The Drift of Presence (Η παρέκκλιση της παρουσίας)
-From the Meletic Scrolls
In Meleticism, the concept of The Drift of Presence refers to the subtle, often elusive nature of being in the actual moment. Presence, in this sense, is not something solid or fixed, but a quality that drifts like a soft current through the awakened soul, the mind and the stream of time itself. It cannot be held in place or clung to; rather, it must be observed, accepted and allowed to move freely in its course.
To speak of the drift is to accept that presence is fluid, not bound by rigidity. It is continually shifting, sometimes revealing itself clearly, other times disappearing into abstraction or inattention. The awareness of this condition does not weaken us, nor does it indicate a failing; instead, it highlights the nature of our consciousness forever in motion, responding to both internal and external states and vicissitudes. It is precisely because of this responsiveness that the Drift of Presence is a meaningful concept in Meletic thought.
The melete which is Greek for contemplative focus serves as a tool or rather, a practice, through which we become aware of this drift. In practising melete, the Meletic thinker watches without grasping. One becomes attuned to the rhythm of presence, without attempting to fix it in place. Just as the wind cannot be captured in one’s hand, presence cannot be possessed by thought or retained through will. Instead, the Meletic approach is to flow with it, allowing presence to pass through one’s consciousness naturally, without resistance or control.
Presence is not a singular event, nor a peak state to achieve. It is more like a tide that ebbs and flows within the self. One moment we are immersed in it, the next, we may drift from it. To observe the drift itself happening is already a return to awareness. In this way, the drift becomes not a departure, but a realisation.
In Meleticism, this concept reminds us that the moment is all we are given, yet it is also not something we can hold on to. The moment does not ask to be possessed; it asks to be lived. The Drift of Presence then is not a passive movement; it is a continual reorientation to reality, where our perception renews itself moment by moment.
This idea also brings forth a sense of great humility. We do not own the present moment. We do not command it into existence, nor do we govern its unfolding. We partake in it, briefly, and it passes through us. The Meletic thinker does not claim mastery over presence, but a mental connection with it. In this connection, there is peace, for the drift offers a form of intimacy with time, with existence and with being itself.
This interaction between being and becoming is what Meleticism sees as fundamental to understanding consciousness. There is always a threshold between physical reality and metaphysical awareness. The self, when aware of this threshold, exists not merely in the physical plane, nor solely in abstraction. It exists at the confluence of tangible experience and inner reflection. The drift carries the individual across this unique boundary and returns that individual, constantly, to a deeper sense of presence.
From this point of view, presence is not static. It is never fully settled. It moves and our awareness must move with it. The individual, then, must train focus not on permanence, but on participation. Being present is an act of synchronisation. When presence drifts, we must learn to drift with it.
This has profound implications for how we view control and stillness. Meleticism proposes that inner stillness is not about fixity, but about the capacity to remain aware within movement. To be still is not to be unmoving; instead it is to be attuned to movement without being overwhelmed by it. The Drift of Presence shows that true presence is not found by halting time, but by being immersed in time without resistance.
This practice also challenges certain assumptions about mindfulness and attention. In modern life, attention is often equated with control, which is the idea that one must focus or concentrate. In the Meletic approach, attention is a form of listening, not gripping. It is not about shutting out the world, but opening oneself to its subtle rhythm. The drift is gentle; one must become gentle to meet it.
Through the presence of (To Ένa) the One, we begin to sense the innermost structure that underlies even the drift. Whilst the One does not control the drift, its presence permeates it. The drift exists because there is a ultimate source, a field of being, from which all experience arises. This source in Meleticism is not divine or personified, but it is real. It is the foundation from which the Logos the ordering principle flows, and in this flow, presence comes into being. It drifts because it is alive.
To notice the drift is to awaken a new mode of perception. Life, then, becomes not a sequence of static moments, but a stream of becoming. Each moment contains movement. Each breath is a shift in awareness. Each thought arises and passes. To be aware of the drift is to enter into a wonderful harmony with the true nature of existence. It is to know deeply that being is not something one has, but something one lives.
It also changes how we think of time. Rather than viewing time as a sequence of compartments, Meleticism sees time as a rhythm. Presence does not exist in past or future, for it interacts within the now and yet, it drifts. Our minds, often tempted to leap ahead or fall back, must be gently returned to the rhythm of now. Not by force, but by observation.
This drift is also a form of return. As one continues to practise awareness, they will notice how the same awareness returns, again and again in compelling forms. The same questions emerge, the same thoughts arise, but not identically. They arrive changed, as we are changed. The drift is not a circle, but a spiral. It returns us to ourselves, only more profoundly each time.
To practise this awareness is to move beyond the yearning desire for permanence. It is to move beyond the expectation that presence should remain fixed. Instead, we enter into a way of being that accepts the impermanence of all things and finds peace in the unfolding. The Meletic thinker, through continued melete, begins to live not from grasping, but from flowing.
The drift is not aimless. There is a structure within it that is a natural harmony. The Logos as it manifests, gives shape to presence. Even as it drifts, it drifts within a universal order. It is not chaotic. We can begin to trust that when we lose presence, it will return. We can trust that when the mind wanders, the path to return has already been laid. We can trust the drift itself.
The Drift of Presence in this sense is not merely a concept. It is a practice, a realisation and ultimately a transformation. It teaches us how to live in time, how to dwell in being, and how to return to awareness not once, but perpetually. It shows us that consciousness is not a possession, but a journey.
In the Meletic tradition, this drift is not separate from enlightenment. It is part of the path to inherent awareness. For to witness the drift is to become aware of consciousness itself. In this awareness, there lies a quiet clarity that does not demand certainty, but evokes presence.
Thus, the Drift of Presence is always near. Not somewhere beyond us, but within us, moving gently. It is the breath before thought, the silence between actions, the realisation to being. When we are awakened, we return to the core of Meleticism, which is the living moment, the unfolding now that is experiencied and felt through the Oneness of To Ena.
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