Over the past few weeks I have heard from or read on social media about many friends, acquaintances, and family members who are all finding themselves awake around 3am and unable to get back to sleep. Many lament their bouts with insomnia and that no matter when they go to sleep, they regularly wake up at 3am.
For years, I too found myself in the same situation. 3am, awake, looking around in the darkness of my room and unable to get back to sleep. In the very beginning, I attributed it to being a side effect of the IT job I had where I was regularly on call and was required to respond to a page from operations within 20 minutes before operations escalated to my management to resolve the issues that might occur at 8pm, 9pm, 12:30 am, 2am, 3am, etc… There was one particular feed that it regularly failed during the 12:30am – 2:45am time slot and rarely an on-call rotation occurred without being paged at least once during the week for that feed’s failure.
As the decades passed and my career path progressed from IT on call support to development and QA support, the sleep interruptions still occurred. Subsequently moving into a house that had its own “energy” – I didn’t perceive it as a ghost and really didn’t believe in such matters until literally physically experiencing the presence – didn’t help matters. That experience heightened my awareness and expanded my consciousness and understanding of reality and the world around me. It sent me on the pursuit of understanding why? Of wanting to learn more about how a 250 year old house could still harbor, provide refuge or sanctuary to an energy that never left when multiple owners had moved in and out over the years.
Years turned into decades and now, over two decades later, the 3am sleeplessness still regularly occurs. Only now, after all these years, I don’t so much lament my sleeplessness as a fit of insomnia, but as being awakened for a reason, for a purpose and I’ve learned from some of the podcasts I listen to that I am not alone. Whitley Strieber’s latest book A New World describes his experience with the “visitors” for over 30 years and his own meditation practice which includes awakening at 3am to meditate. For those who may not know his name, he’s the author of the book Communion which was published in 1987 detailing his encounter. Alexis Brooks’ podcast Higher Journeys Radio turned me on to Whitley Strieber and his lifelong work towards exploring and explaining his experience from 1985 and before. Alexis has had many other guests that have “awakened” my understanding like PMH Atwater, Mary Rodwell, and countless others.
Michelle Anderson and Erik Rankin’s Awakening Code Radio is another podcast that has really influenced my understanding of raising vibrations and the multitude of individuals out there doing their part in their own way to help elevate the awakening of humanity.
The kingdom of God is available to you in the here and now. But the question is whether you are available to the kingdom.
Nhat Hanh
So the next time you think your 3am insomnia fit is a torment you have to suffer. Change your perspective and ask yourself, “Did I really just wake up at 3am for no reason?” maybe the better question to ask is, “What? Who? Awakened me?” and quiet your mind, your frustrations, clear your thoughts and wait for an answer. And if you get a response, settle in your mind with the question, “What do you want? How can I help? How can I serve?” and see if you are inspired to respond with help.
On those nights you just can’t get to sleep, quiet your mind and ground yourself in your body and think of the most pleasant memory you have and what it was you were doing when it happened, what you felt and why it is so pleasant for you. Tap into that feeling of pleasantness and bliss and then expand your attention out into the universe and imagine sending that bliss, that love you felt out to any who may come to mind visually, or by name, even if it is someone famous, not so famous, or someone whose actions or beliefs are contrary to your own. Send that energy out with the highest intentions and see what comes back to you. You might just find that the peacefulness you felt and sent out and intended for others helps you get back to sleep quicker than if you just laid there in bed lamenting your insomnia. In the process, you will have transformed your negative thoughts about your situation into transformative energy sent out through the universe to help others.
As you get used to quieting your mind, perhaps your meditation can become more focused and you can ground yourself in your body and expand your awareness out to the universe. Whitley Strieber discusses his sensing exercise and the importance it has made for him, you might check that out on his unknowncountry.com website or check out his Dreamland podcast which is free on iTunes and wherever you get podcasts. Then consider subscribing to his unknowncountry.com website if his message resonates with you and you want to hear his full interviews on Dreamland without the commercials.
In this age of so much blame and shame, division and negativity in the media, doesn’t the world need a little more positive energy?
The Vietnamese Buddhist monk Nhat Hanh has a wonderful quote that speaks so well to this transformative practice from insomnia to making the kingdom of God available:
“The kingdom of God is available to you in the here and now. But the question is whether you are available to the kingdom.” – Nhat Hanh