The Spirit Behind Spirit

There is something behind your spirit, it is a spirit. I read this quote once about how we are all in a dream, within a dream, within a dream for infinity. I like to think I'm awake, but what if this is kind of like a dream. Maybe our soul is having a virtual reality type of dream. We are here, but this is all imaginary.I think that is partly true. As real as everything is there may be a place where things are more real. What does it mean to be more real? I believe there is a place where you can perpetually feel love and joy. I don't like to call that place heaven, because that sounds so cliche.I just think maybe we are more real in some other dimension. This life that we live seems so mundane sometimes. Like we are living on autopilot, and just going through the motions of our days. How often are we actually present? How often do we really feel our lives, let ourselves feel the love and joy within ourselves?Are we being real while we are alive? What does it mean to be real? I think it means to really live. To notice every moment. To feel every moment. Not letting life just pass us by and happen. Because we are creating life, not just letting life create us. We need to realize that we are the ones who create the circumstances and experiences that we have.Yes, it's true that some things are not in our control. But how we react to them is in our control. What we experience is not what happens to us, but how we feel about what happens to us. I am currently experiencing a certain peace because I enjoy expressing myself in this forum. It's around six in the morning, I could be upset that it is so early and I'm 'working.'However, this doesn't feel like work. It feels like me being real. Me creating my own thoughts. I wonder if we are creating our own thoughts, or if they are creating us. What is a thought exactly? The dictionary says a thought is: an idea or opinion produced by thinking or occurring suddenly in the mind. "Maggie had a sudden thought"

synonyms:

idea, notion, opinion, view, impression, feeling, theory;

Don't thoughts sometimes feel like they appear out of nowhere like they came from outer space or something, that we have no control of them? As if our mind literally has a mind of its own? We can be in control of our thoughts, but first, we have to be aware of or recognize them. Watch your thoughts sometimes. Notice they can be so random and mundane. I saw a video recently about a psychologist who claims that our best thoughts only come when we are without distractions. Without our phones and social media etc. Try to unhook from technology for like twenty minutes and see if you have more meaningful thoughts.I want to be able to get rid of my negative thought patterns. I really want to be the master of what I am thinking. I feel like in some ways I can guide my thoughts to be more positive. I want to think that I'm happy so I become happy. Like right now, I can decide that I am happy. I can decide what I am, outside forces in the universe are not deciding for me. So let's say at this moment I have decided that I am content.Now I will most likely do things that will make me more joyful because the experience of happiness is something that I like that breeds more happiness. And the funny thing is, I have nothing, in particular, to be happy about at this moment, however, if you can be happy with nothing than you can find things to be happy about. They say that gratitude creates real peace and bliss.There are so many things to be happy about. Simple things, small things you don't even notice. Like I am happy that I have a roof over my head and am not sleeping outside in the freezing weather. I am grateful that I have good people in my life. I'm lucky to have people in my life. There are a lot of people who are very alone.I could find a million things to be grateful for and happy about, but first I have to make the decision to be happy. All of life is a decision. Unhappiness is not happening to you, it is your reaction to what is occurring. I understand if you are being beaten, or you don't have anything to eat, that you will find it hard to just be happy. But even people in those circumstances have the power to be happy. They still have something to be grateful about.There is always something good to think about, to be grateful for.So what are you thinking right now? Is it a good thought? Is it something you would like to continue thinking? If it is then, by all means, continue. Otherwise, change course. This thinking and mind thing is more in your control than you realize.Depression is usually a series of negative thoughts. You can actually think your way out of depression. I know it can be chemical as well, but the idea is that you have some amount of control over how your mind reacts to things. The same thing can happen to two people, and they can have two very different experiences. It is, in fact, their decision to experience something a certain way.How will you experience this life? Good or bad it is in your control.nina