1.  Introduction: The Illusion of Time

[Opening Theme Music Plays Softly]

Welcome to The THEDOG Teachings Podcast. I’m Gary Eggleton, and today we explore something fundamental—the nature of time itself.

We assume time moves in a straight line—past leading to present, present leading to future. But what if that’s an illusion?

What if the state you are in right now doesn’t just shape this moment, but actively reshapes your past and pre-writes your future?

Think about it—when caught in frustration or negativity, everything changes. Your past seems filled with disappointment, the present feels heavy, and the future appears bleak. But when you shift into deep awareness and clarity, the opposite happens—the past softens, the present opens, and the future brightens with possibility.

This isn’t just about mood. It is about how perception dictates reality.

Time does not control us. We shape time.

What you are about to hear is not just a theory—it is a step-by-step process to integrate presence as a living experience, one that fundamentally reshapes how you relate to time itself.

Today, we examine:
✔ How time is shaped by perception, not fixed in stone.
✔ Why the present moment is the axis upon which all time turns.
✔ How Gurdjieff’s “Unique Subjective Time” and Einstein’s relativity confirm that time is fluid, not rigid.
✔ Practical methods to master time by mastering your state—allowing you to reshape your experience of past, present, and future.

And most importantly:

📌 If you are not fully present in this moment, where are you?

By the end of this episode, you will no longer see time as something happening to you—you will see that you have always been at its center.

Let’s begin.

2.  Breaking the Illusion of Time

We live as though time is something outside of us—an objective force ticking away, moving forward relentlessly, leaving the past behind and pulling us toward an uncertain future. But time is not what we think it is.

Gurdjieff called time the "Unique Subjective", meaning that it is not fixed but experienced differently depending on our state. The past is not set. The future is not predetermined. The present is not what we assume it to be. Time is fluid—because perception is fluid.

Think of the last time you were in deep pain, emotionally or physically. Did time move fast, or did it slow to a crawl?

Now recall a moment of true presence—watching the sunset, fully absorbed in a creative flow, or engaged in deep connection with someone. In those moments, time ceases to exist. There is only now.

This is what Gurdjieff meant. Time is not external to us. It is internal. It is shaped by the level of our awareness.

Einstein expressed the same idea in scientific terms:

"When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute. But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute, and it’s longer than any hour."

Why? Because time is relative—not just in physics, but in human experience.

🔹 In states of fragmentation, time feels oppressive and slow.
🔹 In states of presence, time expands and disappears altogether.

This means that time does not impose itself upon you—you impose yourself upon time, shaping its movement through the state you hold.

Your perception of time is not passive—it is actively shaped by your state of being.

This means that the quality of your attention determines the quality of your time.

📌 Are you lost in time, or are you fully here?

The answer to that question changes everything.

Now, we explore how state directly influences your perception of past, present, and future—and why the cup you drink from determines your entire experience of time.

3.  The Two Cups: The Poison Chalice and the Cup of Nectar

Imagine standing at a crossroads. In each hand, you hold a cup—one filled with poison, the other with nectar.

The cup you drink from doesn’t just determine how you feel in this moment—it determines how you experience your entire past, present, and future.

🔹 Drink from the poison chalice (fall into a negative state):

• Your past becomes a story of failure, regret, and suffering.
• Your present feels heavy, frustrating, and filled with struggle.
• Your future seems bleak, filled with obstacles and uncertainty.

🔹 Drink from the cup of nectar (enter a higher state):

• Your past becomes a journey of growth and transformation.
• Your present feels light, open, and full of possibility.
• Your future shines with opportunity and potential.

This is not just a shift in mood—it is a shift in which version of time you experience.

Most people never realize this. They believe the past is fixed, that their present is dictated by past events, and that the future is an uncertain force beyond their control.

But time does not dictate your state—your state dictates how you experience time.

Your past is not fixed. Memory is not a recording—it is a reconstruction shaped by your present state.

Consider this: Have you ever noticed how the same past event can feel completely different depending on your mood?

One day, you recall a difficult experience, and it weighs on you like a burden. Another day, you remember the exact same event and see it as a valuable lesson, even a turning point.

🔹 The event didn’t change. Your state did.

