I just returned from a trip to
Denver. While in the Denver area, I visited a book store that claimed to have over 100,000 titles. The bookstore was quite impressive in its collection of books. I browsed the metaphysical and
psychology section, which were in the same room. After some searching, I found
a single small bookshelf labeled dreams, and nearly half of the books were
dream dictionaries. The other shelves were loaded with books on every other
aspect of New Age thought, and books on psychology and recovery from every form
of addition imaginable were plentiful.
Bookstores carry books based on
demand, and the demand for dream books appears to be low. I also asked about Edgar Cayce
books, which twenty years ago could be found in even small bookstores. The man
assisting me looked them up. He found that ten years ago, they had carried many
titles, but now they only carried two.
I think the trends in society are
clearly reflected in what people are reading. The Cayce material and dreams are
not in vogue right now. People are interested in help with addictions, and the
very help that will keep them free of addictions in the first place goes
unnoticed. Current society is mesmerized by social networking, and technology
reigns supreme. The inner life gets little attention because the rewards are
not recognized. Working through problems with the help of dreams requires too
much effort for those who seek to solve problems with pills and destructive
behavior.
Unfortunately, I find that few
people want to really change. They want to solve their problems in the context
of their current behavior. In other words, they want to keep all of their
thoughts and habits, but still find a solution to their problems. And many
believe the best way to do that is through medication or escape. Facing problems
and finding the cause is hard work, and few seem willing to put forth the
required effort.
Society experiences fads and
trends. Right now, the fascination is with new technological developments,
which are occurring ever more rapidly. But we are seeing problems with our
youth through addictions of various kinds. Technology has given us ways to
improve our lives, but it has also given us ever more powerful synthetic drugs
that are destroying our society. Without the balance of the inner and outer
lives, society is lost. Better is often defined by the number of possessions
and amount of wealth people possess, rather than an inner awareness and
connection to the source of all life. Society is now experiencing the results
of the seeds it has sown by disregarding our spiritual nature.
I continue to see people avoid
making a small change that would provide immediate improvement to their lives.
I believe it is because they believe they are losing something in the process,
something they value, even if it is detrimental to their physical or mental
health. Dreams will help you see more clearly, but they cannot make the changes
for you. The individual still has to heed the dream advice and actually make
the necessary changes.
I find it incredible that people
pay large amounts of money to visit a therapist when the inner therapist they
already possess can advise them better than any other person can. Now, some
people do need to seek professional counseling because they unable to help
themselves. However, I believe the average person who is dealing with problems
in their life can find the answers from within, and it doesn’t cost anything.
They need only pay attention to their dreams.
We must balance our lives. Time
must be set aside each day for meditation and dream work. This is maintenance for
our spiritual health. It should be viewed as important as eating is for
maintenance our physical health. If we neglect either, we will experience
problems.
