An Experiment in Being Conscious

June 20, 2014

A rose is a rose is a rose—Gertrude Stein

“Be conscious,” “be present,” "Be in the now" are imperatives we hear a lot in contemporary spirituality. Do we know how to do that? Do we know what to be conscious of?

Try a simple experiment. Take something from the refrigerator. Sit down with it, contemplate it for a moment or two, and then eat it. Be conscious and present as you do all these things. (Afterwards, jot down a few notes about your experience.)

Such an experience—contemplating, being conscious, being “present” with an “ordinary” thing during every part a “run of the mill” activity—can be profound and rich.

More about this in our next blog entry.