Do you dream? Remember what it feels like to be in the dream. And think about what you do when you wake up. When we dream, we experience the dream as real. Although, an ear might be attuned to sounds in the house or nearby, which we will awake to – most of us experience total immersion in our dreams. It is all very real to us – that dreamsite, if you will – until we wake up. And when we wake up, we often remember the dream, as a dream. Sometimes we may even have to remind ourselves that it was a dream – it was so real. But we do know that the dream is over. We shake off the feelings of the dream and move on with our waking life. Last night as I was listening to Deepak Chopra describe the different states of consciousness – the dream state being one of them – I immediately thought about unhappiness. In our unhappiness, we create a kind of dreamsite, a state of consciousness where we dwell in a reality of our creation. And when we are in it, it feels so real, as if there were no other way to be. But when we see that we don’t have to be unhappy – and we wake up – so to speak – we can shake it off and move on. Because like dreams, unhappiness is self-created. And that is such good news. Enjoy your waking up!
What if unhappiness is like a dream?
Take a tip from President Obama
I love President Obama. From the first time I heard him speak at the Democratic National Convention, I knew that he could be the new leader that would take us in a healing direction. His speech at the Notre Dame commencement ceremonies proved that once again. His comments neutralized the demonization of those with opposing views, which is so crucial in creating open lines of communication. He said, “Those who speak out against stem-cell research may be rooted in admirable conviction about the sacredness of life, but so are the parents of a child with juvenile diabetes who are convinced that their son’s or daughter’s hardships can be relieved.” By establishing a common moral ground, Obama showed us the power of compassion mixed with the simple truth. We can all do this every moment of our lives. We don’t have to wait for controversy and we don’t have to be in the public eye. We can start in the privacy of our minds in how we view our own inner conflicts . We can use it to work to defuse conflict around us. If President Obama can do it in the midst of a highly charged audience and millions watching, we can certainly do it in our private lives. What does President Obama possess to do this that you don’t? Not a thing. He is simply committed to the truth. Aren’t you?
Choosing to Decide
I had the wonderful experience yesterday of finding something I needed right under my nose. I was noodling around trying to come up with a visual for my new Option Method site – OptionForHappiness. As I often do, I grabbed the dog and we walked and walked in the park down the road. There’s a big field with a path round it that also leads to other paths. As we rounded it again and again, my mind was playing images of all the possibilities of what might work. Choice, choice in your own life, for your own happiness, I was thinking. The option to choose what you believe, to take the path you choose, etc., etc. My mind flipped through all the possibilities of artists who could create something special, or photos I had seen here and there, but of what, I wasn’t sure. So many possibilities! As I often do when I’m walking, I stopped and reminded myself to look outward, enjoy the scenery - look at what is right in front of me: the gorgeous just-blooming trees, the bright green of the open field, the dogs, people, bikes, strollers, the fork in the road. Another fork in the road. Another fork with a big beautiful tree in bloom right in the middle. If the tree could talk, it might have said, “Um, excuse me, over here, over here.” And I finally actually saw it. And realized how perfect it would be. A fork in the road – a little trite – ok, probably very trite – but so beautiful and right there in front of me. And I realized it didn’t mean that was the best choice. I don’t always have to, or want to, choose what is right in front of me, but I love how so often we find our answers so effortlessly. How in a world rich with information, images, posssibilities, we use our bodies and our senses and our amazing minds to zero in on what we love. To decide.
To choose. To move on down the road.
Announcing April book donations
Dialogues in Self Discovery is pleased to announce our new monthly donation program. We will donate up to 100 books per month to a Not-for-Profit. Please apply with an email to discoveroption@aol.com.
Honoring JyotiMa
My yoga teacher, Jyoti Chrystal, left us on Saturday, after a noble fight with an aggressive cancer. As she did every day of her life, Jyoti taught us about how to live grounded in our being – cancer or no cancer. I first met Jyoti more than a decade ago when a friend brought me to her studio. I was well into my forties when I found that my back was suddenly starting to spasm. I needed help. That yoga class was the beginning of what is now a solid ten-year practice. Jyoti was the founder of Starseed Yoga, the crown jewel of the yoga community here in Montclair, New Jersey. After a couple of years taking classes there, I decided to enroll in their teacher training program. I wanted to learn as much as I could from this extraordinary woman. I’m so glad to have had that opportunity – so grateful to have JyotiMa infuse my yoga practice with her grace and spirit. One of the things I loved about Jyoti was the tremendous energy she brought to expanding yoga in our community. She wasn’t just teaching asanas; she was teaching a way of being; a way of life. So many of us benefitted from the enormous commitment she made to let the spirit of yoga flow through her to us. Namaste, Jyoti. The light in me honors the light in you. Always.