Mindful magic

There’s a magical beach a couple of hour’s drive away, where time stands still and gentle winds whisper profound wisdom.

If the wind is salty and onshore, the magic begins the moment I step out of the car. If the barbecues dotted along the cliff top are sizzling and there’s a tang of ketchup on the air, I need to climb down onto the rocky shore before it begins.

So first I notice the air, the salt or the ketchup, then I notice the quality of light reflected on the sea, different with each visit. Next comes the music of the waves, the heard and felt crunch of shells underfoot, the rough sometimes too slippery surfaces of the rocks and boulders as I carefully make my way closer to the ocean’s edge. At this point, my focus needs to be sharp, the placement of my feet, the balance – or imbalance – of my body as I negotiate my path to avoid slipping and falling. I’m vibrantly tuned into my proprioceptive sense. No place for multitasking here.

Watching my every step my eyes become attuned to the tiny shellfish temporarily marooned in the crevices, then, ah, here at last, the shallow rock pools, all crystal water darting with tiny crabs, dancing with fine seaweed, jewelled with miniscule coral sculptures.

I sit down to look more deeply into the rock pools, and see an even greater diversity and abundance of life within. Seagulls call, waves crash, a sun-blessed breeze skips across my skin, time stands still, and that profound wisdom whispers.

I have always left that beach with greater clarity and insight. I’m sure it’s not the only magical beach in the world, and I’m sure you’ve had similar experiences in different special places.

I used to wonder about the source of the magic: was there an ancient or divine healing energy about this beach, or was it simply the magic of stepping away from the everyday, open to new perspectives?

Or is it, as I suspect, a mindfulness effect?

As each sense is more finely and acutely drawn to focus on the rich details, as the big picture of the beach gives way to the touch and feel of the rocks which in turn reveal the rock pools that open into tiny worlds invisible from the cliff tops, it’s an exercise in mindfulness. Immersed in mindfulness, time stands still, or we enter the timeless flow, whichever way you want to wrap words around it. At that point we are open to profound wisdom, whether whispered by the gentle winds or by renewed connection to the inner self.

What has this to do with dreams?

When you deeply explore a dream, stepping through it mindfully, focused first on the overview, the big chunks, then the details, then the details within details, and into the minutiae, suddenly whole new perspectives spring into view, teeming with life and dynamics previously unseen, worlds within worlds, your inner world, your inner self.

Every dream, explored mindfully and with the right tools and techniques, offers you insights into the many aspects of your inner self, some beautiful at first glance, others dark and shadowy or scary but beautiful when acknowledged, understood, embraced and integrated.  The gentle wind whispers its profound wisdom, and you awaken.

 

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