by Vaishali, author of “You Are What You Love” and “Wisdom Rising”

Reality. This crazy little thing called existence. What is it? Most likely, Lilly Tomlin gave the best celebrity answer in her one-woman show. She described it as little more than a collective hunch. Of course, she also described reality as a crutch for people who can’t cope with drugs, and a leading cause of stress. And here I thought it was something complicated. Start with a collective hunch, throw in some drugs, and add a dash of stress. I got it!  Reality is college life in the 1970s! 

For the sake of this discussion, it is not important whether or not we fully comprehend or even agree upon the scientifically approved definition of reality. The mechanics of reality, quantum or otherwise, are immaterial.  What is paramount is the meaning and perspective we freely give to reality. From a purely existentialist point of view, reality is an indestructible freedom – a freedom of choice.  You are free to choose your attitude, perspective and the meaning of your life’s situations, challenges and relationships. The entire content of your life is completely predicated upon the imbued meaning you freely chose to give it. It is a daunting task; so much is riding on your choice. A choice most of us are not even aware we are making, much less have so much invested in.

The definitive expert on the meaning of life is Victor Frankl, author of the classic, Man’s Search For Meaning. In his book, Frankl even goes so far as to say that choosing the meaning of reality is a pre-requisite for good mental health. He states that therapy and living an “examined” life can help us grow beyond our baggage and inner wounds. However, without choosing life-sustaining meanings, our minds will never heal or be completely whole. Great!  More pressure. Now if you make a foolish choice you put your relationship with quality mental health in a precarious position. I guess that explains why so many of us have “issues.”

Three existential philosophers from Texas, ZZ Top, ask the practical question, “How could anyone be so unkind as to arrest a man for driving while blind?” Their subtle point is to consider how much of the time you are even consciously aware of the navigating choices you make that drive your life. How deliberately conscious are you of the meaning you attribute to the events of your life, or even of the world in which you live? I suspect that most of us are so distracted and caught up in the movement of our everyday existence that taking the time to choose the meaning of our life’s lessons as they unfold and present themselves simply gets overlooked.

So what choices are worth making and what choices are not worth making? After all, if the quality of our human growth and our perceived value, power and worth are a direct by-product of the meaning we freely choose, then the prime objective of a successful life would be to consciously make wise choices.

First let’s consider what happens if we decide not to make a choice – that is a choice that is not worth making by the way. How many times do you see senseless acts of violence on the news or witness an insensitive act by someone? The usual thought response is, “I could have lived without this inconvenient occurrence in my life.” When we fail to harvest meaning from the events in life, we plant the seeds of being powerless, a victim, worthless, miserable and unhappy. Meaning provides the distinctly human ability to cultivate depth of character and gives us access to the strength to grow beyond any limitation.

To illustrate this, a man came to Frankl completely distraught by the death of his wife. She had died a few years earlier, but the man just could not get over her death. Frankl asked the man what would have happened if he had died first instead of his wife. The man answered that his wife would be struggling to move forward, as he was now. Frankl suggested the meaning behind the man’s suffering was that he was going through it so his wife did not have to. The man then responded, “Okay. Now I can move forward knowing I am doing this for her.” Nothing in the man’s life actually changed, except he now had a meaning for his suffering, which made it bearable and provided him with a means to evolve beyond the stagnation of grief.

There are an incalculable number of things in life that we cannot control or change. Without applying meaning, we have the accumulation of pain and suffering without a means of transcending it. If no attempt is made to find meaning, then what we have in fact chosen is an absence of meaning in our personal experience of reality.  Welcome to the void.  Whenever we create a “quality meaning” vacuum in life, the emotional and psychological aspects of our existence start to erode and diminish. Ultimately this will affect the physical. As Frankl points out, the ability to choose meaning in our lives is what makes us distinctly and uniquely human. So whether we derive life-enhancing meaning, or suffer from a lack thereof, our choice is going to affect every aspect of our reality.

If you have ever run out of creative juice or felt stuck regarding a specific life issue, you will love the rewards of dream work.  Sleep dreams, daydreams and “guided” waking dreams are more than stories about your life. Your Dreaming Mind proves you to be an inspired problem-solver, a creative artist, a natural poet, storyteller and mythmaker.
Dreams also reveal how you really feel about something, where you have been, where you are headed, and the easiest way to get there.  Dreams are really about waking up…to living your highest potential.
Through the ever-changing balance between conscious and unconscious activity, your Dreaming Mind offers rich and rewarding evidence that you are indeed an Artist of the Everyday.
 

When you engage in any creative act—from drawing a picture, arranging a bouquet of flowers, or writing a poem—you are listening to your soul’s voice.  These soulful whispers can be heard more clearly through dreams. Dreams draw from both the well of personal experience and from the reservoir of universal experiences, images, metaphors, symbols and mythology. Sometimes these dream messages defy words and can only be expressed in a drawing, a dance, a poem, a sculpture, a collage or some new invention.
 

These creative outpourings also offer additional ways to interact with your dream symbols to discover new and deeper layers of meaning. When acted upon, the muse discovered within your dreams will naturally spark your imagination for self-expression in your waking life—with amazing results.
 

When working with any dream or dream symbol, the key to discovering your creative soul is to adopt an attitude of playfulness and discovery. Then trust—and act upon—the creative flow that follows.
.    
“I dream my painting and then paint my dream”—Vincent Van Gogh
 

Allow Various Creative Forms to Evolve
When you track your inner impulses, you will find that a single dream or dream symbol can produce more than one form of self-expression.  For example a story derived from a dream can be used to create a poem, which can then become a drawing, which can be transformed into a dance and eventually even into a song.
 

