As Within So Without

PBS NOVA's "The Fabric of the Cosmos."

I think we're living in a time of extreme paradigm shifts, cursed and blessed with fantastic changes.  On one hand, quantum mechanics is stretching prior scientific theories of physical reality in mind-boggling directions.  I really can’t listen to guys like Brian Greene while I’m driving, though I love to other times, because I might find myself driving off the road in wonderment.  What I most love about all the theories I’m hearing from Greene and others in his field is the many parallels I can draw to dreaming and dreaming reality.

From my own dreaming, lucid dreams and OBE experiences, inner space has many dimensions, but perhaps it’s not inner space at all, but the back door of physical reality that opens on to a Greater Reality, True Consciousness, The Collective Unconscious, Space, the Universe, That Which Is?  I frankly don’t know what to call it.  But once dreaming becomes a practice, paradigms suffer a seismic shift.

For one, anything is possible.  You can fly.  You can outsmart the ax murderer.  You can have your prince and….well, some things are better left to the imagination.  Dream barriers are bridgeable; the world of form is only one world, but the dream worlds play by different rules.  Paradigm shift?  Definitely.

Another paradigm shifter is Eckhart Tolle, ET.  The ego is insane?  I love it.  I think, the ego should be the chauffer, not the driver.  The owner of the limo is the SELF; the ego is only the driver, though of vital importance.   According to ET, an ego in control is dangerous; a New Earth will come into being when we all learn to shift our paradigms from bug on the rug egos to cosmic awareness of our own eternity.  

Even though these times are trying, they are definitely among the most interesting and worth while of times to live for seekers.  May your best dreams come true.

Happy Independence!

A lot of national holidays around the world have to do with war.  The 4th of July, 1776 is when our country declared independence from its colonial overlord, England.  We celebrate it as our nation's birthday, though it took another seven years of bloody battle to seal the deal.  

So what’s independence to you?  Freedom from tyranny?  The right to do what you want, within certain legislated limits?  The pursuit of happiness?

Jim just finished reading his third John Burdett crime mystery in a row,  “The Godfather of Kathmandu” set in Thailand. He told me about the detective of the series, Sonshai Jitpleecheep, a practitioner of Buddhist teaching, who views American obsession with “the pursuit of happiness” to be a great national psychosis preserved in our cultural meme in the Declaration of Independence, 

Thanks to that ever-helpful cyber-encyclopedia, Wikipedia, I can share the exact phrase Sonshai is talking about:

“The United States Declaration of Independence, which was primarily drafted by Jefferson, was adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.[3] The text of the second section of the Declaration of Independence reads,

    ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.’”

As political documents go, it does sound inspired.  But in my understanding of Buddhist teachings, happiness is as much an illusion as suffering is, so that’s why the pursuit of it is crazy.  If I’m happy or sad, it’s on the level of my Ego consciousness, not my Eternal consciousness that exists now and forever, outside of time.  There is only the Present; life is to be experienced as fully and consciously as possible in the Now.  That doesn’t mean lots of possessions, drugs, sex and rock and roll, necessarily.  It means always being aware of my own truth and opening my heart to living what is, not what I wish it might be.  Time is a mental construct, convenient for some things in the material world, but reality is only in the present moment, so to live in the past or the future is to spin one’s wheels.  Of course, to live fully means also to be alive in my dreams, or else I’m missing out on an entire aspect of my existence on this planet, my link to Home.

So here’s to independence, not just from political tyranny, but from limiting beliefs and self-imposed limitations, Blake’s mind-forged manacles.  Here’s to freedom from fear and hate; here’s to life. 

I'm posting this video of Jim playing our national anthem in honor of those who for love or duty are serving in the US military branches on this celebration of our nation's birthday. 

More to Me Than Meets the I

Should I not be I, but us? 

Talking in an interview about his awakening to the power of the present, Eckhart Tolle explains that what stopped him as a young man from succumbing to his suicidal thoughts one agonizing night was recognizing as he was thinking, “I can’t stand to live with myself anymore,” that there must be two of him. “Who is I who can’t stand to live with Self?” he asked. This epiphany was the catalyst that initiated his journey to become one of the world’s foremost spiritual teachers, to my delight, one who intentionally disaffiliates from formal religions. 

