Alysse Aallyn

Category: #History

  • #DreamTherapy – Dream Journaling with Alysse Aallyn

    Paradise – Bliss – What is your definition of paradise? Do you find yourself dreaming of a tropical getaway? If you wanted to find your bliss, where would you look? You’ve become your own Dream Journal. Define heaven; raise consciousness or lack of consciousness? Would you want to know what is happening in the world or would you want to be removed from the world? Can you be happy if you know there is suffering anywhere?

    We create our own Heaven every day. As we mature, we either elevate or denigrate our consciousness. We are creating “heaven”, or “hell” – our choice. Which direction are you tending? Which direction do you want to go?

    Are You Heaven Material? When we are young, we obsess about whether we are really liked or loved, whether we are really “popular.” As we get older we slowly realize that people like/love to the extent of their spiritual and emotional ability/depth. Shallow people offer very shallow love – nothing can take root there. It can flip in an instant. If the whole purpose of life on this planet – a struggle by any standard – is for humans to become more like God then we are being challenged to create the kind of emotional and psychic depth that understands and accepts everyone’s struggle, everyone’s challenge.

    Challenge – Bliss is a provable psychic state of timeless ecstasy mapped by “alpha waves” which can be seen in the brain. This state is called “flow”. We drift outside ourselves and belong to the universe. This is such a happy condition we long to cultivate and re-experience it, which we can do by immersing ourselves in art, meditation, love, sexual/emotional union, or deep thought.

    Danger – We bounce between self-obsession and living entirely in and through other people. Neither condition is optimal, although there are times in our lives when these states are necessary. Balance – sometimes called moderation – is the key. We are in the group, but we are not “the group”. We can elevate the group with the power of our Soul or we can drag it down through thoughtless mirroring. Some people choose to never develop a self. They pass from group to group, trying to “fit in” and quell the inner voice that says. “this isn’t right.” This is a violation of our basic human mandate: to develop a soul that is worthy of God.

    Opportunity – You are on a hero’s quest: you are the hero and the quest is for your Soul. This is both an inner and an outer quest. We have responsibilities from birth onwards; we clearly are our brother’s/sister’s keeper. We are our own keeper, too. Mistakes – sometimes devastating ones – are expected. It’s a dangerous world and we will meet more than one predator looking to make a meal of us. We must be wily as the snake and tender as the dove. Because in the end, it’s all about Love. The more you give, the more you feel.

    Models & Mentors – “Follow your bliss and walls turn into doors”
    – Joseph Campbell

    “In a state of bliss – everything is love” – Deepak Chopra

    “Joy is a connection to what matters – a sustained sense of well-being and inner peace” – Oprah Winfrey

    “I need not sell my soul to buy bliss” – Charlotte Bronte

    Mantra – “I flow”

    Meditation –

    #Haiku: Limitless Joy

    Rejoice in group fortune;
    Cherish,
    Cultivate
    Broadcast
    Generous bliss

  • #DreamTherapy – Dream Journaling with Alysse Aallyn

    Aspiration – The Future – Do you dream about the future? Outcomes desired or feared? People changing or evolving? A more orderly or chaotic world? We know the future is real – it keeps arriving every second! How often does it match our aspirations? How often does that matter?

    You Are a Planner – Nothing comes to reality without a Plan. This seems a main reason for the existence of God – the Planner of bluebells and quasars seems so real to us and the scope of the universe, its chemistry, math & physics, so interesting. Even the people who insist “chaos” is everywhere don’t actually want chaos in their own lives.

    Is your mind greater than the universe? Clearly not. God is a thought-problem of Universal Capability. No single brain has been able to encompass the universal design – not even Einstein’s. Wishing is helpless and invites one to selfdom which leaves the wisher worse off. But plans evolve, along with us, and even when they fail, WE succeed. Edison said he hadn’t failed at anything, he simply found “ten thousand ways things don’t work.” That’s called knowledge!

    Challenge – Open your Dream Journal. What dreams would you LIKE to have? You are talking to your subconscious which in turn invites your unconscious which learns from the collective. Take an active role in your future, in making wishes and dreams come “true”. Don’t bother investing pride and honor in being “right” – with a universe this complex, NOBODY’S right. Invest instead in having a good, flexible map that evolves along with you. Plans are adaptable – they must borrow from all disciplines. Plans can be Art – Art is what this universe IS – and so are the people in it. Give it room to grow.

