“Waking from the dream is our purpose now.” -Eckhart Tolle

Over the ages, theorists, psychics, dreamers, philosophers, and even scientists have suggested that reality as we understand it is merely a dream.  The greater reality is beyond us, though not necessarily on another physical or temporal plane.  It could just be that it is inside of us, locked in our minds and bodies.  If this is true, it is because consciousness is asleep, its slumber fed by dulling routines, its vitality and awareness obscured by racing thoughts, the product of an untrained mind.

Or perhaps there is no greater reality at all.  Perhaps physicality and racing thoughts are all that truly exist.  But I’d like to believe that there is far more to existence than an unruly mind and a body that will someday rot and die.  I think the idea of deeper realms and expanding awareness is far more compelling and true.  So when I consider the notion that this reality is merely a dream that we need to awaken from in order to experience greater joy and happiness, I buy it.  Day to day living is great, but the glimpses of peace, power, and joy I have had in dreams or deep meditations are far greater.  Beyond the mask of mind and body, there certainly seems to be a greater reality at work, and waking from the dream of tooth-brushing, alarm-smashing, job-hunting, and ego-asserting will allow us to begin to experience this more colorful, vivid world. 

Let us consider the possibility that our day to day reality is a sort of dream.  Yes, it is real in the sense that you can knock on wood and feel it under your knuckles, or taste that lovely butter and honey on your toast.  But imagine that you had far more power than you realized.  Imagine that you were living in a dream that you could manipulate.  Suppose for a minute that you were lucid dreaming every moment of your life.  What if that encounter with your boss wasn’t really real?  What if you could say anything you wanted to him?  What if you could steer this “dream” in any direction that struck your fancy?  Where would you take it?

I was considering this possibility yesterday.  I was taking it very seriously because I had nothing to lose.  Sitting on some colorful floor cushions in a restaurant with billowing curtains, I sipped my mint tea.  No one was there but me.  I typed, and I thought, and I nibbled on my parantha, and I typed some more.  Then a bright-eyed Indian man walked into the room.  I have met him before.  He is a very kind, respectful man who has studied Ayurvedic massage and different types of yoga.  He always presses his hands together before his heart when he greets me, and a smudge of orange powder marks his forehead, between his eyes.

He sat down.  We talked for a long time.  He told me about Shiva, the powerful mountain-dwelling god of the Hindus, smoker of chillums, and master yogi.  He described Shiva’s royal consort, the beautiful Parvati, his student and mythical lover.  He told me about Gobind Singh, the first guru of the Sikh religion.  He described meditation techniques to be employed morning, noon, and night in order to refresh one’s spirit, and strengthen one’s body. 

As he spoke, I thought, “What would happen if I was dreaming right now?  What if this is a dream?  What would I do?  What would I say?”  Strangely, I had no strong impulses to fly to the ceiling, or start shouting obscenities just for kicks.  I just listened.  But as he continued to speak, I not only imagined that I was in a dream, I felt like I was in a dream.  I allowed myself to believe that.  And all that happened was that a smile came to my face.  I got so happy.  I must have looked goofy, smiling like that.  He wasn’t talking about anything particularly happy.  But I was happy.  I thought, We are in a dream right now, you are a character I have conjured up, talking philosophy and theology and meditation and mind.  You are so convincing with your orange dot and your brown skin, but really, we’re both just dreamers.  How fun!

It was fantastic.  I did it again today.  Stretching out over a yoga stool, my calves extended, my fingers pressing down, I thought, Pretend you’re in a dream right now.  What would you do?  Again, I didn’t fly to the ceiling, or start free-style rapping to impress all the other students.  I stretched further.  If I was dreaming, I wanted to be a badass yogi, focused on the breath entering and leaving my lungs, squarely planted in the moment as my beautiful yoga teacher told us to press down on our heels, lengthen our torsos, soften our faces.  If I was dreaming, it was a perfect dream, all of these people in an arc around the studio, legs crisscrossed like scissors, rain beating down on the roof.  It was great! 

Imagine you’re dreaming.  Maybe your boyfriend is sitting on the couch in the living room right now, watching TV.  What would you do to him, what would say?  If this was a lucid dream you were in, you could do anything!  You could sit on his lap, give him a kiss.  You could tell him that you loved him, tickle him until you are both laughing and breathless. 

Maybe right now you are on your way to the lake.  Make it a dream.  What does the water feel like on your skin when you are dreaming?  I bet it feels beautiful.  It probably makes you laugh!  Kick and splash and call your friends into the water.  Make it the best dream possible!  You are lucid dreaming, so anything is possible.  Maybe you haven’t learned to sprout wings yet, but I bet you can have a great time pretending you’re a mermaid, or enjoying that barbeque on the beach.  I bet laughing with your friends becomes so much more full and free.  Anything is possible here.  Anything is possible in dreams.

Of course, if we are living in a dream, and anything is possible, it might be tempting to pull an “Office Space” and tell your stupid boss to fuck off.  Maybe that’s appropriate.  Maybe it’s the best thing.  But if we are lucid dreaming, or lucid living for that matter, why not make this the best experience possible?  Tell that girl who you love that you are in love with her!  What a fun dream!  Give your mom a huge hug and hand a ten dollar bill to a beggar.  Why not?  You can create anything you want out of this experience.  Feed your dog marinated chicken and learn how to rock climb!  Take a chance and offer a sincere apology to a person you have wronged, say yes when that interesting character invites you out to lunch.  Why not?  We’re dreaming!  And the more beautiful you make the dream, the closer you come to waking up.  I’m sure of this.  The more awake we become, the more that possibilities begin to arise before us for the grabbing.  As we dream, we wake up.  We learn how to swim, then we learn how to fly.  We learn how to take, then we learn how to give.  We learn how to feel, then we learn how to love.  Wake up by learning how to dream properly, vividly, happily!  Why not try it?  Taking “reality” seriously is such a bore!