A Question About Dreams

Here's a question I received via email:

If I dream about people I don't know, does that mean I used to know them long time ago? Why do I dream of other peoples pets?

My answer:
Dreams fulfill all sorts of needs for people. Basically and most importantly they are a way for the person to process their own stuff. So, even when you think a dream might be of others or prophetic in some way look first to see if there isn't some meaning for you personally in the dream.

After you have examined whether a dream is a personal message for you and decided that it was not then go after the idea that maybe these are folks who are visiting you or who you knew from long ago.

So, yes, it can happen that you are dreaming of people you knew in other lifetimes. It can also happen that you are exploring connections you have (everybody has them) with folks you don't personally know who with you are working on some sort of lifelong project. In the Michael teachings they explain that we do have these connections. They've told me that the person I am working with is a female presently living in China. I don't know her personally. Could be she and I get together occasionally in dreams to compare notes. Who knows? It sounds logical to me.

My advice would be since you have expressed an interest in your dreams is to begin keeping a dream journal. Keep a little notepad beside your bedside and before you go to bed promise yourself that you are going to awaken after your dreams and record a bit of them. What you record is nothing more than a couple of words. No detailed explanations. It is in the morning when you fill in the gaps. Those three words you recorded at 3 am will be enough to remind you what the dream was about. And, not spending a whole lot of time doing this at 3 am will ensure that you're not going to awaken anybody who is sharing your bed and you are not going to rouse yourself so much that you can't go back to sleep easily. Maybe keep a little book light next to the bed so you don't have to even turn on the bigger bedside light.

It might also take a week of the promising bit before you actually begin to awaken after your dreams to do the recording. I know with me that's what happens.

So, once you are in the practice of keeping a dream journal you might also notice that you're actually recording more than one dream a night. Good.

And, the next step would be to read, "Lucid Dreaming" by Stephen LeBerge. It didn't take me until I was just half way through reading the book myself when I began having lucid dreams. That is like going from riding the merry-go-round to flying along on a roller coaster. Big difference and a fantastic dream for sure.

Lion Dancing

Here's a picture of the Lion Dancing they had near our house last weekend to celebrate Chinese New Year. The Year of the Rat.

Think Yourself Thin

Here's a question I got in my email today.

Question: I would like to know if exercise is truly required by the body. If our thoughts create our reality, why can't I just "think" myself thin?

My Answer: Yes, you can think yourself thin. A friend of mine is a psychotherapist and he is a firm believer of affirmations. He has told me on many occasions that if you begin with an affirmation like, "I notice my food behaviours" said 200 or more times a day that you can actually begin the process of losing weight. You can check out what he's written at: http://www.weight-dieting.org/brain.htm

222

I want to take a moment to commemorate the day. It’s 2/22 and 222 is my own magic number. I started seeing it as the prelude to becoming obviously psychic back when this first started.

On 2/12/93 I started channeling with the Ouija board. Ten days later on 2/22/93 I heard Seth’s voice for the first time. Fifteen years ago. Today.

In Answer to Crystal's Question

Crystal, a reader, asked a question in one of the comments to my entry of, "Becoming Psychic". My answer got too long so I figured I'd just post it here:

Here's a part of her question: Because of our free will, when you do talk with a psychic, can't the time line be changed on any event that hasn't happened? Does that make any sense? Say you'll meet whoever in one year. Or you'll move in 2 months.(This from a psychic.) Can't our free will affect that? I do believe in the psychic ability and I love to read about it as well. But I was just wondering about it and thought i'd ask someone who knew.

Hi Crystal. Thanks for asking. In answer to your question about times offered up during psychic readings, I think time would be a fluid sort of thing. It might happen that in the two months given to meet someone the meeting was actually in line at a grocery store, just a brief and passing thing, and the real meeting is going to be six months down the road. You didn’t notice the first one, but when the second one comes you definitely notice it.

Also, the idea of moving to a different place. So, physically moving satisfies something for you. So, might moving something deep within your heart. It's like you could really be happy anywhere. You're not there now, but imagine if you could be happy living in a dump or you could be happy living in a cute little cottage. It's your choice. If the psychic sees you moving in two months maybe what they are seeing is you finally moving through some psychological crap to a place where you are not unhappy anymore living in your little dump. What before irritated the crap out of you. You hated the drapes. You hated the paint on the walls. You hated the neighbors. You hated everything about the place. Now? You're in a better place in your head and heart where the same crappy little dump doesn't look so bad anymore. Now you like it. You didn't move physically. You moved in your head and heart. Saves on first and last.

