how to be aware in an unaware world

Tag: attention

Dreams
When we drift off into that strange yet personal place of dreaming, after long hours in a wakeful state, we find that there is no awareness of time, desire, food or drink, warmth or cold, longing or lacking.
We are sheltered, for a brief time, from the world outside, sunk deep into a space only we can occupy, twisting left and turning right without much recollection or direction.
It is in this place we find solace. It is in our dreams that we are limited only by our imagination, suspended in a blissful state of relaxation and peace.
It is also in this place we find fear. Manifested and percolated by the trauma seen and felt in the waking world. We are trapped, so it seems, in the unconscious abyss for some time.
And when we wake up some mornings without recollection of that place, we question its very existence. Are dreams real if we have no definitive proof they exist? Are we actually dreaming or just resting the mind?
There is an old and powerful Tibetan practice to help us recall our dreams when we wake, eyes squinting, fragments of visions still floating in our minds.
The practice goes as such:
- Slowly close your eyes before bed or during your evening wind down.
- Begin to rewind your day by thinking back to what happened ten minutes prior.
- And 10 minutes before that.
- And before that.
- And before that.
- All the way back to when you woke that day.
Try and keep the rewinding of your day objective, not stopping on one experience or another very long, just like rewinding an old VCR tape.
When we recollect our day, we begin to recollect our dreams. Furthermore, we can make sense of what we see in our dreams by recording them in a journal, voice memo, or conversation.
The questions go as such:
- What did you see, smell, taste, and feel?
- What was the setting and what was the plot?
- What was the purpose?
- What brought you out of the dream?
- How did you feel upon waking?
Looking back on my dreams through the years has been like stumbling upon a world that seeps into my life. I have had deep visual dreams that predict feelings in the future. It’s wild.
For example, I had a dream years ago that I will remember for as long as I am able:
The setting was one of tranquility. The white, sandy beach and tall, barren cliff of a small island come into focus. I smell and taste the salt in the air and how healing it is. I approach the beach on a small boat, looking all around me and up the Craig. As curious as a cat in Wonderland, I climb out of the boat and approach the cliff’s rocky feet. With no hesitation, I began to slowly climb, gaining height very fast. And as I climbed higher and higher, a sense of fear and trepidation grew. I felt as though I made a huge mistake but couldn’t turn back any longer, both my body and mind suspended in fear. As I keep climbing, the sun grows brighter and brighter. It feels like I am over a hundred feet up now. I reach my arm up and over to a vibrant green vine close to the top and find it not a vine at all, but a surprised, scared snake. It turned violently and in the blink of an eye, struck my right arm. I immediately let go of the wall out of fear and confusion. As I fell, for what seemed like several seconds, the world around me became filled with white, my life partially flashed before my eyes in those seconds. I truly felt I had met my end. The sudden rush of thoughts and feelings of all those I love and care for were gone, my life and hopes and dreams gone as I awoke, sweating, heart pounding, still questioning for a few seconds if I had really left the waking state.
I realized right then and there, that reams are the portal by which we glimpse death, and as a result, the appreciation of life.
In that dream of death, I found the waking of life, an overwhelming gratitude that it was but a dream.
Dreams are also portals of instruction, vision, reasoning, and perspective. It’s how we interpret these dreams that help us navigate our waking hours.
I still climb, in the waking world, and face that fear of falling every time. Only a few other times have I envisioned my death and the deep loss that is felt. Overall though, I fight my fear and appreciate life.
May your dreams be a guide to you tonight.
Dreamy Links:
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September 19, 2023
Music
I read this local quote once in a local magazine about a local Nashville band that I can locally recall to this day:

“It makes me claustrophobic to think about music that doesn’t move.”

Music is an experience that takes us to places we can touch, taste, see, and most especially, hear.

Every time we listen to the sound of music, whether through headphones or speakers, in a studio, or in the elevator, it affects how we think and feel.

There is a real, tangible reaction in our minds to the sounds around us, especially well organized sounds (or music).

More remembered is the music that really moves us, sinks deep into our soul like a heavy weight cast into the sea, sinking quickly to the bottom of the ocean floor.

For example, a song that moves is A Change is Gonna Come by Sam Cook and the story behind the song displayed persuasively in the movie One Night in Miami.

Music is a journey that evolves with time. Don’t some songs just bring you back in time? Flooding your mind with memories when you listened to it growing up?

In this there is almost a rediscovery of the song. Maybe the lyrics mean more now, or an instrument comes through more. Whatever it is, hold on to it, write it down, voice record your interpretation.

Another song that hits me is Fix You by Coldplay. It’s such a simple and short song, but yet so impactful.

