a*wake
Pronunciation [uh-weyk]

–verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
1. to wake up; rouse from sleep: I awoke at six with a feeling of dread.
2. to rouse to action; become active: His flagging interest awoke.
3. to come or bring to an awareness; become cognizant (often fol. by to): She awoke to the realities of life.
–adjective
4. waking; not sleeping.
5. vigilant; alert: They were awake to the danger.

Origin:
bef. 1000; ME awaken, OE awacen, ptp. of awæcnan; see a 1 , waken

What does it mean to be Awake? Well, when I asked for that to be the words on the design (I can't remember what the original default text said), I was thinking of the concept taught in meditation, that moment of transcendence where you are no longer living under the haze of what isn't really important and you find the connection inherent in all things. The moment you truly wake up to realize you are not you and there is no they, where you realize that everything is one and connected.

I am fond of the idea that we are all connected, even when we don't feel connected. Then at the same time it seems amusing to think of all of this as one gigantic organism and we just don't realize we're as small and insignificant as a one single blood cell because we're thinking on a scale that's our size. Does that make the concept of God the organism we are living in? Were we literally made in his image? That amuses me to think about. I like to think of awake as seeking awareness. Preventing yourself from wearing the various blinders our species likes so much. To really look at what's going on, observe, and think about it critically, to really use your brain to consider it, rather than zombie around following commands, old or new. I suppose that's why I've decided I dislike religion, at least for my own personal course, and prefer to think of myself as spiritual.

I have noticed that religion tends to lend a handy excuse for not thinking for yourself. Yes, there are wiser and greater beings out there, but if we simply walk around following commands from those that "seem" to be what we're looking for, we can get duped into a lot. Perform evil deeds with good intentions. I don't begrudge anyone their religion, and I'm not saying my choice is for everyone in the least. Some might be able to hold onto their awareness while following laws set out by men long ago (and almost exclusively by men in particular). I prefer the direct contact and I always have. Why listen to a rumor when you can go up to the person concerned and ask directly, or get to know them?

That doesn't mean I don't listen to ancient words. We need to learn from history, those with more experience, respect our elders. However, we also need to think for ourselves and keep the blinders away. We are not awake if we simply follow rules without asking why or if they even make sense or question their source. That's not even considering how many different ways (and so very easily) that ancient religious words can be interpreted. Why go through your spiritual life with second hand information when you can go to the source?

I also don't understand the concept that intelligence is a curse to spirituality and religion. I can't imagine any God worth having would actually prefer you to be a mindless sheep rather than getting the benefit of your full mindpower on his side. I think intelligence is the enemy of those who believe their interpretations of whatever have you are THE ONLY way or the right way. There is a difference between questioning God and questioning men of god. And why shouldn't we question god? Our children question us. I respect my son's quest for knowledge and his natural curiosity by answering, or helping him find the answer for himself. Why should god do less than that? I can't imagine God hates being questioned and sees it as a lack of faith. I don't regard my son's questioning in such ways.

Ah, but then I hear that I can't presume to think that I could understand God and his ways. Inherent in that question is that I am wrong and their understanding of God is the correct understanding. Which follows that they presume to think they know and understand God and his ways.

Then there is also something to be said of dreaming too. To truly appreciate being awake, we need to return to the dream from time to time. Would it be like this once one reaches that plateau of enlightenment and is "awake" to the world? Is it healthier, then, to go back to the dream from time to time? I do so love dreams, most of the time. I think a life without dreaming would be bankrupt--and that's coming from an insomniac. Without dreams we are not as awake as we could be. Quite literally. We need to dream each night to achieve a state of rested refreshment upon waking. Even if we do not remember these dreams, our body needs to enter and complete dream cycle sleep in order to wake up feeling well rested. The best time, according to studies, to wake up, is just after a dream, rather than during one. It is at this point that you will awaken refreshed and "on the right side of the bed." Waking during a dream typically leaves one feeling groggy for quite some time after waking. I'm speaking of more than just sleep studies though. I have noticed, for myself, that waking during a dream makes me more likely to be grouchy and sleepy all day. Whereas, if I sleep long enough I wake naturally after a dream is over and feel refreshed and fully awake.

Does this parallel, however? The concept of literal dreams and wakefulness and that of spiritual sleep and wakefulness? In order to truly be spiritually awake and refreshed, do we need to be in the dream, allowing our spirit to sleep and regenerate? What is the spirit's version of dreaming sleep vs. wakefulness? Just exploring the surface of a sleeping spirit would indicate that it is a spirit that is inactive--in other words, the person with a sleeping spirit is not spiritual at all. For the purposes of this exploration of the topic, however, let us suppose that it is not like that at all. After all, just because you sleep each night, that does not mean you aren't actually there. When you dream, you can hardly even call yourself inactive. So, what is spiritual dreaming then? That state when you are neither simply sleeping, nor awake, where virtually anything is possible and potentially buried messages surface into a jumble of meaningful, but obscure images? Does our spirit need these moment in order to truly be awake? Is it possible that the ultimate state of being is not a permanent wakefulness but rather something like our daily sleep and waking cycle?

Explore it further with me, if you like. If you were to be awake, never sleeping, never dreaming, you would begin to hallucinate, you would be more prone to illnesses, your immune system out of whack. You might accomplish more but you would also begin to lose touch with reality, particularly once the hallucinations set in. If you were permanently in a state of enlightenment, permanently awake, spiritually, would the same thing happen? I think it could. I have read stories from and by supposedly awakened people, or people that fancy themselves closer to enlightenment than I am. Don't get me wrong, I don't doubt that anyone could be more enlightened than me, it's entirely possible. I'm still half asleep myself. I love to dream. I just don't think I could ever boldly state, as I have heard some do, how progressed I am on the path toward enlightenment. It just seems like one of those things you should demonstrate, rather than say or have said for you. Regardless, back to these stories of enlightenment, often I listen to or read them and wonder at some of the things that they do, or conclusions that they have made and I think how obvious the conclusion should be, but it takes the subject an entire story to figure it out. Is this a case of being out of touch? Reality is subjective, I agree with that. However, being a space-case to reality is definitely not being awake. I guess that's when you go to the next plane of existence. When you no longer need to dream.

Why would you want to? What would replace dreaming? Constant wakefulness? Is that really better? I suppose you wouldn't need dreams if you were that aware and awake at all times. You wouldn't need subconscious movie shows to help you solve problems or boost your creativity. This is what makes me think I will not achieve enlightenment in this life. I'm too fond of dreaming. I can't imagine a life without dreaming as fun. I pull a lot of inspiration from my own dreams. When I think about that movie, The Matrix, I realize that, if anything, I'd have to occasionally escape "reality" to go back into the Matrix and enjoy the fake trees and nature that no longer exists in "reality." I would need to occasionally return to the dream to keep myself inspired. All those hard rocks outside the matrix, bleak atmosphere, mechanics everywhere the eye can see, or vast empty spaces. Harsh and limited colour. As odd as it might sound, I'd need to return to the dream, to images I love to remind myself why I fight for a reality that is bleak and harsh. Otherwise I might grow so depressed that I wouldn't have the energy to continue fighting for a world so seemingly hopeless. But, I suppose if you moved to that next plane of existence, you would not need dreams to get hope. Hope would just come to you?

Or...just maybe...even if you're God, or enlightened, or another, higher being entirely, just maybe, you still need to dream each night in order to truly be awake the rest of the time.

Singing
Sung




Mother Nature painting © Jim Warren (used with permission)
Web set copyright © 2001 EyeForBeauty