I believe what a psychic sees in the future would be possible events. Of the one seen there could be six others that might, instead, come to pass. Each one of those six different possible events could be the one you need to satisfy the lesson being learned. And, your free will always overrides everything said.

Also, it might happen that for whatever reason you are meeting this person in two months maybe you have satisfied the requirements to meet that person already. Maybe you did the lesson that person is there to teach you and there is no need anymore for you to meet. That’s a possibility too.

Think of it this way. Here you are newly born into the world. You’ve come armed with a list of things to do during that lifetime. You decided to do these things when you were disincarnate and in Heaven. You had the help of guides and spiritual leaders to assist you. It was a sort of a committee action with you at the helm. So, here you are in human body now with a plan.

Except, you’re also enjoying being human. Being human brings free will. And, you can say no if you want to. Saying no to one or any of the things on your list is not going to disqualify you from the race. It merely moves the item onto the next list for the next lifetime. It might also be harder to accomplish during that lifetime.

So, here you’ve got “A” to do. There isn’t just one way to do, “A”. There could be 16 different ways to do, “A”. You could do, "A" slowly, nibbling away at it over the course of 10 years. Or, you could do, “A” fast. You could do a little bit of, “A” and have the rest of it hanging over for next lifetime.

But, somewhere along the line you’re going to do, “A”. And, many times one lifetime just isn’t long enough to learn about those things on our list. Maybe the idea is to learn about compassion. To fully explore the subject of compassion you really need to learn about it from both the receiver’s end and the giver’s end. Do one in one lifetime and the other in another, maybe. It’s just too big a subject.

And, I also believe that when you get into the mode of higher self, that higher self seems to think the most unimportant to us details are really important. I think our higher selves like to look at everything. Everything is important. I think. It’s like slapping paint onto a canvas and calling it a picture or spending six months painting that picture, waiting for the light, drawing preliminary drawings, really getting into the picture.

Also, I think what happens during a psychic reading when they tell you that something is going to happen within a certain timeframe, just knowing about it alters it. It’s like the idea that the experimenter changes the experiment by having expectations of the outcome. Anyway, suddenly you’re so on edge waiting for something to happen that you affect it and it doesn’t happen. Somehow. These are all conjectures on my part. I don’t know for sure. I’m just guessing. But, I can remember getting the psychic readings and wondering why things didn’t happen.

The best way to move through all of this? I think trying to figure out what your higher self has in mind for things to do this lifetime might be of interest. And, how to do that?

One step? Deal with your psychological issues. Just deal with them. If you’re stuck somewhere get some help. Don’t let the issues last for years. The better the place you are in psychologically the quicker and more effectively you’re going to be able to address your list of things to do this lifetime. And, I believe your quality of life is going to improve dramatically. It doesn’t take a whole lot of time and effort to enjoy a boat load of rewards with this step.

Another step? Don’t be afraid. Fear steps in and halts progress towards all sorts of goals.

So, the long way around to answer part of your question about times given in psychic readings. Yes, you have free will and can affect them.

Seeing Clearly

I can remember as a kid a common entry in my year book at the end of the year was, “Don’t ever change”. If I hadn’t changed I think my life would have been rather boring. Though, perhaps if it had been boring I would have liked it in any case. Who knows? Anyway, I’m glad I’m not the same way I was when I was 14 years old.

I am sorry to have lost my 24 inch waist, but that’s another story. I think in the last 15 years I’ve made great strides with my own life as far as clearing out psychological gunk that was miring me down. It’s not all cleared up, but at least I made a commitment and am doing things as they come up. Bit by bit. Friends might tell me I could work a bit quicker at it, but slow and steady is my usual pace.

It’s interesting, too, for me to discover that I don’t need to be “completely cured” in order to have made a definitely noticeable difference in my own life. And, if I am in a better place it makes sense that I can be of better assistance to others.

So, if you go to a psychic and what they tell you sounds strange just take it with a grain of salt. They are no different than you or me and it is just their neuroses showing up. What they are telling you is the truth as they perceive it. It’s just shining through a bit of psychological gunk.

Dennis and the Flower He Gave Me - Cropped and Treated with XaraX1

I just upgraded my version of XaraX. I bought it years ago and have used it quite a bit in creating banners and other wonderful things for my websites. Lo and behold here comes in the mail an offer to upgrade to XaraX1. This one has the ability to crop photos. This is what I've been looking for. So, I downloaded it. There are incredible tutorials available and I am already pleased I did this. Check them out at XaraX

Into Great Silence

“Into Great Silence” is a movie about a group of Carthusian monks in the monastery of the Grande Chartreuse in the French Alps. This monastery is considered to be one of the most ascetic in the world. There is very little talking. Mostly, it is the monks praying in Latin. There are very few subtitles. They are not needed as no one is talking much.. It is as if they don’t know we are there to see them at the work they do. Simple. Silent. Very moving.


