11:11 Waves Blog 46: Illusion

Every Monday, I share 1 question for you to contemplate, 1 idea from me, 1 quote from others, and 1 inspiration for us.

This week’s topic is: Illusion

I love classical music and one of my favourite pieces is Maurice Ravel's "Bolero". This 17-minute piece can be described as very minimalistic with one long, very gradual crescendo from pianissimo to fortissimo possible (as loud as possible). As the piece progresses, more instruments are added and “key doublings” gradually make the melody thicker and louder until the whole orchestra is playing at the very end. The additional instruments and notes’ duplications create an incredible illusion as the rhythm of the last sections appear to be much quicker and dynamic than the beginning of the song, however throughout the Bolero the same rhythm (moderato assai) is kept as the piece is repeated over and over again at exactly the same speed 169 times. This crescendo illusion made me think about all the illusions we create in our daily lives and how we spend so much time adding thoughts (similar to the additional instruments and key doublings of the Bolero) that give us a different impression of what reality really is.  

One Question for you

All problems are illusions of the mind.

Discuss the question here.

One Idea from me

Every single day we are exposed to illusions of what we think life should look like. Every single day we create illusion through our thoughts. Every single day we have countless thoughts running through our minds, up to 60,000 based on research done by the National Science Foundation. According to this research, 80% of these thoughts are negative and up to 95% are repetitive. We are not our thoughts, but they are part of who we are and can create illusions in our realities.

While taking control of our thoughts is also an illusion, we can learn, through practice, how to discipline our mind and create a more harmonious and peaceful life. To help with this, this week I invite you to engage in this quick but powerful practice and follow these steps:

1. When you notice that you are creating stress for yourself through too many thoughts, make a list of all those thoughts that rhythmically pulse through your mind;

2. Once you finish your list, read your thoughts and notice what comes up for you. Writing down your thoughts is very powerful as it helps you to understand what you are actually telling yourself. This enhances self-awareness and it helps you to identify usual patterns and created illusions;

3. Now write down a more empowering and truthful version of each thought and illusion you have listed in your inventory;

4. Finally, reflect on the following questions: What thoughts are mere illusions? What limiting beliefs are you believing? What does your wisdom tell you the truth is?

One Quote from others

“I have realized that the past and future are real illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is.”  Alan Wilson Watts

One Inspiration for us

Inspired by the Bolero, this week I am sharing the full version of the Bolero performed by the WDR Sinfonieorchester under the baton of Alondra de la Parra in January 2022 at the Kölner Philharmonie. Enjoy!