Have you ever felt like a giant slug or a turtle turned upside down, wriggling your arms and legs in the air? In a fairy tale it would be clear that you were under a spell, and had been turned into a powerless creature by some wicked wizard or enchantress.

Our normal human state has often been described as “asleep” or “mechanical,” which seems very similar to being under a spell. Well how can we stay awake more often instead of falling under the spell of old patterns or habits, which cause us to disconnect from our power to choose how we think, feel and act?

A more playful perspective is that life is a game that requires us to keep increasing our skill level in order to really enjoy the game. It can be endlessly entertaining, interesting, and educational—it’s not unlike  board games for children, although clearly much more complex. Did you just choose a card that moved you forward, backward or off the board altogether? Since you’re choosing a card in every moment, whether you realize it or not,  how often can you stay connected to your Self and actually chose the card You really want to play?

Early in life I was taught to witness my thoughts, feelings and physical sensations in order to remember my Essential or True Self. I was told to “chose which radio station you want to listen to; you don’t have to listen to all the thoughts in your head!” In spite of this early advice, I could probably write a very funny book about what NOT to do when one is attempting to Wake Up. What I am inspired to share is the practice of LAUGHTER, while letting go of taking the character you play, in this game called Life, too seriously.

I am not saying that there aren’t situations in your life or on our beloved Planet Earth that call for change or that we can call it all illusion and simply sip our green tea and meditate. What I am saying is that seriousness keeps us identified with “our stories”. Under the spell of our story we are as powerful as a slug or upside down turtle, or in some cases an attacking rhino. We are either impotent or we may destroy rather than create. When we  identify with either our personal or global story, we  disconnect from our true Power/Self, and are cut off from potential creative solutions.

We are NOW poised to make a collective leap in skill level so that we can enjoy creating the visions so many of us hold for ourselves and  our world.

Although I do have a number of practices I use to “Self-Remember,” my current favorite is humor, and a sense of playfulness. The Game of Life is a set-up, as in all good games, mistakes are often the way we learn. The bonus is that there are endless opportunities to laugh, and humor evokes a lighter, happier feeling state, and the opportunity to wake up from whatever drama entrapped us. May we all lighten up together as we create a world with infinitely more Light and Laughter in it.