My Journey to Reading Present Time
I thought I would share my journey in getting to where I am able to read and get a lot from Present Time.
I am relatively new to RC, though I’ve been aware of it since childhood. I struggle to agree with some aspects of the theory and a few of the practices (though I also find Co-Counselling incredibly useful and fun), which has manifested as an antipathy toward Present Time. That is why it is a big breakthrough (re-evaluation?) to be able to now read and really connect with it.
This has been a three-step process:
1. I discharged on my initial complete rejection of Present Time (“I’m too busy,” “It looks like a ‘crazy’ hippy mag,”* “It’s full of nonsense”), which got me to the point where I was willing and able to subscribe to it.
2. I battled my inner voice that told me I “should” read it, as one of many things I “should” do, which got me to accept that I could read it if I wanted to, or not if I didn’t.
Even then I would pick up Present Time; get to something I didn’t like, disagreed with, or found uncomfortable (restimulating?), and then toss it aside, frustrated and annoyed. Then I discovered step 3!
3. I now simply highlight anything I don’t like, disagree with, or find uncomfortable; accept that that is how I feel about those particular words; consider that I might want to explore why that is in a session sometime; and happily keep reading.
As a result I have loved reading the April 2016 issue. I have read almost every word (something I suspect is rare) and have been deeply moved by several pieces. The bits I’ve highlighted amount to only about two percent of the magazine.
So, thanks for putting Present Time together.
Love and best wishes,
Newcastle upon Tyne, England
(Present Time 184, July 2016)
* “Hippy mag” means counter-culture magazine.