What would I do without . . . HOPE?

"To sit patiently with a yearning that has not yet been fulfilled, and to trust that, that fulfillment will come, is quite possibly one of the most powerful "magic skills" that human beings are capable of. It has been noted by almost every ancient wisdom tradition." ~ Elizabeth Gilbert

What would I do without HOPE? What would my life be like without that inner spark that continually burns bright in my core? I truly believe that not much of anything would happen to any of us if we didn't have it. If we didn't hope for something better or brighter, or if we didn't believe that there really was magic in believing. Even the most unawakened among us, have some form of hope keeping them on whatever path they're on. There's the hope for a better job, more money, a sunny day, a good weekend, a cure . . . a hope for love, more time, things turning out well. . . and on and on we hope . . . we dream . . . we trust.

In our darkest times, that's when we need hope the most. During times of struggle and hardship, our connection with that inner spark needs to be strengthened. No matter what we may be going through, activating what Elizabeth Gilbert calls our "magic skills" is integral in our capacity to overcome the darkness and shine. It wasn't until recently that I've realized the importance of using anything and everything at my disposal to make myself feel good in times when I'm facing some sort of challenge. It's not a matter of ignoring the situation and pretending that it isn't happening, but rather a shifting of focus. By doing whatever I can to lift my spirits and latch on to a wave of positive energy, keep that hope alive as they say, then the challenge loses some of it's hold on me.

A lot of the times when we're faced with difficulties, it's so easy to be consumed by them and devote all of our mental and physical energies to them. The more consumed we are by what is happening, the worse it seems to get. Of course, this would make sense. What you focus on expands and that goes for the good as well as the bad. And while we're focusing on the challenge, there's very little chance of a solution popping into our heads. Instead, it's quite easy for fear to take over and add itself to the situation. I can tell you that living in fear of something is never a way out of any challenge or difficult circumstance. Fear paralyzes and once paralyzed, it's quite hard to make any kind of rational decisions, if any decisions at all.

If we are able to quiet the mind and put the challenge aside for just a little bit, we can begin the process of coming up with a solution. My usual challenge seems to involve financial issues. It's the one area of my life that still presents itself over and over again without some sort of resolution. I recently came upon this challenge once more. At first, I couldn't believe that it was happening again . . . AGAIN! I almost, almost, gave in to the usual fear and allowed feelings of hopelessness to take over. But, with the help of some of the magical techniques I've learned in the past year or so and some wonderful magical friends, I was able to rekindle hope. I was able to make the shift out of that dark place and at least focus on what was shining bright right here in front of me . . . even in the midst of the challenge.

I'll elaborate more on this in the next entry. For now, sit quietly for just a few minutes and visualize what HOPE looks like to you. If you were able to see a physical manifestation of it, what would it look like? To me, my Dream Symbol also stands for a symbol of HOPE. I see it as that spark that keeps everything lit up for me. Shine!

Peace and Light to you and KEEP DREAMING!

Gene-Manuel

Nothing happens unless first . . .

"When I daydream, I go all the way to the end of the Earth, and comeback. It's a nice exercise." ~ Yoko Ono

I love the fact that Yoko Ono mentions daydreaming twice in her list of 25 Things Even My Best Friends Didn’t Know Until Now by Yoko Ono. This ties in to the message of my post today since it's all about how some people think that if you're spending most of your time daydreaming, you most likely aren't doing much of anything else. The fact that Yoko takes the time to daydream a little here and there, to some outstanding results I might add, is proof that daydreamers can accomplish quite alot. Yoko is now is 76 years young and busier than ever; with her music and exhibitions all over the world. Her daydreaming hasn't stopped her! I bet it's something she practices on a regular basis to keep her dreams alive.

Since I started daydreaming again, "full-time", I have gotten a few e-mails of concern from friends. They want to know if I've completely given up on the "real" world and just spend most of my time in a fantasy land? Am I like a zombie walking around in a daze? Just spending my time dreaming and not being really present or interested in anything that's happening around me. Some have hinted, although they haven't said it outright, that it's a complete waste of my time.

I have to say that I was busy before I started the practice of daydreaming, and now, I'm busier than ever! Like I've mentioned before, daydreaming can be used as a portal to the life you really want to be living. In my daydreams I spend most of my time creating my art and when I'm not doing that, I'm out being of service. When I'm not doing that, I'm enjoying a wonderful dinner while on vacation in Tenerife . When I'm not doing that, I'm recording a new CD. And the list of things I'm doing and accomplishing just keeps growing.

