Are you dreaming life?

What if we were all just dreaming up our lives? What if we were really sleeping and still dreaming, even when we thought we were awake?   What if when we wake up from our 'sleeping dreams,'  we just awaken to another level of dreaming - another illusion? If you knew this was the truth, would you want to wake up?

Shakespeare said, " All the world is a stage, and we are mere actors." Could this be true? Are we just actors that have taken on roles within a play and have we gotten so attached to our roles that we have forgotten that we are just acting? Have we identified with our dream role so much that we have forgotten who we really are and don't know how to wake up?

After you awaken from your current 'sleeping dreams,' where someone was abusing or hurting you, do you go to the police and try to have that person thrown in jail? Do you attempt to sue the person or character from your dream? That would be insane wouldn't it? Wouldn't you know that they are actually innocent of the crime they did in the dream? The truth is that they are innocent and most people are bright enough to not carry over the dream tragedy into the 'waking life'.

Row, row, row your boat,

Gently down the stream

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily

Life is but a dream!

What if you were to wake up  and realize that your mind was just dreaming all the suffering and trauma of what you call  life?  Would you try to punish all the other 'actors' that hurt you in  that dream life? Would you punish yourself?  Or, would you say, "Oh, this life was but a dream. It didn't really happen.'

 These are radical ideas and yet they are the teachings of all the great masters throughout time. They have all attempted to guide us to the truth of who we are. They have told us that we live in a world of illusion and have been trying to coax us to awaken from  all the suffering into a 'heaven' beyond.

Becoming lucid in the dream

 It is possible to become "lucid" or awake in our sleeping dreams. It takes some practice and learning how, but people have done it. Perhaps you have too? Have you been inside your sleeping dream and known that you were dreaming and because you are "awake" within that dream, you realize that you have powers to consciously co-create within the dream? Some people can use their "dream-world" as a sort of "holo-deck" where they can do scenario planning for a situation they are going into in their 'awake world'; for example, an interview they are going to do for a job the next day. In the dream they test out various interview strategies.  There are even centers where you can go and learn how to consciously go into the same dream with a partner... so you are consciously co-dreaming the same dream! How wild is that!

 The question then becomes, how do you awaken in this more 'solid-feeling dream of life' so that you can co-create with this illusion, in your full power, knowing the truth of who you are? If this is actually a dream and not reality, how do you bring the reality of who you are into this illusion so that you create and experience love, joy, expansion, bliss, beauty, ecstasy, success, fulfillment and every other essence of the truth rather than the human pain and suffering experience? How do we awaken from this very persistent dream that many, if not most people, experience as a nightmare?

 What if when we did awaken from our current life trance, we had the capacity to consciously influence this waking dream so  much that what would be called "miracles" in the old dreams would be natural in the new one?   Have you been there? Isn't it incredible when you are in such  synchronistic flow   that the impossible seems to happen on a regular basis? Where every moment is a delightful surprise? 

 I've had many moments and experiences of being awake in this illusion. It is an amazing experience. Some would call the experiences miraculous.  The problem, if it is a problem, is that I keep falling asleep again.  The dream of life is very addictive and often difficult to navigate consciously. Our minds are in this "dream-trance" most of the time and it is hard to stay awake.  As human beings, we tend to love the drama!

 When someone does something hurtful, it can be difficult to go to the awakened state of love and see them in their innocence, but it can be done. It usually takes some inner work, or forgiveness, but you and I can return to love - no matter what happened. That is our soul journey and our only lasting freedom.   

 Imagine that all the actors in your play are actually there to assist you in awakening? What if that soul that appears to have hurt you is just showing you where you still fall asleep and are unable to stay awake to the truth? What if that beautiful soul (called you mom or Dad or partner) is so loyal to you that it will never leave you alone until you come Home to unconditional love?

 This is what I know. These characters in the dream ARE just mirrors or projections that have the capacity to show us the way Home if we know how. They can be used to guide us back into our innocence and truth. Each carries a message for us of where we are not able to stay awake to unconditional love within ourselves. When we take the messenger seriously and restore unconditional love, no matter what happened, then the mirror collapses and that experience will disappear. In the process, we release that soul from holding the mirror so that they can also return to love.

 What if we all took responsibility for our mirrors of illusion and held a bright flame of innocence and unconditional love?  My sense is that if we did this, our dream would transform to peace on earth, or the universe might actually disappear and we will be in our eternal Home.

 So what can we do to awaken?  How can we own our true power? The answer is  about becoming lucid in this dream called life and taking full responsibility for your  contributions to the dream. To awaken will require an openness and commitment to change,  some tools, techniques or technologies to help you awaken, some help from Spirit and a devoted practice.  It is worth the  effort.

To help you wake up, you will want to learn,  develop and practice the following abilities:

- How to reprogram limiting beliefs that are keeping you stuck in  drama and create new affirmations that awaken you to Truth.

- How to release limiting emotions and  expand  positive energies such as  love and joy.

- How to forgive yourselves and others so that everyone is seen in their innocence and awakened truth.

-   How to embrace and integrate your 'Shadows' to restore your wholeness. 

- How to connect with Spirit through meditation, prayer, or through presence in nature. 

We are all in this together. Helping our human brothers and sisters to awaken, helps us. Helping ourselves to awaken, helps them. We are One.  Let's awaken to a new dream of life!