraw and go into protection, in the hope this will provide some measure of security. Perhaps we can feel our hurts starting to surface and so we do whatever is needed to dampen down any possibility of having a deeper connection with ourselves or others.
Often our belief is that if we stay focused and busy on something outside of us, we will be safe, hence how being caught in ‘time’ is used as a very convenient way to distance ourselves from experiencing what is offered through consciously living in space.
But in fighting the opportunity for a deeper inner connection with ourselves, we end up swimming around and around in the shallow end of the pool. We fear opening the proverbial can of worms, yet don’t realise that we are robbing ourselves of knowing what we are innately made of and purposefully designed to be in our essence.
There is a part of us that knows that we are caught on the proverbial hamster wheel, yet stopping carries its own set of fears and vulnerabilities that most are not yet prepared to face. We would rather keep constantly grasping at and acquiescing to the time-driven demands of the external world if it means we don’t have to face the loss of control we fear would happen if we stopped and afforded ourselves the space to observe what is going on in and around us. It’s a set-up that seemingly has no easy way to exit.
Yet, the very fact that we can sense there is more to us than human flesh, blood and bones is really an invitation for us to dig deeper. Those curious and willing to take that step will find that connecting with and utilising space, including letting space take care of time, offers a perfect opportunity for each of us to learn more about ourselves and our world from a universal perspective.
Our Soul is there waiting to communicate with and reflect to us some very important messages. One is that we are both exquisite and imperfectly perfect just as we are. There is nothing that we need to improve, prove or justify in either our personal or professional lives because we are already innately super amazing beings. This is not about status, qualifications or financial position and instead, is everything to do with our unique inner strengths and qualities. Sadly though, very few can even name, let alone claim, their innate attributes and instead switch the conversation to talk about their achievements because that ground feels more notable and solid to stand upon.
To pause and feel the rhythm of our heartbeat, gently stretch our neck and let our shoulders drop down and back, stretch one leg forward and then the other and circle our feet in one direction and then the other, all helps to free up the connective tissue in our body. And most importantly – create SPACE within. If we can remain steady and focused, we can feel the stillness and from there the delicacy and sacredness that vibrates throughout our body and out to the world beyond. Furthermore, this changes the whole concept of self-love and self-care right then and there!
With commitment and practice, we may find that it becomes more natural to pull ourselves up when we get caught in dulling down, stimulation or withdrawal because we know it is a signal that we are avoiding space and the joy, connection, clarity and enrichment it offers. Not all of what we discover about ourselves will be welcomed as there will always be bits and pieces – traumas, hurts, judgments, blame etc.– that need to be brought to the surface and be dealt with, but our soul never condemns or holds grudges and only ever offers love and evolution.
But none of this can happen if we are constantly clock watching and thinking about getting to the next thing we want to do.
Instead, it will feel extremely frustrating, a waste of ‘time’ that causes the heart rate to increase and blood pressure to rise. So, we are faced with two options. We can maintain the current agreement to stay fixated on being time poor and keep our distance from any form of knowing ourselves from the inner out, due to the level of unveiling and responsibility this would entail.
Or we can simply connect with our Soul via our body and move in harmony with the space in and around us, while getting on with completing what needs to be done. Minimal stress, no fuss, simply a deep sense of commitment, purpose and of being at-one with the pulse of the universe. Dare we be that powerful and let go of the chains that bind us to time in lieu of the magnificence of what is offered through space
"Space is a vast communication field
Serge Benhayon Esoteric Teachings & Revelations Volume II, ed 1, p 421
as well as being a holder of life and
the container of the end and the beginning.
Space is thus constant evolution."
Filed under
Essence, Exhaustion, Harmony, Soul, Time
