Row, Row, Row the Boat
Why I'm still stuck on that song.
My husband asked for a virtual reality (VR) headset for Christmas. This year, he wriggled himself off the Naughty List, earning himself a beautifully wrapped gift from Santa.
“Holy shit!” I hear him yell from downstairs.
He is in awe at how real his first VR experience feels. To whet my appetite, he says, "Imagine yourself walking through a butterfly garden right now."
I have imagined myself among the Oyamel fir trees in Michoacán, Mexico, where monarch butterflies settle in the winter. Beholding a cascade of millions of butterflies is a sacred once-in-a-lifetime event, and I'd love to experience it. Here is a video of what monarch heaven looks like.
Feeling like I'm someplace else without leaving my house sounds like fun, but I already do that, and so do you.
Every night I cycle between wakefulness, dreaming, and deep sleep.
While I'm in a dream, everything feels natural. I'm engaged with whatever unbelievable thing is happening there. Life inside my dream is usually weird by my awake standards, yet I adapt to this world while I'm there. When I wake up, I sometimes feel pulled back to the place I just left and want to stay in the dream.
By the time I eat breakfast, though, that world has disappeared.
I love being in a deep deep sleep more than dreaming. Brain waves slow, and it's tough to awaken someone in this sleep phase. There are no dreams here, and you're 100% relaxed.
When in a deep, dreamless sleep, everything else ceases to exist. It's similar to being in savasana pose in yoga. The difference is that you're aware and awake in savasana while in a profoundly restful state.
The English translation of savasana is corpse pose, and I must say those ancient sages sure had a way with words. Deep sleep may very well be what it feels like to be dead. I will send you a sign to verify this after I’m gone. Look for a monarch in January as my sign that it’s true (or it might just be global warming.)
So what is real?
When I’m awake, I think that’s reality. When I’m dreaming, I believe that’s reality. When I’m in deep sleep, I don’t think at all.
Ponder these examples, and let's hear your thoughts in the comments.
Which is more real?
⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️
AWAKE
I imagine walking among the monarchs in the Michoacán forest.
I fly to Mexico and walk among the monarchs in the Michoacán forest.
I come home and remember walking with the monarchs in the forest.
VIRTUAL REALITY
I'm wearing the VR headset in my living room and walking through the Michoacán forest with the monarchs.
DREAMING
I am asleep in my bed, and I dream I'm walking through the Michoacán forest with the monarchs.
DEEP SLEEP
There's no forest. There's only nothingness.
I love this video from Prince Ea in which he dissects the song "Row, Row, Row Your Boat." Is life but a dream? The video is three minutes long, but if you're pressed for time, skip to minute 2:10. I hope you enjoy it!
Remember I told you last week that I'm learning a new platform for my website? Well, I had a problem with the posting of the “Yoga for Healthy Aging” course that was supposed to start last Tuesday. I’ll spare you what I went through. I’ve relisted it to begin tomorrow.
You can sign up here if you want to be in this class. You must sign up by noon on Tuesday, January 10th. The link to sign up will disappear after that time.
There are no Venmo or Paypal options right now. If you'd like to pay using Paypal, Venmo, or personal check, please get in touch with me at hello@theblissbeneath.com to get the details. Feel free to contact me if you have trouble signing up.
Our book club meets on Thursday, January 12th at 7 pm. We will discuss the first chapter of The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. Sign up here.