    Danger – Don’t forget the people who choose evil. They’re out there and we won’t play into their games. Don’t dismiss Fundamental Attribution Error; many systems are set up to send you down. There’s also coincidence and happenstance, which is what the phrase “Being in the wrong place at the wrong time” expresses. So our map must be modified to deal with tragedy –the ongoing and universal tragedy of illness, war and disaster. We try to avert these things, are learning how best to avert them but everything isn’t up to us. There are dark forces at work that enjoy harm and destruction so we can’t become over invested in “winning” because we can’t see or know everything.

    Opportunity – This is where Faith comes in. Jesus said evil will not win, that your joy can never b taken away, and that’s good enough for me. Find your own mantra to stay strong and keep working on a healthy you designing a healthy plan and promoting people around you who can make your plan better. You will also be contributing to their plans – and that’s gratitude. And love. Win-win!

    Models & Mentors – “The future is completely open and we are writing it moment to moment” – Pema Chodron

    “The future starts today, not tomorrow” – Pope John Paul II

    “A good education is the foundation of a better tomorrow” – Elizabeth Warren

    “An uncertain future is not oppressive when Hope guides us”

    – Charlotte Bronte

    Mantra – “I can”

    Meditation –

    #Haiku: Destiny

    This day’s good
    Because yesterday
    I thought about today:
    Momentum

  • #DreamTherapy – Dream Journaling with Alysse Aallyn

    Meditation – Mindfulness – Are you wakened by nightmare? Lie quietly in the dark, anchoring yourself with your own breath. Your soul is free, your brain is rampaging, but your body is centered Here. Feel it. This is called Mindfulness. If you are sleeping with a Dream Buddy, touch them. Use their body as your anchor.

    We can only live in the Now, but it is our greatest good fortune as a species that we can enrich the present with powerful visions of past and future. In our dreams we expand this to universal pasts and futures. But the Now is the lens where our Body is focused. To be absent from the Now is to miss the ecstasy that is our birthright.

    Patience Multiplies Wealth – Wealth that is psychic, emotional, spiritual as well as physical, financial and actual. Eating unripe fruit robs us of our harvest. Therefore we must learn to settle into the Now, learn to line up Past, Present, Future with Conscious, Subconscious, & Unconscious. Open your Dream Journal and make Six Categories: Now, Past, Future, Conscious, Subconscious & Unconscious.

    Consider the Moment – you are in the Now but what are you thinking? What does it remind you of? What are you fearing? Have you ever experienced anything like this before? Does this experience make you feel attached to any other human, living or dead? When you have considered this, it is time to meditate.

    Master through practice. The first step is Emptying. Push your thoughts, memories, worries away. Concentrate on your breath. If this is too hard, choose a mantra (such as “Thank You” or “Namaste”) or a piece of music without lyrics (Marconi Union’s Weightless is fabulous for this.) Just celebrate the emptiness, the Nothingness. As thoughts come to you, release them like balloons. You are the world’s anchor. Celebrate You.

    Challenge – In the control of your own mind lies all freedom. Without it you are a slave, whatever the world may think. Buddhists call you mind a “wild horse” that must be tamed. Learn to greet the Now as an old friend who knits everything that is “you” – all the scattered psychic pieces – back together. You can FEEL the healing.

    Danger – In our new digital world it’s very difficult to claim Time for yourself. Can you turn off all the flashing lights, the signals, the seductions, the threats? You absolutely must not only learn to do that, you must feel important enough to do it. Turns out, that’s the most difficult task. Tell others, “This is my recharge time. It’s absolutely critical.” Twenty silent minutes per day. Alone. You. Finding Eternity – and the Eternal You – through the Now. It doesn’t come easily. It comes through your infinite willingness, your scrupulous patience, your holy dedication. Don’t give up on You.

    Opportunity – Nothing happens. Nothing happens. Nothing happens. You must give up on your competitiveness. Surrender your expectations. Push away the past, the fears, sadness, the depression, the loss, the anxiety, the rage, the worry. All can be released into the universe, floating away from you to pop harmlessly in the stratosphere. You are alone now with the infinite. Slowly you begin to feel the pleasure, an indescribable ecstasy in which your ordinary human body becomes incandescent. Suddenly you want better things for yourself. More sleep. Better dreams. Healthier food. A world of love and joyous possibility. Dip your toe in that completeness, twenty minutes per day. (Or more, if you can.) Treasure this glimpse of Heaven.