It’s what a monk does. He prays. All day long. But, also the chopping of wood. The sewing of robes. The growing of vegetables.

..

One of my favorite scenes was one of the monks visiting with the cats in the barn. He sang to them, he played with them. There were times when they had free time together and I was astounded to hear them talking and laughing after having had so much silence with the rest of the movie. They even went sliding down a hill side in the snow. The monks range in age from young men, to middle aged men, to very old men. It almost brought me to tears to see the love and care they give to each other.

But, mostly it was the silence. It was interesting to me that I fidgeted about in the beginning just as I had when I first learned to meditate and everything seemed to itch at once. But, as with my practice of meditation the figeting I experienced eased. Shortly, I settled into the silence as well. Their way of life opened to me and I was able to experience the silence of God with them in a small way. It took me 3 days to see the entire movie. It is four hours long. I’m glad I spent the time.

I watched it as a streaming download from Netflix. The DVD has additional information about the making of the film.

A Close Up

Becoming Psychic

Nothing changes. Not much anyway.

When we were kids we hung out with other kids. I suppose some of us were loners. But, at some point I think everybody must have hung out with somebody for awhile. I had years of being a loner, but there were a few places where we lived where I did cultivate some friendships. What I experienced was that we mostly all wanted to be like each other. There was no room in our groups for people who were not like how we were. We’d make fun of the others and although they had their own friends and groups they hung out with they did not seek to be friends with us.

So, this brings up an interesting point.

To get psychic you can hang out with other psychic people. It is a sort of contagious condition. Most times it is difficult to run across people who will say they are flat out psychic in “real life”. I don’t really have anybody who is seeking me out at the present time other than the odd internet connection every once in awhile. I don’t go around with a sign hanging off of me saying that I’m psychic either. However, I hope that with whatever I can teach about the condition I am also furthering your desire for it.

It’s actually pretty cool. You can say to people quite often, “Wow. I was just thinking about you.” That’s sort of low key, but it’s psychic. Actually, everybody has this ability. Your job, though, should you accept this quest is to go after it in a big way.

Actually, this bit that I’m writing right now is sort of meandering aimlessly about. I don’t really have a point to make other than if you want to be psychic hang out with psychic people. If you live in the middle of a corn field and really can’t say there’s anybody obviously psychic around you start reading books by psychics. Learn from them what it feels like to be psychic and what they use their psychic gifts for. Some are psychic detectives. Some help others over the rough spots in their lives. Some draw. Some create music. Some write. You can use your psychic gifts in any field. It’s the edge you can give yourself. It’s knowing yourself a little better. It’s honoring yourself fully.

It’s not being afraid.

Go get a few psychic readings from different psychics just to see what they say. Don’t pin a whole lot on it. If it strikes you as something valid then honor it. If it’s sort of confusing or off in any way, then don’t be bothered with it. Remember it for future though. Many times they see things a far ways away. I got a reading once where what was said didn’t come to pass for 5 years.

Sometimes I just sort of dip into the psychic state. It’s like relaxing into a warm bath. Like tonight I did it and I sensed my mother’s presence. I felt her arms go around me and I laid my head upon her shoulder. It had been awhile and I just fell to pieces. Fourteen years since she died and to be able to have her that close to me is a joy. So, for a few minutes here, while I typed this essay I was able to be with my mother again. Now, in my opinion that’s the best thing being psychic can get you.

Red Hair

Nothing would tickle me more than to become a flaming psychic. When I think of a flaming psychic I would have red hair. It would be really frizzy. Out to here. Also, I would wear gold jewelry, big hoop earrings and beaded necklaces that I would make. I’d also make really snazzy hair ornaments. I’d wear floaty, flamboyant, colorful shirts and tailored pants. Or jeans.

I’d write in the mornings and in the afternoons I would commune and meditate and just do whatever. I know for certain I’d take a nap in the afternoons. That’s necessary for writers. Then, when I awakened, I’d hang out my sign that the psychic was in and I’d do readings for people. We’d do them over the phone. I doubt I’d be having folks come to my house. No need to pick things up and there is the matter of a gazillion cats all over the place. If the people not be offended the cats sure would be.

Ah…

Well, it was nice thinking of it.

