Lecture - Christine Goritchan
Sunday 30th November 2025
Lecture: Present and Presence
Thank you, Val, for inviting me to give the talk today and guess what my topic is – yes, Present. But there is an extra word, Present meaning the gift and Presence meaning that you are here today. I always like to check in with Spirit a few days ahead, about what they would like me to share with you and those were the words they gave me. I was a little intrigued and
wondered what this was about.
So, what I was given was that there are Presents, that is gifts in every moment when we are encompassing Presence in our everyday living. So, what is presence? It is actually defined as being “in the moment,” when one is being fully engaged, attentive in the present moment. And most importantly, cultivating presence can be a very powerful tool for improving focus, wellbeing, and interpersonal relationships. If we wanted an exact definition and I do like to go to the dictionary at times, presence refers to a conscious awareness of what is happening right now, and not just externally. I was really impressed with these words “most importantly. Internally as well”.
It differs greatly from distraction, daydreaming or being lost in thoughts about the past or future which we can all get into at times, and what is actually surrounding us in each present moment. I had an experience of this in the past week where my husband Fred, was doing some renovation work which was extremely noisy, and I could have allowed it to be most distracting, but he had an important job to do, and I had to become really present to what I needed to do. Right now the VSU want our bookings in for the next year, we have an expo on next week so there was a lot going on but instead of allowing frustration or annoyance to come in, which is what we can all do from time to time, we are all human, I set the intention to be present and I got out the earphones instead.
So, a few examples of presence would be; listening actively which is what you are all doing now wondering, are there are some words of wisdom here for you, focusing on a particular task instead of multi-tasking which can happen to all of us, or simply noticing your surroundings.
So, why is presence important? First of all, presence enhances communication. Being present allows for genuine connection and understanding with others. Quite often we have things we want to share, and we just wait for the moment when we can dive right in.
It reduces stress because, staying in the moment helps reduce anxiety and overthinking about what might happen next. We can tend to do that too.
It also boosts productivity, not that we need to be super busy but, focusing on one task at a time does lead to higher quality work and efficiency. We have all discovered that.
Improved wellbeing. Very definitely. Presence is linked to greater mindfulness which can strengthen mental and emotional health and that is a huge gift to self for all of us.
Our world has really changed and there is a lot going on, a lot to deal with, a lot to contend with, a lot to take care of and pay attention to, because when we are not paying attention what happens? Illness, or debilitating conditions which can turn our lives upside down. Or things keep going wrong because, maybe there is a running theme in the background that we are not good enough, we don’t measure up enough, we are not worthy enough. Therefore, the greatest importance is being present firstly with yourself. And I was given the words, “Being present with the who, the what, the when, the where, and the why.”
Who are we sharing our time with. Who are we giving our time away to? Time, we don’t really need to give away.
What are we doing that may be draining our energy? That is causing the stress. That is no longer fit for us. What are the thoughts that keep us playing small and being boxed in by our thinking.
When is about when we don’t really want to do something or we think we have to do it straight away or, it is about and Spirit gave me the words, “Honey I’ll be there.” So, we learn that when someone asks us, we tend to jump in, but it doesn’t always fit with our agenda. I have learned to say, “I would like to do that, but can I do it tomorrow. Would that work for you?” And more often than not it does. It just takes the stress off.
Where is about where you are giving your energy, your time and your expertise that is not really being valued, and it is not always a good fit. Where do you need to be placing yourself, because sometimes you need to be sure of where you are. It is finding the fit that is best for you. Life can be messy, very complicated but we can just shift that a little bit and look at the who, the what, the where, the why, when we are doing things.
Why are we doing something? Is it because we think that we should or that we have to? Lorraine very kindly gave me a book about a gentleman and his name was Tom and he loved to bake bread. Did he like to run the business? No! He never touched his business. He just liked to bake the bread, so he got other people to run come in and run it for him.
Now we are very well-adjusted people, but we tend to do it all ourselves. We should sometimes think it is just better to get someone else to take on that part of whatever it is and free up time for ourselves. So, have a look at your world and at what you are doing.
Also, why we are not doing something. Quite often it is because we think we can’t. Maybe we think we are not good enough, we think we won’t measure up to being in that role in the best way possible. So, it is a matter of really paying attention to what is going on, of being present to what is going on in your mind.
