Source is not Conditioned by Time
Pure Existence transcends time. It is Eternal. It does not have a unique relationship with any specific instant of time. If it did have such a unique relationship, it would be conditioned by time. In particular, it does not have a unique relationship with a specific moment of creation (or dissolution). At the level of Source, the emergence (and dissolution) of creation are fundamentally timeless and eternal.
Origins of Creation in Source are not Conditioned by Time
Within creation there is a projection into what we experience as the Now moment in the Present. A sequence of such Now moments creates our experience of Time in physical (3D) reality. How do we define Now, the Present? The most meaningful description of the Present is – that period of time in which we are consciously present and aware. Hence the term ‘present’.
There is a progression between the timeless Eternality of Source and our sequential experience of defined intervals of physical time. This progression evolves through a sequence of stages from eternality in Source, through near eternality, and through projection into ever greater degrees of division and localisation within time.
Our conventional History of Time extrapolates our physical time back to the Big Bang, as a specific moment of creation. There is an implicit assumption that physical time is Absolute and applies equally to all levels in creation. This isn’t accurate. The quality and quantity of time we experience varies, as we move back through progressively deeper levels in creation, towards origination in Source.
There are degrees of variation between the absolute wholeness, freedom from conditioning & structure and the eternality of Source, and the highly differentiated, localised and conditioned reality we experience in our physical world. As we extrapolate back in time, towards origination, we encounter progressively more subtle levels in creation.
This is illustrated in simple terms in the attached diagram. The linear sequential track of physical time is illustrated by the sequence of frames representing moments in time, at the bottom. We are travelling through those moments. The most significant frame is our Present or Now moment. This is the frame that holds live connection to our world and to creation in general.
There is no separation in Source. Source holds equal relation and connection to all such moments, in particular to our Now moment. This is where we have the most direct and meaningful connection to Source and to all Source entails. This includes Eternality. It gives us our Eternal Now, our doorway to origination and homecoming in eternity. This is illustrated by the green funnel, which ideally expands to infinity at the top.
As we look back along our track in physical time, we tend to see a linear sequence of moments. But as we approach origins, we diverge from purely physical time into the qualities of time in the more subtle levels in creation. We ultimately approach eternality and transcend time altogether. This is illustrated by the blue arrows curving upwards.
The quality of time expands. There is something similar to a Dilation and Dilution of Time. We already see Time Dilation arising in Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity. This is very relevant and is discussed in more detail in the section on Relativity.
This time dilation may be a cause of or contributor to the Red Shift observed in the light coming from remote stars and galaxies towards the edge of our physical universe. The Big Bang and associated Cosmic Background Microwave Radiation appear to be a specific major event in an earlier stage in our Universe. It most likely isn’t the origin of creation in our universe. There appears to be significant creation activity preceding this event that has a bearing on our present condition. This will be discussed in more detail in Chapter 12 – ‘Fall’ in Creation.
Time appears Linear Locally, but is fundamentally Cyclic on Larger Scales
As Source is unconditioned by creation, whatever is projected into creation must be balanced by an equal return. This effectively creates a zero sum, which balances influences, at such high levels. It also creates a cycle of flow and return within creation. The fundamental processes in creation are ultimately cyclic.
Time effectively is the sequencing and coordination of such processes within creation. It also shares their fundamentally cyclic nature.
In practice, we also experience time in terms of cycles. We have the daily cycle derived from the earth spinning on its axis, alternately towards and away from the sun, giving us day and night. We have the yearly cycle, as the earth rotates around the sun. Within this the planetary tilt gives us our regular seasonal cycle, as we alternately tilt vertically towards and away from the sun. Our months are approximately (and in some cultures exactly) aligned with the rotation of the moon around our planet, giving us tidal influences. We have longer cycles associated with precession of the equinoxes, which affect our stellar alignments. There are still longer cycles associated with the movement of our solar system around our galaxy and even of movement of the galaxy itself.
We also measure time in terms of cyclic processes. These include the swinging of a pendulum in old clocks, the oscillations of flywheels in mechanical watches, more recently the oscillations of crystals and even nuclear oscillations in master atomic clocks. Computers and digital devices use crystal clocks to sequence and coordinate their processes.
