“Upside Down World”

Everything in experience is mind. What we call ‘things’ are objects in consciousness: not that they are imaginary, but their characteristics are mental constructions.

~ The Dhammapada

I fell asleep reading The Dhammapada last night, which is an ancient Indian text that retells The Buddha’s timeless teachings. I was particularly reading about the power of our conscious mind, on both a personal and a collective scale.

The Buddha taught that there is only an inner world, that is projected outwardly. The permanence of an outer world is only illusion. The moment we change our thoughts about any world, it would change. Our thoughts are the constructs of all life.

It’s the same notion and understanding that we’ve been embracing as a student of spirituality and higher truth. But, last night, I was inspired to see it all differently.

In dream state, I had been placed into a world that had complete opposite meanings for all that I ordinarily accepted as true. If I spoke kindly to someone, I was placed under surveillance, because our concept of kindness symbolized ruthlessness in that world.

At one point I expressed my alignment with spirituality and higher learning. They took that as an alignment with the Roto Rooter Man, and were seeking to shove me into working the sewer. Seriously.

In between a dream or two, I asked my guides why it was all so screwy. They factually responded, “It’s Upside Down World”. 

When I went back in to the dream state (over and over and over again), I had to discern the respective truth and meaning for all that revealed itself. In order to survive in that world, I needed to begin thinking like they do. And the absurdity of it all hit me when one character in a dream, passionately stated “I can’t wait to get to hell.”

With those words, I had a vision of what he had considered hell to be. It was filled with freedom and laughter. It was the exact opposite of what we envision. Which, made me fully understand what all of this was about.

All meanings, symbolisms, identities, forms, structures, expectations, and experiences are arbitrary!! They all compliment and support our conscious awareness at any particular moment of space and time, but they hold no greater truth than that which we give them.

In fact, if we let go of the labels, the worlds were the same. There were the same insecurities, the same challenges, the same paths of freedom and self-discovery. Yes. I was still able to FLY FREE in the upside down world too. I’m quite a master at it.

But what I really wish to point out, is that the upside down world was a collective construct of all who participated in that form of reality. Every aspect of it could be shifted, changed, and reinterpreted the moment that someone wished to redefine its truth!!!!

Our world is never imposed upon us. We are the designers!! We just have to shift the MEANING of all that we embrace.

Ideally, this means that a “tumor” is no more than a collection of molecules serving some purpose for us emotionally or energetically. Could we not practice with reinterpreting those molecules as light and transmutable, easily shiftable by thought and mind??

Could we not reinterpret the idea of loneliness and lack, too?? Could we not imagine floods of prosperity and blessing flowing our way, and accept it as a normal experience for ourselves??

I’m so ready to explore the possibilities, by thinking a new world into being. 

It’s time to not take it all so seriously!!!!!!

Let’s IMAGINE a new world into being.

© Alania Starhawk 2016