"Perceived"
Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word perceive this way, "Perceive, to become aware of through senses"; and it list some synonyms as, feel, scent, smell, taste. But on the other hand it also lists an antonym for perceive as "miss".
Ever walked around a neighborhood and have your taste buds start to salivate due to the odor of the backyard barbecue going on? You were no where near the grill master or the tools of their trade. The grill, the cooking utensils, the charcoal, the wood chips and the savory item that is being cooked that has caused your sense to Perceive there is something delectable being produced. All this and you didn't even have to see any of this.
Listening to a song with your headphones on, the song lyrics drive your mind to a different place, a different thought. Hearing the song allows you Perceive that you are in touch with "lost" thoughts that come springing to life from the sense of hearing.
How about being somewhere and for what ever reason the hair on the back of your neck stands up, you body produces goose bumps. You think you see a shadow, you think you hear a noise or simply Perceive that there is someone, something there with you.
"Presence"
Merriam-Webster defines the word presence as "the part of space within ones immediate vicinity", something (as a spirit) felt or believed to be present.
A Perceived Presence can come in many different forms. A God that we feel directs our path. A lost loved one that we feel is there with us at times. A friend, that even though they are no where near us, we can simply "bring" them near us with just a thought. Someone that we lean on, in times of emotional stress, just the thought of them brings a sense of peace. Or in times of joy we can share with someone that is not even there except in thought.
Most all of my life I have been a believer in a "spiritual" life. Although not being much of a follower of "God" in my early years it did not mean that I did not have a belief that there was certainly a God in some form out there. But in the same sense, I have also believed in the life after in the form of ghosts and the such.
This feeling of a presence in life can be as simple as just a thought, " I know someone is here". Catching a shadow out of the corner of your eye, the hair raising up on the back of your neck and just knowing that there is something there. Reading a line in a book and it striking a cord deep within your soul and knowing beyond a shadow of doubt that it was there for you. A touch. A smell. A sound. A feeling. There's something there. Whether for boding or reassuring, a perceived presence can be quite an experience.
There have been many "Perceived Presence's" in my life. Are there in yours? Don't "miss" them!
If you have ever had or continue to have a "Perceived Presence" touch your life. And you want to share those experiences, send me an email and I can post your words for all to read.