There is progressive nesting of Time Cycles from the near Eternal close to Source to extensive Division in ever finely grained Sub-Cycles in Objective Reality
Such cycles are illustrated approximately in the following diagram. We have the primary projection into creation represented by the large blue curve near the top. The arrows at the ends indicate flow and return. This primary level is still highly integrated, conscious & creative. It projects further expression deeper into creation. This is represented by the multiple cycles in the next level. This process of differentiation progresses through multiple levels of expression, to manifest the vast diversity we experience at our present level in creation.
All of this takes place within the eternal pure life field of Source, represented by the encompassing yellow cloud. Source is present to all as the pure consciousness that animates all expressions. This is illustrated by the yellow colour contained within the curved cup of each cycle.
We experience time through conscious perception from our present level and point of focus in creation. In physical embodiment our focus is primarily directed outward, towards other expressions of creation within our sensory and conceptual range.
We perceive what these other creative expressions present outwardly at this level. In other words, we are ‘looking’ at them from the outside in and initially ‘see’ the forms they present, as objects and so on. This provides our Objective experience of reality.
We are effectively looking across the surface of creation to perceive outward expressions and relations. We seek to infer deeper realities from this, but can only penetrate as deeply as our sensory tools and conceptual framework permit. In other words we’re not necessarily accessing the full inner depths or more subtle realities of creation. Our conventional experience of time at this level is conditioned accordingly.
Sequences of Time Cycles form Timelines
Looking across the surface of expression we perceive the crests of time cycles. These cycles are linked by Cause & Effect deriving from the fundamental Law of Consequence. So we see successions of related cycles forming linear sequences in time. We see ‘Timelines’. These Timelines extend into our past, creating our Histories, and into our Future, creating our Forecasts and Expectations.
These Timelines provide a linear experience of time entirely confined to a specific level in creation. We can regard them as ‘Horizontal’, as illustrated by the arrow set associated with ‘Objective Reality ‘ at the bottom of the attached diagram. We are effectively skimming the surface of what projects into that level in creation.
We can seek to find Origins and Destinations by moving horizontally towards the ends of these Timelines. However, neither ultimate Origins nor Destinations can exist solely at a singular level in creation. These are embedded in every single time cycle, or expressed moment, as Inner Depths that link ‘Vertically’ with parent cycles. These parent cycles connect up through successively more subtle and refined, but more unified and powerful, levels in Creation. This is illustrated by the Vertical arrow set associated with Creative Reality in the diagram. This ultimately links directly with the Integrated and Eternal Reality of Source.
Time isn’t Static. It Flows. The Nature of this Flow Provides the ‘Arrow of Time’
Creation is fundamentally Dynamic. Ultimately, it’s a projection from the pure consciousness of Source into manifest expression that is simultaneously returning to Source. While this occurs successively through many stages, the principle is the same across the various levels. A failure to flow would represent being stuck within creation.
Time cycles behave similarly. Each cycle entails both projection and return, as illustrated by the arrows on the blue arcs representing cycles in the diagram. These arrows indicate both flow and a direction of flow. The chaining of time cycles within a level, through cause & effect, aligns these arrows, to create Timelines. This process provides the ‘Arrow of Time’ we experience conventionally within Objective Reality.
Creation is a Continuously Ongoing Process
If we confine ourselves to the ‘horizontal’ flow of Timelines, we can seek to find origins for creation at the beginning of our collective Timelines, in the most distant reaches of time in the past. However, this would mean that the Source of creation has a unique relationship with a specific moment in time, i.e. that it is conditioned by time and hence by creation. This contradicts the Transcendent and Eternal (timeless) nature of Source.
Additionally, including the ‘vertical’ dimension of Creative Reality allows for Source to have a fundamentally equal relationship with all time cycles and time. It also allows for the creative processes of projection into and return from expression in creation. It bridges between the integrated and unconditioned nature of Source and the highly conditioned and diverse experience of Objective Reality.
This means that, at a deep level, creation is a continuously ongoing process. Our most meaningful relationship with such creation is in our Present, that time where we are Alive and Consciously Present. This is our Now Moment. Consciousness is the foundational reality that contains, animates and experiences creation. We are part of this creative process and adventure, to the extent we are conscious.