    Models & Mentors – “The first thing to learn is the breath.” – Confucius

    ‘Breathe In. Let Go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure, and give thanks for that.”
    – Oprah Winfrey

    ‘Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor” –
    Thich Nhat Hanh

    “While we breathe, we hope” – Barack Obama

    MANTRA – “I am”

    Meditation –

    #Haiku: Meditation – Mindfulness

    Joyous
    Breath
    Supports
    Eternal now:
    Blossoms spirit;
    Sparks
    Thoughts,
    Shared
    Dance

  • #DreamTherapy – Dream Journaling with Alysse Aallyn

    Youth – Resilience – Dreaming a lot about your childhood? Your conscious mind is “mining” your subconscious for guides to the way you feel now. Did you pick the wrong path, and if so, why? Can you summon the effort to go back and fix it?

      “You’re as young as you feel” is a true saying! Ever met a “young” seeming old person? They are interested in everything. They are not frightened by new ideas. They don’t talk endlessly about their illnesses, complaints, how the world has gone to hell. They look forward to the future. The nature of “resilience” is that you “spring back”. You can actually use mistakes as energy, to improve your map-making. Surely you’re familiar with ”resistance training.” You get better muscles that way!

      Challenge – Open up your Dream Journal. How can we feel young when life keeps beating you down? The way to improve your resilience is to improve your philosophy. Do you believe people get old, they can no longer participate in the rat race, are shoveled under and it’s over? There’s a locker room inspiring pep talk. Don’t love and intelligence both REQUIRE wisdom? Adopt a philosophy that gives you hope. This is easier to do around young people. Grandparents cling to grandchildren. It’s good for both of them.

      Danger – Don’t get stuck in a “feedback loop.” Don’t hang around depressing, toxic people who mouth depressing, toxic notions. In our society old people are shunted off onto sidings, gathered together in communities that focus on “nursing”. Depressed yet? Re-orient your mind to focus on “health.” Resilience is a requirement for wounds of all types to heal.

      Opportunity – In a famous letter to Ann Landers, someone who wanted to go to medical school bewailed that they would forty years old when they got out! Forty! Landers asked, “How old will you be if you DON’T go?” Wise people all realize HOW YOUNG THE REST OF YOU really are, who are complaining about being “too old” to do what you want to do. You have plenty of time, because ALL time is NOW. Your new philosophy? “Spring back.”

      Models & Mentors – “Reasons for hope – our clever brains, the indomitable human spirit and above all, the commitment of young people when they’re empowered to take action” – Jane Goodall

      “We don’t even know how strong we are until we are forced to bring that hidden strength forward” – Isabel Allende

      “Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts’ – Winston Churchill

      “Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny”
      – C. S. Lewis

      Mantra – “My World Is New”

      Meditation –

      #Haiku: Resilience

      Fresh pink skin blooms
      Scarless
      Free;
      Regenerated fresh
      Every
      Morning

    1. #DreamTherapy – Dream Journaling with Alysse Aallyn

      Symbiosis – Interdependence – you can’t make it on your own. We are social beings, we need other people, all those characters peopling your dreams. We are DEPENDENT on them. This is such a tough thing to face that there are whole categories of people who go around insisting they “made it on their own.” They’re the only ones who believe it! They assemble a vast team, and not only that, they are dependent on teams set up by others to provide safety, water, heat, light. Visit a country where this isn’t a given and then you’ll realize what a massive enterprise is taking place around us.

        Flourish, Don’t Exploit – Symbiosis benefits everyone. If it leaves you “worse off” it’s not symbiosis, it’s exploitation. In our dreams we fear depredation, loss, failure, humiliation. We depend on the Collective Unconscious for the meaning in our lives. Our sleep world is the theatre where we rehearse our fears, making them LESS LIKELY to come true! We fear dependence because that means our “supply” can be cut off. But we also provide supply to others. What, and who? Any way we can improve the supply lines?

