Time is not a product.
It is not a commodity. Time is not a thing at all. It can’t be bought or sold.
Time is a construct, a container, an agreement.
Time is one of the gifts we receive when we incarnate. It’s a blessing of the dance of Earth, Moon, Sun and Stars. Time is the s p a c e that allows life to be experienced in seeming sequence. Time is the rhythm behind the melody of your soul-song.
Time is given in nature’s macro-rhythms:
Earth’s twirl around the Sun (we call this a Year) and the Moon’s swoop around the Earth each Month. The Earth’s reliable daily spin (She is a whirling dervish in Her devotion) gives us the markers of Day and Night.
Time is counted out in micro by your body.
Your heart sounds out a steady backbeat or a sudden electric drum roll. And your breath — your glorious breath — is the conscious choice to align with the Great Conductor that is You.
You have all you need — without paper planner or digital calendar — to become a master with time.
Here’s how:
Become friends with your body and its rhythms.
The mind can transcend time — it can pop forward into fantasy, past into memory, or into the shamanic realms beyond time. But the body — the body knows time. The body is embedded in time. Do what you already know to do to cultivate a compassionate listening for this body of yours.
Develop a practice for becoming present.
Call it meditation. Or don’t. Only create a habit of becoming increasingly aware of this moment now… and now… and now. Your breath will be your greatest teacher in this endeavor. Your breath is the homing beacon when mental chatter lures you out of time.
Honor your days, weeks, months and years with rituals.
Sacred or secular, rituals help us mark experiences that have unfolded within time’s passage. Then you do not lose time. Instead, you deeply digest what has transpired within time’s container. Time is the pot. Your life is the tasty soup. Time-based rituals empower you to consciously cook-up and savor that soup. Here are some examples of using rituals to mark time:
Daily
Each morning, set intentions for the day. And before you bed down for the night, reflect on what you did (or did not) experience or accomplish. Bring an element of physicality — like lighting a candle, writing down your reflections, or saying them out loud — to your rituals and you naturally involve the great timekeeper that is your body.
Weekly
Use your faith tradition’s Sabbath-day to review your week and release it so that you are fresh for the coming week. If you do not have a specific weekly holy day, then choose a day that feels like the end or beginning of your week. Easy ways to ritualize your weekly renewal: Light a candle while you review your week, then take a bath to release it and prepare yourself for the week to come.
Monthly
Mark your menstrual cycle in a special way each month. Or, if you do not menstruate, do something significant on the new or full moon. Here’s an idea: Create a collage of last month’s accomplishments.
Yearly
Gather a circle of friends before you head off to your New Year’s Eve party. Take turns sharing highlights (or even lowlights) from the year. Write your highs and/or lows on little strips of paper. Then burn them in your fireplace.
Time mastery is not about dominating time.
It’s about partnering with time. Together, you and time will make beautiful music.
Time mastery is a sweet spot of mine.
I can help you build a better relationship with time and your to-do list, while including the presence of the sacred within your strategic planning. Be sure to explore Brightwise, my signature session package, then request a discernment call.