Dissolving Time in Stillness

When I began my inquiry with awareness, I studied A Course in Miracles (The Course). The concept of ‘time’ was used repeatedly throughout the book. Back then, the world of time was all I knew as my reality. When I heard the statement ‘It doesn’t take time to awaken’, I was perplexed. Mainly, I grappled with the separation of my existence with time, therefore I removed any potential of understanding the meaning of this statement.

As I continued my studies with The Course, my perception of ‘time’ became interchangeable with the world of the ego. When I started seeing ‘time’ from this perspective, I began making headway. Yet, if I thought too much about ‘dissolving time’, the meaning of that statement continued to allude me. I could feel my mind tighten in its eagerness to ‘awaken’. I was reminded that I would never understand awakening by using my thoughts.

Dissolving time in Stillness requires focused attention. It is an interesting conundrum — to understand Stillness depends on the degree we can dissolve time. Yet, we cannot dissolve time without a certain level of awareness with Stillness. So to move away from this conundrum, a good first step is to realize that ‘time’ does not exist. It is a concept created by our minds. 

A paraphrased statement in The Course says, ‘time is an illusion and anything associated with time is an illusion.’ At first, this is often difficult to grasp because at a broader perspective, we form our identities in relationships, with things acquired or earned and with people. If we intellectually accept that our relationships with things and people do not exist, then is it reasonable to ask, ‘who are we without them?’  While we ask this question, our ‘perceived selves’ may feel threatened or diminished. A term used by The Course describes the ‘perceived self’ as the ego, which is an illusion of ourselves. Without the influence of the ego on our relationships, our connection with people transcends time. We hold unconditional, positive regard for them. Even with inanimate objects, things we’ve acquired or earned, we hold a deep sense of gratitude for them in our lives.

The ego is often the energy behind our incessant thoughts; it enjoys being the antagonist that creates suffering in our lives. The ego prevents us from knowing our true being at our deeper levels. We always exist in Stillness. So, however far we remove ourselves from ‘Who we are’, we can simply choose to return. However, we cannot identify with the ego to approach our existence in Stillness. Personified as the ego, we will continue searching in hopes that ‘in time’, we reach our destination. This is a complete illusion.

Another experience that relates with ‘dissolving time’ is the periods when we completely lose track of time, so to speak. When this happens, we realize how deeply immersed we were in our activities. When we finally glance at the clock, we’re amazed how much time has passed. Aside from being immersed in the activity during these periods, what happens in our consciousness that enables us to lose track of time? Could it be, we stopped the ego from thinking?

Being immersed in Stillness resembles this the most. Thoughts are reduced and our experience touches the qualities of timelessness. However, the difference between Stillness and the experience of losing track of time, is our ability to enter this state of ‘no thoughts’ at will, with conscious awareness. When this happens, we achieve mastery over our minds.

Here’s something to ponder — If you achieved this mastery over your mind, how would this change your life? Would you ‘dissolve time’?