10_07_2018

The Value of Having Dreams

                I am in the process of repeating an online 21-day Deepak Chopra meditation on the Energy of
Attraction.  The thrust of the meditation series is to increase one’s awareness of the process and options for setting intentions followed by some helpful observations on remaining open to how our desires might manifest themselves as they are realized.

As an aside, I am finding that the first time I work my way through a meditation series I often miss many of the most critical points.  Working under the guidance of Chopra is like reading a mathematics textbook:  Every word or phrase has significant meaning!  As I work my way through one of his meditation series the first time, I concentrate on getting the main points.  Subsequent revisits allow me to tune into the deeper level insights and connections.

So, on Day 14 on my second time through the above series, the daily Centering Thought captured my attention: “Fulfilling my dreams fulfills my spirit.”  That statement I’m quite sure is responsible for the thought that popped into my head:  Do I have dreams and visions for my life?  (I found the question scary because I was afraid of what it might mean if my answer to the question was “No.”)

In the midst of listening to the build-up and preparation to the focus of the meditation that day, there was a statement made that “when your dreams originate from your true self, these same desires will bring you closer to your spiritual aspirations of greater love, joy, inspiration, and spiritual freedom.”  It was this statement that crystalized my question about whether or not I even had dreams of this nature.

After a few minutes of thoughtful reflection, I quickly realized that I do in fact have dreams, but I can’t recall that I ever used that work to “name” my desires and goals.  I’ll share that I don’t usually have desires for large costly material things, but I do desire good health for myself and friends and families, opportunities to grow and learn, and to experience happiness and joy in my life.  Being human, I sometimes dream of being as thin and fit as I was in my 20s and 30s!  I guess it is a long journey to rise above defining ourselves by how we look and by our age.

In keeping with the title of my Blog – Still Evolving – one of my dreams (now that I have given a name to my desires) is increasing my awareness and continuing to evolve.   I know from practice that this goal is an on-going journey and learning process.  I am aware that I have daily opportunities to practice being more aware.

Once again this experience has reminded me of the importance of language in our thinking process, and in particular, the power of naming.  Until we name an experience, it doesn’t exist as fully as it could in our awareness.  For example, if a friend says something to you that upsets you, until you label the feelings that the statement aroused in you, you don’t really own the fullness of your feelings.

Along this line of thinking, naming one’s desire or dream increases one’s understanding and clarity of what matters most to you.   In the present vernacular, You’ve got to own it!

The daily meditations in this particular Chopra series make clear that being aware of our daily intentions helps us more easily stick with them throughout the day.  When we are aware that by fulfilling our intentions, we are working our way to being closer to our dreams, we attract more energy as we pursue our dreams.

This same series also did a good job of illustrating three key aspects of successfully participating in the process of fulfilling one’s dreams.   Three key elements in Cultivating Energy to realize our Attractions involve the following:

• Develop the ability to go deep into one’s mind. Meditation is one of the best ways of accessing our deeper thoughts; it puts us in touch with our truest desires, ones’ that are originating within our true selves.

• Developing the ability to focus our attention on what matters the most. The more we are able to focus our attention at the most powerful level of the mind, the more we enable the creative seeds to sprout and lead us on paths that bring us the greatest opportunity to learn and grow.

• Developing the ability that once we set our intention, to step back and in a sense “let it go” by not forcing it to have to manifest in a way that conforms with our preconceived idea of what it must look like. I am finding that I as I am able to let go of set ideas on how an intention should manifest, the more fluid or able I am to recognize its realization.

On the last point, some examples might help.  Think about when you set off to find a birthday gift for a dear friend.  So you have an intention, and you also have a preconceived idea on how that intention should be realized.  Maybe you were looking for a nice scarf, but didn’t really see anything that was a good fit for your friend.  But in the process of making your way through the store’s department of accessories, you saw a handbag that you were pretty sure your friend would treasure.  So being fluid or open means that you are able to let go of what you thought might or should happen and embrace a new idea when it presents itself.

To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with having an idea of how an intention might manifest in your life.  I think it is only natural that our minds work in that way.  We receive so much stimulation within a day that it is impossible to keep track of where our ideas are originating.  I’ve read that we only utilize a small portion of our brain power in our lives as we are limited by  experience and our own preconceived ideas of how things should be as well as by our fears.

I have to throw in my pitch once again for the power of meditation and how helpful it is in quieting the mind and releasing us from being bound by all of the uninvited noises in our daily lives.  Developing a meditation practice takes at most three things:

• Making the time and commitment to establish a practice. You can aim for a daily practice, and once you are on your way, you’ll find that you are able to “sneak” in some insights on the days when your schedule absolutely prevents you from participating in your normal routine. Focus on the daily element but lighten up on beating yourself up when you miss a day here and there.
• Having compassion for yourself as you engage in the practice. Memorize this next line and repeat it to yourself multiple times:  NO ONE IS ABLE TO MEDITATE PERFECTLY ALL OF THE TIME.  Accept that your mind will wander during your meditation.  When you are aware that your mind is wandering, just refocus your attention on whatever you are using as your “anchor.”  I have found that I am more able to focus my attention if I concentrate on the sounds around me.  When I realize I am no longer listening to sounds but instead I’m following my thoughts, I just refocus on sounds.  Some people use their breadth as a focus.      Just experiment to see what works for you.
• This third step may not be essential for everyone, but I found it really helped for me to take a couple of classes on meditation as well as to read books on the subject. Dan Harris’s book – Meditation for  Fidgety Skeptics  – is one of the best and easiest reads to get you started.  I strongly encourage you to avoid anyone who declares that meditation is about clearing your mind of all thoughts…a goal that I think is unrealistic.  As you develop your meditation practice, you will find that it gets a little easier with time to quiet your mind.  When my mind is quiet I sometimes experience some wonderful insights that just appear out of nowhere.  I guess that is why the practice is called Insight Meditation by some.

If you want to try your hand at some of this, I suggest taking a moment and write out one dream that you have in your life.  Remember that if your experience is like mine, you may not have labeled a direction your heading as a dream, so think of something that you  are aspiring to and see if you are comfortable labeling it as a  dream.  Next write down 3-4 intentions or things you make a priority in your days and see how it all fits together.

Be patient and compassionate with yourself and the process…once you experience the realization that the intentions you set are actually getting you closer to your dreams, you may find that you have more energy and persistence – not to mention JOY as you work toward your goals.