When I met you in the restaurant
You could tell I was no debutante
You asked me what’s my pleasure
A movie or a measure?
I’ll have a cup of tea and tell you of my dreaming
Dreaming is free
I don’t want to live on charity
Pleasure’s real or is it fantasy?
Reel to reel is living rarity
People stop and stare at me We just walk on by - we just keep on dreaming
Feet feet, walking a two mile
Meet meet, meet me at the turnstile
I never met him, I’ll never forget him

Dream dream, even for a little while
Dream dream, filling up an idle hour
Fade away, radiate

I sit by and watch the river flow
I sit by and watch the traffic go
Imagine something of your very own
Something you can have and hold

I’d build a road in gold just to have some dreaming
Dreaming is free
Dreaming
Dreaming is free
Dreaming
Dreaming is free

-(lyrics to the song ‘Dreaming’ by Blondie)

“The most basic human instinct is not toward survival, but toward the familiar”

-Virginia Satir

In the Greek origin of the word, ‘meta’ means beyond, and ‘physics’ pertains to the physical world. So metaphysics is the study of that which is beyond the physical world. This would include our thoughts and beliefs, our perspective of reality, and the way in which we understand the world and our existence. It also pertains to the relationship between mind and matter. While metaphysics has long been opposed by Newtonian science, which measures and studies only the physical and tangible world, Newtonians beliefs are becoming quickly outdated as we discover the inseperable effect that an observer has upon matter. If an observer’s beliefs affect physical reality, there is more operating in effect here than just the physical laws, and we leap into the realm of the metaphysical.  Thus, a person with a flawed belief system, or self-sabotaging perspective of reality, creates a flawed or self-sabotaging life. In order to improve our life we need to shift our belief system, and improve our personal metaphysics.

“These pains you feel are messengers. Listen to them.”
- Rumi

“Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who

looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens” – Carl Gustav Jung

Nova just did a great show on some of the latest neurological and psychological findings regarding dreams and why we have them. Here is the description from PBS’s website:

TV Program Description
Premiere Broadcast on PBS: November 24, 2009

What are dreams and why do we have them? NOVA joins leading dream researchers as they embark on a variety of neurological and psychological experiments to investigate the world of sleep and dreams. Delving deep into the thoughts and brains of a variety of dreamers, scientists are asking important questions about the purpose of this mysterious realm we escape to at night. Do dreams allow us to get a good night’s sleep? Do they improve memory? Do they allow us to be more creative? Can they solve our problems or even help us survive the hazards of everyday life?

NOVA follows a number of scientists, including Matthew Wilson of MIT, who is literally “eavesdropping” on the dreams of rats, and other investigators who are systematically analyzing the content of thousands of human dreams. From people who violently act out their dreams to those who can’t stop their nightmares, from sleepwalking cats to the rare instances of individuals who don’t seem to ever dream, each fascinating case study contains a vital clue to the age-old question: What Are Dreams?

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/dreams/

“When we take steps to honor our soul, a Divine Power rallies to support our highest and best interest whether we get what we want or not.”

- Cheryl Richardson

“When the voice and the vision on the inside become more profound and clear than the opinions on the outside, then you have mastered your life”.
John DeMartini in ‘The Secret’

“If your hand is open to give, it is also open to receive”

-Lisa Nichols

During REM sleep, an interesting thing happens to our body: we become physically paralyzed. Most of the time we are unaware of it, because we are asleep and in the dream state. But occasionally a person will wake up and become consciously aware of the fact that they cannot move their body, and a state of fear and panic sets in. They are still able to move their eyes around, just as they do in REM sleep, but the body is paralyzed.  It usually lasts anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes, but that time can feel like a terrifying eternity.

It is believed that sleep paralysis is a protective mechanism so that we don’t physically act out our dreams; imagine the mess, bumps and bruises we would wake up to if we did!  While most of the time the transition between sleeping and waking goes smoothly, it is estimated that anywhere from 20-30% of the world’s population will at some time experience the phenomenon of sleep paralysis.

The causes are generally unknown.  For some people it may be triggered by factors such as increased stress, lack of sleep, a changing sleep schedule, sudden changes in lifestyle, use of certain medications, or substance abuse.  For others, it can be associated with narcolepsy, or night time leg cramps. For most people there is no determining explanation.

While scary, it is only temporary, and for the majority of people it may happen once or twice in a lifetime and is nothing to worry about.