I received a review book in the mail this week that I’m finding very intriguing: "The Three "Only" Things — Tapping the Power of Dreams, Coincidence & Imagination", by Robert Moss. The title of the book refers to three interrelated experiences that are often dismissed as "only" things — as in "it’s only a dream", or "it’s just a coincidence", or "it’s only my imagination". Moss contends that is is "only" through bringing these experiences more consciously into our awareness and validating them that we become alive to the totality of our own lives.
Moss discusses each of these realms of experience by presenting their rules, powers, or uses, such as the seven secrets of imagination (including moving beyond our blocks, growing visions, and imagining something desired into reality); and the nine rules of coincidence (including the attraction of like for like, and how motion multipies coincidence); and nine powers of dreaming (including dream coaching, seeing the future, tapping creativity, and understanding relationships). Anecdotes and stories of how others, both famous and anonymous, have used these gifts to guide their decisions and foster creativity are sprinkled throughout the book, along with practical guidelines and tools for tapping the power of the "three ‘only’ things" ourselves. By treating our waking-life world symbolically (like a dream) we can see patterns and events in a new and different way that fosters greater wisdom and understanding.
One of the exercises I found very provocative was the "Five-Minute Oracle", in which you state an issue or question you need guidance about, then "…pretend that the next striking or unusal thing that enters your field of perception is a direct message to you from the universe." Inspired by the book, I conducted this experiment by asking for guidance on a freelance project I had been feeling some discouragement about that is a bit out of the mainstream. Almost immediately after, I heard a sound of clinking glass outside my house. When I went to the sidewalk in my front yard, I found a healthy and happy middle-aged man, sorting through the glass recyclables I had placed at the curbside for pickup. I said hello and asked if he was going to cash them in, and he said "yes — I probably should get a normal job, but this just works for me!" Then he shook my hand and wished me a good day. What I got from this is that my project could well be a legitimate means of income/financial support, albeit not what many would see as a "real job". There was also something there for me about taking the initiative to transform things other people don’t know how to transform or re-use in a different way themselves, which cut to the heart of the project itself.
Robert Moss is a great storyteller, a lively dreamer, and a compelling writer. He pioneered the concept of Active Dreaming, an synthesis of shamanism and modern dreamwork. Born in Australia, he survived three near-death experiences in childhood. He leads popular seminars all over the world, including a three-year training for teachers of Active Dreaming and a lively online dream school. A former lecturer in ancient history at the Australian National University, he is a best-selling novelist, journalist and independent scholar. His seven books on dreaming, shamanism and imagination include Conscious Dreaming, Dreamways of the Iroquois, The Three "Only" Things: Tapping the Power of Dreams, Coincidence and Imagination and The Secret History of Dreaming. His website is www.mossdreams.com.
Tags: coincidence, imagination, Robert Moss, synchronicity
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