Being present isn’t just about being fully engaged and aware, although that is a part of it. It means getting out of our head and connecting to this bigger and broader universe. It’s about going beyond the words we hear, say and think. It’s seeing more than the objects in front of our faces. It is to be deeply connected with everything.

When we start to see relationships more than individuals, a deeper truth emerges. When we pay attention to the energy people carry with them more than the words they say or the persona they project, understanding arises. And when we peer deeper into this very moment, any illusion of separateness and division falls away. (This also helps in avoiding any emotional outbursts. More on how to manage your emotions in this podcast.)

The present moment is the doorway to oneness. It is the safe passage from which we can leave our traumas behind. It is the refuge that will free us from our difficult past and help us create a better future.

Our new film, Returning to Oneness, coming out May 5th on YouTube at 8:00 AM EST, shows a world of oneness that is just out of sight, but deeply felt in all of us. It reminds us that those problems we feel are so humongous, are tiny once we can see the bigger picture. There is a miraculous world of infinite magic just underneath our noses. May this film create the space and stillness within to see it.

Here’s what I want you to do this week:

Practice expanding your consciousness by seeing objects and people beyond their temporary appearance.

Instead of seeing a cup, see the process of the cup within it: the miners mining the raw materials, the shipping, the manufacturing, the global supply chain, the engineers who designed the factories and computer systems, the drivers and the store clerks and their families and ancestors. See where the cup ends up 10, 100, and 1000 years from now. See the burning stars that created the stuff that became the earth and the moon and your cup and yourself. All of this is within your tiny cup.

Don’t just think about all these things, see them, all at once. Expand your consciousness to the entire universe and to all of eternity. Become conscious of so much all at once that there is no room in your mind for thoughts, only awareness. This is what it means to glimpse enlightenment.

Start to see the whole life cycle of everything you see — the causes and conditions that go into it and the effects that will come out of it. The more we practice expanding our consciousness, the more we realize a deeper truth about reality: we are all one and we are all intimately connected. Very quickly we will start to see the impact our choices make, and we will inevitably create a better life and a better world.

Much love,
Todd

PS – In my latest YouTube video, I share what’s at the heart of toxic positivity, I discuss ways to respond to toxic positivity, and I share a more effective way to heal from hardship and how to help others heal as well.