Reconciled Time
Living in the Present
by Sylvie Olivier
As human beings, our relationship with time profoundly influences the way we live, feel, and cocreate.
Often, without even questioning it, we move forward within a linear structure: we look back to understand and forward to guide our choices. This way of perceiving time provides a framework, it’s true… but it can also greatly limit our access to what is truly present and vibrant!
There is another way to encounter time that is not in opposition to what we know… that is part of a broader vision.
When this opening occurs, something naturally reorganizes itself:
The past ceases to be a fixed reference.
The future ceases to be a projection to be reached.
The present fully inhabits its space.
Here is an invitation to experience time differently…
Linear Time: Giving Away Our Power
We have learned to see time as a line.
THE PAST
How does the past fit into linear time?
The past IS behind us.
The future IS ahead of us.
And between the two LIES a point we call the present.
In this perspective, the past becomes a reference point. We rely on it to understand, to decide, and to anticipate. That said, we base our decisions on past experiences, believing they will repeat themselves in the same way, over and over again. Without realizing it, we often give the past the power to shape what lies ahead.
If we hold onto the same mental archives and crystallized emotions, no matter what choices we make, we will experience similar situations until we become aware that another choice lies before us… that of choosing to welcome the dissolution of our deeply buried beliefs and emotions.
THE FUTURE
The future, for its part, becomes a projection… an attempt to engage in cocreating differently based on what has already happened.
Unconsciously, we go to great lengths to ensure we get what we want by trying to control our experiences. This approach generates expectations that, for the most part, will never be met and will lead to disappointment and frustration.
Dreams, desires, objectives, and all the goals to be achieved find themselves trapped in a hypothetical future that profoundly impacts our quality of life… because as long as these points projected into the future have not been realized, we remain in a state of waiting and on pause.
THE PRESENT
And what about the present in this context of linear time?
It becomes a passage. A simple transition point between what is no longer and what is not yet. It is so fleeting that we don’t even have time to truly feel its full power.
What is considered the present in linear time is merely a word of little significance.
That said, when we use linear time as markers to pinpoint specific moments in our schedule, it is useful… such as, for example, to recognize the EXPERIENCES of the Past with full CONSCIOUSNESS in the Present and manifest our COCREATIONS in the Future.
When we give it our power by chasing after it and feeling that we are always lacking, we become its prisoners, even its slaves.
The Heart of the Present
At the center of this line, however, there is a living space. The present is not a single point.
It is a field of coherence, always in motion.
A space where nothing is yet fixed, where we are open to experience, without reference or projection.
When we fully settle into it, the past ceases to direct us and the future ceases to be an attempt.
Something more direct emerges: an ability to be, to feel, to cocreate… without an intermediary.
I would now like to offer you an alternative to this linear timeline where the present is so subtle and fleeting…
Circular Time: Including Rather Than Separating
When you draw a circle around this line, a different interpretation becomes possible.
When we consider circular time, we see that the Present does not disappear as it moves forward or backward… It expands outward from the center, to finally inhabit the whole space.
In this way, linear time is no longer rejected at the expense of circular time… it is included within it.
The past becomes a memory of experiences, without emotional charge.
The future becomes a potential for cocreation.
And the present becomes the point of origin for all movement in CONSCIOUSNESS.
In this circular vision, nothing is fixed. Everything is related, interconnected, and in motion. Everything emerges from the same center.
Remember that you no longer endure time when you navigate this circular space. You participate in it and contribute from your uniqueness.
Moving Beyond Fragmentation
The linear timeline is fragmented into small compartments representing each activity, much like the rows of a spreadsheet generating cells.
This timeline is segmented, organized, and reassuring to the mind.
The circle of circular of time, which includes the linear timeline, unifies, connects, and includes.
This circle breathes life back into movement…
When you see only the line, you seek to control.
When you feel the circle, you begin to trust.
The past is no longer a cause.
The future is no longer an expectation.
The present becomes a space for conscious cocreation.
Exercise
Returning to the Center
Take a moment of quality time with yourself, breathing deeply and more slowly than usual.
- Imagine a line in front of you.
To the left, the past. To the right, the future. - Then place your attention at the center.
- Next, around this line, imagine a circle that fully includes it.
- Feel this:
The past exists, but it does not define you.
The future exists, but it does not require effort from you.
The present is vibrant, open, and available NOW. - Stay in this space for a few moments.
- Then simply ask yourself this question:
“What am I cocreating, here, now, without referring to the past?” - Let the answer emerge without forcing it.
Conclusion
Remember that you do not have to leave linear time to access circular time. You simply have to stop giving it all the space and your power.
You recognize that it exists within something larger.
The circle does not replace the line. It contains it. Isn’t that wonderful?
And at the center of it all, there is you in the Quality of Presence… Not in the process of becoming someone else or something more. But already cocreating, from the Present, one present moment at a time.
Remember that however fleeting this moment may be, it remains eternal… and it contains all the Qualities of the Heart that oscillate and vibrate in complete freedom and abundance.
For at the heart of the Present Moment lies eternity and vice versa… and each present moment expands from within itself, infinitely.
“Eternity Resides in Every Present Moment!”
With Presence and Heart,