You’ve probably heard of the “pregnant pause”, and the best musicians know we need to “play” the silence as much as the notes, in order to give shape and meaning to our phrases.
But this week I am noticing the “pregnant moment” – silent or not – and it is not necessarily about pausing in time, although it could be. Right now, I am utterly fascinated with the effect this awareness has on me when I remember to pay attention.
I will attempt to share my experience with you here through words, because I want you to enjoy this amazing fascination with the pregnant moment, too…but I have a sneaking suspicion that my words will only be able to hint at it; it’s something you’ll need to seek and find for yourself, by opening up to its possibility.
For me, the pregnant moment is an emptiness filled
with the necessary tension – the tone – of Life.
It is lively, it is awake, and it sparkles with energy. It is not an emptiness that is flat and dull; it is a moment that has direction. Without doing anything, it shines outwards, as a gift to the world of space-time. It aims into the next moment, while staying completely in the present. It has purpose, but the purpose is not specific and remains undefined. There is a goal, but we don’t have to know what it is; we trust absolutely that the next moment WILL come – even though as soon as it comes, we are again in the present, and the future is not yet a reality. We can never be sure of exactly what the next moment will bring: in the pregnant moment, we are awake to absolute, complete, and total mystery. And this mystery is incredibly, unbelievably attractive!
As anyone who has muscles know, we can’t be in “good shape”, and there is no “good tone” without tension: good tone arises from necessary, balanced, and appropriate tension. Tension in itself is not bad; only excessive, imbalanced, and inappropriate tension is unhelpful and wears down on our systems, causing problems.
The musician knows that good tone implies a certain amount of tension.
For example, think of a violin. Each instrument, each string, and each bow-stroke requires a specific amount of tension to create the best possible tone for the instrument; and the player who applies the necessary tension must do so from a body-mind that is in good shape and has good tone, in general.
Usually in my lessons, we are concerned with releasing unnecessary and excess or imbalanced tension. But this week, I have been utterly fascinated with the necessary tension of the pregnant moment, which also seems to benefit the general tone of my body-mind.
Some more musings on the pregnant moment:
my being is alive
awake
growing steadily…
as a flower at the cusp of surprise
is about to spring open
into the brazen beauty of Infinitude’s display
any minute now…
(and a minute of eternity lasts who-knows-how-long?)
there is a tension, wise and supreme
between peace and yearning
desire and non-desire
being and not-being
freedom and purpose…
like the moment of suspension
that hovers precariously
before surrendering, toppling
into that moment which sweeps the soul
through the inexorable experience of its destiny…
waiting…
aware that this moment of sweet utter blackness
emptiness filled with promise
brings in the next moment
total, absolute mystery
it is the waiting…
the pure and confident hope
borne of an invincible faith in love…
it is this!
the pregnant moment before earth’s creation
that propels the universe
into the indescribable bliss of existence
of which my soul sings
a hidden song of remembrance…
it is to this song of awareness
that I bow
and to the One Self who awakens it in me
So…I invite you to open up to the possibility of finding and experiencing the pregnant moment – now – and when you next encounter your music, let the music emerge from there.
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