We’ve been conditioned to judge by appearances and let them determine what’s true about life and what’s possible.

This has led us to becoming problem-solvers, reacting to existing circumstances, instead of vision-holders, activating the next stage of our evolution. That’s why no matter how much things change, they seem to remain very much the same!

When we react to appearances and try to change them, we’re asleep in the dream of separation, believing we exist apart from the One Life that created everything and maintains the spiritual universe in perfect harmony. And even if we managed to improve things from this place (which is impossible to do permanently), we’d still be asleep.

There’s only one way to solve the problems of the dream – wake up!

All of the errors, conflicts, and challenges we face are part of this human dream of separation from the Divine. And most of our efforts to fix, change, heal, or protect ourselves from these issues are in opposition to the fundamental harmony of life – which leads to many of the evils in the world. It’s no accident that the word “evil” is “live” spelled backwards.

Here’s the greatest irony: you can’t change the world by changing the world, any more than you can change a movie on the screen by trying to manipulate yourself or the screen. You could put on earplugs or blinders, change the screen, or create all manner of distractions, but you’re still going to have the same movie being projected. You have to go back into the projector and change the film …or just walk out of the theater altogether!

The only way to change the movie is to change your mind, which is the projector that contains the film being illuminated by the light of your being. Your mind, or consciousness, is the only power, substance, and law unto your experience. The whole dream is being projected by you. So if you want the things you see to change, you must change the way you see things.

It’s not about getting out of the human experience, it’s about waking up in it – becoming the awakened dreamer, consciously dreaming the dream – which, more accurately, is a dream that reflects the deepest vision of your heart. That’s what all true visionaries have been – awakened dreamers. From that place, you’re not as limited by the laws of the dream and you can create seeming miracles.

The other key discovery as you awaken from the dream is that nothing has ever been damaged, diminished, or lost, and you already have everything you could ever want, hope for, and desire. You are a fully-equipped dream artist, and the dream is the canvas upon which you paint your soul portrait or the stage upon which you produce your Divine Drama.

STOP, LOOK, AND LISTEN!

So how do we wake up, take back the power, and become awakened dream artists?

There are three fundamental steps to awaken: we must STOP when we become aware we’re reacting, LOOK at what we’re really reacting to, and LISTEN to what’s trying to emerge through us.

When you notice that you’re taking action from a place of fear, doubt, or lack, and you start to feel your body tensing and constricting, your heart closing, or your mind judging, this is your cue to STOP. It means you’re caught in an unconscious pattern. You no longer have free will. You are now operating in what I call “free won’t!”

As soon as you can, stop what you’re doing, stop what you’re saying, sit down, and become mindful of what’s moving through you. Don’t try to do anything about it, just begin to notice it; what are your bodily sensations and where in your body are they? What are your emotions, what are you thinking?

Don’t just do something, sit there!

Now you are ready to LOOK. Shine the light of your awareness and allow the pattern to become conscious. Be willing to see where you really are, what’s really running you. Without judgment. You can’t heal what you won’t feel. This alone will begin to break the pattern, even dissolve karma, because the only power the patterns of the dream have are the power you give them through reaction and resistance.

Finally, LISTEN. In this more conscious place, you are receptive to divine insight, a revelation of the true nature of reality. And this expanded state leads to healing. All true healing is just expanded awareness of the wholeness that has always been here.

From this place, you can ask more conscious, empowering questions: “What is the vision trying to emerge by means of this?” Not “What’s wrong?” or “Why me?” Those are questions you ask when you’re asleep in the dream, but as you awaken you ask, “How does God see this? What is the truth that makes me free?”

Then you become still and receptive.

It’s not about setting anything right; it’s about seeing things rightly.

So next time you find yourself up against limiting experiences, remember the spiritually-awakened drill: stop, look, and listen …and watch your life transform!

To Your Emergence!