THE THEORY OF NOW

(Also known as Nowsis) Bret Archaeodeus Iddings, 32 1/27/2014

It has become a regular topic of conversation lately with people that I come in contact with, from all walks of life and from all over the world, of how a great majority are battling either one big dilemma or many small ones at the current time. Since it has become such a common occurrence, I feel it is my duty to address the topic, being that I have had plenty of familiarity with it and also because I have a perspective that is unique and ahead of its time. My theory is called The Theory of Now (or Nowsis) and is based off the thinking in the now perspective that is so popular among new age thinking but is expanded and evolved to help people understand the importance of time and what results from the proper utilization of it as a tool, its contribution to the evolution of our modern day world and the importance of being mindful of now; which if a person shifts their perspective to, will alleviate much of the stress that is produced from experiencing and anticipating life as a series of linear events. My theory includes the fact that time is just a man-made concept, in which I believe most people view it in a fearful/negative aspect, constantly worrying about the past, present and what is to come in the future instead of actually living in the moment and living the now to the fullest, thus creating very unnecessary stress in their lives. Bear with me as I endeavor to explore this topic with you, and remember, if by chance you read this and conclude that it was a waste of time when you are finished, you will still be in the now and rather than wasting more of your valuable time complaining about how terrible this paper was, you can recalibrate your awareness and point of perception to the now moment and do something that you find to be more useful with your time. Before I get into the main part of my theory, let us establish some basic facts: human beings live in an experience that is governed by the measurement of time and (at the same time); time does and does not exist. A quick search on Google tells me that time1 means two things: the first being the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole and the second being a point of time as measured in hours and minutes past midnight or noon. By means of this definition, I would like to add that the statements indefinite continued progress and a point of time are of equivalence to the word now because Google also tells me that now2 means at the present time or moment. As an additional point that I will discuss more later, allow me to introduce the word eternity at this point in time because Google defines eternity3 as infinite or unending time. Some might say that this is very trivial information! This is true in

one perspective, but how often do you stop, take a step back and think to yourself that time is only a man-made concept and what we have defined as eternity is a description of the true nature of existence? Eternity is what exists in nature while it is in equilibrium. The tree is not saying to itself I have to grow here by 4 PM and the bird is not telling its babies that it will return to the nest with food at lunch time. All nature is always in the now moment (not relying on man-made time) and evolves with the movements of the celestial bodies and most importantly, the cycle of sunlight, darkness and the change of the seasons. Nature seems to be very productive without the assistance of time. Not only is time a man-made concept but it is one that pretty much determines every moment of our existence. It tells us when we will sleep, work, eat, go to the bathroom, study, love, laugh, play, have fun, run errands, etc. but more importantly, it tells us when we are allowed to live. Let us keep these thoughts in mind as we dive deeper into the subject Time is not a bad thing! In fact, it probably is the most important tool we have. I can confidently say that I dont think we would be living in our modern day world with all the conveniences afforded us had we not had time as our guide. Not only has it allowed us to measure the moments during the day and be a means of expressing the time of day while engaged in communication with our fellow human beings, it has allowed us to sync ourselves with others by adding the phenomenon of time to our ever present experience of space. Could you imagine our world, the resulting confusion and lack of organization if there was no such thing as the concept and expression of time? It is safe to say that we would certainly not be living in this modern day world if we lacked the principle of time. With the absence of time, we would not have any means of measuring production of food, clothing and all the other material goods that we enjoy and often times take for granted. It was the invention of time that provided our ancestors with a different means of determining what time of the year to prepare the fields, plant crops and when to harvest them without having to rely on very careful observation of the movements of the sun and celestial bodies in relation to the earth. How different a world we would live in had time not been a tool that we have utilized in the evolution of food production! There are countless other topics that I could mention that would stress the importance of time in regards to the evolution of humanity but I will leave that up to the reader if they wish and continue on with how time effects the theory of now. Have you ever done something that you wish you could take back? Sure, we all have! While we cannot go back in time to erase that event from history, we can start to shift our perspective of life and the experience of time to always living in the now moment. Why should a person live in the now moment you are probably wondering? Because every moment that you experience is now, and that now is your life with the minutes ticking away on the clock and what you continually decide to do in the now is what will not only determine your destiny in this lifetime but it is how the world will remember you when you are

