On electing a great leader to the presidency. 

The fact that he happens to be African-American is a bonus.   I am largely ignorant of what it is like to be a minority, but I can see that this has a lot of meaning and significance for many African-Americans.  More than I understood until now.  I am sorry that it is so significant…But heartened that at least now there is a major step in the right direction.

It's said after every election, but it really does seem this time that there could be a new spirit of cooperation.  I've never observed this much interest, participation and celebration around a U.S. presidential election before.

There are huge challenges to be faced…We don't even know the half of it yet.

It encourages me that President Obama will be in place to help America and the world face those challenges.

It’s a common phenomenon in lucid dreaming.  You are lucid, enjoying being fully “awake” and aware inside of your dream, when you wake up.  You might tell your spouse about your lucid dream, then go on to start your day.  Then, you really wake up.  Abashedly you realize you were fooled in the second half of your dream by a false awakening.

There is a mechanism in the dream psyche that, for lack of a better description, tries to trick you back into unconsciousness if you get too aware.  False awakenings (thinking you’ve awakened, you go back into believing what you are seeing is reality, and you are sucked back into the dream, back into unconsciousness) are a powerful trick.  False awakenings tend to pile on…If, after one false awakening, you begin to suspect that you may still be dreaming, another false awakening is supplied, satisfying your suspicion, and putting you back to sleep.  There are other tricks, appropriate to and appearing in certain stages of awakening or getting lucid, such as dream characters telling lies to convince you that you are awake, and your own dream ego rationalizing odd events as normal.  Hence, you remain believing that the false reality (the dream) is real, and stop applying your critical faculties to your perceptions (remain asleep within the dream).

Now, in my waking life, as I’ve expanded my mindfulness practice, I have the experience of “waking up” many times.  It seems as though I am bringing a new amount of consciousness to my life, and seeing more of the reality of what is…But am I?  Are these false awakenings?

Let me do a thought experiment here.  I am going to repeat the second paragraph of this article, replacing "dream" with "wake-dream".  This is the first time I’ve tried this, so let’s see:

There is a mechanism in the wake-dream psyche that, for lack of a better description, tries to trick you back into unconsciousness if you get too aware.  False awakenings (thinking you’ve awakened, you go back into believing what you are seeing is reality, and you are sucked back into the wake-dream, back into unconsciousness) are a powerful trick.  False awakenings tend to pile on…If, after one false awakening, you begin to suspect that you may still be wake-dreaming, another false awakening is supplied, satisfying your suspicion, and putting you back to sleep.  There are other tricks, appropriate to and appearing in certain stages of awakening or getting lucid, such as wake-dream characters telling lies to convince you that you are awake, and your own wake-dream ego rationalizing odd events as normal.  Hence, you remain believing that the false reality (the wake-dream) is real, and stop applying your critical faculties to your perceptions (remain asleep within the wake-dream).

You know what?  I’d be willing to stand behind that new paragraph.  My multiple “awakenings” in life sure fit the pattern of repeated false awakenings.  The people and events around me do have a way of sucking me in and making me lose consciousness.  My ego does convince me of its reality, distracting me from what is.

Awakening?  I have my moments. 

But, fully awakening?  Nope.  In that sense, I absolutely am having false awakenings.  In fact, I am having a false awakening right now!

Still…

Is it a false awakening if you know you are still dreaming?

This little phrase appeared on my PVR (Tivo).

I find the tense, capitalization and meaning(s) provocative.

I plan to say this to myself anytime I discover myself lost in the past.

It is so strange to try and blog sometimes (a lot of the time) because everything that is going on is so over-the-top mind-blowing.  Then, when I try to imagine putting things into words, it never comes close to capturing the magnitude/significance of things.  And, well, my self-conscious ego fears that people are just going to find things weird.  They are kind of weird!  But, I'm giving up caring what other people think…That just keeps me small.  I'm facing challenges great enough that I can't afford to be small anymore.

OK, but one thing is clear.  In the last year or so, especially the last 6 months, I have evolved enough to be considered, if not a totally new person, let's say Michele 2.0.  [And yes, I am more interactive now and my customers have more of a hand in evolving/creating me.]

