I don’t usually write in detail about what I call my “teacher dreams” because they are just that—dreams that come to share lessons that are meant for me. I do sometimes share the effect of the dreams, but the power in the dream is mine to hold.
Except this time.
A couple of weeks ago, I dreamed that I was on top of a large hill and I felt what I can only describe as a life-threatening low blood sugar crash. I have had some experience with low blood sugar and the way it makes me feel is as though I am moving through water and the energy to move is not there for me. I get slow-moving and clumsy. In this dream, it was more than all that. It was the life-force that was draining out of me, and I felt like I was dying. I called out for help, but no one responded to me. All the hills around me were grey and brown. I saw people on another hill not too far away. The people all looked the same and they were throwing rocks at each other and those that weren’t throwing rocks were destroying the land to look for rocks that the others could throw. They were all so busy trying to kill each other and the land around them that they did not hear me calling for help. I went inside a cavern in the hillside to lie down, and there was water dripping from the rocks overhead. I remember thinking how much they looked like tears.
Two nights ago, I dreamed that I was in the same place. I was there after I gone back in to the previous dream and changed one thing, and everything was different. I was there on the hill, and I looked around me to see that everything around me was green and full of life, as was I. In fact, I was so full of life that I was six or seven months pregnant.
In between these two dreams, I had had another one. In that one, I was in the same cavern but not alone. I was with a few spiritual teachers, who gave me an ornate book in which to write. As I was writing, one of the teachers was giving comments on what I wrote while the others listened.
Having had a few days to process these dreams, I have had a realization about them that I want to share it with as many people as I can in hopes that it will be shared again and again. This is me, re-writing what I wrote in the book during the middle dream. I am compelled to share it.
There is a passage in the I Ching that addresses the elimination of hesitation in the sense of being resolute. “When increase continues to excess, surely it will burst. Thus, after Increasing, Eliminating hesitation follows.”
This is refers to the elimination of inferior forces and the influence that they are having upon our lives. The way to eliminate them is through being resolute in carrying out righteous action. By relying upon our courage and our resourcefulness, we can make change.
I used to teach a day-long workshop that I called “Making Change, One Step at a Time” in which I would talk about the ease with which big changes can be made if they are made in smaller steps. It was developed from the understanding that people can get overwhelmed when they see how much change is needed. For instance, if someone wanted to get all the chemical cleaners out of their house, they could just start buying better cleaning supplies as they ran out of what they had. Or, if someone was interested in eating organically, they could start by eating the organic, hence safe, versions of the “Dirty Dozen” foods that carry pesticides that cannot be washed away. One step at a time. And then another step. And another. And soon, a great change is made.
In that same vein, if one person makes changes, and then another, and another, soon there is a great change in the way that things are seen by the corporations that would like to have us remain complacent. We are seeing this in many areas of life. The fast food industry is changing enough so that those companies who are not realizing that people want cleaner, healthier food are in financial trouble. Those companies who have started to shift their paradigm are getting the encouragement from their customers through how they spend their money. Big chain grocery stores are stocking more and more organic, vegetarian, and gluten-free foods because they see that is what consumers want. Huge corporations are re-formulating personal care and cleaning products to eliminate the harmful chemicals. All these companies are reacting to the financial pressure put on them by consumers who refuse to blindly buy whatever is advertised or on “special” and choose to stay with products that will not be harmful to them, their homes and the earth.
Surely, this has been a slow process. It has taken decades. Unfortunately, we haven’t got decades left to make more change slowly. We know this. We read about it in many ways every day. It’s overwhelming. Feeling overwhelmed can be paralyzing, and yet we –- on behalf of all of us: two-legged, four-legged, rooted and winged—do not have the luxury of standing still or being quiet. The suffering of Mother Earth is not some far off, other worldly, unseen, unfelt thing. Wars are fought, land is destroyed, resources are sucked out and there is not time for rest, recuperation, and rejuvenation; we are losing our life-source right before our eyes. This will only end if each one of us makes a conscious effort every day to end it in every way we can. Every person must make every action one of deepest integrity and purpose. It is the righteous thing to do.
Thoughts and feelings of spiritual connection should not be saved for active ceremony. Every thought and every action must be made from the deepest connection to our own spirit and to the Greater Spirit, however you name It, in order to put forth the energetic influences that will gather to eliminate the inferior forces that are destroying us. Everything we do – everything we do – sends not only energy in to the world around us for healing, but also sends a message to those who would have us be uncaring enough to allow them to continue to destroy. If the earth continues to be decimated, so will we be. By continuing to blithely follow the norm, even our own norm, we allow the negative influences to not only continue, but to grow.
There is no more time left to say “I will do that later” or “I will get there someday”. There is no time left to not want to think about these things or to think that what you do doesn’t matter because you are just one person. Even in our most basic of daily choices, we each have the power to make change, thereby gathering more support to make more change. Find your consciousness and live it every minute of every day. Make everything you do a reflection of your consciousness. The most basic things can have, and do have, the most profound effect on the greater whole.
Fighting does not always mean guns or swords, and there is more that is mightier than the sword than the just pen. The mightiest people fight with righteous action in every minute of their lives. Make the changes and each and every change will coalesce with all the changes that others make, building a force that can eliminate the destructive forces. We can succeed in ending the rape and destruction of that which is meant to sustain us. We can succeed, but only if each and every one of us makes every decision and choice based upon how it will affect the greater communal energy of healing the world around us.
Every choice counts. Every choice.
Here are some resources to help you make the changes:
http://buycott.com/ “Buycott helps you to organize your everyday consumer spending so you can fund causes you support and avoid funding those you disagree with.”
http://www.safecosmetics.org/ “Search by health concern, product type or population”
http://www.nongmoproject.org/ “Our mission is to preserve and build sources of non-GMO products, educate consumers, and provide verified non-GMO choices.”
https://www.organicconsumers.org “Campaigning for health, justice, sustainability, peace, and democracy”
If you have other resources that you’d like to share, please list them in the “Comments” section.