Introduction to the Collective Dream

 "WHAT YOU ARE SEEING AND HEARING RIGHT NOW IS nothing but a

dream. You are dreaming right now in this moment. You are dreaming with the

brain awake." - Don Miguel Ruiz in The Four Agreements

We move through a world that feels real — until we begin to question the dream.

There is a concept in the Toltec shamanic tradition that everything you are perceiving right now is a dream. In his book, The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz explains it like this:

"Humans are dreaming all the time. Before we were born the humans before us

created a big outside dream that we will call society’s dream or the dream of the

planet. The dream of the planet is the collective dream of billions of smaller,

personal dreams, which together create a dream of a family, a dream of a

community, a dream of a city, a dream of a country, and finally a dream of the

whole humanity. The dream of the planet includes all of society’s rules, its

beliefs, its laws, its religions, its different cultures and ways to be, its

governments, schools, social events, and holidays."

This concept invites us to question not only what we see – but what we’ve been taught to believe.

As children, we were never given the opportunity to accept or reject the dreams of the adults around us. We were taught to see them as absolute – to believe that certain actions are good or bad – placing us in the role of judge. Through no fault of our own, we grew up walking through the “dream of the planet,” making judgments about ourselves and those around us.

As adults, we can step outside the judgment mentality and assess for ourselves where those beliefs come from. Once we recognize that the dreams we were raised with can differ from one another, we begin to awaken from the collective dream. As we awaken and step outside of the dream we are then able to look at it differently - without judgment.

To bring this point home let’s look at a specific occurrence in my daily life: the car rider line. For many years the car rider line has really aggravated me due to the parents who insist on getting out of their vehicle, opening the door for their kiddos, getting the backpack on, getting one last hug – because I was taught to follow the rules and car rider is meant for drop-and-go. 

By stepping outside the collective dream I begin to ask myself a different question: Is this dream rooted in love?

The collective dream I was taught is rooted in society’s rules of respecting the time of all the parents who need to move along with their day. On the surface this seems respectful – but is it rooted in love? Ultimately I don’t think so. I think this particular rule of society is rooted in the fear of being late. 

For the parents who leave the car, I’d imagine the collective dream is rooted in the dream of a family. What are they teaching the kiddos? That time, attention, and loving care are more important than strictly adhering to the rules of society? Those kids will begin their day feeling seen and loved. This dream is clearly rooted in love.

The challenging part is that I still feel judgment toward the parent who leaves the car. I feel myself rising in anger and frustration at having to wait for that parent. Who are they to make me wait? Why should I have to wait longer when my child doesn’t need extra effort? I am blessed to have a flexible schedule, but what about all the parents who are not? Why should they wait? I catch myself trying to justify my frustration by thinking: there are other ways to provide that transition time for the kiddos. They should park and walk their child to the door. They should say their goodbyes before leaving the house. The child is able to put on their own backpack – the teacher isn’t doing it for all 25 kids in the class. And this is where the deeper conflict reveals itself. 

In the abstract it’s easy to agree that the collective dream of “kids need to feel seen and loved daily” (based in love) is more important than “consistently get to work on-time” (based in fear). However, in the nitty-gritty of day-to-day living, it’s really hard to live in acceptance of what is and release judgment. It is difficult to let go of the dream. 

In recognizing it as a collective dream, I’ve begun to step outside of it – the societal expectations of car rider line. My next step is to re-align my beliefs with the alternate dream of showing the children of today what it is to feel seen and loved. [Can you imagine what a world this would be if every individual felt seen and loved!?]

So the next time you are challenged with feelings of anger and frustration, I invite you to take a look at the collective dream that is behind those feelings. Take a moment (or longer) to evaluate whether love is at the root of that dream. If not, is it a dream worth holding on to?

Join the Conversation: I’d love to hear your perspective: How do you feel about the concept of ingrained beliefs are simply collective dreams we can awaken from – and choose to change?