In the world of Process everything is moving towards a brighter future, whereas, in the world of Presence the redemptive future is already present in the now. In process reality, the self and world are broken, and we mightily and ambitiously strive to improve and to better. In presence reality, all is now, everything is 'perfect', and there is 'nowhere' to progress, certainly, there is no reason to fight or strive. Yet, both paradigms are real and this book explores the path of process and the pathless path of presence in unison and how we can hold these dialectical states of consciousness simultaneously: Duality and Unity, Becoming and Being, Brokenness and Wholeness, Action and Rest, Motion and Stillness, Striving and Satisfaction, Lack and Fullness, Wanting and Having, Vulnerability and Strength, Compassion and Contentment. WE VIEW THE OBJECTIVE WORLD AROUND US THROUGH the subjective prisms of our own consciousness; we interpret and assimilate experience by means of our own state of mind. What we see on the outside is a reflection of what is happening on the inside. In general, there are two basic ways to experience the world: 'chaos' and 'order'. Either the world seems to be falling apart, or evolving toward a higher order — and this appearance depends on our own perception. A gnawing sense of chaos, incoherence, purposelessness, or disjointedness clamors for the attention of most people. Despite this noise, a bedrock of interconnectivity, order, and meaning, also quietly supports human consciousness at all times. Even if we feel disoriented by the jutting stones along our life's path or chafed by seemingly unrelated shards of our story, we are all capable of catching at least a glimpse into the deeper coherence and peace within it all. Indeed, without an underlying sense of deep order, we could not function at all. To truly thrive in the midst of swirling chaos, we need to open ourselves to the dynamic of structural order. On a deeper level, both order and chaos are true perspectives, and even helpful ones. In fact, to grow, we must experience both, with their complementary dynamics. Order provides comfort, security, and a steady sense of purpose and trajectory. It allows us to walk upright with a firm footing in this world. Yet, chaos urgently compels us to try to understand our life more deeply, it often stimulates us to submit to a higher calling and drives us to make new breakthroughs and discoveries. For example, the chaos created by the Black Death and the Great Plague was arguably the impetus behind the artistic and scientific breakthroughs of the Renaissance Era. By extension, the suffering of those times helped birth a more democratic, open society, and eventually freedom of religious practice. We must pray for the end of all war, and the dawning of a time when "swords will be turned into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks." However, as terrible and horrific as war is, it also has the potential to thrust humanity to greater levels of conscience, harmony, and compassion. In our own personal life, coherence without chaos can become too comfortable and lead to static stagnation. When everything is clear, orderly, and predictable, it can deaden our senses and cramp our creativity. Chaos without coherence, on the other hand, can lead to a fracturing of self, dissociation from others, and eventually, a frightening headlong dive into depression and nihilism. Inwardly, the force of chaos may at times be felt as stress, but also unbridled, raw energy and ambition. Order, by contrast, may manifest as a sense of focus, organization, and contentment. When the contour of our life alternates between these two forces, we naturally strive for success and then, eventually, stop and settle down. In other words: Stress brings us to rest. Once we are regenerated, the urge arises to push ourselves again, out of this repose and into a higher layer of yearning and exertion, only to then settle later into a deeper state of satisfaction. Through such cycles of rest and exertion, we become more and more productive, reflective, creative, and deeply grounded. ORDER EMERGES FROM CHAOS In the Torah's description of the Creation story, order emerges from chaos. At first, the surface of the earth is covered with undifferentiated, chaotic waters, and then a process of 'separation' ensues. This process begins with the creation of light, which symbolizes the fundamental capacity to distinguish between phenomena. This draws out more and more 'orderly' qualities: day and night, water and dry land, and the celestial cycles which mark extended cycles of time. Finally, the culmination of this process — human life — is launched within a matrix of form meaning, self-awareness, and agency. Later, when the Torah describes the infancy of Moshe, he is hidden in a river, and then drawn out of the water to eventually become the great liberator, guiding millions of people into higher coherence and meaning.