Three Easy Steps to Write a Dream Haiku
1.  Select a dream element that intrigues you and list three adjectives that describe this character or object.
2. Then adding other words, arrange your adjectives (in any order) into three lines consisting of five syllables  in the first  line, seven syllables in the second line, and five syllables in the third line.
3. Make sure you give your poem a title.
Using these three adjectives (1) imaginative, (2) transform, and (3) playful to describe my Inner Dream Muse—with whom I connected during one of my “guided waking dreams”—I created the following Haiku:
Title:  “I Am the Inner Dream Muse”
Playful describes me
Being imaginative
Transform ideas
.  
It’s your turn now…simply select a dream or daydream that intrigues you. Silence any judgments from your inner writer’s critic and just listen to your soul’s voice with an open and playful heart. Allow your imagination to soar.  The possibilities are limitless!

For more opportunities to write with your inner dream muse, register for Dr. Marjorie’s upcoming creative writing sessions beginning Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 7:00-8:30 PM at www.smhas.com .  To register call:  (949) 752-5272
 

Dr. Marjorie Miles, DCH, MFT
Dream Coach, Speaker, Author and Poet
www.JourneyOfYourDreams.com
www.DreamDoorsBook.com
(714) 963-6686

Namaste and Happy New Year!

My name is David and I’ve been asked by Jerry to manage and illuminate
the blog-ability of this awesome community with its diverse beliefs,
modalities and areas of expertise. We are all here in this universe
showing up in the forms of human and spiritual beings. Those of us on
paths of self discovery, service to others and who are also excited
about generating and circulating income are being called – right now -
this year – to step up to the opportunities before us to change the
consciousness of the world. How? The simplicity is mind-blowing!! All we
are being called to do is to let people know that we are here at SMHAS
to teach, heal, reflect, guide, remind, love and connect.

Spiritual Seekers find what is sought and what they find depends upon
what is being shared and promoted – love, peace, joy, companionship,
salvation, guidance, healing, fun or whatever is on the ‘front burner’
for them at the moment. As we here in the SMHAS community share the news
of our varied and numerous gifts, talents, processes, procedures and
methodologies – more and more people will awaken, become inspired and
carry on the wave of unconditional love that is healing the world under
the radar and off the front pages.

The young people in some of my classes have a phrase: “get in where you
fit in” and I think that applies here. I’m asking you to consider my
invitation to you to write about your craft, your ideas, your classes,
your beliefs and your positive projections for the unfolding present.
Yes – get in where your passion fits – get in where your interests fit
in – get in where you want the seekers to find you, contact you,
contract with you and grow because of you!

So you soon to be fellow bloggers [beginners and seasoned] start
sending your stuff to: david@smhas.com and lets make a mighty difference
in the hearts and minds here in southern California one ‘Metablog’ at a
time!!

Walk in Balance & Live Inspired,
David

You Are Worthy!

Do not undermine your worth by
Comparing yourself with others.
It is because we are different
That each of us is special.
Do not set your goals by what
Other people deem important.
Only you know what is best for you.

Do not take for granted the things
Closest to your heart.
Cling to them as you would your life,
for without them, life is meaningless.
Do not let your life slip through your fingers
By living in the past nor for the future.

By living your life one day at a time,
You live all the days of your life.
Do not give up when you
Still have something to give.
Nothing is really over until the
Moment you stop trying.
It is a fragile thread that
Binds us to each other.

Do not be afraid to encounter risks.
It is by taking chances
That we learn how to be brave.
Do not shut love out of your life by
Saying it is impossible to find.
The quickest way to receive
Love is to give love;
The fastest way to lose love
Is too hold it too tightly;

In addition, the best way to keep
Love is to give it wings.
Do not dismiss your dreams.
To be without dreams
Is to be without hope;
To be without hope
Is to be without purpose.

Do not run through life
So fast that you forget
Not only where you have been,
But also where you are going.
Life is not a race,
But a journey to be savored
Each step of the way.

by Dr. Miluna Fausch, HHCP,Ph.D., Founder of Making Wellness Fun®

How is your energy level? Do you have all the “zest” you need to accomplish all you want it your day?  Do you have energy for fun?   Human beings were created with energy and we are energy.  Every living thing contains energy.  We each have a frequency or a tone.  When our frequency drops too low-our bodies can develop weakness or disease.  If you are feeling stress every day, you might want to pay attention to how your body is reacting.  We process from our spirit and mind and heart and the body is the last to react or catch up.  If you are experiencing illness, the thought was in your mind first.

You have probably experienced that you enjoy being around some people more than others.  It is because we are attracted to an energy or a frequency that is similar to our own.

Here are six (6) simple, free, holistic things you can do to boost your energy fast:

• Drink plenty of pure, filtered water.  Dehydration makes us tired.
• Boycott the newspaper and television news for a week and see how you feel.  Most of the media is full of negative stories!
• Open your mouth and breath from your lower belly for one minute to get the oxygen circulating throughout your body and brain.
• Draw a picture or write a poem.
• Go outside and walk around barefoot in the grass.  Remember how good that felt as a kid?  Connect with the healing power of Mother Nature.
• At the end of a challenging day, take a pure sea salt (no iodine) bath.  Soak for 20 minutes in very warm water with plenty of salt added.