Staying Awake in the Dream
Much like the young women in the fairy tales “Sleeping Beauty” and “Snow White,” most children are put into a deep sleep during childhood — and can only be awakened by the kiss of true love. In the Toltec story, that kiss of love comes from the presence and intention of the spiritual warrior. Often, the first warrior to awaken a sleeping princess (or prince) is an external teacher. The challenge for the apprentice is to stay awake, surrounded by a dream of the planet designed to keep her asleep.
In the film The Matrix, the guide Morpheus tells the hero, Neo, “I am trying to free your mind, Neo. I can only show you the door, you're the one that has to walk through it.” The best any teacher can do is be a signpost pointing the way. The danger for the student is the temptation to stop and worship the signpost, instead of continuing on the path.
Wake Up! Wake Up!
Just as an alarm clock helps you wake up in the morning, it helps to have an alarm that says “Wake up, wake up!” when you are learning to be awake in the dream. There are many possibilities, but anything that will jolt you out of the old dream is fine. There is a perfect wake-up tool you can find on the Internet called the MotivAider. It fits in a pocket or on a belt, and vibrates to remind you to wake up!
Try some wake-up tools. What can you use to jog yourself out of the old way of dreaming and awaken to the truth of life? This precious experience of life is unfolding in every moment all around you. Life does not exist in the past or future. To be fully engaged in life you must awaken to each precious moment.
Other wake-up tools include colored stickers in strategic places in your life — on the car dashboard, front door (coming and going), mirrors, computer monitor, work station, clothes closet door — anywhere you need the nudge to remember the truth of who you are. Apprentices have also hung their shoes on the doorknob at night, made a picture on the wall crooked, or changed the location of their coffeemaker. Whatever it is, the wake-up asks, “Are you on the love track or the fear track in this moment?”
It Is Okay to Fall Asleep Again
The parasite is like a hypnotist that can put you back to sleep with a silent word — a bit of fear about the future, a sudden thought about failure or rejection — and make you lose the love track. It is okay to forget. It is okay to fall asleep, over and over and over. It is part of the process of changing your dream, just like waking up. Awake and asleep are both perfect expressions of your dreaming mind. If you prefer one over the other, set your intention to remind yourself about your preference.
You will know when you are awake in the dream of life. A new light will shine from all parts of creation, and there will be a lightness in your heart and step. You will know that everyone is dreaming, including you, and you will be at peace with their dream and yours. You will not take anything personally, because you know nothing is personal!
You will also know when you fall back asleep again — after you wake up! Life will feel heavy and sluggish when you are asleep. You will worry about getting things right for other people. There may be a tightness in your shoulders or belly. When you are asleep you will not notice this, because it is very familiar. When you awaken you will recognize what happened to you. It is okay to fall asleep, and it is okay to be awake.
