From the Blog:

Array
(
    [0] => Array
        (
            [ID] => 1062
            [post_author] => 3
            [post_date] => 2013-05-20 23:27:02
            [post_date_gmt] => 2013-05-20 23:27:02
            [post_content] => The Great American Desert is nothing if not great. Stretching from the Sierra Nevada and reaching deep into the Rocky Mountains, these four great deserts—Mojave, Great Basin, Chihuahuan and Sonoran--encompass more than one million square miles.  But of all the deserts in all the world only in the Sonoran do we find the Saguaro, symbol of the American West. And although it can grow more than 5 stories tall and live for over 200-years this majestic emblem begins its life the size of a pinpoint not much larger than the period at the end of this sentence. Three to four decades later the great cactus blooms for the very first time. And thereafter only once each year—blossoms opening after dark and closing a few hours later during the heat of the day--never to bloom again.

It was for these blossoms we timed our trip. Psychobiologist Ernest Rossi describes these moments as numinosum—the power of awe, fascination and novelty to enrich, nourish and inspire. But Rossi also explains these moments have real staying power, growing new nerve cells in the brain (neurogenesis) and triggering healthy genetic expression.

Catching the Dream

Some of these experiences require very little effort—they catch us unaware and we’re transported—such as a meteor shower or a spectacular sunset. But if we’ve been cultivating and capturing numinosity with intention we not only have more transformative moments we’re also more available to capitalize on them when they do spontaneously occur.

Capturing numinosum, though, is a two-way street for first we have to not only pursue or recognize the “dream”—dew on a delicate spider web or an exotic African safari--but also catch it. Accomplishing this first step is deeply personal. When invited to “catch the dream,” my husband remains absolutely silent until he hears the whole story. From sleeping in my car at state parks to an exhaustive search for a kangaroo rat these dreams can border on the absurd. Most recently my invitation to “catch the dream” involved a 6-hour drive after work, a $59 motel room and dinner at Waffle House (to rescue a dog). My treat. As a friend says, “Your dream is my nightmare.” So when brandishing the Saguaro I threw in astronomy night with a U of A astrophysicist and we had a deal.

Bringing it Home

Second, bringing home the physical benefits of numinosum requires more than pursuing the dream; we have to show up for it. My own imagination has distracted me during plenty of potential peak moments--planning work-related events, deciding how to deal with a crisis and even composing email. Worst yet, the chemical reality of just that sort of hurry and worry not only erodes our numinous experience but blocks the brain-changing neuropeptides we’re going for and secretes the very stress hormones we’re trying to get away from. (Remember, from your body’s perspective imagination rules: where your mind is chemicals follow!)

The 5 Steps 

Now that you’ve honed in on your personal adventure--whether your experience is measured in moments, hours or days--lock it down biologically with 5 simple steps:

1. Leave mental baggage behind. Draw a line in the sand and decide what typical patterns of thinking weigh on your mind and heart. Concerns about the kids? A health challenge? An uncertain economy? (Problem solving potential plummets when we don’t press pause on hurry and worry.) Give yourself permission to let it go – for the hour, for the day, for the week.

2. Set your intention. What do you want to come away with? A deepened sense of compassion? An enhanced sense of curiosity? A playful spirit? Consciously set the tone by bringing your best self forward. (Silence cellular interruptions or better yet, leave your phone home alone.)

3. Invoke a sense of wonder. Put on new eyes. Abandon judgments. Banish complaints. Determine ahead of time that when things go wrong you’ll give yourself the chance to respond with openness and flexibility, perhaps finding novelty or enrichment where you least expect it.

4. Stop, breathe, reflect and choose. However fleeting, what did you find nourishing or inspiring, humorous or frustrating? Is there an attitude or perspective that might have made the experience richer, more meaningful? What steps can you take to bring more of this attitude or the remembrance into your everyday world and what might hinder that? And finally, what would you like your next numinous moment to be?

5. Share the Love. When I’m feeling stuck or overwhelmed I often ask my friend Nancie Talley what’s next on her “list.” Her ready response--and often surprising items, Chunkin Punkin for one--freshens my perspective. So grab ideas and challenge friends and family to participate. Share dreams. Trade experiences. And create your own symbols of numinosum.

The visitor’s center tells me the Saguaro is blooming 3 weeks early this year, coinciding with a spectacularly free weekend.  And although we arrive late at night, through the moonlight I can see them--hundreds of them, silhouetted on the horizon--hundreds of mighty Saguaro crowned with large, white flowers, pollinated by white winged doves during the day and Mexican long-nosed bats by night. On my journey home I find my experience is locked and loaded, tucked deep in my heart but traveling with me is a tiny packet containing more than 50 Saguaro seeds (from the desert museum). Each awaits its own miniature glass vial to give clients and group members at the cancer center this symbol of grandeur. A tiny piece of a large experience, made more numinous by the sharing.

 

© Brenda Stockdale, Copyright, 2013.

 
            [post_title] => Catching the Dream: The Biology of Novelty 
            [post_excerpt] => 
            [post_status] => publish
            [comment_status] => open
            [ping_status] => open
            [post_password] => 
            [post_name] => catching-the-dream-the-biology-of-novelty
            [to_ping] => 
            [pinged] => 
            [post_modified] => 2013-05-23 14:32:36
            [post_modified_gmt] => 2013-05-23 14:32:36
            [post_content_filtered] => 
            [post_parent] => 0
            [guid] => http://www.brendastockdale.com/?p=1062
            [menu_order] => 0
            [post_type] => post
            [post_mime_type] => 
            [comment_count] => 0
            [member_access_visibility] => default
        )

)

• Catching the Dream: The Biology of Novelty

  The Great American Desert is nothing if not great. Stretching from the Sierra Nevada...