Don’t Go Back to Sleep

The breezes at dawn have secrets to tell you
Don't go back to sleep!
You must ask for what you really want.
Don't go back to sleep!
People are going back and forth 
across the doorsill where the two worlds touch,
The door is round and open
Don't go back to sleep!    --Rumi

We are about two weeks into the new year – how’s it going for you? Many of us set intentions or made resolutions, and it’s been my experience that right around now the glow is beginning to fade on those shiny new commitments. Even if you are successfully making real changes in your life, you might be noticing habitual resistance or old limiting beliefs cropping up. The motivation you felt, the enthusiasm that fueled your new devotion, perhaps that’s harder to access now. This is when so many of us give up.

Rumi’s advice to not go back to sleep is wise, and in this little passage he tells us how to stay awake. First, “ask for what you really want.” If you are changing a behavior (eat better, exercise consistently, meditate daily) or cultivating an attitude (be more patient, listen more fully, be kinder to yourself), what do you want as a result? For example, we often say that we don’t meditate to get better at meditation but to become better at life. So reminding yourself about the desired fruits of your original intention can help you stay on course.

Then Rumi says something that has always intrigued me. What does he mean, people are going back and forth across a doorsill between two worlds? Maybe it’s that point when you’re just awakening, where the two worlds of your brain are somewhere between sleep and wakefulness. That is often a fertile ground for insight, where deep messages from the soul or psyche can emerge and be received. Similarly, when you resolve to change something or learn something new, there is a phase where the new hasn’t quite taken hold and the old hasn’t quite disappeared. It can feel murky or uncomfortable, and unless you trust that this is a natural part of the transformation process you might miss the powerful lessons emerging for you.

This door is “round and open.” That is an image of inclusion and acceptance, where anything is possible. So we are encouraged to stay within that round openness, to avoid falling back into sleepy non-awareness. Whatever resistance or discouragement you might feel as you do your best to stick to your new year’s intensions, can that be included in your process of change? Rather than being a barrier to success, can the hard part be a teacher?

The notion of people going back and forth across a threshold provides another hint about how to stay awake. Rumi doesn’t say “you” are going back and forth, he says “people.” Plural. You are not alone in your commitment. You don’t need to go it alone, and it’s possible that you can’t accomplish whatever you want without the support and connection of other people. Find a group or a friend with whom you can share your intentions and you may discover a renewed energy for your process. This provides accountability and reciprocity. We grow together in a mutual exchange of care and concern.

Remember that growth is not a destination but a journey. It’s fine to set goals, they can be signposts along the way, satisfying markers of progress. But it’s the steps you take that matter, each step significant and rich with meaning.