It is important to take a moment and check into the perspective of what you have going on as to what is best for you. And then, it is connecting with the Divine. We are the fortunate ones. We have this awareness because, working with the Divine, it is not just God and Angels and our loved ones and our Healers and our Guides that are with us. The Universe is also working in our favour. It is understanding the signs that are coming at us. How many times do we see the same thing being repeated and, I kid you not, yesterday I turned on the T.V and the presenter was going to talk about present and presence! I didn’t have time to listen, but I thought WOW! It is amazing how this all works.
Also, I had a Guide named is Red Crow who is around a lot. How do I know that? Because I see crows and whenever I see them, I know there is a change coming up. I have made that connection. Now you will have those sorts of connections coming up for yourself, so it is a matter of looking and paying attention and just checking in.
Now, we do have barriers to presence. Technology distractions. Checking on the phone all the time. Not really being with self. Having busy schedules is another one. And rushing from one task to the next, it hard to stay and be fully present. We also have that internal (I typed infernal), chatter about what is happening and there are worries and racing thoughts that can pull you away from the current moment. Most importantly, when we are listening to and paying attention to our internal chatter, we forget to consider the benefits we can have about ourselves and our lives
How many times do you think, “Oh, I can’t do that. Oh, that will never happen. Oh, this is hard. Oh, I don’t know how to do this.” But it just takes a moment to stop, take a breath and check in knowing that the guidance is always with us. ‘Practicing presence does not require special equipment or lots of spare time. It is about small shifts. Paying attention to your mind and to your body. Your body is your very best friend and will always tell you when something is not right.
Some of you have heard me mention this before. We arrived at the airport, and we went to sit down and all of a sudden, I was agitated. Now agitation does not mean something is bad. Agitation is a signal from your inner guidance that this is not where you are meant to be. I knew that we needed to be over there. There was a very valid reason why we were meant to be over there which we discovered when I trusted what my body was trying to tell me. So, if your body is doing weird things don’t think it is an awful thing. Just say, “Thank you. What is it that you want me to know?”
Now it can be challenging at times but in learning to pay attention, it really does make a magnificent shift in your world. So, how can we be more present for self, to life and to the Divine?
Firstly, mindfulness is a very good way to go. Even if you start your day with just five minutes to get you back to self, to prepare you for the great things that are going to show up in your day. Single tasking. Commit to doing one thing at a time. Active listening during conversations. Very much body awareness. Another good thing to do is just go for a stroll in nature. Get outside. Sit in the stillness and hear the birds. And that just brings us back to self. And also most importantly, connect with your own Guides in Spirit. In order to do that, we need to make that time and that space available to be able to sit with them.
Now some of you have heard me mention before – for those of you following the healing path, following the mediumship path knowing that you want to do more and be more and have more – it is setting that intention to sit in a meditating space and the key is - don’t ask questions. Just be still for a moment. Then ask the most important question of them all – and no. you don’t need to know who is giving you the guidance. Just know that you are working with the highest level possible.
So, ask the simple question – “What is it I really need to know?” By sitting still, the Spirit world will give you the answers. For me, I had to sit every Wednesday night at 7pm and they were adamant I had to be there. I made sure I was there. And all I would do was ask, “What is it you want me to know?” And I would fill pages of information and guidance about who I really was, what I need to be doing for me. The changes that occur more often than not are not about the things we are doing, but that we have been doing them in a certain way, and they are not working.
We have been taught as children this is what we need to do. This is how we need to be and it is ius not how we are meant to be. So, get excited because the Spirit world is going to get you back to the truth of who you really are. We think we know that, but we don’t. We are so much more. We are so much more powerful, so much more intuitive, so much more talented than we give ourselves credit for. Whether you record what you are getting, or you write it down, it doesn’t matter. Just make sure you set the intention. You will be amazed at what comes to you.
So, what are the gifts that come out of being present to your presence. First of all, it is connecting to your true self. Knowing that you truly are a Divine being. We can let go of any doubts we have about ourselves and what we it is that are here to do. And be brave enough to take that step. And letting go of who you aren’t really. Remember you are a Divine being. Recognition of the good the bad and the ugly. To be able to recognise what is working for you, that it is a gift. Just following through with that, even though you may not always understand how to do it, it is just a matter of saying, “Okay, I got the message. I know what you are telling me. I need to make a change. Thank you. Please help me. What do I do?” And it will come directly through you or to you in some way. It may come from someone around you, or you will overhear a conversation, or see something on the television.
It is also about understanding for yourselves about the who, the what, the where, the why. Just remember those factors that are going on in your world. For some of you here big shifts will be happening while for others the shifts will little, rather like fine tuning but, the among the gifts you will get will be much greater joy. For all of us it is that peace within our being.
Thank you very much for listening. I wish you all the very, very best in your own journeys.