The Linear Time Trap Of The Past

It is said we do not know what time is. We also do not know where it comes from, and we definitely do not know where it goes! And according to Albert Einstein, the famous physicist, the distinction between past, present and future is only an illusion, because space and time are fluid. Yes, such are the mysteries of the fourth dimension.

Linear time may be an illusion in scientific terms, but in our daily life it is still the time that we cannot stop or control. That clock keeps on ticking, and the cycles of night and day will forever come and go. Every morning, the sun shall continue to rise, and the Earth will progress on its annual journey around the Sun.

However, our experience of time goes beyond the everyday linear. Did you know that there is also such a thing as spiritual time?

Surely you have observed that whenever you are doing something really unpleasant or boring, time can certainly drag on. For example, I recently had to wait for some medical tests that would determine whether or not I was developing breast cancer.  Thankfully, the tests came back negative, but I remember thinking of those awful four weeks of hospital visits and biopsies as being the ‘longest month of my life!’

On the other hand, time can also pass so quickly whenever we are having a good time and enjoying ourselves. Why would this be?  Well, when you are really delighted with something, your soul, your spirit, your higher self becomes fully engaged in the pleasant experience you are having. In simple terms, when this happens, you literally lose track of linear, reality time itself and your personal, spiritual time shifts to the front.  This is the time of your true spiritual self.

Holding on is believing that there’s a past; letting go is knowing that there’s a future ~ Daphne Rose Kingma

Sometimes we cannot shake off a harrowing past experience, perhaps from our childhood or a bad relationship. Irrespective of how hard we try, we just cannot let go of it. What actually happens here is that part of our spiritual self has become trapped in that painful memory and therefore keeps returning to it.

Unfortunately, you may find that due to this, you cannot evolve or move forwards, and history keeps on repeating itself in the form of further failed relationships, or dead-end jobs that lead nowhere. This can happen irrespective of how much linear time has actually passed since the original event. I, for one, until I really made the effort to work on myself, used to ruminate too often on painful childhood experiences… that had happened over 50 years ago!

There is the belief that the above experiences could be karmic in nature, in that the spiritual memory becomes stuck, for whatever reason, and thus you start to attract similar sets of circumstances in this lifetime, and in future lives. So, although many, many years of linear time may pass, you could remain in the same emotional stagnated state, constantly having the same negative thoughts, fears, worries and doubts that you have had for years, decades, even lifetimes. Fortunately, this does not need to remain the case.

It is important to remember that you came into this world to live your life to the fullest and serve your fellow humans in doing the same. You deserve to have real meaning in your relationships, friendships, circumstances and experiences.  Therefore, whenever you feel that you are really stuck in the past, the following may help you to let go of whatever it is that you need to let go of… permanently.

There is nothing you can do about the wrongs of yesterday. It is not yours to judge. Why hold on to the very thing which keeps you from hope and love? ~ Leo Buscaglia

Surrender

Surrender to the experience and the effect that it had on you. Remind yourself that the bad experience is well and truly over, and therefore cannot have any effect on your current or future life, unless you continue to allow it. Period.

Trust

Trust that whatever happened needed to happen for a reason. Your bad experience has made you a stronger, smarter and more spiritually aware person. Therefore, it served a purpose. Once you take this on board, you can then release it, rather than continuing to relive it.

Be Present

Choose the present moment. If you are living fully in the moment, then it is impossible to live in the past, as well as experience any of the guilt, shame or bad experiences associated with it. Practicing mindfulness can be a potent tool in this respect.

Accept

Learn to accept and make peace with the past. You cannot change what has happened in the past, and therefore there is absolutely no point in harboring it. However, you can learn to make peace with it, and one very effective way of doing so is to modify how you handle and perceive past painful experiences. Again, mindfulness, and also meditation, can be most helpful in this respect.

The only thing a person can ever really do is keep moving forward. Take that big leap forward without hesitation, without once looking back. Simply forget the past and forge toward the future ~ Alyson Noel

I have often questioned why my childhood had to be as challenging as it was. Furthermore, I have frequently asked myself why my son was born three months early, and later diagnosed with both high-functioning Autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). I have also wondered why I had to lose both my sisters at such a young age.

Sadly, there is not always rhyme or reason as to why certain things happen in our lives.  However, by learning to accept, and thus release painful past experiences, has helped me to experience more positive ‘spiritual time’ as a result. Doing so has really helped me to get the very most out of my life – as it may well do for you too!

If things have happened in your life, and you simply cannot understand why they did, rather than fret about it, it would be wise to look at what benefits and life lessons the experience has brought you. By doing so, it should help you conserve, rather than fritter away your energy, on worrying about things that you cannot change. Instead you can focus on what truly matters. This act alone can have a massive impact on how well you live your life.

Be Brave

Be brave and take a calculated risk. Life will often present you with new challenges and opportunities, but due to past experiences you shy away. Well, just because something has gone terribly wrong in the past, it does not mean it will happen again in the future. Also, taking on challenges, even if you fail, make you stronger and wiser. Furthermore, if you do not rise to the challenge, it will still be there, and the more linear time that passes, the more regret you may have about not having taken the challenge sooner.

In summary, spiritual time is much more relevant to our happiness, joy and fulfillment, than linear time, as it is in spiritual time that you really connect with your soul, your true spiritual self. Find a way to finally put the past behind you, so that you may enjoy more happy spiritual time, as well as a more positive future in general.