The Imagination

When the artist Michelangelo was asked how he approached sculpting his masterpiece David, he replied that he chipped away everything in the large piece of marble that wasn’t David. Michelangelo had amazing focus and concentration as he tirelessly and passionately worked on his masterpiece chipping away what he didn’t want while maintaining his future vision of what he did want and what the completed David would look like.

Because of the miraculous design of our brain, we can recall a past experience and quickly assess what worked and didn’t work and draw upon resources there; we can take what we learned and apply it now and be fully absorbed in present time with focus, concentration and creativity; we can retain an inspiring vision of the future and work towards what we want it to look like.

An excellent example of this is the story of the Russian composer and pianist, Sergei Rachmaninoff. The premier of his Piano Concerto No.1 in 1897 in St. Petersburg, Russia met with such critical reviews by the local newspaper that Rachmaninoff fell into a lengthy depression. Unable to recover, he sought help from a physician, Dr. Dahl, who specialized in autosuggestion. Autosuggestion is what we now call self-hypnosis. Dr. Dahl assessed Rachmaninoff’s case and advised him to use the same hypnotic declaration every day, “I will compose a new concerto. I will work with the greatest of ease. The composition will be of excellent quality and the critics and public will rejoice!”

Rachmaninoff repeated these positive statements day after day for two years. Slowly, he began to see that much of his first piano concerto was excellent and he applied what worked to the new piano concerto he was working on, Piano Concerto No.2.  As Piano Concerto No. 2 took shape, his confidence began to return. Piano Concerto No. 2 had its world premiere in October 1901. It was an instant success and is regarded as one of the greatest piano concertos in classical music history. Not only did Rachmaninoff rise to the occasion, he exceeded it. He made peace with his past, drew upon successes and resources there, regained his confidence, moved beyond his fears, reignited the joy of composing, and successfully performed in public again. With the help of Dr. Dahl, he was able to take the best of what he had learned from his past and create the future he wanted to create.

The imagination is amazingly resourceful. It can repair a broken past, inspire the present, and generate excitement about the future.  Whether it is a work of art, a fund raiser, a room addition, a romantic evening with a loved one, or a new business endeavor, the imagination is capable of doing extraordinary things.  Yours or mine might not be on par with that of Michelangelo or Rachmaninoff, but it will be a creative and unique expression of whom we are and that is something to celebrate!

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Traveling Through Time in Your Mind and Imaginatio...

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Traveling Through Time in Your Mind and Imaginatio...: Revisiting the past is a naturally occurring phenomenon that happens over and over again in the course of a single day. Simple conversatio...

Traveling Through Time in Your Mind and Imagination

Revisiting the past is a naturally occurring phenomenon that happens over and over again in the course of a single day. Simple conversations about what we did or where we went immediately take us back in time. Our life is filled with symbols from the past and these symbols stir up memories. A painting, a film, a photograph, a wine glass, a special book, a street, or even an empty space that was once occupied by a loved one can all immediately bring back past memories. Just listening to the lyrics and melody of a song can transport you back in time to the memory of a former friend or loved one.

Traveling back in time to memories can be an exhilarating experience or miserable journey, depending upon what we are thinking about. We can recall and entertain images and memories that make us sad and depressed and we can entertain images and memories that make us laugh and feel good. If we time travel primarily to think back to all the things that didn’t work out as we had hoped: separations, losses, disappointments, mistakes, hurts, injustices, resentments and the like, then we are using an amazing power of the mind in very limited and perhaps unhealthy ways.

The imagination is the playground for seeing the self in action. The brain does not know the difference between walking in the woods and imagining you are walking in the woods using all of your senses: visualizing seeing yourself there, feeling yourself there, hearing the natural sounds of the woods, and smelling the fragrances of the trees, brush and flowers. The brain does not know the difference between jumping in the water and swimming and imagining you are jumping in the water and swimming. In both situations the brain releases the same chemicals leading to feelings of pleasure and enjoyment.

What would be the purpose of imagining you are walking in the woods? One of the best reasons is for relaxation and the subsequent health benefits. Visualizing that you are enjoyably walking in the woods is a meditative experience and a very effective way of calming the mind and the emotions. Doing this for just 10 minutes a couple of times a day can make a remarkable difference in lowering blood pressure, eliminating headaches, and falling into a restful night’s sleep.

ThSimply breathing deeply can help abate an oncoming migraine or help you to gain your composure before taking a test or going on a job interview. Wherever you notice the discomfort or anxiety, breathe into that place and let your breath and imagination help you to soothe your emotions. Once you begin to trust in your ability to use the power of your breath and imagination, your confidence in yourself will grow and your perception of what is possible will amaze you again and again.

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: The Life and Times of Walt Whitman

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: The Life and Times of Walt Whitman: In 1900, Richard Maurice Bucke, M.D. wrote an amazing book titled, Cosmic Consciousness. In this book about spiritual enlightenment, Bucke...