My interest in Tolle’s teachings began in early May when I borrowed the audio book, A New Earth.  At the end of April, before I encountered his teachings, I posted about my little big dream that posed the question, “Can the ego be dissolved, what is the role of the observer?” and shared with you my own power of Now mini epiphany.  http://litadreaming.blogspot.com/2012/04/observer-or-observed.html 

The serendipity of finding his teachings on ego/observer right after writing about the same subject confirms for me the importance of this material, as they say, when the student is ready, the teacher appears. I’m sharing the story with you because it also makes the organic process of dream spirituality pretty obvious.  A dream from 11 years ago (Hey, Trish, I found my eleven!) seeds this profound spiritual koan in my heart and gradually, with the help of one sign post after another, leads me to this great, new to me, teacher who can deepen my understanding of the question.

Dreams are organic spirituality; all it takes is listening, paying attention and braving up to the difficulties they may present, as well as, recognizing the gifts they bring.  Writing them down ensures that you’ll have them eleven years later or when you can really appreciate them.  Dreams are way ahead of us.

I began by asking a question about our use of the personal pronoun, should it be singular or plural? Well “we” is the royal personal pronoun, isn’t it? 

There are many theories of personality proposing that we’re actually multi-selves, whether we talk about  complexes, sub-personalities or lost soul parts.  It can be a little hard wrapping the logical mind around this; I think of it as psychic string theory.  In many psychological models, the ego is seen as the captain of the ship, the center of personality that must be in charge to keep us from going crazy.  The stronger the ego, the better able one is to cope with life’s vicissitudes and become successful.

Tolle shakes things up when he proposes that the ego is crazy and letting the ego control our lives is insane, both on a personal and collective level.  The ego is shortsighted and easily deluded; egoic consciousness focuses on the world of form, gets lost in the past or the future and is thrall to distorting subjective thoughts and projections.  When we switch our awareness, become the Observer, we live in the reality of the present moment and can tune in to a larger consciousness than our puny human egoic thinking can fathom. The observer is the part of us that can see the ego’s self-created dilemmas and detach, releasing the obsession by seeing it for what it is, what William Blake termed, mind forged manacles.

The challenge that Tolle lays out isn’t new and sounds pretty Buddhist to me, but his synthesis of many spiritual teachings into a clear, contemporary understanding is very helpful.

.

So, can the ego be dissolved?  What is the role of the observer?

Shall we sleep on it?

Here’s the link to ET TV where he tells his story.

http://www.eckharttolletv.com/adwords1?_s_ref=75E59Cx3S&kw=[eckhart%20tolle]&creative=8377150426&gclid=COqP2Kevt7ACFQlN4Aodm2V76g

Who’s Out There?

 The other day a dear friend, a man I’ve known for over 30 years, called to share a dream that excited him but made him wonder if he was crazy.  Having known him so long, I couldn’t guarantee he isn’t crazy, (kidding) but I know his dream is not.

In the dream he hears himself say; “Lord, what is the meaning of life?”   The answer he hears is, “To live it.”

I’d call this type of dream, A Little Big Dream, simple, spiritual and to the point.  It’s the type of dream that sets you pondering and makes you feel instinctively that you’re not alone. 

To be fair, some might ask, is this the voice of his waking conscious mind reminding him of what he already knows or is it the voice of something other than the dreamer himself? The more you pay attention to your own and other people’s dreams, the more easily you recognize that there are common threads that link us when it comes to dream experiences. 

The question of what is consciousness in waking and dreaming is the subject of much exploration in the field of lucid dreaming.  One of my favorite lucid dream authors, Robert Waggoner, writes about his awakening to the humbling realization that although lucid in his dream, he could direct the focus of his experience, but he (his dream ego) was not in control of the experience or all the characters anymore than he could be in waking life:

 “…I knew that something was “behind” the dream, even when lucid.  There was simply more than the waking self conscious in the dream state…the conscious unconscious, the creative system – something – hid behind the creations, yet could be seen in the creativity…I knew too that I did not control the unconscious and its expressions…”
Lucid Dreaming: Gateway to the Inner Self; p.63

Sometimes this "something" is a Voice, like the one my friend experienced hearing, (Waggoner also talks about a Voice). These dreams crack me up because of their sheer directness.  I shared my Voice revelation dream with him (the one I recently told you about in my post, “The Observer or the Observed”).  I wanted him to know that he wasn’t alone in his experience.    

We talked about his dream for a long time; I guided him through the Lightning Dreamwork process, the quick, non-intrusive dream game developed by Robert Moss as a guideline for sharing dreams and discovering their energy. After we finished, his dream shines with its message of soul purpose and soul consolation.  Despite the difficult circumstances of his life, it illuminates his heart with courage and sparks a desire for something deeper, attainable with the help of his dreams. 

