There is a geometry to being here. A relationship between your body, the Earth beneath you, and the space extending in every direction. And somewhere within that geometry, there is a place from which you know where you are. Your Where-Self. Your Collicular Self. The place from which you orient. Begin with something simple. The weight of your body, and the surface carrying that weight. Notice where the chair meets your back, where your legs meet the seat, and where your feet find the floor. There is information in every contact. The firmness of a surface. The shape of your body. The space between one thing and another. Each sensation offers a little more information about your position in the world. Here is the support beneath you. And here is the body receiving it. Consider the Earth. This extraordinary planet turning through space, carrying mountains, oceans, forests, and the particular place you occupy. Gravity draws your weight toward its center. Your head rests above your spine. Your pelvis rests above the surface beneath you. Notice the direction of that downward pull. And notice the upward length from your feet toward your head. A vertical axis. A relationship between gravity, support, and the living structure of your body. Here you are. A body in a place. A place upon the Earth. Now let your attention travel to the right. Register the space beside you. Then consider the space to your left. Two directions extending outward, from the place you occupy. And there is another relationship. The space ahead of you, and the space continuing behind. Front and back. Side to side. Head to feet. Three axes crossing through the space of your body. Six directions available to your attention. An invisible geometry, made meaningful by your location. And now comes an interesting question. From where are you noticing all of this? Consider a place back behind your eyes, somewhere between your ears. A point from which you register what lies ahead, what lies behind, what is near, and what is far away. An attentional pivot. A place from which direction has meaning. The Where-Self. The Collicular Self. A reference point for locating yourself within the surrounding world. Beyond the room, four great directions cross the Earth. North and south. East and west. Find the direction of sunrise, or follow your best sense of where east lies. Now imagine the sun traveling its arc. From the eastern horizon, rising high above, and continuing toward the west. Follow that curve with your attention. An arc across the sky. Now pivot your attention a quarter turn toward the north-south axis. Travel from south toward north. Register the crossing of these directions. Your head can remain comfortably balanced while your attention follows the compass. And here you are, at your own location upon the Earth. Bring your attention into the room. Notice a wall. The ceiling. The floor beneath you. Find something nearby, then something farther away. Register the space between them, and the distance from where you are sitting. Now listen. A sound arriving from your left, or somewhere to your right. A sound nearby, or one traveling from farther away. Your ears receive it. Your attention registers its direction. The sound comes from somewhere. And you hear it from somewhere. Two locations connected through hearing. Notice the temperature of the air where it touches your face. Across your hands. Along your arms. The air may feel cool, warm, moving, or still. Now notice the texture of your clothing. Fabric against your shoulders. Across your chest. Around your legs. Each point of contact reveals another spatial relationship. And now consider the muscles across your forehead, around your eyes, along your jaw, at the base of your skull, and across your shoulders. Register their present condition. Their shape. Their effort. Their relationship to one another. There may be places where ease is already available. Give those places room. Now return to that question. From where are you noticing? The room remains around you. Gravity continues toward the Earth. Sounds arrive from different directions. Your body occupies its own space. And your attention has a place from which it begins. Back behind your eyes. Between your ears. The attentional pivot. The meeting of location and awareness. The Where-Self. The Collicular Self. Notice the direction you are facing. The surface beneath you. The space above your head. The world to your right, and the world to your left. The distance ahead, and the space continuing behind. There is an order to these relationships. The Earth has its geography. The room has its dimensions. Your body has its position. And you have a place from which you register them all. Here is the Earth. Here is the room. Here is your body. And here is the place from which you know where you are. The Geometry of Presence. Your Where-Self.
