To Sleep Perchance to Dream
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil…
These words of William Shakespeare come from the play Hamlet.
How many people have suffered to the extent that they wonder if they would be better off either asleep or “not to be” here at all?
Yes life in the real world can be tough at times. I remember one whole year at school where I preferred to be asleep than awake because I had a teacher who I believed did not like me and made my life a misery.
There was always a right and wrong way to do things and not matter how carefully I listened to and followed her instructions, I always seemed to end up having done it “the wrong way.”
Things seemed so much better when I was in the world of dreams
If I was dreaming then I could be in an amazing world of color and light and adventure, far from my waking reality of being a shy and nervous nine year old, ill equipped to stand up to the likes of the stern and haughty Miss Vaughn.
I could commune with the angels, ride with the unicorns and cavort with the fairies. My dream life at the time was vivid and wonderful. In fact I created an entire family of loving individuals who surrounded me and played with me each and every night, until I no longer was in Miss Vaughn’s class.
Dreams can Become Reality
I moved up a grade and was now taught by Miss Atkinson. She was really lovely and I especially liked it when we did art. In Miss Atkinson’s art class I could paint my dreams onto canvas and revel at the sight of the most beautiful and colorful creations.
Miss Atkinson would always be very complimentary. She validated my sense of color and adventure and my unique way of creating. There was no right or wrong way for Miss Atkinson. For her it was all about being expressive and being true to your own individuality.
I loved going to school when I was in Miss Atkinson’s class!
The Influence of Others on Our Creativity
It’s interesting how much impact adults can have on us as children. They can make or break our souls in two if we let them. As a kid I was very influenced by the adults around me and I always wanted to please them first.
I did this to such an extent that I actually ended up not knowing my own mind or my own wants and needs for many years. I was a people pleaser and I used my energy to try and keep others happy.
So no doubt my creative expression was focused like it was in Miss Vaughn’s class on doing it “right” not displeasing people. Luckily as an adult I found a way out of my dilemma.
Meditation Helps Us Validate Uniqueness
I learned to meditate and through meditation was able to deprogram all of those early influences that set my reality away. I peeled back the layers of judgment and criticism from others and saw that it had more to do with their own feelings of inadequacy than any inadequacies inside me.
Meditation changed my life. Through clearing myself I was able to fly free again, like the dreamer I once was, but now I am able to dream while I am awake!
Finally I am able to validate my uniqueness and my creativity.
The Midas Tree is my Way of Sharing What I Learned
I wrote my book “The Midas Tree” to share what I have learned with the world. The hero Joshua is like each and every one of us. He has struggles of his ego and he encounters difficult people. He has emotional outbursts and is all at sea, until he learns that the answers are inside him self.
After being guided to chase a golden acorn he discovers in a stream, Joshua discovers a door at the base of a tree; and enters a new life of adventure inside a tree. This spellbinding story overflows with challenges, magical creatures and mystical superpowers, which you too will discover within yourself along the way.
The Midas Tree has many teachings. It is an adventure story, a guidebook for personal spiritual unfolding and even includes lessons about biology and nature.
The Midas Tree is a book of light that offers techniques that can help all people cope when they are going through difficult times in their lives; as well as illuminating the path to personal enlightenment in a fun and entertaining way.
Dr. Lesley Phillips is a speaker, author, workshop leader, spiritual and meditation teacher based in Vancouver BC, Canada. Her book “The Midas Tree,” a spiritual adventure story for children of all ages is available on Amazon as a paperback or e-book. She can be reached at:-
Twitter: @DrLesleyP
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