        Danger – Interdependence is a delicate balance, requiring sensitivity, reflection, and the capacity to change. Above all we want to avoid “Doomsday thinking” in which “since” the obvious entropy of the universe ruins all relationships eventually, so, by this reasoning, they must be ruined NOW. This “fear” completely overlooks the spiritual growth which time allows. Interdependence gives us insight and time and improved relationships – a recipe for emotional and intellectual thriving.

        Challenge – To become independent (i.e. free) we have to face the fact of our dependence on others and their dependence on us. Get out your Dream journal. Consult your Dream Buddies. How symbiotic are your relationships? Is there harm involved? Depredation? Abuse? Don’t make me repeat the 17 warning signs of an abusive relationship. It’s unequal, never a two-way street. Belittling? Baiting? Shaming? You should be able to recognize these techniques NOW so you can strategize a way out! If you DON’T recognize them there’s a very good chance your dreams DO. Pay attention to them. It’s possible to be abused by relationships with people we’ve never met – banks – corporations – landlords – employers – if this isn’t an equally mutual beneficial relationship we’re OUTTA HERE. (This is why authoritarians fear Cancel Culture. It reduces their depredation pool.) Yes you CAN find and foster relationships that are more beneficial.

        Opportunity – Nobody and nothing’s perfect and nobody wants that –ugh! Perfection is about stasis which is DEATH. WE are all about change, growth, evolution, becoming. Wisdom! Sharing joy! A back and forth process involving OTHER PEOPLE. Let’s work on our confidence. Let’s work on our spiritual muscle. Let’s work on our mapping abilities so we have a good idea where we’re headed. Expect surprises and greet them when they show up: “Hello old friend.”

        Models & Mentors – “Symbiotic relationship in nature teaches us cooperation and shows that we are all connected” – Sanchita Pandey

        “You are in a dynamic relationship with the universe because your existence is win-win” – Teal Swan

        ‘Symbiosis is a much higher reflection of intelligent life” – Frederick Lenz

        “Love is a positive, symbiotic, reciprocal flow between two or more entities”
        – Inga Muscio

        Mantra – “Let’s play”

        Meditation –

        #Haiku: Symbiosis = Interdependence

        I think with
        Your memory I
        Stretch with
        Your muscles
        Grasp with
        Dead hands

      1. #DreamTherapy – Dream Journaling with Alysse Aallyn

        Memory – the Past – Do you dream frequently of past events? Are they different – worse or better – than what you remember actually happening? Do you feel nostalgia for a past that never was? Do you have a favorite period in history or fantasy universe that you wish you lived in, instead of this one?

          You are the Hero of Your Saga – Open your Dream Journal and start writing. Accept your centrality in your own myth. It doesn’t matter what other people think – they are the bit players. Think of your past as a Quest Saga. What did you want? How did it change? What blocked you? What tools have you got at your command? Where do you go from here?

          Challenge – You absolutely CAN rewrite the past, but first you first must face its full horror. Generally, because we were children, we didn’t know what was going on, were co-opted by our persecutors and prevented from fighting back. Things are different now! The hardest thing to accept is that beloved caregivers didn’t want the best for us – they wanted us to be just like them.

          Danger – “I don’t believe in ghosts but I never met a person who wasn’t haunted” is a very wise saying. What haunts you? Or who? Ghosts are malignant – if they weren’t they would be power spirits, fairy godmothers or guardian angels. What malignancies from your past are out to get you and how do they make themselves known? One of Freud’s contributions was to point out that people prefer their neurosis – ie imprisonment – to liberation. Why? What’s in it for you?

          Opportunity – You became YOU. Yes, you have scars – these are bragging rights! You have been through the wars! ‘Rewriting” the past means understanding what really happened, the limitations of those who surrounded you, and exploring your chances and choices today. Just because parents, teachers or “society” sentenced you to play a role, you can step out of it at any time. Buddhist thought is very helpful here. Buddha teaches that life itself is an illusion – a dream. It changes depending on how we think about it. In the present, inside your mind, you hold all the keys to your own liberation. Re-visit Pema Chodron’s Noble Heart and Eckhart Tolle’s Power of Now to explore how you can assume immediate control of your life and your mind and turn your past into fuel to power your growth.

