N.O.W. I see. Do you wonder what it is that I see? Or do you wonder what is different NOW that allows me to see what I could not see before? What I see is the omnipresence of God, the face of God in loved ones, neighbors, strangers, and yes, even in those whose actions I find disheartening. In the NOW I find the place between past and future, where time does not exist, and where Nothing Obstructs Wholeness
This past week has presented us with a kaleidoscope of images and feelings. The decline of new cases of COVID-19 and the conclusion of many Stay-Home orders has been juxtaposed with curfews, violence, looting, and military force all across the United States. And at the center of it all another black man, George Floyd, murdered by hatred and racism. When the world presents us with such disturbing physical images, it is easy to lose sight of the omnipresence of God.
Omnipresence, however, means everywhere present; God is present everywhere, all of the time. It cannot be otherwise. But there can be a disturbance that produces the illusion that God is not present. Yet we can create a window through the disturbance when we choose to see from the place where Nothing Obstructs Wholeness.
A Buddhist teaching depicted by three monks, one with hands over the eyes, one with hands over the ears, and one with hands over the mouth tells us to “See no evil. Hear no Evil. Speak no Evil.” This does not mean to pretend what our physical eyes behold is not there. It means to see above & beyond the disturbance to the omnipresence of God. It means to hear the voice of Spirit more clearly than the words of anger or hatred or their source, which is always fear. It means to speak only Truth, that which Spirit whispers in your ear.
To See No Evil is to See Only Truth
A few years ago, I discovered a company that makes special corrective lenses for people with color blindness. People who are color blind see the world in muted colors with a spectrum as much as 90% less than those who are not color blind. Imagine witnessing the brilliance and beauty of color for the very first time. It would no doubt be an exciting and perhaps an emotional moment.
Perhaps that’s the kind of excitement that occurred for the man born blind that Jesus healed. Jesus heals from the N.O.W. He discounts the idea that the man’s blindness is caused by the sins of his parents, or anything in the past. He says, instead, that the man is blind so that he might make God visible!
Jesus asks the man to make a choice. He says, “Do you want to be healed?” It’s your choice. You can keep being blind, or you can choose to see. Of course, the man says. “Yes. I want to see.” Then Jesus spits on the ground, makes a poultice of mud and rubs it on the man’s eyes.
Then, Jesus tells the man to wash the mud (earthly illusion) from his eyes. The man removes the mud as directed, and suddenly, he can see. He then tells everyone he meets how listening to Jesus (the Christ Mind) has caused him to see.
It is vital to our individual and collective well-being that we choose to see the Truth. And, we must listen to the inspiration of the indwelling Christ Mind and wash the illusion of separation from our eyes, for it is not enough to See Only Truth. We must also Hear Only Truth.
To Hear No Evil is to Hear Only Truth
We hear the Truth most clearly when we quiet the inner chatter through meditation and by paying attention to the many ways that Spirit speaks to us. You may hear it as a quiet voice somewhere within you. Or you may recognize it in a song that pops into your mind. Or perhaps a billboard message will speak to you. However it shows up, you will know the message is from Spirit because it will be grounded in Love. And it will inspire you to speak the Truth.
Speak No Evil is to Speak Only Truth
The words we speak affect what we create and what we experience. It’s easy to get caught up in the illusion of separation and use our words in ways that further divide us. But be mindful that your words carry great power. Will you use your words to create a greater disturbance? Or will you use them to create windows in which the face of God can be seen? Speak Only Truth and then step into that Truth with inspired action. In other words, Do No Evil.
To Do No Evil is to Act Only from Truth
Some people suggest there ought to be a fourth monk depicting Do No Evil. To Act Only from Truth is to let every action be inspired by the Christ Mind. The blind man would not have been healed if he had not taken the action inspired by the Christ to wash the mud from his eyes. Imagine a world in which everyone acted only from the Truth that we are all one with God and with one another.
Our world is in the process of a spiritual evolution. But humanity cannot evolve without shedding what no longer fits the vision of wholeness written on our hearts. That we see hatred, anger, and violence is not surprising – they are there. But are they there because we’ve failed? Are they there because of something done long ago? Or, are they showing up because it is time to bring them into the Light and wash them away? Are they coming up to present us with an opportunity to make God more visible, to take inspired action toward our collective spiritual evolution?
The question is not, “Is there hatred and racism in the world?” The question is, what will you do with them? Will you Let them lord over you? Cause you to be blind to the power of Spirit within you and within all beings? Or will you use them as a reason to practice the N.O.W. and to see the face of God in everyone? Will you use them as a reason to listen more fully to what Spirit is saying to you. Will you use them to speak only Truth and to shower the world with actions inspired by Love?
The world is presenting us with images that can, if we let them, obscure the presence of God. But we can choose at any time to enter the place in mind where Nothing Obscures Wholeness, where we can see above and beyond worldly illusions. In the quiet solitude of the N.O.W., we open our inner ears to the voice of Spirit and Hear Only Truth. In the N.O.W, we are inspired to Speak and Act Only from Truth.
See only Truth; Hear only Truth, Speak only Truth and act only from Truth, and you will clearly see the face of God and be the face of God you are intended to be.
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© 2020 Eileen Patra
Eileen Patra, is an author, ordained Unity minister, and inspirational speaker. She is the author of The Mystical Ark: A Vessel of Blessings, released in July 2019. In 2014 Eileen received the Ruth M. Mosley Award for Outstanding Achievement in Ministry while serving as the Senior Minister at Unity of Livonia, MI. Prior to her call to ministry, Eileen earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. She has published dozens of spiritually-themed articles in local periodicals, online journals, and via this blog.
