Last night I finished the TV show/ podcast Midnight Gospel and I am currently in that state of shock where my perception of everything feels so different and new and incredible, that seems to be a common side effect of the show.
In the last episode, they described some actions you can take to understand your presence in the world a little deeper.
First, you try to feel what the inside of your hand feels like. Feel the warmth and the tingling sensations under your skin. Then try both hands. Move onto your arms. Feel as the warmth travels up from your wrists to your shoulders. Feel every movement, every hesitation, every tremor and goosebump. Then feel the same in your legs.
Once you can feel all of that, you’re feeling something that you never even considered possible to feel before. And you’re aware of so much more than you knew you could be. After a while, you relax again and you curl your fingers and loosely shake your limbs so they return to their normal state, and you find yourself truly understanding your presence.
This reminded me of another endeavour you can undertake to become more familiar with your presence in the world and your surroundings. It’s something I tried a few months ago, after a random, absent-minded thought I had, which ended up completely changing my perspective on physical presence; and continue to do whenever possible, to this day.
Go into your garden after the sun has set. Look at the sky, the boundless number of stars and satellites surrounding you. Now remember, you aren’t looking up at it. The only reason the stars are above you and you’re staying on the ground is gravity.
Now picture gravity suddenly disappearing. Your feet start to leave the ground, and you’re slowly falling downwards into the galaxy. It isn’t scary, or dangerous. It’s a little unsteady at first. Having this little control over your limbs isn’t something you’re used to but if you close your eyes, focus enough on your body, and centre yourself spiritually, you can feel them more than you could before. You feel every movement because it takes more effort now, and it’s so different to what you knew before.
Your body feels weightless. It’s a good feeling. Like you have no obligation to control it. But you can. And that’s awesome.
Once you feel so totally immersed in this new experience, slowly open your eyes. You’re back in your garden. You might find that you’re standing on your toes, stretching upwards towards the sky, like you’re trying to reach the sky with your fingertips. Without even trying to, your body worked alongside your mind. Feel the weight back in your limbs. Shake them around a bit. Feel the movements. You have so much control over your body. Your body and the weight of your movements is your presence in the world. Understand it. Learn to control it. Find peace within it.
