Lucid Dream

Yesterday, I took my family to listen to a lecture by one of the leading thinkers of our time, bestselling author Deepak Chopra. I have just finished his free 21-day meditation course which he offers in collaboration with Oprah Winfrey, and this was my second time meditating with them. (If you're interested, you can find more information and sign up for a newsletter HERE.) I really enjoyed this experience, so when I learned that Deepak would be in my American hometown Tacoma, I bought three tickets for my whole family to attend. (His next events would be in Zurich, Switzerland; Hamburg, Germany; Prague, Czech Republic; Eugene, Oregon; Paris, France; London, UK; Amsterdam, Netherlands and São Paulo, Brazil - an impressive international list.) It was a week night, so of course everyone was tired - really, it's hard to make it after a long day and in the middle of a busy week, and Anya even fell asleep a couple of times during the lecture, but at the end we all were happy that we made it - we felt uplifted, energized, and in the long run we all benefited from this event.

I was first introduced to Chopra's books by Justin, many moons ago, when our love was young as they say. Justin was a big fan and read many books written by Chopra (if I remember it right, his favorite was The Way of the Wizard). Years later, I was sort of reintroduced to Chopra's work by a wonderful spiritual woman that I met last Fall, and I am deeply grateful for it - it came in the right time. The reason for his visit to Tacoma was a book tour that promotes his latest work THE HEALING SELF, and in this 2-hour lecture we learned quite a few new science theories as well as principles of well-being. I absolutely loved that at the end, we meditated under Deepak's guidance. Meditation is considered as important and as powerful a tool for physical well-being as a good night's sleep, healthy nutrition, movement, and a balanced emotional state, as well as what they call grounding - connecting with the earth (walking barefoot on the beach or grass, touching trees in the woods, working in a garden, etc.). I know that there are schools that made meditation a part of the daily routine for both students and staff, and there are therapists who made meditation a part of their approach to healing. I know from my personal experience that it works - I became or better yet, I am becoming a happier, more centered person since I've started meditating on a regular basis.

The event took place at the beautiful historic Pantages Theater in Tacoma, and the auditorium was quite full.  I was happy to see people of all ages and cultural backgrounds - it was such a well balanced mix of both men and women, from young students and adults to elder ladies and gentlemen. Some were taking notes, others like me just tried to be present and take it all in with our hearts. Deepak was walking back and forth on the stage while talking (which reminded me of my nephew when he was a little boy - "walk and talk" was his favorite thing), because as he admitted he had't yet completed his 10,000 steps that day (which made the audience laugh because it was just so human). After the lecture, there was a book signing, but we didn't have a book, so we just took a chance to glance at our hero up close and personal, and then we left. Since it was a week night, I think many folks were coming right after work, casually dressed, but I also spotted a few dressed up ladies which is always nice to see. I have to admit I felt so low energy earlier in the evening that if I had a pair of well-fitting jeans, I would be tempted to wear them with some unassuming top to keep a low profile. But I don't have said jeans, and in most of my clothes it would be a bit difficult to keep a low profile. And I think that I discovered on some new level yesterday that I don't dress up to be loud, to be visible, to be noticed. I don't really care how many people notice or don't notice me (sometimes I enjoy attention, while other times I crave anonymity). I realized that I do it because strong colors, interesting shapes and attention to detail suit my personality. I feel good when I wear such outfits - I feel like myself, or maybe a little better version of myself - a little more determined, strong, courageous and open to the unknown. 

You've seen this coat just recently in my MARCH 2018 post, and these red pants earlier in my FEBRUARY 2018 post. I wear my open-toe metallic platforms with many outfits recently, and the red turtleneck is old. A couple of new accessories that need a mention. The purse was found at Goodwill on our recent trip to Oregon, brand-new with all packing materials and tags still attached. I first noticed its color, then the pattern, and then the shape, before I realized that it was new, I was already sold! It is made of vegan leather and lead-free. The brand is Alyssa (Los Angeles - New York - Milan). I haven't found the exact same design, but one somewhat similar purse was sold for $50 vs. $110 original price. I paid $20 for mine (no sales tax in Oregon is a plus as well).

The glass necklace was a thrift shop find - I don't remember whether I bought it at an antique mall or Goodwill a couple of months ago. It's a beauty! Finally, about my new glasses. So my whole life I was convinced that I have an excellent, perfect vision. I started noticing that it's harder for me to read small font as I turned 40 (I remember that that's exactly how it happened with both my parents too). I didn't worry about it (I am that weirdo who actually notices signs of aging with curiosity and even enthusiasm, strange, eh?). So, I just bought myself some readers and was fine (minus the convenience of reading everything everywhere at any time of course). But since Justin got vision insurance, I decided to check my eyes with a proper eye doctor. And now I am known as the one with "abnormally flexible eyeballs" ... haha! The doctor's theory is that I've always been farsighted, but my eyes adjusted to the differences and convinced me that I see perfectly well. Which isn't abnormal in itself when we are young (isn't pretty much everything in our bodies "abnormally flexible" at a young age?). But for my age, apparently, it's unheard of - they don't teach it in text books. I am not supposed to be that flexible anymore. But here I am, a walking anomaly! I picked the frames by Vera Bradley (they were originally sunglasses, but they made me prescription glasses with this frame, the lenses darken in the sun). Bonus: they come with a beautiful case in matching soft fabric (Vera Bradley's trademark). I loved the service we received at Visionworks at The Landing in Renton, WA, and I'm happy to give them a shout-out.

One of the concepts Deepak talked about last night was that reality is nothing but a lucid dream - a concept known since the ancient times. I know that not everyone is ready to open their minds to such thoughts as most of people are strongly body and mind oriented. But that's what philosophers minds are good for - to think deeper than the surface, to find explanations that most of us aren't ready to discover on our own. Have you ever had night dreams in which some part of you knew that you were sleeping and dreaming? Do you ever think of life as a lucid dream? Doesn't it put things in a totally different perspective?

Pictures by Anya.

If you enjoyed this post, you can find out about another inspirational 'science meets spirituality' lecture by Paul Stamets a.k.a. the Mushroom Guy in my APRIL 2017 post.

Read about other events in Pantages Theater in my earlier posts:

MAY 2017

APRIL 2016

NOVEMBER 2014

OCTOBER 2013

Linking with Visible Monday at Patti's.

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