Glenn Stewart Coles, 9251 Yonge Street, Suite 8-924, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, L4C 9T3

Text Box: In a park near the Toronto lakeshore stands a monument called ‘The Gateway to Understanding’. Standing over fifteen feet tall and reminiscent of Stonehenge, a horizontal slab of rock caps two large vertical rocks. Built in 1991 in honor of Earth Spirit Day, the gateway stands available for anyone to walk through, day or night.

Whenever I am near the park, I take a special trip to the gateway. Partly in jest and partly in earnest, I allow for the possibility that my world may appear different after stepping through. On my latest journey, I passed through the gateway with a friend. As I came out the other side, I turned and said ‘Oh, I get it’. Intended as a joke, I soon learned that my comment was quite true. 

Within two hours of walking through the gateway, I had a moment of epiphany. I experienced an illuminating realization, an intuitive grasp of reality. The details of the moment are enlightening, but cannot be described without first addressing the feeling.

In that particular moment, everything made sense. I had no concerns or worries, and everything was perfect. I grasped the joy of being myself in that moment, and shone with a solid light of peace, love and understanding. Once a deep internal question had been answered, all other concerns were alleviated. My knowledge had shifted up a notch, and my physical presence had followed along.

The understanding that I gained regarded our position in time. Earlier that evening, I had visited a friend who collects fine bottles of tequila. We were doing a shot, and I commented that I looked forward to the day when I can give him a bottle for his collection. Later, as I contemplated the episode, I also visualized the moment when I hand him a special bottle of tequila. Then it came to me.

At any moment in time, we are involved in multiple time loops that are both initiated and completed by us. Sitting in the middle of the tequila story, I realized that I had created the historical memory through my words and actions. I also realized that it was up to me to create the completion of the story. Any choices that I had made could have altered the memory, and the future choices that I can make will determine the outcome. Existing in the middle of time, I can see both the previous and potential stories.

Ultimately we are always in the moment now, and always contemplating past and future. The stories, the outcomes, and the depth of meaning are all created by ourselves. While our present experiences may be creating memories, the majority of our time is spent doing repetitive tasks or thinking about other times. Since we spend so much time reliving our past or anticipating our future, any ability to alter our experience comes from within. How the stories begin and end is up to you.




© Copyright Glenn Stewart Coles, 2006


First Published July 16, 2006

The Gateway of Understanding

 

 

I experienced an illuminating realization, an intuitive grasp of reality.