“If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music.” Albert Einstein
One of my all-time favourite things to do is to go to my meditation corner of the house, light a candle, cafe latte in hand (made with vanilla soy), and hang out in my sacred space. I always start with some centering sitting yoga postures, and then I drift – into meditation,or sometimes just daydreaming as I stare out the window at the birds, the squirrels, the trees and the blue sky. I can spend a long time here – it always feels like such a nourishing opportunity to communicate with my higher self. Eventually I move on to some other yoga asanas, depending on what I feel my body needs, but my approach to yoga is very different to the North American variations which so often treat yoga as an exercise program. What much of the west seems to have lost is that yoga asanas were originally designed to prepare the body to sit in meditation.
When I first started to practice meditation, I would worry about the correct way to meditate (certainly no coffee!) and I would wonder whether I was doing it correctly. The inner critic used to have a field day as I tried to find my spiritual path. Now I just soak up the source, the same way a tree soaks up water through its roots and oxygen through its leaves. I no longer worry about whether I am meditating or daydreaming, because I have come to see the value of daydreaming.
When we free the mind to unplug from its daily worries and preoccupations, we open a receptive space inside ourselves – we allow ourselves to be seeded by something higher. Daydreaming is different from fantasies that usually have an egoic agenda – such as sexual fantasies or fantasies of revenge or fantasies of escape from some karmic reality we are stuck in.
Daydreaming has no agenda. It is a deeply receptive state of inner listening. You might hold a question, in the same way you would hold a question when consulting the I Ching. And then you wait. If you notice that there is a suffering in your heart, or a clenching in your stomach because of some anxiety, you just notice it, allow it, and continue to receive the breath gently through diaphragmatic breathing. Just breath, watch the breath, and watch the thoughts coming in and then receding like the waves on the shore. Just watch and wait for what comes. You may be surprised by the revelations and insights that arrive, unbidden, on your doorstep.
When you allow your mind to quieten down by simply watching the thoughts, spaces start to open up between the thoughts. Don’t worry about trying to control the thoughts – they just start to naturally slow down after you watch them come and go for a while. Remember you are not your thoughts – you have a gazillion a day, most of them of little value. It’s almost as if the mind gets embarrassed by the amount of trivia it generates when you are watching it. I often think the mind is like the internet – always on, and always able to generate endless content.
Daydreaming is the realm and seedbed of the imagination. It allows you to take a break from all that content and access something higher. Napping has a very similar restorative effect – the only difference is that napping is done under the veil of consciousness, whereas daydreaming maintains a stream of consciousness. Many great leaders and thinkers are natural daydreamers or devoted nappers. Einstein, along with many other great scientists, found that when he let go of the problem he was trying to solve, the solution would come on its own when he was daydreaming or going for a walk. Churchill would not go without his nap. I am sure he was guided throughout World War II, and taking a nap allowed him to connect with his higher self.
So give yourself permission to daydream – make space in your life to connect with that which is higher, which is trying to connect with you. Be open and receptive to listening to your heart in silence. If you listen deeply, it will always guide you.
These are some wonderful quotes of Albert Einstein on imagination, the intuitive mind, creativity and daydreaming:
“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.”
“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.”
“The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious – the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science.”
“Creativity is intelligence having fun.”
“I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”
“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.”
“Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous.”
“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.”
“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”
And here is a link to the napping habits of some famous leaders:
http://www.artofmanliness.com/2011/03/14/the-napping-habits-of-8-famous-men/
Music leaves a great impact on oneself, no doubt in that, usually people become what they are listening to…
Interesting comment! I agree….I think I would extend the net – we become what we value, what we give energy to….thanks for visiting my blog!
Hi Margaret,
I did not know that Einstein lived so much through music. I can relate to that! Music can really move me and although I do enjoy some quiet time, I still listen to a lot of music, from classical to middle eastern, rock to bluegrass, it has all found a place in my heart.
Living through daydreams is a way of life for me. Whether passively receiving thoughts and ideas or actively thinking through something, I believe that is our natural state.
Having practiced meditation that always started with yoga through the Church of Ananda, I agree that your informal practice is very beneficial. If you sit and worried about what and how you’re doing, you’ll never allow yourself to slip into a zone that is meditative. Thoughts come, thoughts go.
xxx
Debra
Thank you Debra for your insights….music is very important to me too – it is incredible how music can shift your mood out of the mundane and into the ‘blue’ – I would be interested to hear more about the church of Ananda and your experience – you can always email me at the address posted in my blog. Hope you are doing okay with your mom, Best, margaret
Hi Margaret,
I have written about Ananda briefly here: http://ptero9.com/2010/09/28/so-the-darkness-shall-be-the-light-and-the-stillness-the-dancing/
Debra
Hi Debra, Thank you – it was very interesting. I still marvel at the parallels in our paths. I also read and liked your post on Freedom – nothing left to lose and I would like to reblog it with your permission. It is a very good description of being in a therapeutic process – something many people are wary of.
I would be honored with a reblog Margaret!
Thank you so much 🙂
Debra
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