          Models & Mentors – “You never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory” – Dr Seuss

          “Nothing has happened until it’s written down” – Virginia Woolf

          “Memory is the treasury and guardian of all things” – Cicero

          “In the end, we’ll all become stories.” – Margaret Atwood

          “Your brain forms the same neural connections and muscle memory whether you are imagining a task or actually doing it”- Yo Yo Ma

          Mantra – “I remember”

          Meditation –

          #Haiku: Memory – Your Past Is Never Where You Left It

          Block Past subsuming
          Present – overwhelming
          Future
          Short circuit
          Change

        1. #DreamTherapy – Dream Journaling with Alysse Aallyn

          Cooperation – Division of Labor – Do you dream of Getting Help? You are engaged on any difficult task and Someone Else shows up to assist? Do you dream of villages and businesses running perfectly – everyone setting about their Daily Chores like the mailman, the crossing guard, the fruit seller, the fireman like characters in a children’s book? Looks like a Perfect World, doesn’t it?

            You Don’t Have to Do Everything – It’s an enormous relief when you first realize you’re not responsible for everything. Children are very solipsistic thinkers – they “assume” magical responsibility not just for parental divorce but for World Wars. But we are tiny cogs in a huge enterprise. Every task we assume is part of something much bigger. We are surrounded by helpers, if we could only see it.

            Challenge – In life we have Group Tasks and Individual Tasks. The challenge is to figure out which is which. Social pressure tends to ‘erase” our individual tasks because the daily round is so overwhelming. Yet we cling to our Personal Goals of maturation, Mastery, Learning, Finding Meaning & Bliss, Growing Love. Cooperation surrounds us in all these challenges if we could only see it.


            Danger – Our capitalist society is based on competition and scarcity. Politics wants us seeing others as competitors for scarce resources, instead of willing hands helping us build. No wonder Main Street is falling into disrepair, volunteer activities go begging and community resources are depleted! Without a sense of community we can’t see each other as anything but rivals. When looking for co-operators it is wise to re-visit the warnings of Wisdom seekers and avoid people who aren’t seeking helpers but hostages:

            1. Projection – There’ “right” and “wrong” and they’re never “wrong.” Nothing is ever their fault.
            2. Nonsensical conversations from hell – Arguers. Word salad, circular conversations, ad hominem arguments, projection and gaslighting to make them the gate-keepers of reason and you the thirsty aspirant. Prople only capable of vertical, not horizontal relationships. Someone needs to be “on top.”
            3. Blanket statements and generalizations – Thick layers of protective blather will keep you from getting through to discuss any task at hand.
            4. Misrepresenting your thoughts and feelings to the point of absurdity – You are a simplistic thinker and a deficient reasoner and they are the source of all wisdom. No cooperating with these people.
            5. Nitpicking and moving the goal posts – Different rules for everyone and every day.
            6. Changing the subject to evade accountability – “You shouldn’t have given me that job to begin with.”
            7. Covert and overt threats –“If people know what you REALLY are, say, do, no one would be your friend.”
            8. Name-calling – “Identity politics.” “You are a _” Fill in the blank. And that’s all you’ll ever be in this guy’s eyes.
            9. Destructive conditioning – Abuse, frustration and disrespect are this person’s calling cards but it’s never their fault that they live in a cloud of toxicity. They want you in there, too. Decline.
            10. Smear campaigns and stalking – “Office politics.” Need I say more?
            11. Playing the Martyr – “I have so many enemies!”
            12. Demands Immediate Unthinking Fealty – When someone stresses the fact that they are a “nice guy” or girl, that you should “trust them” right away or emphasizes their credibility without any provocation from you whatsoever, WALK AWAY.
            13. Baits and badgers you – testing your limits. Can you be made to lose control?
            14. Boundary testing – “Everyone does it” to drag you into unethical enterprise
            15. Aggressive jabs disguised as jokes – “Can’t you laugh about yourself?”
            16. Condescending sarcasm and patronizing tone – Know-It-Alls
            17. Belittling, Degrading, Shaming About ANYBODY. A very good piece of advice is watch how they treat wait staff. Underlings. Anyone totally in their power or people who can do nothing for them and you’ll soon get a picture of their inner world. Stay away.

            Opportunity – You will meet Your Best Friends Ever! This is even more important than Getting the JOB DONE! Because friends last for life and they change YOU. Reach out for advice and cooperation to all who treat others with respect. You won’t be successful ALL the time – no one is – but you will learn so much in the course of finding out How to Live In the World and Who to be.