I go to work everyday and am a secretary. I complain a lot. Loudly at times. Mostly, I just work hard. I do not dress stylishly. I certainly don’t have red hair. It’s gray. Steel gray…sort of orange where the henna stayed on too long, but mostly gray these days. I don’t use henna anymore. Someday that damaged bit will grow out. I’m horribly overweight. There could be two of us here! Slowly I am losing the weight. I go to Curves, not a whole lot, but I go.

But, I am still a psychic.

So, what happens is I try to incorporate my psychic bits with my ordinary bits and what happens is me.

I used to be more fun when I drank and smoked. When I die I told my guide that’s what I’d like to be greeted with at the Pearly Gates…a rum and coke and a cigarette. I just wrote, “Jesus can wait.” But backspaced over it when somebody said, “Don’t say that. He’ll get PO'd.” I suppose that wasn’t ordinary. I put it back in to illustrate that point.

Sometimes the guides or folks in spirit will talk to me while I’m driving. Somebody says in my ear, “Go straight.” I narrow my eyes and say, “Why?” Nobody ever answers me. They just say, “Go straight” or “turn left”. Fine. Generally, I do it. The reasoning behind this is 15 years ago my guide told me to roll up the window. I didn’t do it and 5 minutes later some lady reached in and stole my purse. No skin off my back if I go straight or turn left. Maybe, just maybe we have averted something nasty.

Actually, everybody has just as much opportunity to listen to spirit as I do. It's just that you need to pretend at first. They really don't mind if you go putting the words in their mouth in the beginning, just to see what it feels like. I wouldn't blab it around because it can be really wierd at first as you get accustomed to it. And, you might wish you never started. Some of those guys do tend to run on at the mouth. And, of course there is the idea that once you've done it you can't undo it. Make it stop...Make it stop. Sorry. Deal with it.

Also, I do not recommend that teenagers do this. Or little kids. Sometimes it just comes on naturally for them and then will fade away as they get older only to return when they are 35 like it did with me. But, I don't encourage kids to dabble with this stuff. Actually, I wouldn't even recommend anybody start unless they are in their 30's. But, that's just my own opinion.

Oh, and if you're under a doctor's care for a mental condition you do NOT want to do this.

But, if you've weighed the consequences (never getting away with a single blamed thing in your life again because somebody in Spirit will want to talk to you about it) see what you think. Spirit is waiting. Oh, and they do not give winning lottery numbers...not usually anyway.

Moving Along

I’m reading a book right now that has been one disappointment after another. I’m almost half way done with it and I sat there on the commode this morning wondering why I didn’t just stop reading it. I looked at how far I’d come and thought to myself that it wasn’t going to get any better. Then, I thought of all the days that I’d wasted reading this book.

I thought to the particular things I did not care for about the book. It wasn’t the story because I think any story can be made interesting. It was the way the author didn’t seem to be moving the story along. If you can imagine you’ve got a point A, B and C to move through from beginning to end to make the story happen, it felt to me like this story was moving from A to New York, to Myrtle Beach, to B, to Safeway and then to Walgreens, and finally maybe to C. There were jolts to the story. You’d be sailing along and suddenly a character would make an observation that had absolutely nothing to do with either the story or with developing their character.

So, in the moment that I was deciding that the book wasn’t going to get any better and that I could spend my time doing something more productive it slammed into me what this was supposed to be about.

The lesson here is that I could learn something important even from the boring bits of my life.

Life doesn’t have to be totally riveting all the time. It doesn’t have to be one thrill after another to count as a well spent life. The boring parts can actually be interesting too. And, if I move into more considering moments along the way I could make my life lessons count for more too.

And, with that, I’ll probably return the book to the library and not think about it any more.

My Three Crowns

I have my happy face and I have my poopy face. Poopy face has been writing over on The Psychic Vents all month and if you want to hear anything about dental news you can catch me there. That’s what’s been going on with me since just before Christmas.

It was actually sort of funny this afternoon as my co-worker and I walked through the driving rain towards where we’d parked our cars after work. I’m trying not to suck any cold air into my mouth again and have decided the best way to approach conversation in the cold, wind and rain is to purse my mouth. Like you’re doing an, “Ewwwww”. It helped a little bit. Anything cold that hits those teeth, or what used to be teeth hurts like the dickens…Ewwwww.

Quitting ---- Again?

What is the difference between a quitter and a person who has changed their mind?