In turn, what has been happening is that the more I dream of spending time creating, the more time I spend working on my art. The more I dream of having the opportunities to be of service, the more those opportunities show up in my life. Just recently, I've started to get ideas for brand new songs for my second full-length CD. I haven't gotten to Tenerife just yet, but I know it's going to happen in the not-so-distant future.

In other words, my every-day has started to mirror my daydreams in small ways. Daydreaming helps me to live AS IF all these things are already happening. It helps to place me in vibrational alignment with the things I want. The Universe is a feeling Universe. It responds to how we feel and the vibrations we are sending out. In the midst of a daydream, I'm sending out waves of vibrations pertaining to how that dream is making me feel. I can only feel joy if I'm daydreaming of an entire day spent creating my art. That daydream is making me feel as if I'm living that way. That's where vibrational alignment comes in. The feeling Universe is receiving those vibrations my daydream is setting off in me. It's all a marvelous process!

Therefore, the more I daydream, the more I enjoy doing it. The more I enjoy doing it, the more I'm working towards making those dreams a reality. The more time spent making those dreams a reality, the more the Universe will conspire to realize those dreams. There's that incredible process at work again. It's like a whirling. . . a constant flow of energy and vibration. "Energy flows where attention goes."

But, I'm very much in the present, even while daydreaming. I know what's going on in the world around me. The struggles some are facing. The joys others are experiencing. Daydreaming is just a form of connecting with my truth believe it or not. The life that brings me joy, peace and harmony presents itself in my dreams. That's the truth I strive for.  

To those that think of it as a waste of time, I ask that you consider the following. Some of our modern-day miracles were once daydreams. Leonardo da Vinci dreamt of flying, making the first real studies of flight in the 1480's. From some of his drawings we have today's helicopter. In his day, it was all a dream. Now, it's a reality. So many other inventions came from someone dreaming of the possibility, of what could be.

Carl Sandburg said "nothing happens unless first we dream," and I couldn't agree more.

Peace and Light and KEEP DREAMING!

Gene-Manuel

Making your own Sacred Space

To me, a sacred space can be any where I choose or any thing I choose. In the mornings, my sacred space is the chair near my living room window where I do my Ah Meditation. When I'm working on my whirling art, the entire work area transforms itself into a beautiful and precious sacred space. The box where I keep my dream, written on a piece of paper from Bali and folded many times over, is also a sacred space.

I think it's important to create your own sacred space in this world. We live in a time where we willingly give up our privacy on a daily basis. I'm a self-admitted Facebook and now Twitter addict! I love the ways we are all able to share our joys, frustrations, happiness, rages, loves, dislikes, bodily movements, you name it! By typing in a few sentences on Facebook I can let all my friends know how I'm doing or how my family is. When my mom was in the hospital back in February, Facebook became a constant source of support for me. Every time I posted a status update letting everyone know that we were still in hospital and things weren't improving, I was comforted by the kind words of friends, some of whom I haven't seen in over 10 years. But, they were there for me, instantly. I also believe their prayers, chants, lighted candles, etc., helped mom recover enough to leave the hospital after 2 1/2 weeks. 

So, I'm not knocking the ways we communicate and share ourselves with the world at large. But, in the midst of all these technological advances in communication, it's now more important than ever to create a space all our own. A space where we are able to be alone. . . still . . . quiet. A space where we can save our secret hopes and dreams or share a knowledge you'd like to keep private until the right moment to blast it into the Universe with a "tweet!"

These Sacred Spaces provide wonderful opportunities to dream or be grateful or simply make a connection to something greater. It all comes back to shutting down the noise that surrounds us on a daily basis and coming back to your center. I look forward to stepping into my sacred space each day because I know that it is time specifically devoted to me. All is indeed well when I've had at least a few minutes to step away from the whirlwind that surrounds me and just breathe or write in my journal or place another dream in its special hiding place.

After this becomes a habit, what you will see start to happen is you will get the ability to remain in a sacred space even while you're out in your every-day world. Your connection to your space, to that quiet place, will remain with you. A beautiful, joyous calm will always be with you no matter where you go. 

I'll write further about Sacred Spaces in future postings but for now, I urge you to at least start thinking about creating your own space. Just putting that thought out into the Universe will be a great beginning.

Peace and Light and keep DREAMING!

Gene-Manuel