            Models & Mentors – “The only thing that will redeem mankind is cooperation” – Bertrand Russell

            “Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress and working together is success” – Henry Ford

            “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants”

            – Isaac Newton

            “Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller

            Mantra – “Go Team!”

            Meditation –

            #Haiku: Unlikely Friends

            You explain
            Each other –
            Crossed perspectives:
            Fireworks:
            Transmute –
            Osmosis

          1. #Dream Therapy – Dream Journaling with Alysse Aallyn

            Winter – Dormancy –


            What’s happening when nothing’s happening?

              DREAMS – Why isn’t it spring yet? Sometimes the blossom withers. Why? Your dreams remain lively, so, let’s consult them. Do you dream of endless sleep? Deep snows? Hibernation? Do you identify with the drowsy bear and the sleepy sloth?

              Now’s the Time – This is the sacred moment before a burst of creativity. You are gathering your forces. Compare it to a pregnancy. Things are happening, but so slowly and deeply you are not aware of them, with the result that you may feel confused and frustrated. Instead, revel in this burgeoning becoming in the midst of sleepy peace.

              Challenge – We cultivate our desires without pushing our extracting them. We curate our sensations. Spin through pictures of animals – what jumps out? Who is speaking to you? What are they saying? Wat are you afraid of and why? Make notes and collect images. A collage creates a deeper, more resonant picture. Sometimes it’s all in the eyes.

              Danger – In sleep we are entirely vulnerable and we have cultural and historic reason to fear that state. Guard your dormancy with supportive beings, with sleep music, with healing rituals. The triple-locked doors, the blackout-curtained windows, the silenced devices protect us in our chosen nest. This is “think-time” not “party-time.” We will create a “protective spell.” Don a bracelet of “worry beads”, then summon your happiest memories and tell them by touch, eyes closed, one by one. Send every ounce of your remembered love and joy out into the universe with a command to come back to you a hundred times. A thousand times so that your love can spill over and be shared with all you touch, near and far.

              Opportunity – You create yourself. The fetus of this pregnancy is YOU. In every dreamy hibernation second you are rebuilding yourself, adding visions, promoting fresh understandings and positive interpretations. Life offers us the chances of joy and misery – use your consciousness to accept this tool and allow dream-time and prep-time to penetrate ever deeper into your subconscious, to the unconscious, and down down down, deepest of all, to the collective unconscious where we recall in our bones and teeth and cells everything that has ever happened to every living thing as if it happened to us. This is the source of all imagination and creativity, accessible to you in your dream state.

              MANTRA
              “I dream deep”

              #HAIKU : Dormant

              Embrace the cold,
              Without regret,
              Secrets kept.
              Sharp, white;
              Freshening
              Sleep.

            1. #DreamTherapy – Dream Journaling with Alysse Aallyn

              Duality – Ambivalence –


              What Kind of Nightmare Is This ? We dream about things we don’t want and people we aren’t. Strong feminists dream of rape, vegetarians dream of meat, pacifists dream of fighting. It’s confusing. What gives?

                Language Isn’t Subtle Enough to Explain You – Your personality contains all feelings, all thoughts, all ideas, rippling through you in a vast subconscious well. Your unconscious connects with the “collective unconscious” of other peoples – dead, alive, even fictional. Why isn’t “hate-love” a word? You experience that regularly. How about “fear-attraction”? Common! What I’m suggesting is that we need to accept the fact that a “personality” is a dynamism, not a slogan. Ambivalence is natural. It’s healthy.

                Challenge – Facing this might seem the toughest part, but it isn’t for artists, who routinely “play” along their edge, peeking over it and imagining life on the other side. Art is the best way to express this, an enormous relief since it’s non-committal. Of course you’ll have to face the surprise of your relatives when your work becomes public: “Where did THAT come from?” But if truth be told, we’ve always been surprised to be related to these people.

                Danger – Society seeks to label and stigmatize. We need to explore our fear but we are afraid of becoming our fear. A simple safe word can’t work when people – bankers, politicians, therapists, employers – are so fundamentally untrustworthy. That is why our identification of ourselves as Brave Explorers is so vital. The vastness of our potential cannot be controlled by language. We will never be butterflies pinned down in a museum box for the instruction/curiosity of others.