Your past is not set in stone—it is constantly being reconstructed through the lens of your present awareness.

The Question That Changes Everything

📌 Which cup have you been drinking from?

And more importantly: Are you ready to put down the poison chalice and choose differently?

Because once you understand this, the next step is clear:

Mastering time isn’t about controlling external events—it’s about managing the state from which you experience them.

This is what we turn to next—understanding how your state shapes your perception of time, and how you can shift it at will.

4.  The Axis of Time: How to Shift Your Experience of Past, Present, and Future

If time is not fixed, if it bends around our awareness, then how we engage with this moment determines everything.

The present is not just another point on a timeline—it is the axis upon which past and future turn.

Right now, you are standing at the center of all time. The past is not behind you. The future is not ahead. Both exist only in relation to your present awareness.

But most people don’t live in this center. Instead, they are carried unconsciously by the momentum of thought—chained to the past, preoccupied with the future, and missing the only place life actually happens. In either case, they are absent from where life is actually happening.

And here’s the critical part—your state in the present dictates whether time feels like a prison or a flow of endless possibility.

🔹 A fragmented state makes time feel oppressive—heavy, rigid, and unavoidable.
🔹 A unified state reveals time as fluid—expansive, responsive, and alive.

Subjective Time: How the Present Alters Everything

Gurdjieff spoke of subjective time, the way we experience time rather than the way a clock measures it. He recognized that our relationship with time is not based on external reality, but on internal state and attention.

This explains why:

• Time stretches when you are fully absorbed in something meaningful.
• Time vanishes when you live on autopilot.
• A minute of deep presence feels vast, while a whole day lost in distraction can feel like nothing at all.

Your state doesn’t just influence how you feel—it determines the density of time itself.

How to Use This to Your Advantage

If time is fluid, then you are not stuck.

If time responds to awareness, then the key to mastering time is mastering presence.

This means:

• Becoming the center of your experience, rather than being dragged through it.
• Using practical tools to regain presence and shift perception in real time.
• Remembering that you always have a choice in how you relate to the past, how you meet the present, and what future you set in motion.

The difference between feeling trapped in time and being free within it is whether or not you are fully here, now.

From here, we turn to the Scale of Presence—a practical tool to instantly shift state and alter your experience of time.

5.  The Scale of Presence: A Simple Tool to Shift Your State and Reclaim Time

Most people assume that changing their experience of time requires years of training, deep meditation, or extreme focus. But in reality, your relationship with time shifts the moment you become aware of your own state.

And the fastest way to assess that state is through a simple question:

📌 Where am I on a scale from 1 to 10?

This scale is not just about presence—it reflects your overall condition in this moment:

1️⃣ Total fragmentation—low energy, low awareness, scattered attention, emotional reactivity, lost in distraction. Time feels fast, uncontrollable, or constricted.

🔟 Full integration—sharp attention, deep presence, high energy, emotional balance, and clarity of thought. Time feels spacious, expansive, and effortless.

Right now, ask yourself: Where am I on this scale?

A Direct Method to Shift Your State

Once you have a number, the next step is simple:

📌 What can I do right now to move up just one level?

• Adjust awareness— notice your surroundings, feel your body, engage with now.
• Change posture— sit up straighter, open your chest, move with intention.
• Use breath— take a deep, deliberate inhale to slow the mind and recentre.
• Shift focus— drop distractions, give full attention to one thing.

Whatever it is, make a shift now.

Are you at a higher number? You probably are. And how long did that take? Seconds.

Why This Works

Your state is not just a feeling—it is the lens through which you experience time.

🔹 In lower states, time feels fragmented and overwhelming.

• Your awareness is pulled in multiple directions, making each moment feel rushed and out of control.

🔹 In higher states, time slows and expands.

• Your focus deepens, moments feel richer, and you experience less mental noise, more clarity.

This is why, when people are in lower states of consciousness, they feel trapped by time. And when people are in elevated states, they feel like time bends around them.

The Goal Is Not Perfection—It’s Awareness

You don’t need to be at 10 all the time—that’s unrealistic.

But you can track where you are, moment to moment, and intentionally shift upward.

And the more you do this, the more control you gain over your experience of time.

