Life is But a Dream, and Then You Die

"Old systems that no longer support the evolution ofShakespeare that is a bloody miracle! When a
mankind are crumbling, making way for something newperformer is that good, you know he isn't the doer.
to come forth. Humanity is being forced to wake up. AAsk any artist, ask any writer what happens when
new God-consciousness is emerging and with it thethey are in touch with their creative self. When I am
dawning of a new age." -Panache Desaiwriting, I am not doing it. I don't hear or see anything
It's clear the old ways don't work anymore. The needoutside myself. Whatever comes forth comes from
to make "me" right and the other guy wrong, to insistthe source within, not from the thinking mind.
that my way is the only way, are fear-phobia habits atSo Who's Doing It?
the core of most of the civilized world's problems. AsIt isn't about telling ourselves to stop thinking. That's a
society becomes progressively dysfunctional, suspicionsure path to insanity. Some people find peace and
and fear contribute to the same worn-out behaviorquiet in meditation. That's a good thing and I do it as
patterns. Destructive as they are, the familiar feelswell. But you can also be in touch with your inner
safe. When we focus on our differences rather thanstillness while your eyes are wide open-as long as
our essential oneness, we are not allowing our trueyour mouth is shut. Stop talking, be quiet and be
spiritual self to be.present. Present awareness is your Sacred Self,
To Be or Not To Bealways with you even as you listen to someone
Many people question William Shakespeare'sspeaking to you.
existence, submitting that someone else wrote hisAmong many child psychiatrists, Dr. Edward Hoffman,
plays and sonnets. Intriguing for scholars, but does itauthor of "Visions of Innocence" found in his research
matter who wrote them? A literary genius was atthat children have insights and experiences that leave
work in Stratford, England in the sixteenth century.them with a remarkable sense of certainty regarding
That person brought incredible joy to hundreds ofspiritual reality, with lasting influences that shape their
millions down through the centuries, throughout thelives. When I was eight years old I floated out of my
world and in every language. There is no doubt hebedroom, down the stairs and out into the city streets,
was someone in touch with his spirituality.passing people who did not see me. My parents said it
In "As You Like It," you hear the familiar: "All the world'swas a dream. But there were other similar
a stage, and all the men and women merely players;experiences in my adult life that made me a seeker.
they have their exits and their entrances."The Consciousness We All Share
How many times have you felt your life a dream inCommenting on his Album "Magic," Bruce Springsteen
which you are on a treadmill, or simply drifting throughtold N.Y. Times reviewer A. O. Scott he had a
life like the clouds in the sky? You make your entrance"re-infatuation with pop music." If you're a fan of
and your exit without ever having known what youSpringsteen, you will applaud this album. But its somber
missed: how Divine you are.declarations are ubiquitous and a depressing reflection
Here's the Bard at work again in Hamlet, Act II. "Thereof the present mood of the country.
is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." IIn contrast, when guitarist Grammy winner Carlos
reference this quote often to make the point that it'sSantana appeared with Los Lonely Boys at the Sound
the busy mind that gets in the way of knowing ourAdvice Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, here's
Divinity. Only when we stop thinking, stop focussing ourwhat he said:
attention on the noise machine (thoughts/mind), can we"When you come to see a Santana concert, it's a
know the stuff of which we are made, ourcelebration of the highest things we are as humans.
essence-silence, pure consciousness.We need bands that are accentuating the Divine side
You Are Not The Doerof human beings. Spirituality doesn't only belong to the
A reviewer recently said of actor Jude Law'sDalai Lama, or to the Pope or to Mother Teresa. We
performance on Broadway: "Hamlet is 400-ish yearsall have the ability to create miracles. All of us are
old. How does he stay so young?"wired to heal ourselves and our planet."
Apparently every single reviewer has fallen in loveWe can all celebrate the highest by celebrating what
with Mr. Law's earthy performance. And when entirewe have in common, our oneness, by celebrating what
American audiences can understand and enjoy Mr.miraculous beings we are.