In The Present Moment
From the parables of Don Guangoche, the old sage defines awareness as being
in the present moment. To be in the present moment, you must be alert to
everything around you. You listen, look, smell, feel, and even taste, the air,
to be aware. Additionally, you perceive energy on its way towards you. It is in
this perception that you will notice the subtle hints of what is moving forward
that can direct you to right place, right time and right action.
Being in the present moment involves detachment. You have to be in the game,
as a witness. A witness observes without interpretation or telling a story about
what is observed. So, how does the gambler keep him or herself aware without
making up stories about what they see? It takes practice and discipline to
master detachment. For some, it is first necessary to practice and master
discipline. Discipline is the ability to keep one’s focus on whatever the goal
may be. For example, it takes discipline to stick with an exercise program or to
keep on a healthy diet. More than a commitment, discipline is doing battle with
the ego and its opinions. Keeping ego in check or subjugating the ego and not
getting drawn in by its stories and interpretations builds your energy and
prevents things from running amuck with foolhardy emotions at the helm.
Imagine yourself at the gaming table. There you are, playing and thinking
about being in the present and in the moment. The operative word here is
"thinking". Being in the present moment is not an intellectual process involving
thinking. It is being fully alive and aware. It is a process of witnessing
energy and making detached decisions about action. Try this exercise and see if
it does not help you to experience being in the present moment. Imagine again
that you are at the gaming table. Behind you is a six-foot stepladder. Now,
imagine your mind/observing self going out from your back and starting to climb
the ladder, leaving your physical body behind. From a vantage place a top of the
ladder, your perceiving self looks down upon the game and notices all things.
The experience that is created is one of you observing you. You
pull away from the physical, you enter into the "metaphysical" and observe your
every move from another dimension. You are also have a better vantage point to
observe more of everything else going on as well. Detached from your body, in
this heightened state of awareness, you are not subject to your body’s emotional
influences. You become an impartial observer of your own life. You have
positioned yourself to see the "big picture". You are sensitive to the energy
around you and to the energy that is coming at you from the future. It is
through this sensitivity that you are able to turn perceptive information into
thought forms that provide you with distinct choices, like knowing when to play
or not play, for example.
A few weeks ago, I was back in Taos on some business. The local casino was
hosting a blackjack tournament, which I entered. While waiting for the final
round, I decided to play some dice. I recognized one of the players, a former
Dice Coach student. I greeted Robert and we proceeded to make a game of it.
Shortly thereafter, Bob Jacobs, my playing partner, joined us. The dice went
around a couple of times with not much to be excited about. A man and wife
entered the game during my roll and the energy shifted. The table was only half
opened with only one dealer. With five players now in the game, the operating
end of the table appeared to be full.
I caught a nice little hand that resulted in 17 units profit for myself. The
game had a positive feeling now. During the woman’s roll, another player showed
up and tried to play at the table end that was closed. I immediately felt a cold
rush of energy. "Oh no", I thought. This guy had a scruffy kind of energy. In my
perception of the energy, I felt that the game would be over if he joined the
game. As it turned out, he crowded in next to the woman shooter, without regard
to what was going on. He did not have a clue of how to play. He fumbled his
chips onto the layout, which stalled the game. He did not even know the value of
the chips or a minimum bet. It was a mess! I colored up following the seven out.
Leaving a nice little game, which moments before had shown profit and promise,
took discipline. I had to go with what I felt to be true.
Understand that I am not making judgment or criticizing the intrusion on the
game. My goal is to give an example of how perception of the energy can change
your actions. I felt it as a warning that a good thing was about to end, which
did happen. Even though the game had not shown me a reason to quit, the energy
did, and I had the discipline to follow what I know. I let the game go. The
smart money is long gone before a game falls apart. There is always another
game.
There are times I do not choose to use the discipline that I know. I have
been caught out, just like a dieter eating chocolate cake. That’s life and it
happens. As we all notice the difference in the outcome of using and not using
discipline, it can make it easier to follow the path of discipline.
The same night, I was particularly switched on to the energy. Before the
blackjack tournament, I felt that I would finish in the money and that first
place is where I would be. During the tournament, I was "low-chips" going into
the last four hands. A wave of energy, like a whisper, said, "you will win the
last four hands", which I did. I finished third in the tournament, $76 short of
first place. I made an error with money management calculations with my last
bet. Yeah, always excuses and war stories when it comes to just missing, being a
winner.
When you have the perception of the metaphysical energy going for you, it
will tell you everything you need to know. It is not so much that it whispers
the winning information as much as helping you recognize when it is time to
bail. The hard part is learning to trust the feeling and then having the
discipline in place to act on it.
Being in the present moment is the best way I know to experience a heightened
sense of awareness, no matter what game you happen to be playing. Knowing that
there are other dimensions present beyond this physical plane, is not the
easiest concept to embrace. Once you do experience it, you will never look back
on your life in the same way. You will never play cards or dice in the same way.
I experience a bit of skepticism from players regarding applied metaphysics
and gaming. That’s okay. It matters not that others believe in my methods. It
works for me and I am not out to prove anything. Should you glean a bit of
useful information from my story, then I am honored.
Third Year Anniversary
Happy anniversary to Beau Parker, celebrating his third year as Dice Coach at
www.dicecoach.com, providing the best
entertainment value for dice setting, betting craps, and living large in Las
Vegas.
Well, that’s it for this edition of the Playing 4 Keeps™ Newsletter.
See you at the
tables Playing 4 Keeps™!
Michael Vernon
Author and Gaming Instructor