From here, we turn to The Objective Prayer—a structured method to reinforce presence and make state shifts more permanent.

6.  The Objective Prayer: A Pathway to Presence and Mastery Over Time

The Scale of Presence allows you to check in with your state and shift it in the moment. But what if you could go further? What if you could sustain presence, ensuring that your highest state becomes your natural state?

This is where The Objective Prayer comes in.

Devised by Russell A. Smith, The Objective Prayer is not a traditional prayer. It is not about asking for something—it is about activating something within you. It is a method of reconnecting with your highest self through the most powerful moments of your life.

Gurdjieff emphasized the necessity of structured, deliberate effort to awaken a permanent observer within oneself—a presence that remains stable regardless of external conditions. The Objective Prayer is precisely that: a sequence of meaningful moments, arranged in a way that lifts you up, step by step, until presence becomes effortless.

Building Your Objective Prayer

Throughout your life, you have had profound moments—times when clarity struck, when reality felt undeniable, when something deep inside you shifted.

These moments were not random. They were glimpses of presence.

📌 Step 1: Gather Your Most Powerful Moments

Reflect on the moments that have shaped you—times when you felt truly awake, truly alive.

These could be:

• A conversation that altered your perspective forever.
• A realization that changed how you saw yourself.
• A moment of deep connection with someone you love.
• A time when you faced difficulty and discovered something greater within you.
• An experience of overwhelming beauty—through nature, music, art, or silence.

These are your personal keys to presence.

Write down as many as you can—at least 30 if possible.

📌 Step 2: Identify the Most Powerful Ones

From that list, narrow it down to the most impactful 7-10 moments—the ones that, when recalled, immediately change your state.

📌 Step 3: Arrange Them for Maximum Impact

Now, test the order. Recall one moment—does it instantly shift you? Now recall another—does it deepen the effect? Keep rearranging until each memory lifts the next, building momentum, until presence takes over.

What you are doing is creating an intentional chain reaction—one moment igniting the next, until you are lifted into your highest state.

Once you have this sequence, this becomes your Objective Prayer.

Why This Works

Your state is not random—it follows patterns.

• By structuring your most powerful memories in the right order, you create an upward spiral of emotional and psychological momentum.
• The more you use this sequence, the faster it works. Eventually, even recalling the first moment will trigger the entire shift.

This is not just about memory—it is about deliberately engaging with time.

The Objective Prayer and the Nature of Time

Here is where this exercise connects to the illusion of time itself:

🔹 The past is not fixed—it is always being reconstructed from the present.
🔹 The future is not predetermined—it is being pre-written by the state you hold now.
🔹 By shifting your state in this moment, you are actively reshaping your experience of all time.

Every time you engage with your Objective Prayer, you are:
✔ Changing your chemistry.
✔ Rewriting your perception of past experiences.
✔ Influencing the future you expect and move toward.

This is how presence becomes permanent—not through willpower alone, but by intentionally reinforcing it with the most powerful moments you have ever experienced.

How to Use the Objective Prayer in Daily Life

• Start each morning by running through your Objective Prayer—it sets your state for the day.
• Use it when you feel lost or fragmented—it brings you back instantly.
• Engage it before significant events—it ensures you enter them with clarity and presence.
• Use it before sleep—it shifts your subconscious into a higher state.

The more you use it, the faster and more automatic it becomes.

And the more automatic it becomes, the less time controls you—because you are no longer reacting to time.

You are shaping it.

The Objective Prayer is not just an exercise. It is a living tool.

And when practiced, and updated, regularly, it ensures that presence is not something you visit—it is something you live.

Now, we explore daily integration—how to make the Scale of Presence and the Objective Prayer second nature, so they are not just practices, but the foundation of how you engage with reality.

7.  Integrating the Scale of Presence and the Objective Prayer into Daily Life

Understanding these tools is one thing—living them is another.

The Scale of Presence and The Objective Prayer are not just exercises to use when you remember them. They are meant to be woven into the fabric of your daily experience, conditioning you to remain present without effort.

The key to making them second nature is repetition and intentional triggers—moments in your day that automatically pull you back into awareness.

1. Turning Awareness into a Habit

Many people believe presence is something that requires effort, as if it must be wrestled into existence. But the truth is, presence is not difficult—we simply forget.