I would say the quitter will never again revisit the idea of doing whatever it was they quit doing. This is assuming it was a relatively good thing they were doing. We all know people who quit drugs, quit smoking and give up drinking all would resume said activity at the drop of a hat, but don’t because they know they can’t. So, those folks don’t count. I’m talking about people who wanted to learn to play the piano, who even went to the expense of buying one and who don’t make the effort to play it.

Well, this is assuming everybody thinks they actually want to play it. What if all they wanted it for was to untie a knot in their heart? And, mostly these days that knot is loose.

Well, then, I would say that person is not a quitter, but merely found an expensive way to solve a problem. But, the problem eventually got solved. So, did the expense justify the result? I’d say yes. Somebody else might say no. Except, it’s my piano and my house, so your vote doesn’t count for much does it?

Ahhahahah.

Right, let’s get back on topic here.

What I’m working on this morning is another article for my February Talking to Spirit newsletter and I’m not having a real successful time of it.

Okay, seeing as how a blog could be the springboard to something else we will use it as such this morning. I’ll put a link to the actual newsletter once it’s done so you can see if I got remotely close to what I’m working on here.

One of the guides just said to me to get in the mood. My mood for writing, better quality stuff anyway, involves getting really quiet and drawing upon something invisible, something I’ve never been able to define, but it’s almost like the smart part of myself. It’s the inspiring part of myself that comes up with interesting ideas.

Okay. Quiet.

And, seeing as how the psychic part of me is involved here I will call upon that part too.

Actually, folks it’s all the same part. We’ve all got it. It’s just that mine can sometimes be a little unnerving. Sometimes folks who’ve been killed show up too and I sometimes don’t know why they are there. So, dipping.

If you put a fair amount of planning into what it is that you want to do you would also try to provide yourself with the easiest way to accomplish your plans. If you are going to be making steaks for dinner, buying pork chops is not going to get you nearer to your goal. Must purchase steaks first.

So, if you want to learn how to write a book, if that is what your plan is, then you would need to have in mind what sort of book you would want to write.

The question, though, is at what point you decide that your original idea is so much crap and writing about something else entirely has absolutely grabbed you by the creative throat and won’t let go. I’d say that was a good time to consider changing course and deciding to put the first plan on a back burner, maybe to revisit it somewhere down the road, and pay attention to the second idea that came your way.

If you think about it maybe the first idea wasn’t all that well thought out in the first place and you needed to actually embark upon your journey and get a few miles under your belt before you could see that flannel pajamas just weren’t going to do the trick but instead a lacy negligee was more to your taste.

So, it’s a matter of being able to switch gears quickly and not spend a lot of time feeling guilty that once more you are a quitter. You’ve just changed your mind. Makes me feel better. How about you?

Happiness

I’ve been thinking about happiness lately. What got me started was somebody in one of the blogs I read (I’m sorry, but I forget who otherwise I’d reference your blog) suggested reading, “Stumbling on Happiness” by Daniel Gilbert. When I’m done reading it I’ll write up a review for it on my book reading blog, but in the meantime it’s made me think. And, I like that.

Daniel Gilbert is a psychotherapist. He’s also down to earth. So, on the one hand where the book reads like a Sage (orator on stage) from the Michael teachings it is actually very instructive and entertaining. It asks the questions I have found myself wondering about off and on for years.

Just what exactly is happy? Is your happy the same as my happy? How can you say you are happy when you’ve hardly had any world experience?

Gilbert busies himself with explaining why our brains work the way they do. Why because we are still hardwired the same way we were thousands of years ago that we would flee before danger before we answer the question, “What the hell was that?” It’s just interesting as anything. At least, I’m interested.

Gilbert does not hesitate to use himself as an example. I think that’s sort of unusual for a writer to do that. I appreciate it. It sort of brings him closer to me. It makes me want to turn the page and find out what else this quirky guy is going to talk about.

Now, for my own thoughts about happiness. I can only talk about my own experiences. I am happiest when I am alone. I’m married. I’ve got 6 cats. I work. I deal with folks everyday, but I’m happiest when I am alone. Actually, I’m a writer and writers do what they do alone. So, it fits. Would this be happiness for somebody else? Probably not.

So, that brings up the idea that there are all sorts of happiness out there. It would just depend on who the person is.

Except, what about people who are happy under what we might consider to be absolutely rotten, miserable circumstances?

I talked to a lady yesterday who said that she thought in terms of there being happenings in a person’s life. She said everybody has things that happen to them throughout their lives, but there can be an underlying joy that shines forth through all the happenings. She said this explained to her why she would come across people who were grumpy and to her way of thinking she couldn’t figure out what they had to be grumpy about. And, that made sense to me too.

What do you think?