What makes life worth living?  What’s it all about? What is the meaning of life?  To live it. 

But what if you don’t care to live it?  What if it’s so hard, you want to give up or if somehow the meaning has gone out of it, you’re just marking time?  This is true for an astounding number of people in western “civilized” cultures, and it has nothing to do with the tanking economy. 

Dreams offer profound revelations, spiritual truths that fill the aching void in us and give us the courage to live more fully. When we put our ear to the pillow, we create an opportunity to open our hearts to the messages of hope and inspiration that can come from dreams. Dreaming is the royal road to soul recovery; bidden or unbidden, our dreams light  our way home.

Robert Moss’ new book, Dreaming the Soul Back Home: Shamanic Dreaming for Healing and Becoming Whole, is a goddess send for anyone who wants to explore the soul healing aspect of dreaming.

Ancient Mother

I trace my awakening to the Mother archetype to my dreams, especially one Big Dream. Raised under patriarchal religious paradigms, I salute the amazing Power of the Dream Source that gave me, "Howling Mary."

Happy Mother's Day to all women, and perhaps to all men. (What are the odds, if you choose this life setting often, that you've been both sexes?)

Thanks to all women who choose to give birth, and to those who don't.

Thanks to all men, who don't just plant seed, but nurture it.

Happy Mothers and Fathers day.

Howling Mary is the Goddess pissed off about a whole lot of things.  The way the boys are running things; the wanton destruction of hearts and earth. She's the return of the Feminine to Divinity.  I don't just want equal pay, I want Her to share divinity with Him.  Mother/Father, Sister/Brother.  When She is recognized as One Who Has Always Been, the Archetype of Divine Motherhood, the Creator and Nurturer, the Earth, things will change.  Mothers are a good influence in general; She is the psychic part missing from our paradigm.

With all apologies to Mary; the Goddess is Not a Virgin. She likes sex.  She gives birth, not just once but continuously, to us and to all that is.  She also wouldn't step on a snake or anything else.  She can be Wild, She is Nature.  But Mother Virgin Mary is as much of the Goddess as the boys could take, the people wouldn't give her up and they had to give them something.

Howling Mary is Mad as Hell and She Ain't Going to Take it Anymore.  That seems to be what my dream is saying.  How many of us will join her in howling?

I love women; the women in my life, starting with my mom and continuing with the dearest of dear friends; I wish we'd get busy doing more to ensure that women aren't rendered inconsequential once again.  I shudder at the thought of being legally bound by life altering and restricting rules, just because I'm a woman, and because only men make the decisions.  I love men, for the very same reasons.  My dad is my Buddha; it just came naturally to him to be the best father possible.  My brother is a wonderful man and a loving friend, my loving husband, Jim, and so many wonderful guy friends.  I call on them to get busy, too.  Whatever happened to 50/50 here in the USA? 

Honoring the Mother is a great first step to healing the planet; can you imagine a Middle East that honors Her?  I think any religion that relegates Her to the bench, relegates women to varying degrees of jeopardy.   Extreme, rigid, dogmatic men are dominant in Christian sects today, too.  I think western women need to participate more in changing the paradigm for the sake of future generations, especially.  Dogmatic rigidity kills Spirit; just ask Jesus.

 

I sing a heart song for the Mother today.

Real or Not Real?

On a friend's recommendation, Jim picked up The Hunger Games for his train commute the other day, finished it in a flash and suggested I give it a try.  Now, we've both finished all three books in the series and really liked them, mostly.

(Spoiler alert: I’ll be careful to divulge as little of the plot as possible, in case you haven’t read the books and want to, but there will be a wee bit of revealing commentary I can’t help.)

Riding in the car with Jim yesterday, we started talking about the ending in the third book, Mockingjay, how it feels rushed and truncated to both of us.  In Jim’s words, it lacks a real denouement.

We suppose the author could have been under pressure to deliver the copy or in a hurry to wrap up the story, but I want to know how hope, trust and love were reborn from the ashes of Katniss and Peeta’s shattered lives. How did they get from trauma, horror and loss to a life together in what’s left of district 12?

For me, Peeta is the most spiritual character in the story; he reminds me of the Fool in the Tarot deck, loving, trusting and joyful.  He’s capable of complete self-sacrifice in the name of love; yet, in the end, after going through hell and back, his story is summarized in a matter of a few paragraphs spoken by Katniss in her closing narrative. 

