I read somewhere a long time ago the suggestion that when you wake spontaneously “much too early” (at two thirty or three a.m.), you should stay up and pay attention to what comes into your consciousness because – whether it is your own mind or whispers from the Universe – there is something you need to know present in the air during those moments.
The threshold between slumber and wakefulness – that moment before your dream slips away from your knowing of it – is a very powerful period. When your brain is allowed to indulge itself in just being, without being occupied, ideas are generated, problems are solved, and spirit is nourished. This is the place where insight and inspiration are born. The trick, though, is to resist the temptation to find a way to occupy yourself until you are again able to fall asleep, to simply allow your own knowing. To consciously do nothing more than listen to the silence.
There have been numerous articles written over the past several years about the impact of “smart” technology and mobile devices on the human brain. Both research and wisdom tell us that there is benefit to sometimes being bored. When our brains are not consciously engaged in an activity, they are actually actively engaged in process. We access our genius – those epiphanies of creative realization – when our brains are not otherwise occupied. So what is the impact of reaching a state whereby our brains are constantly occupied? I love my gadgets, too, but I am learning that one of their benefits can be – in the face of the ability to remain perpetually entertained – reminding me to consciously choose to allow myself (and my brain) some downtime.
These “stolen moments” during what seems like the middle of the night are an opportunity to be alone with your thoughts, thereby connecting with your spirit. Give yourself the gift of those moments – whatever time of day or night you happen upon the opportunity for them.
May your sleep be peaceful, restful sleep. May your waking be inspired.
~ Christiana