                Opportunity – Appreciate your self. Don’t slam the door on yourself too soon. Sometimes the worst labeler, the most determined jailor, is Us. We are deeply afraid of wandering in the forest and losing the way to get home safe. But Brave Explorers carry Home within them. As Nelson Mandela used to quote from his prison cell, if we are the captains of our souls we can be the masters of our fates. We can learn to tolerate a little ambiguity/uncertainty/ambivalence. (Henley.)

                Models & Mentors – “It seems we are capable of immense love and loyalty and as capable of deceit and atrocity. It is this shocking ambivalence that makes us unique.” – John Scott

                “Ambivalence is a wonderful tune to dance to. It has a rhythm all its own.”
                – Erica Jong

                “The Simpsons is about alienation and the ambivalence of living with a family who you love but drives you crazy”
                – Matt Groening

                “Poetry is the home of ambiguity, ambivalence and uncertainty.” – Billy Collins

                Mantra – “I am Everything”

                Meditation –

                #Haiku: Contemplate Duality

                Causation;
                Polarity;
                Suspicious distrust;
                Embrace
                Growth process

              1. #Dream Therapy – Dream Journaling With Alysse Aallyn

                The Shadow – Dissonance –

                Dreaming of reversals? Sudden surprises or a creeping sense of unease? Upsets? Do you wake with a sense of having forgotten something important you almost understood? Feeling lost?

                  Some dreams just leave us unsettled, feeling “weird”. Something touched us, but we are of a divided mind as to whether it was pleasant or not.

                  You Are A Sensitive Instrument registering seismic shifts and deep tectonic disturbances below the threshold of consciousness. Remember, what we call “consciousness” is many-layered. Beneath your conscious is your subconscious – the things you’ve put out of mind.. Below that is your unconscious –the things you don’t know you know – it is the unconscious that is accessible to us in dreams.

                  The Subconscious is noisy, like a neglected child. It will occupy all your attention if you let it. But the Unconscious is a lot more interesting. Something always IS “going on” OUTSIDE YOURSELF and you are alert to the many warning signals! This can be exhausting. We have been dreaming of relaxation, peace and quiet, the clear blue sky with not a single cloud, and here are all these depthless mutterings.

                  And there’s a deeper layer yet! The collective unconscious connects us to other people, living and dead, the memories of your relatives, of history itself.

                  Challenge – We are not going to get rid of our spidey senses and we must refuse to numb, ignore or inflate them. The key to intelligent management of dissonance is to think of the world as an orchestra playing a symphony. The more able we are to distinguish the varied instruments and musical lines the more we will appreciate and enjoy the experience. Balance is always key. In this cacophony, YOU are the important one. We accept all the levels of consciousness without fear; they will not control us. They are asking us to control them. We will schedule regular periods of rest and renewal where we put problems far away from mind and give thanks for this body, this moment, this sense of appreciation and wonder.

                  Danger – Avoid a “bunker mentality.” The universe has many bunkers, but is bigger than any single one. We cultivate a hierarchy of response. Get out of bed in the middle of the night for a fire alarm, not a phone notification. Don’t allow yourself to ever feel helpless but seek out advice and encouragement from others who understand a healthy growth process. All of us live in groups, curate your group to promote intelligent awareness in an atmosphere of hope. Dissonance is never doom.

                  Opportunity – We each have a chance to spend our night on the watchtower, but you don’t need to spend every night there. Consider dissonance an invitation to maturity. We are putting away childish things. The sky is NOT falling, however the climate is under legitimate scientific threat. Strategize ways to band together to take useful action. This is an opportunity to show self-love, as well as love for the group, the environment, the world and the future. Open your Dream Journal. The attitude, “I care about you so I’m going to take care of you” keeps us sensitive to the message of Universal Love that is waiting to embrace us.

                  Models & Mentors – Great things are not accomplished by those who yield to fads, trends and popular opinion”
                  – Jack Kerouac

                  “Better to fail in originality than succeed in imitation”
                  – Herman Melville

                  “If you don’t fit in, you’re probably doing the right thing” – Henry David Thoreau

                  “Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth”

                  – John F. Kennedy

                  Mantra – “I Hear You”

                  Meditation –

                  Haiku: Dissonance

                  Nonsense;
                  Clues disappeared
                  Fragmenting circle
                  Unsolvable
                  Mystery