Day: June 24, 2025

Finding Peace Through Spirituality: My Transformational Story

First, I asked AI’s definition of spirituality. Below is the response.

Spirituality is a broad, personal exploration of meaning, purpose, and connection, and one’s relationship with existence, often beyond the material world. It can involve beliefs in a higher power, universal consciousness, or the sacred, but it doesn’t always require religion. For some, it’s found through practices like meditation, prayer; for others, it’s a sense of awe in nature or connection to others. It’s subjective, shaped by culture, experience, and individual reflection, often addressing questions about life’s deeper truths.

With that I would say that spirituality is important to me. I was born and raised in the Catholic faith. In the era I was raised religion was based on fear and sinfulness. You were a sinner naturally, and you had to work hard to earn the reward of heaven. For over thirty years of my life, I thought I would never be worthy of a peaceful existence after time on this earth.

As my life progressed, I guess you could say that I began to question this kind of outlook on life and time after earth. I was put in situations where I had no control why this situation happened. I was beginning to realize that life is just more than trying to be accepted into time after earth. I was beginning to feel that life was one big learning session. All through your life you learn by events you experience, and you learn from everyone you encounter. Oh, I still go to church and practice Christianity. However, I have lost the fear that I am not worthy anymore.

Two and one-half years ago I experienced a near death event and for a period of time I feel I was given a preview of time after earth. I had this feeling of PEACE, TOTAL PEACE! This is a feeling I will never forget and looking forward to this eternal feeling.

I have written many posts about spirituality. Here are some links,

A Journey of Faith and Religion,

A Strange Tale

Touched By God

February 7, 2023

A Gift of Life

Me and Spirituality last year’s prompt

In conclusion, spirituality has been important to me throughout my life and time after life on this earth, serving as a guiding force that has shaped my values, beliefs, and understanding of the world around me. It has provided me with comfort during challenging moments, instilled a sense of purpose, and fostered deeper connections with others who share similar journeys. As I navigate the complexities of existence, the exploration of spiritual practices and teachings continues to enrich my experiences, allowing me to reflect on the mysteries of life and the profound interconnectedness of all beings.

Daily writing prompt
How important is spirituality in your life?
View all responses

The Emotional Role of Dreams

Audio PODCAST

In many parts of my life, I had terrific dreams that painted the night with vivid colors and extraordinary stories, making it feel like I was living two lives simultaneously. The dreams were colorful and vibrant, filled with an array of subjects that ranged from whimsical adventures in fantastical realms to profound encounters that shifted my perspective on reality. The nice part was I could remember the dreams when waking up, and each recollection felt like a precious gift, allowing me to hold onto those enchanting moments from my subconscious. Unfortunately, everything changed when I had a kidney stone when I was seventy-five and was put under anesthesia to remove the stone. Since that time, I do not remember my dreams at all; they seem to slip away into oblivion as I awaken, leaving behind only an elusive echo of their existence. I experience them when asleep, but now when I wake up, they are gone, like whispers lost in the wind. I miss my dreams dearly, as they were a source of inspiration and joy. I really enjoy recalling my dreams in my conscious time, as they opened up new avenues of creativity and allowed me to explore parts of my mind that felt unexplored. Now, I long for the return of those magical nights where my imagination could run wild and the boundaries of reality seemed to fade away. I do not believe that ability will ever return.

The purpose of dreams isn’t fully understood, but research suggests they serve multiple functions. Neurologically, dreams may help process emotions, consolidate memories, and integrate new information, with the brain’s amygdala and hippocampus playing key roles during REM sleep. Studies, like those from the University of California (2019), indicate dreaming aids in emotional regulation, reducing stress by reprocessing challenging experiences. Cognitively, dreams might enhance problem-solving and creativity by allowing the brain to form novel connections—evidenced by historical anecdotes like Kekulé’s benzene ring dream. Some evolutionary theories propose dreams simulate threats, preparing us for real-world challenges, though this is debated.

Psychologically, dreams could reflect subconscious thoughts, as Freud suggested, or serve as a “virtual reality” for testing scenarios, per Antti Revonsuo’s threat simulation theory. However, the random activation synthesis model (Hobson & McCarley, 1977) argues dreams are the brain’s attempt to make sense of random neural firing, not always purposeful. Cultural and personal beliefs also shape dream interpretation, but no single purpose is universally agreed upon. Ongoing research continues to explore these angles.

I have always wondered if not going under anesthesia would allow me to keep my dreams, those fleeting images and feelings that often fade upon waking. It intrigues me how dreams can be vivid and meaningful yet easily forgotten. What in the anesthesia removed my ability to remember my dreams? I will never know.