The same goes for Katniss; so many wounds and so much fire in her soul, and her journey back to relative sanity is hardly described at all. Yes, she relays how she grieved for one person she lost, but did Peeta’s love once again restore her?  Isn’t this worth some of the descriptive artistry the author devotes to earlier parts of their relationship, like say, in book one?

True there was nothing left to blow up or kill by the time Katniss is narrating the end of the story, but how did they arrive at the point where they could have a life together?  It’s a story of healing and restoration; was it love that gave them back a life? Did one rescue the other from the brink, only to be rescued as well in the process?  This part of the story is worth many more pages, not just a short paragraph or two.  I don’t know why it ends so abruptly, but I’m sure Suzanne Collins could do a great job of fleshing it out.  Well, there’s still the movie script to the third book…

I admit I have a problem with “the future is bleak” story lines like this one.  Big Brother always watches; there’s always lots of cruelty, violence and loss.  I know there are many examples of this scenario in history and in some parts of the contemporary world, but is this the only future we can imagine winning out, becoming the outcome of our present age?  While we can dream, is this the best we can do?

If these are the fictions that entertain us, I think at some level it sets us up to anticipate this future; our sights/sites are set, both our vision and its scope, on the joyless, the dismal, the dire, the horror and the tragic in life.  It pumps us full of survival adrenalin, but it gives us nothing to hope for.  I remember leaving the theater after seeing Clockwork Orange many years ago, and asking; Where’s the Love? Who in this story embodied that human potential?
 

I don’t see Suzanne Collin’s trilogy as devoid of human caring; in fact, I think love is constantly displayed between various characters.  The power of Love to transcend incredible odds is often woven into the story, but in the end, that’s exactly what’s left out, zip, zap, done.

In the last book, Peeta, who suffers severe PTS and paranoia as a result of being tortured, devises a way to test for trustworthiness in those around him. He recounts a memory and asks, “Real or Not Real?”  His question elicits wonderful heartfelt responses from those trying to help him.  I think it’s a good question to ask.

The Hunger Games Trilogy: Real or Not Real?

The love between the characters: Real or Not Real?

Love heals: Real or Not Real?

Love is the answer: Real or Not Real?

We can dream a future story that doesn’t involve total catastrophe, loss and destruction: Real or Not Real?

Dreams are Real: Real or Not Real?  You know my answer to that one.

Size Really Doesn't Matter

Okay, I'm talking about the size of a dream here.

I often hear people say;   "... all I could remember was just an image, or a word, or just like one quick scene.  I can't remember my dreams."

In my experience, dream fragments like these are rich playgrounds for further exploration and never to be underestimated.  Here's a fun example I discovered today while playing Bibliomancy with my dream journals; a snippet of a dream from 27 years ago, dated on my birthday, so technically it was my birthday dream for that year.

My Old Woman

My old woman is coming to get me, to guide me.  She tells me two things...

That's it.  That's the dream memory.  Of course, I'd like to know what she said in the dream, but I didn't bring that back. All I've got is this enigmatic fragment.  What a goldmine!

The Old Woman archetype, the Crone of the Tarot Deck, is not the worthless or ugly or unnecessary cultural archetype that exists today.  As in ancient times, the Crone is the Wise Woman and the Healer.  She is also the Midwife of Death, as in the Yoruban/Lucumi goddess Oya or the Hindu Kali. She is the High Priestess of the Great Mother.

I know this wise woman from other dream visits.  I know her by the name she gave me to call her.  I've heard her speak to me before.   Having her on my side is a big blessing.  This picture is one I drew of her after another dream visit about 3 years prior to the fragment I recorded.  

What two things did she say?  How about...

You're not going to remember much of this visit.
I'm with you always.

How's that for a possibility? I just used my imagination.

As a dream practitioner, I wrote a dream fragment down to honor a visit with the Wise Woman and say thank you to my dream source. I didn't return to this dream fragment until now, 27 years later, and I rediscover a powerful dream ally I hadn't remembered in a while.  And coincidentally, my birthday was this past weekend.

All dream time is NOW; I'll definitely re-enter this dream and talk to her soon. 

My point is that, if there are times in life when size does matter, the size of a dream never does.  Dream power comes in the most insignificant of packages.  All we have to do is pay attention.  Pay attention and keep a record for future perusal.  That's the fun of dream play.