Oracle 20-20 March 2007 Article, Waking Dreams

Leading edge Quantum physics seems to confirm many tenets of ancient wisdom. Everything in the Universe is made up of energy and it is all interconnected; we all partake of one great Unity. Ideas such as “non-locality” assert that everything in the Universe is connected in real time.

To the ancient Hindus the goddess Maya was the universal Creatrix and matrix of all manifested reality. She represented the movement of energy in physical reality and wore the garments and cloaks of form. In metaphysics we are accustomed to hearing that the visible world is “illusion” and that nothing is permanent. This tangible world of the senses is certainly not what it seems and science tells us that our bodies are made up of atoms that are separated by immense distances. But this “illusion” of physical reality is not a falsehood just because it is an appearance, and we can learn a lot through close observation.

We are also accustomed to thinking of our waking life as our true existence, and because it appears to have material substance this is where we focus the majority of our attention. But in the quantum realm our dream state is as real as our waking state. More real, perhaps. We are in closer contact with eternity, and as our conscious mind, the Monkey Mind which chatters incessantly is stilled, we can be open to wise guidance from our Soul or Higher Self. Anyone who has worked with dreams knows this to be true.

Shamans from traditions around the world also know the highly relative nature of reality, and for nearly 50,000 years have transmitted practices which help people gain more understanding. How might we in a fast-paced technical world access this deeper wisdom in the daily walk of “real life?”

One powerful way to work with symbolism and guidance is to view life as both a waking dream and a sleeping dream. This creates a mechanism for our guidance to speak to us continually and provide feedback regarding the ongoing lessons in our life. In a sense we begin to experience life shamanically, or in a quantum reality, and the potential to receive messages is dramatically increased. The famous Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Jung, coined the term synchronicity for seemingly coincidental connections, meetings or messages which appear to be unconnected. We know that it is all connected; we just can’t see the big picture which reveals the linkages and triggers which drive the mechanism.

When we view life as a waking dream we pay closer attention to what appears in our path. Indians who live according to their traditions do this as a matter of course, and the characteristics of certain animals are taught and remembered. In the same way we might study dream symbolism and learn our own responses to certain people or creatures for our night time dreams, we stop to analyze what the objects which show up during the day might be saying.

For example, a bird may land right next to you on a fence post. What kind of bird is it? What is the bird doing? What might this be saying to you? Some other animal may literally cross your path. How does it make you feel? You may overhear a conversation in the line in the market and someone makes a remark that stops you in your tracks because it’s the exact answer to a question. You may be driving on the highway and a truck passes you with a word that sends a specific message. A particular song lyric may play in a context that has meaning for you. A friend may say something in a certain way and you “know” it is a message.

Usually there is a feeling in your body which announces that this is in fact a symbol and not just the events of the day. Some people get a chill, others experience some sensation in the solar plexus. Your own body knowing will be unique to you and as you open to your waking dream it will become clear what your signal response is.

It’s my experience that when people start to live life this way what shows up does so with startling clarity. The author Jack Kornfield has said, “Those who are awake are in a constant state of amazement.” This is precisely true for those who learn to work with life as a waking dream. Prepare to be amazed.

Julie Gillentine is the award-winning author of TAROT & DREAM INTERPRETATION and other books and articles. Each year she leads a sacred journey to Egypt. Julie can be reached through her web site www.queenofcups.com or in Colorado at 970-264-7474.