A Hierarchy of Dreams

There are many books and teachings
That expound the art
Of accomplishing your dreams.
Some focus on hard work and skill.
Others take a spiritual approach,
Encouraging one to imagine the desired outcome.
And many of these are helpful.
But they do not ensure
That your dreams are in alignment
With the highest good.
And out of this mistaken pursuit of lesser dreams
Spring misery and disenchantment.
And so, I would like to examine dreams.
On the very bottom rung of dreams
Is that dream which serves the outcome.
Such dreamers play the game
Solely for the sake
Of personal profit.
Higher up, are dreamers
Who play the game of profit
For the love of the game.
These can turn a dollar
And they enjoy doing so.
They find it fun.
This is a key difference between them
And those on the bottom rung.
And often you will find them far more willing
To part with their winnings.
Next up are those who do a thing
Because they love the thing they do.
These can be truly beautiful.
And they are rare.
And much of the best
And most glorious work
The world has produced
Has come from these.
But they can also be ugly
Wherein their love is misplaced or warped
Or self-serving.
But the highest on the ladder of dreams
Are those whose dream
Has been transformed
Into the image of that One Desire
Which lifts the world
From all it thinks it wants
To the very thing it does want
But cannot see.
Such dreamers have been stripped
Of earthbound hopes.
Their desire, their dream,
Is for the fulfillment of unseen promises,
Spoken in whispers
By the voice of angels.
For these have been listening
Not to the pulsing of their own impassioned wish,
But to a still small voice.
And having slain
That part of themselves
That seeks it’s own,
They are finally free
To desire the thing
Which is best for all.