Is this all there is?

My nightmarish dreams of late seem to be ones of struggle, fear, turbulence, upheaval, escape, and are full of disappointment and limited solution and purposelessness. What’s the point of life I’ve wondered?

Over the years I’ve had these mind-blowing epiphanies, seemingly profound insights, spot on intuitions, dreams of the divine, imaginative stories, and magical moments. I’ve suffered, experienced joy, been hurt, soared with success, and fallen into the dark abyss of failure and loss. I’ve lived my life to the fullest I knew how. So what?

And try as I will, I can’t answer the ‘so what’ question. I guess I expected something to happen that never did, that there would be a profound understanding at the end. But nothing? I didn’t see that coming. Paul of the bible walks down a road and has an epiphany that not only changes the direction of his life but creates a whole new religion. I have an epiphany, several actually, and nothing, ho hum, just another day at the office.

What the hell!

I have what by accepted definition are profound life altering mystical experiences and what do I get? Nothing, nada, nichts. Everything’s the same as always only I no longer see the world in quite the same way, but the joy effect eventually wears off even if the change in perspective doesn’t. The only difference is I now don’t seem to fit in anywhere. And my so-called mystical experiences amount to what? I can’t even claim to be a mystic. Again, so what?

Here I am at the end of it all and all I’ve got is a big so what. I remember a Peggy Lee song where she sang, “Is that all there is?” wherein she exclaims, “Then let’s keep dancing.” Like for Peggy, I find myself disappointed but it’s a disappointment only because I thought there was some secret purpose to it all, but it seems that the dance of life has only one purpose and its not enlightenment, or to gain deep knowledge of the mysteries of the universe. The purpose may just be to dance, and to experience it as I go for no other reason than to dance. Maybe this is all God wants me to do. Who knows why? But I spoil it when I try to make it something else. 

So, what am I learning through these musings? Well, could it be to sing while I’m singing, cry when I’m crying, and dance when I’m dancing? Can it really be that simple?

Maybe we’re all just God having an experience that can only happen through a body and every experience acknowledged or not is what God wants from us and what it wants from itself. In this way how can I/we disappoint? How can any of it be disappointing? 

Once again, it seems that it’s the ego-self that likes to overthink things and create a ground of being for disappointment, but even that too may be part of the purpose for our being. Hell, we/I can’t lose!

It appears that the ‘what’s so’ of my life is also the ‘so what’ and together they make up the whole of life.

Then let’s keep dancing.

Abandonment in dreams

I’ve received several dreams that can only be characterized as abandonment dreams, a type of anxiety dream. One person in particular described their dream-self wandering alone in a cold, dark, and featureless landscape.

Your unconscious may be giving you messages regarding what needs to be kept and needs to be let go. Traditional dream interpretations say that if you are the one being abandoned in your dream; you may experience reconciliation or recovery from trouble or illness. 

Remember that the unconscious is attempting to compensate for an imbalance in the conscious. For example, if you are overly attached to someone in daily life, in the dream state you may be abandoned by him/her. This may be an attempt by the unconscious to make you aware of your dependency or the strong need to control others for fear of being abandoned.

To dream that you are abandoned, may suggest that it is time to leave behind past feelings and characteristics that are hindering your growth. Is it time to let go of your old attitudes? A more direct and literal interpretation of this dream may be that you have a fear of being deserted, abandoned, left alone, lost, rejected, or even betrayed. It may stem from a recent loss or a fear of losing a loved one. Note that the loss can also be a loss of trust. The fear of abandonment may manifest itself into your dream as part of the healing process and dealing with losing a loved one. It may also stem from unresolved feelings or problems from childhood. 

Abandonment might also suggest that you are not feeling supported in some endeavor or in some belief. It can also signal an unacknowledged feeling of loneliness, detachment, and/or depression.

Alternatively, the dream may indicate that you are feeling neglected, that your feelings are being overlooked or that you lack intimacy. Perhaps the dream is a metaphor that you need to approach life with “reckless abandon” and live more freely. To abandon others in your dream, suggests that you are overwhelmed by the problems and decisions in your life.

Some mystics have suggested that one needs to abandon their attachments to things, beliefs, and ideas to see their true self; to see reality as it really is. However, unasked for detachment can be a signal of something more serious, something that needs to be talked over with a trained specialist, or shared with a close friend, or doctor.