Perchance To Dream…
Each day we have a fresh beginning, no point agonizing about the past, because that is finished with. We have a chance to act on choices and potentially change our entire life, how it looks and feels to us. Lives can be completely altered from one day’s decisions.
By Guest Writer
Dreams are very familiar to us all, but we don’t know where they arise from; most of us go to sleep at night and enter a completely alien landscape where all kinds of miraculous events take place, and people we ‘half know’ appear and speak to us, and with us.
We are quite comfortable with this state of affairs, we accept that our ‘normal world’ is placed on hold each night, and we go about traveling in this completely separate reality as if it was completely natural to do so, because that is what it is…natural!
I always think sleep is akin to death, and the world of dreams is something like where we inhabit when we have ‘passed away’ from this world of wakefulness.
Of course, I have no proof of this, I could not approach a psychologist and say “Hey, I know what sleep is all about, and also what death is”, they would simply shake their head sagely, and tell me I am delusional.
But, sometimes we ‘know’ things almost innately.
Sleep is like this, we revisit the land of the dead each time we enter ‘REM’ and dream our socks off.
And sometimes dreams tell us things, people have reported being informed about events, or given an insight into a problem they are having, given entire songs, mathematical formulas; the scientist August Kekule who dreamed of a snake curled up, and biting its own tail giving him the molecular model for ‘Benzene’.
Obviously we don’t really understand what sleep is at all.
I think this provides a clue to us all.
“The person who respects their dreams, and takes note of them is provided with a conduit to the world of possibilities”
All of this sleep/dream talk is all very well, but how does this help us in practical, tangible reality?
We can be helped, but always the very best kind of help is that which you give yourself.
The great “Sadguru” has some very interesting things to say concerning sleep, and dreams:
What Sadguru is saying here, is that we can be lulled into a kind of langour, if we are not awake and engaged with the stuff of living, the tangible parts of life. Everything becomes blurred together, as if dream/life are the same type of experience.
Many people experience this, they walk around and seem as if they are not really there. We are sometimes shocked into becoming awake.
This existential quality of life can be optimised, and made useful for individuals through practicing ‘mindfulness’ techniques, which is another aspect of the new ‘inner engineering’ for today’s fully enabled human being.
I join with Sadguru in promoting mindfulness, and yogic exercises, these do not need to be elaborate, or strenuous, there is a myth concerning Yoga that it must be all about complicated physical exercises, and esoteric movements, this is simply not true.
The very best, most useful Yoga movements are those which can be executed in a few minutes daily, but they have a significant effect on our well-being, and sense of being awake and alive. Take a look at some of these very simple movements from our good friend Sadguru, a man I am happy to promote and support because he is sincere, genuine and follows principles I myself preach.
Possibilities Are Enhanced When We are Prepared Physically and Mentally
With all of these measures, and exercises we are preparing ourselves to engage with the stuff of life, we emerge from our dream-like state of sleepy fuzz, and experience the crisp, fresh outlines of reality.
Possibilities become more possible!
In order to gain the maximum benefit of our human mind, we must provide the optimum conditions for our body to nourish and sustain our lives.
Avoid excessive sugar, this only clogs your arteries and erodes your tissues with toxins from metabolic processes. Simplify your diet, and provide yourself with plenty of rest; many people are exhausted both emotionally and physically, they don’t get the right quality of rest, staying up late each night, and absorbing Netflix programs over stimulates your nerves, and makes it difficult to calm your mind.
A little physical movement, of the type Yoga can provide us, good quality water, simple food eaten in smaller serves more often, and plenty of mindful contemplation of your inner streams of thought. You will discover your life takes on a greater vividness, and ideas and creativity become more effective.
Today’s world can be very tough on our psyche, this is why we need greater calm, and this ‘inner engineering’ and mindful exercises.
Namaste!