Flow Into the Tao Sea of Dreams for Peaceful Flow

Life can be incredibly stressful. That is the nature of it. Modern society is especially hard because there are no margins.

Remember the old-fashioned notebook paper we used in school? The type with you’ll plug into a three-ring binder? It had margins. They were useful for taking notes, sure, but also scribbling in when bored in class. There isn’t enough space or time to simply think on the day, much less waste time.

A simple Taoist concept I’ll be teaching in an upcoming 18-week program through the Shift Network can help. Regardless of whether you take the program or not, I’m excited to share about it and lead you through an exercise.

The "Taoist sea of dreams" evokes the mystical relationship between the Tao or Oneness and the subconscious. This sea, made of the liquid light of higher consciousness, emphasizes the poetry of the everyday life. In that we’re all connected in a great sea of dreams—hopes, wishes, realities, love—there is a boundlessness underlying all of life.

There are no margins because we don’t need them. We can be. We can do. We can connect. We can flow.

In Taoism, dreams are seen not as random noise, but as reflections of your spirit and energy. They blur the lines between waking life and illusion, inviting you to flow with life rather than resist it.

The representation of this concept is the famous allegory by the ancient philosopher Zhuang Zhou (Zhuangzi). He dreamed he was a butterfly, blissfully fluttering about, completely unaware he was a man. Upon waking, he questioned whether he was a man dreaming he was a butterfly, or a butterfly now dreaming he was a man.

Think of you much more you would enjoy your life in this state of “it all is”. How less stressed you’d feel when a check never gets to its destination or that neighbor (or mother or…) complains about you, your dog, your hiccups. Really, all the stuff of life is just so much dandelion fluff if we realize what matters is what is true. You. Connection. Love.

Try this short exercise to bring yourself into the state of the Tao sea of dreams.

Take a few deep breaths and drop into the cauldron in your abdomen. This is your second chakra, full of the water and emotions of life. Within all reactions, beliefs, and needs swirl together. With your inner permission, the intensity of each can cancel out. In this sea, you can float. Just float.

Keep your eyes closed. Be surrounded by this water of light. What does it feel like on your skin? How does it help you settle into your skin? What colors do you sense through its sensations, what sounds and hums?

What if you were to give yourself permission to remain in this state of ease for an entire day? You don’t have to leave this sea. Simply let the waters spread and surround you and cushion you from stress.

Here is an invitation to a super amazing 18-week course I’m teaching starting August 6^th! It’s in-depth, inclusive of many energetic bodies from around the world, and supports deep healing of self and others.