I recently read a very interesting book called Courageous Dreaming by psychologist and shaman Alberto Villoldo, Ph.D. Courageous dreaming is "choosing to create a new and better reality right now instead of waiting for your life to get better."
Villoldo posits that you need to get really clear about what your inner reality is, because if you aren't consciously creating your own reality (courageous dreaming, then you'll get caught in someone else's nightmare.)
The principles in Courageous Dreaming reminded me of one of my favorite books of all time, Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon. One of the most significant themes of Bradley's re-imagining of Camelot is that what people believe to be real becomes real. In other words, the strongest belief wins.
In Lynn McTaggert's new book The Intention Experiment, she catalogues many studies demonstrating the phenomenon of non-locality or "quantum entanglement." From the sub-molecular level to the ability of human beings to influence cells, plants, animals and each other, scientists are now able to measure how living beings affect other living beings via energy.
One of the studies discussed in McTaggert's book showed that when a person designated as a "sender" of energy witnessed flashes of light, the brain waves in a designated "receiver" would mirror the brain waves of the person actually witnessing the light stimuli, even though the receiver was locked in a separate room. What was perhaps more astonishing about this sort of brain synchrony, however, was the finding that when a designated "receiver" had a more cohesive brain wave pattern than the "sender," the brain waves of the more ordered brain would sometimes take over.
These are challenging ideas, if you take them far enough. They imply that, if our species is still struggling with war, poverty, racism and religious intolerance, it's because so many of us have become trapped in a strong collective belief that "this is the way things are." On the other hand, if we want to live in a world that celebrates differences, where each person has the freedom to express his or her unique gifts, where there is plenty for all, then all we need do is believe strongly enough that it is possible.
Perhaps that thought seems ridiculous to you. And as long as it does, you will be trapped in the world you can believe in.
Christ said in his day that "the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." If he was correct, then why hasn't it happened in 2,000 years? Perhaps because we misunderstood. We thought he was talking about a "someday" heaven when he really meant that we were dreaming our reality into being, moment to moment. "Heaven," whatever that means to you, is always at hand, if only you have the imagination to see it right in front of you, and the courage to step right into it.
You have the power to break out of the cultural trance by joyously and intentionally writing your own story. You can create the life you desire in a wondrous world. Your dreams are coming true, right now.
So what are you dreaming?
