I attended a hypnosis conference in Daytona Beach in May and I had a remarkable experience.  The annual International Medical and Dental Hypnotherapy Association is my favorite conference and I would never miss it.  I have some dear friends who always attend and I always meet new friends and we have the most remarkable learning experiences. Some of the best things that happen are the conversations.

Following the dinner and awards ceremony on Saturday night, I slipped out to the pool and fire pit area to enjoy a good cigar and some quiet, and just stare at the ocean.  It was a beautiful night, and a bit foggy—no stars or planets or moon visible.  The only thing I could see on the ocean was a very tiny, orange light way out there, on or near the horizon.  What was it?  A signal light?  A ship on fire?

Soon after I got there, some others from the conference came out and before long there was another party going on all around me.  The bar had closed early, so these resourceful hypnotists procured some booze and vessels and started getting down at the pool.  There was drinking, laughter, some dipping in the pool, and of course the most interesting and intelligent conversations you can imagine.  I remained at the railing, savoring my Macanudo and I continued to watch the orange light and I could see that it was getting bigger, along with my curiosity.  I was talking and interacting with my friends and I pointed it out to a few people, but no one was as curious as I.  At last, a nature-lover joined me, a new friend named Randi Light who is just a delightful, smart, funny hypnotist and someone you would love to meet.  I had a feeling she could help with this, and I was right.

“Randi, what the hell is that orange light way out there?”

“It’s the moon. Florida is the only place I’ve ever seen the moon appear orange, and only when it’s on the horizon.”

“Wait a second.  That’s not the moon.  I’ve been watching it get bigger.  You can’t see the moon moving—it’s too far away.”

“You don’t notice that it’s moving if it’s up in the middle of the sky, but at the horizon, using that as a fixed point, you can definitely see it moving.”

I was astounded.  I have lived 58 years without knowing this!  I was completely enthralled with this new information.  There is so much I know about the moon—phases, distance from the earth, how long it takes to get there on an Apollo mission, and even a few things about lunar gravity. But this…!  I never knew that you can actually perceive the motion and movement of the moon by standing still and watching!  Maybe my ignorance shouldn’t be too surprising.  I’m from Brooklyn and we didn’t do much camping.  I’m kind of like Frank Zappa, who once said: “For me, the great outdoors is walking from the airport terminal to the parking garage.”  I’m not as extreme as Frank, but close.

As the party went on I continued to watch the beautiful, orange full moon rising in the sky and I could actually see it move.  Sure enough, as it got higher in the sky it turned from orange to its usual white-yellow-silver.  I continued to marvel at this new information and I mentioned it to anyone who came over to say hello.

I was deep into an interesting conversation with Patricia Scott when Randi came back to say hello. I told Patty my new, interesting nature fact and she was impressed, too.  The three of us remembered watching What The Bleep Do We Know!? and the scene where the native Americans couldn’t see Columbus’ three ships because they didn’t know that such a thing as ships existed and therefore the ships could not possibly be there.

Here I was, in the same situation.  Randi told me it was the moon, but I denied it because I didn’t know the moon appears orange or that I could perceive its motion across the sky.  I was seeing it, looking right at it, and filtering what I was seeing through my screen of experience, belief, attitude, and “knowledge.” I was dead wrong, until I managed to open up to what was actually happening right in front of me.

My friends, what is in your world right now that you’re not seeing?  What is it about your experience that would become so much richer if you could just open up to what is actually happening?  In what way is your filter of “knowledge” shading and shaping and limiting your Life?

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