There’s been thousands of people singing along to that song at one moment or another and then there’s me, with the floodgates open, alone in my bedroom at one moment and at a 65,000 attendee concert in Atlanta, Georgia at another.

I also remember biking back from work in Nashville at 11 at night, the yellow traffic light flashing and Yellow by Coldplay softly playing in my ears.

Music has such an amazing ability to pull back the veil of time and reveal a different you during a different place and time.

The other incredible thing about music is it’s universal, it connects people all around the world from all kinds of backgrounds and cultures. A single song, like Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) by Shakira that played at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Though I may not know the words to Tuyo by Rodrigo Amarante, I still feel the message permeate every time I watch the intro to Narcos on Netflix.

Music is also one of the most subjective experiences in life, what one person may love, another just can’t stand listening to and vice versa.

Developing a sense of openness towards music will find yourself open to so much more in life, crossing mental boundaries and kindling friendships.

I’m not into screamo or hard metal music at all, but I went to see a band called AFI with a friend once and it was one of the most memorable experiences I’ve ever had at a live concert.

I think the accolade that defines a musician more than anything in the world is an album. A good album is well constructed and conveys the artist’s message in an eloquent and beautiful or honest way.

Of all my years listening to hundreds of albums by all kinds of artists, these are my personal favorites:
1. In Between Dreams by Jack Johnson
2. A Rush of Blood to the Head by Coldplay
3. Currents by Tame Impala
4. Room For Squares by John Mayer
5. Freudian by Daniel Caesar
6. Channel Orange by Frank Ocean
7. Legend by Bob Marley & The Wailers
8. Lost In The Dream by The War On Drugs
9. Conjure by Elliot Root
10. Fuzzybrain by Dayglow
I encourage you (as I encourage myself) to look back on your musical journey.

What music makes you move and why? How does the music you listen to affect you?

Being mindful about what we listen to can change entirely the way we feel.

Five More Things:
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September 13, 2023
Nature
Impermanence: noun: the state or fact of lasting for only a limited period of time: “He describes the impermanence of nature’s existence.”
As I was walking through the apartment complex I called home back in Nashville, I noticed with a strange intensity a tree that stood at the back of the apartment. For some time, I sat and stared up at the large oak.
I noticed how the steadfast tree was the perfect example of impermanence.
It rarely moves or falters. Its branches sway and fall, but its trunk stays grounded. Its leaves change color through the seasons and fall softly to cover the ground beneath it, but return again vibrant in the spring. Heavy winds strike its body, but its roots reach deep and wide, holding it steady.
I also noticed the change in my own life, moving seven times in five years, and now to the place I was in then, which was the most comfortable and enjoyable place I had ever lived. I had been so caught in rumination at one moment and then calm and content at another.
Constant changes in nature remind us to step back, letting all things take their course.
And all things live in unison too. Giving, taking, destroying, building, hurting, healing. All things die to provide life (and death) again. Trillions of times a second. It’s as if nature is telling us to create balance and to admire that balance all the while it occurs.
Our admiration of this world sets us apart from all other creatures, plants, and microorganisms. It is an incredible gift to be aware of admiration.
Changes in nature also remind us of an infinite cycle. Plants and animals, bacteria and viruses, all live in accordance with their nature. A symbiotic relationship between every living thing.
Changes in one thing affect everything. The wind, for example, affects the bees mating, the birds nesting, and the trees’ strength. It affects that monsoon that was supposed to go south or the fire that was supposed to go east. It affects us from doing stuff or going places.
The natural world and the human-made world are woven together like an intricate rug. Remembering this daily comes with great appreciation and joy.
When we slow down, step back, and observe these two worlds around us, it opens up the sense of wonder that every child possesses.
Nature’s impermanence is beautifully captured in the steadfastness of a tree. It serves as a reminder that all things change and evolve, yet maintain a certain balance.
The profound interconnectedness of all living beings and their symbiotic relationship is highlighted. Changes in one aspect can have a ripple effect on everything else.
By slowing down and observing the natural world and our surroundings, we can rediscover a sense of wonder and appreciation.
I encourage you (as I encourage myself) to take some time today to explore your immediate environment.
Look for nature in unexpected places, like a bird, a bee, the wind softly against your skin, a striking sunset, a drop of rain, or a steadfast tree.
Take a moment to reflect on the concept of impermanence and how it manifests in your own life.
Three more things:
Thank you deeply for your time and attention in reading this post; it is a rare gift these days. Feel free to comment, like, or share it.
You can also support me by Buying Me A Coffee. Thank you in advance!
September 12, 2023