To counter this, you must create habitual triggers that remind you to return to the now.

📌 Use triggers—stepping through a doorway, setting down your phone, taking a sip of water—as reminders to return to presence.

📌 Use Daily Transitions

• Upon waking, engage with The Objective Prayer before anything else.
• Before meals, take a 5-second pause before eating to reset awareness.
• Before sleep, recall your Objective Prayer moments to shift your subconscious into a higher state.

📌 Use Emotional Cues

• Feeling frustration or stress? Pause and ask: Which cup am I drinking from?
• In difficult conversations? Silently remind yourself: I am not my reactions—I am the awareness experiencing this moment.
• When a past regret resurfaces? Apply the Scale of Presence—see if you can shift upward by just one point.

The more you link presence to everyday triggers, the more automatic it becomes.

1. The Practical Impact of Mastering the Present Moment

When you integrate these practices into daily life, something shifts:

🔹 Time feels slower and richer. You are no longer rushing through life, losing days to unconscious thought loops.

🔹 Your past stops controlling you. You realize memories are not fixed—they shift as your state shifts.

🔹 The future feels open, not predetermined. You stop assuming things will unfold a certain way and begin shaping your future through the state you hold now.

🔹 You develop a core of stillness. Instead of being pulled by external events, you become the center of your own experience, no longer tossed by every emotional wave.

🔹 Your identity shifts. You are no longer the fragmented “I” reacting to life—you become the observer, the one who sees, the one who chooses.

Presence stops being something you practice.
It becomes who you are.

From here, we turn to the deepest realization of all—the Eternal Now—and how living fully in presence dissolves the illusion of separation itself.

8.  The Eternal Now: Dissolving the Illusion of Separation

By now, it should be clear that your experience of time is dictated by your state—presence is not just about feeling better, it is about engaging with reality as it truly is.

But there is an even deeper realization beneath this:

The illusion of separation.

Most people live as though they are moving through time—believing the past is behind them, the future is ahead, and they are somewhere in between, being pulled forward whether they like it or not.

But in reality, time is not something external—it is something generated by attention.

When you are fully present, the illusion of past and future collapses—you realize that you were never moving through time at all.

You were always here.

1. Breaking Through the Illusion of Time

Time does not move—you do. Its pace depends entirely on the depth of your awareness.

This explains why:

• When attention is scattered, time feels fragmented.
• When attention is focused, time slows down and deepens.
• When attention is fully present, time disappears.

Have you ever been so immersed in something that hours felt like minutes?

Or so disconnected that minutes felt like hours?

That is subjective time in action.

The deeper you enter the now, the more you realize:

🔹 The past only exists in memory—it is not real.
🔹 The future only exists in imagination—it has not happened.
🔹 Only this moment is real.

Which brings up a critical question:

📌 If you are not fully present in this moment, where are you?

Because if you are not here, now—you are lost in a world that does not exist.

1. Presence and the Collapse of Identity

The more deeply you enter presence, the more something unexpected happens—your sense of self begins to dissolve.

• The "I" that worried about the past is gone.
• The "I" that anticipated the future has disappeared.
• The only thing left is this moment, and the awareness experiencing it.

And in that space of pure presence, something profound is realized:

🔹 You are not separate from time—you are the axis upon which time turns.
🔹 You are not separate from others—their presence exists in your awareness, just as yours exists in theirs.
🔹 You are not separate from reality—you are the awareness through which reality unfolds.

This is why presence is not just about mindfulness—it is about seeing reality as it truly is.

1. What Happens When You Live from the Eternal Now?

When presence becomes your foundation, the illusion of separation begins to dissolve.

✔ The past stops haunting you. Memories shift in meaning as your awareness expands.

✔ The future stops controlling you. Fear, anxiety, and worry lose their grip because you no longer live in projections.

✔ Time stops feeling like a force acting on you. Instead, you experience it as something arising within awareness.

✔ Your relationships transform. You stop seeing others through conditioned filters and begin experiencing them as they are, in the now.

✔ The need to control disappears. When you fully engage with now, you realize you were never in control—only awareness itself is.