The Life and Times of Walt Whitman

In 1900, Richard Maurice Bucke, M.D. wrote an amazing book titled, Cosmic Consciousness. In this book about spiritual enlightenment, Bucke discussed the lives of those he believed had very advanced thinking, extraordinary intuitive skills, natural realization of the oneness of the universe, a freedom from fear, and mystical qualities that pervaded their personalities.

Bucke was not just an ordinary physician. He was a devout scientist, a gifted doctor, and he possessed a fantastic memory, especially for poetry of which he knew volumes of the classics by heart. In 1882 he became Professor of Mental and Nervous Diseases at Western University. In 1888 he was elected President of Psychological Section of the British Medical Association, and in 1890 he was elected President of the American Medical-Psychological Association.

In 1867 a friend of Bucke’s brought his attention to the poetry of Walt Whitman. Upon reading it, he went into an altered state. In 1877 he met Walt Whitman for the first time and knew immediately that he was in the presence of a very gifted and spiritually advanced soul.

Bucke wrote that he never met a man who genuinely liked so many things and people like Walt Whitman. He was kind, generous, gracious and grateful. He was especially fond of children and all children liked and felt totally safe in his presence and trusted him immediately upon meeting him. Whitman exuded such enormous charm and love, that he literally transformed the lives of everyone he met.

In the 20 years Bucke knew Whitman, he said that Whitman never argued or spoke unkindly about anyone. If literary critics or anyone spoke harshly about his writings, Whitman would simply say that they were correct, thus mitigating the situation immediately. Once Bucke took Whitman to the mental hospital Bucke was the director of to see how the mentally ill would respond in Whitman’s presence. Bucke watched in amazement as some of the most difficult and dangerous patients hospitalized there began to spontaneously smile and be at ease in the presence of Whitman. For the entire day, Whitman engaged these so called incorrigibles in games and playful activities.

Bucke said that Whitman’s favorite things to do were to meander outdoors, attentively look at the grass, trees, flowers, the vistas of light, the clouds in the sky, and tenderly listen to the birds and the sounds of nature. It was evident that these things gave him an enormous feeling of pleasure, far beyond what they gave to the ordinary person.

Bucke believed that the central teaching of Whitman’s poetry and life is that beauty is all around us and we just need to recognize and appreciate this beauty with our God-given senses. Whitman strongly believed that we are missing out on the splendor of life when we long for something that we don’t have. Instead we can simply open our eyes to see, open our ears to hear, and open our hearts to feel what we already have.

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Stress Ages Us

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Stress Ages Us: We live in very stressful times and it is a known fact that stress ages us. Stress interferes with collagen production and our skin suffers...

Stress Ages Us

We live in very stressful times and it is a known fact that stress ages us. Stress interferes with collagen production and our skin suffers. Under the constant duress of stress, we look older, feel older, and lose our vitality. When we are constantly under stress and the natural stress response is not completely shut off, we experience a chemical imbalance eventually damaging joint tissues and blood vessel linings. In short, when the natural stress response is not turned off, the body is constantly on the defensive and inflammation ensues.

Chronic inflammation is central to many common diseases and health problems that develop causing deterioration of the joints and surrounding tissues, mobility challenges, pain, and digestive problems. In regard to the latter, a growing number of medical researchers are finding that inflammation begins in the digestive tract. Anxiety directly impacts the proper functioning of the digestive system and as a result, 30 million Americans take anxiety medication on a regular basis and another 30 million take prescribed and over-the-counter remedies for indigestion. If you have a problem sleeping, look no further that to both anxiety and indigestive problems. We are conditioned to addressing indigestion by taking antacids or prescription drugs but daily indigestion is something to be concerned about.

What can you do? Learn effective stress management techniques, relaxation techniques, and mind enhancing reframing skills like self-hypnosis, meditation, yoga, tai chi, or visualization. Listen to relaxing music. Participate in fun and enjoyable exercise wherein you stretch, build strength, and use your full range of motion. Walking, hiking and dancing, Zumba, and Pilates are fantastic forms of exercise. Take time to play. Spend quality time in nature amongst the trees, plants, flowers, hills, mountains and forests which are naturally healing and harmonizing. Take good care of your skin by using quality products daily.

To dramatically improve your health, you need to alter your diet. Cut way back on the sugar and salt and eat cereals and breads rich in whole grains. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables rich in antioxidants. Keep in mind that the average soda contains the equivalent of 10 teaspoons of sugar and Americans consume 150 pounds of sugar per person a year! Eat foods abounding in omega-3 fatty acids like wild salmon, walnuts, and flax seeds. Always include anti-inflammatory food in your diet like avocadoes, wild salmon, olive oil, berries, and sweet potatoes. And, eat as much organic food as your budget will allow. There is a lot of controversy about the organic verses non-organic but the research is clear that organic is better for your health. Non-organic farmers use too many toxic sprays on their fruits and vegetables and those toxins are not good for your health and digestion. And the next time you suffer from indigestion, instead of reaching for that antacid, eat a delicious organic apple instead. Apples are a natural digestive aid and there is much wisdom in that old saying about eating an apple or 2 a day.