Conscious Light

Despite popular belief, attaining presence is not about thinking or trying to be here now. Rather, it is a naturally occurring state that arises when our eyes and mind, triggered by light, focus on the same place at the same time. In response to light’s invitation and guidance, our eyes begin an intricate dance of aiming, focusing, tracking, and teaming. When light first 'awakens' us, our eyes aim toward its emanation, initiating an all encompassing presence. Though we often relate presence to attention, it has no tension associated with it. It is not a forced voluntary process of selecting one aspect of our environment to focus on while ignoring others. Presence is an involuntary response to an invitation by life’s intelligence pointing us toward our maximum potential.

Our degree of presence is directly related to how effortlessly and accurately our eyes are able to aim. When the eyes aim effectively, making eye contact with — and thus, acknowledging — what has called to them, we experience congruence. This is a state of coming together, the perfect alignment of our outer and inner worlds, where extraneous noise around us diminishes.

I discovered this during my career as an optometrist and vision scientist. When patients came to me with vision problems, I found that most of the time their eyes would look at one spot, but their mind would be elsewhere. This incongruity between what their eyes and their mind were seeing interfered with their natural ability to experience presence. In one of my research studies, published in 1976, I found that nearly 70 percent of the participants were not looking where they thought they were looking, a sign that their eyes and mind were not converged on the same point. In addition, more than half of the subjects were looking too hard, revealing a tendency to push rather than allow things to unfold before their eyes. I also observed that the more my patients worked at seeing or understanding something, the more they held their breath and the less they actually saw. However, when their natural breathing cycle was restored, they relaxed and their vision and learning ability significantly improved.

This is why presence is so rare. When our physical eyes (which receive 80 to 90 percent of our life experience) are not aligned with our 'mind’s eye', it is impossible to experience presence or oneness. If you are middle-aged or older and have taken to using reading glasses, then you likely know what it feels like to try to read the small print on the label of a supplement container at the pharmacy without your reading glasses. The harder you try, the more your eyes strain. Yet the text on the container still does not come into focus. The way to see the text more clearly lies in releasing your effort and softening your focus, allowing your mind and your eyes to naturally align themselves. 

Dr. Jacob Liberman holds a Doctorate of Optometry, a Ph.D. in Vision Science, and an Honorary Doctorate of Science. He is a Fellow Emeritus of the American Academy of Optometry, College of Optometrists in Vision Development, International Academy of Color Sciences, and Past President of the College of Syntonic Optometry. Recipient of the H.R. Spitler Award for his pioneering contributions to the field of phototherapy, he authored 'Light: Medicine of the Future' and 'Take Off Your Glasses and See', both considered classics in their field, and 'Wisdom From an Empty Mind', a practical wisdom guide endorsed by leaders in the fields of health and wellness.

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