To view Eileen’s full length talk “N.O.W. I see” visit http://bit.ly/SLC-LiveStream
Talk begins approximately 20 minutes into the video.
Carpenters and builders use a phrase, “Get a level on that,” which means placing a tool called a level on the surface of cabinets, shelving, and flooring to be sure they are not tipped too far in one 
The close of a calendar year is a traditional time for reflection; a review of the year’s finest moments and its challenges. In preparation for a new year there are often a number of things we choose to leave behind. Perhaps you’ve experienced a loss, a physical challenge, a relationship issue, a career bump, or a financial upset. Then there are the things we experience together; divisiveness in government, hurricanes, out of control fires, tsunamis, terrorism, and mass shootings. Who wouldn’t want to leave these things behind?
The pursuit of happiness is not fulfilled by the freedom to express hate. Hate is a derivative of fear. One hates what one deems an enemy, that which one fears will somehow hurt them or diminish them. Hate is an aspect of the “fight” response to fear. Only when fear is acknowledged, soothed and brought into alignment with the assurance of Divine Love can there be an experience of true happiness. All else is but a shield to assuage a perceived fear.
When I REMEMBER I become one with what may seem to have come apart. In the greater picture, nothing is ever disconnected, but in my mind or perception something may appear that way. I may feel disconnected from my spiritual nature. I may have lost touch with cherished memories. I may have lost touch with friends or loved ones by a move, a change of workplace, a conflict, or their transition from the physical realm. Whatever the cause, I have the ability to REMEMBER and draw the essence of that relationship into my conscious awareness. I can REMEMBER the sweetness of the first meeting with a beloved spouse. I can REMEMBER the first moment I held my precious child in my arms. I can REMEMBER the great joy of a childhood friendship. And in that moment, I reconnect. I experience oneness once again with what seemed lost, separate or grown apart. I once again feel the great gift of connection. And, I can REMEMBER that I am one with all beings; one with the Source of all things, one with the Allness of God. And in that holy instant I am REMEMBERED; all parts once again whole. In that moment I know that all members, all parts of the whole, all moments in time, all feelings, qualities and blessings are forever one in the mind and heart of God and I am enormously blessed and instantly made whole.
My Miracle today is that I found my heart! Not just metaphorically, though that is true as well. I found a beautiful gold heart necklace that was hidden in the inner folds of a jewelry pouch I carry when I travel. I had forgotten I even had this golden heart. I have a silver one too and thought the gold one was a faulty memory. This morning, as I prepared that pouch for my visit with my brother I felt something buried deep within the layers of fabric. I couldn’t reach it through the four different zippered pockets. I had to reach down into a small opening between the zipper and the seam. I wasn’t even sure what I was feeling until I pulled it free. So much like my own heart, it can become lost in the folds of emotions and put away in a drawer. I may wear a silver heart, one that is almost as lovely as the gold, but not quite. Gold is the color of Spiritual Understanding. As an element it is pliable yet strong. Gold is a mixture of red which represents life and yellow which represents wisdom and a touch of silvery glitter that represents the power of will aligned with Spirit. I found my heart today and it is still gold. I found my heart today and I open it wide to let God in. I found my heart today and I let it sparkle and expand to envelop you in Love and Light. 
PAINT is a magical, miraculous substance capable of changing the color of an object. A vast variety of pigments and tints can be added to this liquid substance to create a coating of the desired color and hue. Easily changed or even removed in its liquid state, PAINT becomes fixed when it dries. Metaphysically, PAINT represents the thoughts and energy we project into our world and our experiences. We can PAINT our thoughts or experiences in the color or hue of our choosing. We can choose a color that vibrates with joy and harmony. Or, we can choose a color that constricts or vibrates with fear or anger. Thoughts and energies held for long periods of time become fixed and require one or more coats of a new color, or new thoughts. If I have been holding thoughts of fear or anger for a long period of time, it may require numerous affirmative thoughts to change the picture I have allowed to become fixed in my mind. Today, I paint a miracle. I paint the world with shades of Love, Healing, Acceptance, Forgiveness, Faith and Joy and they become fixed in my mind and in my life.
ZEST, an energetic quality that increases excitement or flavor is a powerful aspect of being. A tiny amount of ZEST from the outer skin of a lemon adds an incredible amount of flavor to a dessert. Add too much and the dessert may become bitter, overcome by the astringent flavor. ZEST, like the spiritual faculty of ZEAL must be used with discretion. When our excitement for an activity is balanced with Love, Understanding and Wisdom, we are propelled with ease and grace toward our goals. Today, I tune in to this natural ZEST for life. I allow the powers of Love, Wisdom and Understanding to balance the flavor of my being and I step forward with a mighty and Zest for the Life and all that is mine to do.
SMILES. What else needs to be said? A SMILE is a miracle. A simple facial gesture that speaks volumes without uttering a word. It conveys happiness, joy, love, connection, approval, acceptance, delight, recognition and so much more. The SMILE of a sleeping infant warms the heart like nothing else. We watch and wonder what image floats across the mind of this tiny, helpless being that causes it to SMILE. The SMILE of a loved one lets us know they are happy and this brings us joy. The SMILE of a stranger can brighten an otherwise gloomy day. When we SMILE, we project an energy of love, creating a stream of good that lifts us and those around us to a higher vibration. SMILE and make a miracle right now.
Eileen Patra 