Astrology's Present Moment by Barry D. Cowger - HTML preview

Please read the following keywords and phrases as soon as possible to avoid any misunderstandings. While most readers may already be familiar with them, I am providing definitions based on my own understanding, limitations, and experiences. The keywords and phrases are listed in the same order as they appear in the text.

The Present Moment

The present moment, in and of itself, does not manifest as an experience that most people would readily recognize or find familiar. It does not happen in linear spacetime as we know it. However, for our purposes, the term is used to denote being "in" the present moment, which is not equivalent to progressive or gradual states of present-moment awareness, such as when attempting to meditate or quiet the finite mind.

Awakening

In awakening, previous points of reference, perspective, identity, or orientation are unalterably changed or shifted, sometimes temporarily and sometimes permanently. Whether great or small, gentle or shocking and sudden, awakening can divide an individual's life between the day before and the day after the experience. Awakening is like a cake that can’t be unbaked, an experience that can’t be undone, or a perception that can't be unseen. Sometimes in awakening, the Rubicon has been crossed. Other times, the experience is not permanent, like a fleeting taste or scent. When powerful or resonant enough, life can feel completely different, prompting the need to make changes to accommodate it. Lifestyle changes may be necessary, but not always. Awakening can signal the real work ahead or the challenges of integrating all that came with it in a meaningful way.

Awareness

Awareness can be all-encompassing, encompassing all sense impressions, even during sleep. It can occur even when the brain has flatlined or the heart isn't beating. This type of awareness suggests that Consciousness is fundamental. Essentially, awareness challenges materialism. It also introduces the concept that it, or the observer of the experience, is not inherently internal or external signifying a higher level of awareness or awakening itself. Furthermore, awareness does not recognize divisions of time such as past or future. It serves as a gateway or portal that redefines our relationship to our essential nature.

Present-Moment Awareness

In general, present-moment awareness is a continuous and unbroken chain of felt-sensed successive present moments, without the additional layer or emphasis of thinking. It is not a behavior, action, or decision, but simply an acknowledgment that awareness is knowingly and currently happening. When experienced intensely, such as in a resonant or particularly powerful or meaningful moment, the distinction between subject and object may blur and one may feel entirely "immersed" in the experience. Although our essential human nature is universal and lacks individual particulars, the sign, celestial body, or sensitive degrees may paradoxically define the context or particulars of the experience as their last-chance efforts or greater awareness or perhaps as a full-on awakening realization experience.

Sitting or Meditating

Meditation may not be the best place to start. Simply sitting or "being" instead of meditating may be easier or more productive for many people. When you sit or just be, you know what you are doing right from the start and throughout the exercise. There are fewer or no moving parts as a "technique," which increases the likelihood of success. For some, it's better to focus on learning to be rather than thinking about going somewhere while meditating. While it's true that there is often measurable progress through increased awareness from meditating, many people find it more beneficial to start by simply sitting, breathing and being present before moving on to more structured or intentional meditation practices. "Sitting" or extended being is like kindergarten-level present-moment awareness. Meditation can be seen as different grades, representing the various ways it can be used or experienced once being is more familiar and comfortable.

Materialism and Local Realism

Materialism is an outdated philosophical monism that will hopefully fade with each generation, along with those who continue to cling to it. This may be because no one has shown them a better alternative, or because they simply do not want to know of one. The fallacy of local realism serves as another blow to materialism. Let them both eventually rest in peace.

Source Consciousness

Unconditional love is the eternal expression and intent of Source consciousness. It is the greatest yoga or the deepest teaching of all, and often the most difficult to realize and embody in terms of lived expression, action, or behavior.

Consciousness (big "C")

Big "C" Consciousness is a broad term that encompasses the full spectrum of human experience. It ranges from individual "small c" consciousness, which may feel disconnected from everything else, to Source consciousness that is inseparable from all things.

Experientiality vs. Mindfulness

When one is sitting, there is simply the experience of being present. Mindfulness can sometimes be unintentionally misleading or too difficult to achieve, leading to repeated failures. With mindfulness, the mind is implicitly involved, which can actually be counter productive. In experientiality, one's entire body is engaged and sensed without the need for additional conceptual layers. It's no surprise that millions have attempted to be mindful, only to find themselves once again caught up in mental chatter and abandoning the practice as a waste of time. Experientiality can be one of the most effective meditation techniques, offering a total sensory experience that is deceptively simple yet profoundly real in awareness.

Being

I am fairly certain that I haven't gotten this far, residing in full Being as it were. From what I can gather, it's probably a non-state realized after all ties to the process of becoming have been completely severed. To realize this non-state is to endure or "overcome" the absolute terrors of all existential deaths and dying, facing all voids and emptinesses. Nothing left to comprehend in existence is probably in direct contact with the unknowable. Finally anchored in Being, taking on another birth would likely be inconsequential or unnecessary.

consciousness (small "c")

Small "c" consciousness is solely focused on the survival of the physical body and its adaptive or reactive social behavior, whether for better or for worse. It is typically demonstrated through the automatic "task and rest" cycle that lacks awareness or concern to consider anything beyond basic sustenance or immediate activities. Small "c" consciousness does not prioritize or consider Consciousness or awareness beyond materialism, circumstances, or immediate needs.

Mind

Nearly unusable, somewhat comparable to the present moment itself. Essentially it is defined as an "activity" that goes beyond simply thinking, reaching a level of spirituality that is almost ultimate, profound, or distant. It may appeal to some, but not many in terms of its practical application or experiential value at the moment.

Enlightenment

I have no idea what this is, so I'll leave it alone for now, considering it as just a concept or an idea.

Presence

Perhaps as a sub-component or different quality of awareness, presence is a felt sense or quality that can extend to others beyond one’s local or personal space. It can be difficult to explain, yet it can feel real and tangible. Unfortunately, presence can sometimes be mistaken for ego-driven charisma or a sales pitch. On a more positive note, presence inspires others to tap into their spiritual potential, if that is the context, and express their essential nature more fully. It doesn't matter what the person with presence is doing in their life, it can still have a powerful effect on anyone receptive or close by. Presence can be transferred between individuals and living things, leading to profound and transformative experiences that defy current conditions or explanation.

The Astrological Houses

They contribute to and support celestial bodies in their phase or sensitive degree interpretations as potentially additional layers, but are not expanded upon in terms of circumstances strategies, or events beyond the immediate present moment. Houses are viewed as another avenue through which Source consciousness experiences and knows itself through those experiences. However, there is little further explanation necessary, or getting carried away by them as defining or circumstantial events in any potential future.