no longer living. If a person is mindful that the time is always now, they will realize how truly valuable time is and how their perception of it has a tremendous effect on how their life progresses. In a sense, the concept of time and now merge into one point of perception that is continually being experienced. If you remember, earlier in the article, I mentioned the word eternity; if you adjusted your perspective to the point of perception of observing and experiencing what is continually being experienced at the present moment, you would be experiencing eternity right here and now. When we realize the priceless fact that now is the only moment we ever have and are living, I am a firm believer that life will become much more meaningful to the people living it. If a person wakes up every morning in the now thinking that the day ahead of them is going to be a bad one, it most likely will be and everything that happens during that day will also likely be reacted to in that same negative manner. And vice versa; if a persons first moments of waking up in the now from sleep are in a sense of gratitude for living and having the opportunity for another day, chances are that person is going to have an outstanding day because they are going to be mindful of how beautiful and sacred every moment is as time passes in the now, allowing them to accomplish much more than someone who does not see the sacredness of time. Perception is a very major part of our existence, in fact, probably the only part of our interaction with this experience we call life. Google defines perception4 as the ability to see, hear or become aware of something through the senses. It is safe to say that our life pretty much consists of the five senses: seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling. I would also add that we have a sixth sense, or our faculty responsible for memory/intuition/thinking/bodily & neurological processes; basically everything that the brain does. I think it can be said with positive assurance that if we are alive, we are constantly thinking. The most important part of the theory of now is what are we thinking or doing each and every now moment? Are we actively engaged with the awareness of the beauty and possibilities of every moment? Are we mindful of the fact that the now is the moment we are always living and will never get back? Are we perceiving life in a positive manner and contributing to the well-being of others or are we looking at what we are experiencing in the now as something negative and contributing to the destruction of ourselves and others? These are all great questions to ask ones self when approaching the theory of now. How much more likely are we to do the right thing if w e are mindful that now is the moment we may regretfully reflect on in the future if we are to do the wrong thing in the present moment? I tend to agree with the common belief held by humanity dating back to the times of antiquity, that there is a force of karma or cause and effect in this life; best communicated by the famous quote from Galatians 6:7 in the Holy Bible, Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. It is my opinion that karma is a natural law or a law of nature. If a person is mindful of the law of karma and living in the now, that person would be the most properly equipped to live life and the lessons it teaches while effortlessly navigating the experience as it unfolds. This experience

is best described by Socrates in a quote from the Sixteenth Dictum of the Turba Philosophorum that has been utilized heavily in the alchemical tradition when describing an advanced state of the Magnum Opus, whereas life becomes womens work and childs play5. The reason I utilize this quote is because in the later part of the alchemical work, there is no longer anything to do but pass the time; which is similar to my theory of now because there is nothing else to do except pass time while living in the now. Having explained the theory of now, I will leave it up to you, dear reader, as to whether you embrace it or throw the baby out with the bath water . I have the greatest confidence that anyone who chooses to pursue this perspective of experiencing life will reap untold benefits and it will contribute to the participator getting the most out of life that is possible. In fact, applying it to my own life has manifested an experience that I could not describe as anything less than magical. I also recommend for one to utilize the power of unconditional faith with this theory but that would require many additional writings, pose an additional challenge for the participator and would be a distraction from my main point, which is: take a step into eternity, where time and now merge. Make time your tool and dont allow time to get the best of you. For time is one of the greatest tools we have, especially when it is used right now.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: 1. time. Google Search. Google. 20 January 2014. 2. now. Google Search. Google. 20 January 2014. 3. eternity. Google Search. Google. 20 January 2014. 4. perception. Google Search. Google. 20 January 2014. 5. Socrates. "Sixteenth Dictum." Turba Philosophorum (900 A.D.). The Alchemy Web Site. 27 Jan. 2014 <http://www.alchemywebsite.com/turba.html>