1. The Final Shift: Living in the Eternal Now

The Eternal Now is not something to attain—it is something to return to.

It is already here. It has always been here.

The only thing that ever took you away from it was forgetting.

And now that you remember, the question is:

📌 Will you stay, or will you drift back into the illusion of time?

Now, we bring everything together with one final challenge—an invitation to make presence the defining aspect of your life.

9.  The Final Challenge: Becoming Presence Itself

Everything we have explored leads to this moment—a choice.

You now understand that:

• Time is subjective—it bends around your awareness.
• Your present state rewrites your past and pre-writes your future.
• Presence is not something to practice—it is a way of being.

The question is: Will you let presence fade into a concept, or will you embody it as a living reality?

This is where the challenge begins.

The 7-Day Presence Challenge

For the next seven days, you will deliberately bring presence into your life, moment by moment, reinforcing it until it becomes second nature.

📌 Each day, follow these three steps:

1. Check your state – Ask: Where am I on the scale from 1 to 10? What will shift me upward?
2. Engage the Objective Prayer – Run through your most powerful moments daily to condition presence.
3. Use triggers – Let doorways, movement, and transitions be cues to return to now.

What You Will Notice

By the end of seven days, you will likely experience:

✔ A radical change in how you perceive time—life will feel slower, richer, and more expansive.

✔ A sense of control over your emotional state—reactivity will lessen, and clarity will increase.

✔ Deeper, more meaningful interactions—conversations will feel more real, more connected.

✔ The realization that you are no longer “trying” to be present—you simply are.

And the most profound shift of all?

🔹 🔹 You will no longer wait for presence to happen—you will embody it.

Pause & Reflect

📌📌 Pause for a moment—reflect on your experience.

• Has time felt different?
• Do past memories seem lighter?
• Is the future less rigid, more open?
• Which reminders helped you return to presence?
• Where did you struggle the most?

This isn’t about getting it right or wrong—it’s about noticing. The more you observe these shifts, the more natural presence becomes.

The Choice Is Yours

You can let these words pass by, just more noise in the stream of time.

Or you can commit—step fully into the Eternal Now and reclaim your experience, no longer lost in illusion.

📌 This moment is all there is. Will you live in it?

Everything comes together now—one final reflection, an invitation to make presence the foundation of your life.

[musical break]

10.                Wrap-Up: Living in the Eternal Now

This journey revealed a simple truth—your state now rewrites your past and shapes your future. You are, and always have been, at the centre of time.

You’ve learned that:

• Time is subjective—it bends around your awareness.
• Your perception of past and future is dictated by now.
• Presence is not something you achieve—it is something you return to.

And now, the challenge has been issued.

For the next seven days, you are invited to:
✔ Track your state using the Scale of Presence.
✔ Engage the Objective Prayer to condition elevated awareness.
✔ Use daily triggers, like doorways, to reinforce presence.

By the end of this challenge, presence will no longer be a fleeting moment—it will be the foundation of your experience.

Final Thought: Mastering Time Through Presence

The past will always try to pull you back.
The future will always try to pull you forward.
But if you are fully here, in this moment, right now, you will see:

✔ The past no longer controls you.
✔ The future no longer dictates your emotions.
✔ You are not bound by time—you are the awareness experiencing it.

This is the Eternal Now.

Not something distant. Not something mystical.
It is here. It is you. It is always available.

And now, you know how to live in it.

Closing & Call to Action

If this episode has resonated with you, take the next step:

Visit thedogteachings.com, where you’ll find:

🔹 The Blueprint of Consciousness – a step-by-step guide to achieving a full state of unity and presence.

🔹 Podcast transcripts – Deepen your understanding with complete episode archives.
🔹 Practical exercises – Strengthen attention, refine perception, and stabilize inner clarity.
🔹 Extensive resources – Diagrams, articles, and tools for deeper self-work.

And don’t forget our twice-weekly Sunday Zoom classes. Whether you’re working through The Blueprint of Consciousness or engaging with advanced practices like the Master Exercises, these classes provide personalized guidance and a supportive community.

🚀 Live in presence. Master the Now. Reclaim your experience of time.

Until next time, stay present, stay aware, and remember—this moment is all there is, and it is eternal.

Goodbye.