Wishful Thinking
Wishful Thinking's Problematic
Unless, of course, you were wishing for our second annual installment of Summer Yoga Retreats on Long Island's beautiful east end! Registration for July is open! The environment and theme will present an opportunity for a sacred, summer pause to experientially embrace and empower the sovereign self within you, your purusa. Welcome summer into your heart and soul, and reclaim your right to guide your mind, body and emotions in a positive direction of your choosing.
Sometimes, the flurry of activity in life can trick us into thinking we are the flurry and the activity, the thoughts and emotions, the feelings and even other people’s projections of us. What defines us changes when we discover it’s all mutable. The more we attach to the mutable, the further we are pulled from our sovereign selves.
Let’s remember Yoga’s intention is to maximize clarity and peace and minimize mental impurities and the intense and often prolonged unfavorable habits and emotional suffering cycles they keep us trapped within. Imagination itself, as a mental activity, is a double-edged sword: when wielded intentionally and intelligently, it can be a tool for personal pacification and growth. Wishful thinking is another story. Our wishes fall flat when we ruminate from a pleasure-seeking, averse, cloudy or confused or delusional mind, and without action. This is when imagination can cause suffering.
Daydreaming is a form of imagination. It can be benign. I think of myself traveling the globe to my bucket list spots daily. Generally, it’s not a problem. It motivates me to work harder and smarter, so I can save up. I move on when I am needed elsewhere. I don’t book trips until I know I can do so while still paying my bills and all family members are in stable health. It doesn’t interfere with my life. No harm done.
Once daydreaming turns into an obsession, that’s a different story. I’ve been spending too much time on FB marketplace lately. I searched for my next car target, an Audi Q3, because my car miles are getting up there and I want to see my current car with its warranty so it’s more appealing to a prospective purchaser. But I also searched for a leather skirt. A pair of Puma Romas. Linen pants. Nike tech fleece. Tennis rackets. And the algorithm’s got my number. It pulls me into heightened sensory gratification mode and takes precious, limited time away from my work and family for me. Keepin’ my eyes on what’s poppin’ in the marketplace, imagining the right price and the right item will manifest just because I want them, detracts from my dharma. It also wastes time, and doesn’t get me any closer to having the things, most of which are not even necessities.
Wishful thinking also overrides our wisdom and intuition and is a for a projection. Most of the time, technically, it’s not even imagination: it’s misperception, projected. We may want, say, a relationship to work so much that we see what we want, latch onto crumbs and ignore harmful dynamics. Or, we love someone so much we don’t want to face they are close to end of life. Or we so intensely wish our sourdough starter would bloom that we see the brown rice speckles in the flour as fermentation bubbles. I did that this week. I also wish my gardener would show up to cut my flourishing, spring grass, but he’s not coming. I have to call him.
Wishful thinking can backfire. Keep us in daydream mode. Or robbing us of the agency and empowerment we need to make progress. The work is catching ourselves. Are we co-creating a reality aligned with our sovereignty or are our klesha-s luring us into trouble? Are we blinded by our desires or checking them so we can see what is before us? The calmer the mind, the more effective our processing system will be at weeding out the excess baggage we add to this journey. And our imaginings will be a productive way to help us move toward our goals.