I think it’s about time I talk about time. Now seems as good a time as any. As they say, there’s no time like the present. In fact, now is all there is. It is the only “time” that truly exists, though the “now” is actually timeless, but we’ll discuss that in greater detail later. For now, let us discuss what time is, the different ways in which time can be perceived, and ultimately what its purpose is.
The simplest understanding of time is that it is a unit of measure. It is a measure of duration. For the sake of this discussion, I’ll call this chronological time. An example of this could be the time it takes to go from point A to point B, though time is not always related to movement or distance. It could be how long it takes for the kettle to boil, how long it takes to prepare a meal, or how long a TV show or movie is. It could be as short as a nanosecond, as long as a lifespan, or anywhere in between but it is always a measure of duration. To use time as an accurate means of measure though, whatever one is measuring has to have a start point and an end point; a beginning and an ending. In this aspect, time is perceived as linear. For worldly events, such as the examples previously mentioned as well as all of the daily affairs that are experienced and attended to throughout the day, linear time is a useful tool. Knowing how long it takes to get ready for work in the morning, as well as how long it takes to get to work, helps one to determine what time they need to wake up in order to get to work on time. Similarly, knowing what time a movie, show, or concert starts as well as how long it takes to get to the venue will help determine what time one needs to leave to get there on time. Also, knowing the duration of such events, and knowing what time they end helps one to determine what “free time” they have to either relax or engage in other activities in between said events. This linear perception of time helps one to “schedule” their life, to give it some semblance of order and predictability, which can give one a sense of ease and comfort. The time allotted to us each day is divided up amongst all of these different events and activities, hopefully leaving adequate time for rest or relaxation as well to have a healthy, well-balanced life.
While linear time may be suitable for such worldly purposes, it is not an accurate representation of chronological time. Linear time is but a fragment of the whole; a limited perception. When chronological time is perceived as the whole, it is seen as circular or cyclical. The analog clock is the perfect representation of this as the “12” (or “24” if using military time) is both the beginning and end of a cycle. The seconds of the minute go around full circle, finish where they began, and then repeat. The same is true for minutes of the hour and hours of the day. Beyond the clock, the days of the week repeat, the days of the month repeat, and the months of the year repeat. The seasons of winter, spring, summer, and fall go around and around in seemingly endless succession. Moons revolve around planets and planets around suns or stars over and over again. The cyclical or circular aspect of chronological time can be seen everywhere in nature.
The concepts of a beginning and ending, which allow one to perceive time as linear, are ego-based concepts drawn from the concepts of birth and death which help to define the Ego identity and its perceived limitations. The Ego identity sees itself as being born at a certain point, living for an accumulated duration of years, and then dying. In truth, that process only happens to the body but, due to the body identification that creates the Ego identity, the Ego believes this to be its fate. Leave it to the Ego, the fragmented perception of oneself, to also perceive time as a fragment, not as the whole. Even the duration or “lifespan” of the body, which most perceive as linear time, is indeed cyclical. All manifestations appear or emerge from the Absolute or the Unmanifested, exist for a time, and then return from whence they came. The endpoint and point of origin are the same, thus the term “life cycle”. The concept of birth is nothing more than the arbitrary date when the body appears in the world as it emerges from the mother. I say arbitrary because the body already existed for roughly nine months prior and one does not become conscious, sentient, or self-aware until about a year or two later. The dates of conception and when Consciousness emerges are of equal or perhaps even greater significance than the date of birth. Why then is so much importance placed on the birth date? In a word: Ego. The body identification is the very source of the Ego identity so the appearance of the body is of supreme importance to the Ego. Similarly, the concept of death is equally arbitrary. Death is nothing more than the point at which the life energy departs the body. With that departure, Consciousness subsides and reverts to unmanifested awareness. Without that life energy, the body is nothing more than a lifeless lump of elements, and yet, without the body, the Ego cannot exist which is why that point of departure is a source of such overwhelming fear for the Ego. This is why the concept of death carries such weight, at least to one who is Ego-identified. It is also why almost everything in life is geared towards sustaining bodily existence; even though that bodily existence is the source of limitation and the suffering such limitation creates.
This is by no means an attempt to discount the importance of the body, for without it one could not experience life. I simply wish to put it in its proper perspective. The body is the only aspect of oneself that is temporary. Life energy and awareness are both universal and eternal. The duration of the body may be the only opportunity one has to experience sentient or conscious existence but, to the life energy and awareness, bodily existence is nothing more than a time cycle that repeats itself with every new manifestation.
I realize that much attention has been given to this whole body business but I believe it is necessary to have a clear understanding of the difference between linear time and circular or cyclical time. I also believe it is especially important to reiterate the fact that linear time is created by the Ego. A mind governed by Ego rather than Consciousness is always going to seek ways to perceive time as linear to support the Ego. It will always look to separate the whole of cyclical time into fragments, thus creating linear time with its limitations of beginning and end. The mind does this to support the concept of a finite existence which the Ego believes it has. The seemingly infinite loops of cyclical time are beyond the scope of an Ego-driven mind. They conflict with that finite concept, so the mind fractures time rather than seeing it as it truly exists in nature. To move beyond Ego, to evolve into mature Consciousness, one must be able to perceive time as a whole. One must be able to see it as circular or cyclical and not be limited to the linear perception of it created by the Ego. One must broaden their perception of time in the same way one must broaden their perception of themselves to transcend the Ego. Chronological time though, whether perceived as linear or cyclical, is but one of the aspects of time I wish to discuss. Let us now move on to what I call Conceptual time; better known as past, present, and future.