Awareness. Of all the things that one can do to help enhance one’s spiritual journey, being aware is of utmost importance. Many people, whether on a spiritual path or not, are not aware of the present moment. It may seem surprising, but it’s true . And if one is not aware of the present moment, is one really living life to the fullest?

For the mystic, the need to be in the present moment is paramount. The ability to commune with the Divine is compromised if the mystic is not fully present during prayer or meditation. And if the mystic is not present, his or her ego will be.
">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysticism">mystic, the need to be in the present moment is paramount. The ability to commune with the Divine is compromised if the mystic is not fully present during prayer or meditation. And if the mystic is not present, his or her ego will be.

One’s ego is the part of the psyche that is normally in control. The ego is concerned with all three states of time: the past, the present, the future. The past is important because it reflects on one’s ego either positively or negatively, depending on what happened. The future is also important because what happens will either cause pleasure or pain for one’s ego; the present is only important if it involves instant gratification. While the past and the future are not important to the true Self, the present – the now - is.

The true Self is only concerned with now. “Now” is important for the true Self because “now” is the only time one can touch the divine. It’s truly the only time one is really “alive”. But if one’s ego is in control, then “now” is not experienced in the same way, and the true Self will not even be aware of what is going on. If one has been on a spiritual path, one has probably experienced this: an action is taken (based in ego), but the true Self was not aware of the action. It took a slap to the face, figuratively or literally to help one see what one’s ego was doing so that the true Self became aware of it.

This is an example of not actually living one’s life. It’s an example of living on a kind of automatic pilot, letting ego be in control and not experiencing life as it can, and should, be.

Awareness only happens when one intentionally takes the time to supersede the ego and let the true Self emerge. This happens by taking the time to focus on the current moment. It takes effort and intention continually so that one’s ego stays in check. If the ego is not in check, then one is not alive, but dead – a walking dead.