One of the main factors in the speed of my transformation is the speed of the transformation of my clients.  Big things are happening.  Peoples' mindsets are changing.  Peoples' day-to-day, moment-to-moment ways of being are changing.  Very exciting external events are happening.  People are seeing the connections.  My clients' lives are transforming at remarkable rates.

In order to keep being a great coach to these amazing people, there is no other way but that I must grow, and I am.  I am learning coaching to whole new depths in the School of Coaching Mastery.  I have new mentors in my life, that are expanding my growth in mindfulness, perceptions, and feelings.  As my ego continues to play less of a role in my consciousness and my life, I can be more and more present for my clients.

Sometimes I find myself such a different person, I wonder if I can still coach.  Yet, when it comes to my calls, I realize that the part of me that coaches is the same part of me that I find eternal.   The more external parts of myself are gaining new ways of being, and the eternal me that is the core of coaching, is just finding further and greater expression. 

I look forward to challenging myself and my clients by bringing Michele 2.0 to the coaching table.

We'll be doing anther transformative Conscious Me, this weekend at the Grail.

As I muse on this topic, I continue to be amazed at all life can become when you get more conscious.  My clients that are waking up are growing, connecting and enjoying the benefits of being in the flow (in the most amazing ways).  It's great to see.

It does take a certain bravery to wake-up.  It's worth it.

OK, here is where I am at on guilt.  [Socrates deserves some credit on this one as well, but then again he never wants to take any credit!]

There is such a thing as healthy, natural guilt.  It comes when we say or do something not fully aligned with what we know is right.  It is meant to be a short feeling, let's call it discomfort.  The feeling tells us that we didn't like that and probably should avoid doing it again.

With our egos going overboard as they often do, that seed of a true feeling grows into all sorts of mental monsters.  Then those negative thoughts create more bad feelings (reminder: because they are lies and arguing with reality) and feed back on themselves, creating more egoic thoughts, and keeping the negative swirl going.

Here is the suggestion…When feeling guilt, do the following:

- Ask yourself, what is the true seed of guilt here?  What is the action you took that isn't sitting right with you?  (e.g. I had to leave my kids on Saturday to go to work.)

- Try to get it down to the purest of the truth of the situation (e.g. It's painful to be away from my children), absent of judgements/ego (e.g. I'm a bad mom, I never should have agreed to work, my kids are going to resent me, I need to look for a new job, etc.)

- Experience the feeling that goes with the truth of the situation.  Try to experience it fully, and if you are feeling it well enough, you may even cry a little.  It may start with a moment of the true feeling we call guilt, but mainly, allow yourself to feel empathy for the "other" in the situation (e.g. the kids, what does it feel like for them to miss out on being with their mom) and compassion for yourself.   Try to allow yourself to feel the true pain of the situation, without judgement.  If you can really feel it, you can express it, and move on.

This is all about opening the heart.  Feeling bad all the time due to guilt may *seem* like you are operating from feeling, but I don't think you are…You are operating from ego.  Operating from the heart, you have access to your natural emotional healing processes.

One of my brilliant clients, Sheri Kaye Hoff, has just published her first book, Keys to Living Joyfully!

This is a profoundly spiritual, personal and moving work Sheri has created for us.

Thanks, Sheri, for this amazing contribution to the world of living with joy.

Important little movie about where humans are going, by visionary Barbara Marx Hubbard.  Notice the chaos?  Have a sense there might be something brewing?

www.humanityascending.com

The workshop was great Friday night.  There were very special people there with lots of brilliant contributions which were helpful for everyone.  

The people you meet at the Grail is one of the most special things about a visit here.

Today, I'll just be relaxing and enjoying the beautiful weather!

I just arrived at the Grail, and it is even more beautiful than ever, if that is possible.

Looks like we are going to have a great group tonight. 

This was a week for me for reminding myself of how painful it is to try and control and have specific expectations.  Quite ironic, considering my last post!   But, once I let go, all great things came to me at the perfect time. 

I look forward to more perfection, whatever it looks like, tonight.