The key to everything

Analysis of the week on dream submitted by "Mrs. M" in Istanbul, Turkey.

Dream: I dreamed two guests left my hotel without turning in the key. I awoke frantic in the night and asked my husband to remind them about it before their early departure. Turned out, they didn't forget to leave their key. Yet, two days later, two other guests arrived at the airport before they remembered. It was a quite hassel to get it back. I felt frustrated and thought back to my dream.

Predominant Emotions: Anxiety, discomfort, edgy, reassurance.

Interpretation: The key tends to represent what is important to you in life. You may fear losing what you hold most dear yet, life experience proves these fears are unfounded. Why buy into your wild imagination? Its possible you're afraid of falling from position/status in your community or work setting. Upon closer look, you can discern this indicates you have lost control and your emotions are controlling you.

Aren't you jumping the gun by assuming that life would be troublesome outside your comfort zone? Since your life evolves according to what you think about, focusing on fears will invite the results you fear. Rest assured, you ask the right questions at exactly the right time in your life. Giving up control or responsibility of some things will permit you to assume new roles. Your time and experiences will be as fulfilling as you make them. Take each thing in stride. As you learn to let go of controlling how your life unfolds, as you stop deciding things must be good or bad, your destiny will reveal itself. The key to everything is opening your senses to all experience.

Where are they when you need them?

You may ask where your guardian angels are, especally when you think you need them. If this is your general attitude, I would invite your to consider the real meaning of emotions and reactions behind your view:

1) What makes you so convinced you look in the right places? More often than not, people base their beliefs on limited knowledge or understanding. Remind yourself you are always learning and your assumptions may be unfounded. Your beliefs about angels may relate to grudges about religion or other negative vibes you project for other reasons. If you read that you will encounter angels at a certain place and it doesn't happen, then you may mistakenly generalize and assume they don't exist. You must discern the truth from within, not from external opinions. Why not assume angels are where you choose to look? Seek and ye shall find.

2) How do you know they left your side? Divine beings are your constant, supportive companions. How you react to your life circumstances doesn't change that. Why don't you believe you deserve love, support and what good angels represent? You see opportunities where you choose. If you fear angels don't exist, fear you're alone, fear conditions are getting worse rather than better, then recognize your fear is creating your reality. You may grow to recognize that your feelings often control your beliefs when it could actually evolve to be other other way around. You could also choose to be reassured.

3) Why is it your instinct to judge? Angels don't judge. You judge yourself and project your emotions on people and other creatures. Ask yourself why you may project your blame or uneasiness on someone else. This is a sign you are hiding or repressing feelings about situations that would benefit from attention.

Awaken & revitalize your spirit

Every moment of the day you're discovering new things about yourself. Yet, how well-informed do you feel? Are you likely to remain motionless and disinterested or, will you decide to realize you can awaken and revitalize your spirit?

1) Relax & breathe.  This may sound simple enough, but more and more people forget how to do this consciously and regularly.  Its far more common to sense people rushing through life without thinking.  So, make a more conscious effort.  Remind yourself what its like to close your eyes and count to ten to settle your mind.

2) Realize you're in the presence of friends.  Yes, this is the case.  Friends in sight may be human, but you also have constant, spiritual companions.  They invite you to rediscover your destiny.  To acknowledge spirit guides enables you to better trust your instincts.  True friends love and support you, no matter what.

3) Embrace humility.  Realize you have nothing to prove.  As you gradually awaken to who you really are, you begin to recognize humility is the key to realizing your potential. You will evolve to live on your own terms, based on your true principles.

Review what you think you already know

Some people assume goal-setting is limited to the pursuit of things that are important to them.  You've heard about it, and so, you identify a target and go after it. Yet, isn't there still more?  What if the time arises that you realize you forget who you are, why you're alive, or lose sight of where to go next? This is preciely the time when its desirable to review what you think you already know about goal-setting.

1) You get out of life not what you desire, but who you are. You can set as many goals as you want.  Yet, only the pace of your self-awareness enables you to uncover goals that aren't imposed on you or chosen based on external influence. The goals you truly realize will assist you to clarify what you already intuit inside yourself. You're on the right path when you find reason to feel more grounded, self-confident and reassured. You are the person who will lead you to the most fulfilling life.

2) You decode your emotions not from another's whims, but your thoughts. Your emotions influence the goals that motivate you. In other words, how you interpret emotions determines what you choose to feel. If someone breaks your heart or let's you down, your reaction has the power to make your life better.  Courage isn't the same as a lack of fear, but your choice to confront situations to get your adrenalin flowing.  As you reframe the value in uncertainty, you are also sensing how each event in your life brings you closer to reaching goals you had overlooked or forgot. 

3) You unearth true goals not by believing ego, but by willingly going deeper. The ego craves control of your mind and would like you to believe that the best goals are worldy pursuits like money, status and material things. Your authentic self has other goals that define its identity and self-worth. These sorts of things don't come and go, but rather,just are. Consider ideas like happiness, self-acceptance, spiritual grounding and a pull to trust your deeper instincts.

Rethink your "piece de resistance"

Success is perceived differently by everybody.  Each of us has views on a lifestyle or activities that define our most appealing vision, let's say its like our "piece de resistance."  You may wonder if its okay to change your view on this, and wonder how others will react to any changes in your behavior.  As the result of my recent trip to Istanbul, Turkey, I share  a story that offers a perspective on dream-making.

I met a man who runs his small hotel as a family business.  It appears modest on the outside and has simple ethnic decor inside.  You may ask how the business came to be.  As it happens, the owner used to be a chef in fast-paced London (U.K.) restaurants.  He climbed the ranks, worked busy days, six-days per week in some fascinating venues.  For some chefs, success is apprenticing with masters, working in key restuarants, or becoming head somewhere yourself. This man had done much yet, felt dissatisfied.  He felt afraid he was missing out on his son's childhood.

Lo and behold, this chef startled a few people and made a big change. He decided to move back to his wife's home country and explore a new lifestyle and options.  When he initially moved, his thought was to open a restaurant cooking his favorite cuisine.  Yet, locals weren't enamoured by this kind of cooking.  So, he devised a new dream, went out on a limb and chose to open a small hotel. What an adventure!

Obtaining required permits was time-consuming.  Contractors were hard to find.  Then, not only did they ignore building rules and codes, the agencies meant to enforce them ignored the hotel owner's complaints.  He paid for materials and contractors didn't provide the agreed-on service.  Imagine when lawyers and inspectors advised the building had to be torn down and rebuilt due to questionable infrastructure.  People the hotel owner also thought were friends turned their backs on him during his hardship.  The man was devastated with it all.  Yet, he had the building re-done, incurred a big financial loss, and re-evaluated his meaningful relationships.  Now, business is growing. His experience taught him useful things: 

1) Opportunities to learn are everywhere.  No matter where you are, or what choices you've made, they are the right ones for you at the time.  Its simply a question of evolving to trust your instincts and choosing to learn from whatever is unfolding.  After all, you're here to learn.  How you shape this life is up to you.

2) Obstacles will arise.  Tests are predictable.  This could seem like a test of your physical strength, your emotional staying power, your mental resilience.  On some level, its all the same.  You need to convince yourself you're worthy, that you really want what you think you want.  Its time to determine what you really value.

3) You control more than you realize.  You may not control other people, but you control how you react to them and to your circumstances.  You have repeated invitations to make the most of where you are.  If you haven't been in the habit of recognizing them, its time that you do.  Since your life is the result of your thoughts and actions, you are the captain of your ship.  Your life experience gives you occasions to learn to sail.  When will you put out the jib?