I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW: The Wisdom of a Memoir

To see future and to learn from it may not be a practical choice. But for an individual, who would like to participate in the dance of consciousness to attain the elevated state of Higher Consciousness learning is unavoidable as well. How then can be see clearly, what every moment that transpires in our small lives mean?

I Can See Clearly Now does precisely that. This book tells us how.

In his latest bestselling book on higher living, self-reliance and self-development, I Can See Clearly Now, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer ushers one into an arena of lessons he garnered through his life. I Can See Clearly Now is a memoir that narrates how a young Wayne in his formative years and the years to come in his journey of being a master of new thought, contemporary metaphysics, and self-development faced many challenges without knowing they were all part of the mission he was assigned to on his earthly incarnation. In this sense, I Can See Clearly Now is also a confession from Dr. Dyer about his ignorance of a future in which he was meant to be a teacher for millions of people, who changes their lives through his ideas and writings and speeches.

Image Courtesy: Dr. Dyer

In I Can See Clearly Now, Dr. Dyer attempts to stand out of the circle of his life and observe it clearly by taking a detached look. An appendage follows each chapter narrative a certain crucial event in his life, in which he analyzes how with clarity that now he can understand the purpose of each positive experience as well as negative in his early life. However, one might also wonder, while reading I Can See Clearly Now, if the author had known beforehand all the principles and virtues he would be a channel for, later, in his teaching life. Such is the evocative picture of the young Wayne he draws in this book. Even as a young boy, Dr. Dyer seems to possess, in this narrative, the depth of awareness that is to pour forth from him, for others, at a later stage. Even as a young boy Wayne was kind, benevolent, and mindful of helping others and unbending in front of brute force or silly rules that is part of the idiosyncrasies of school life, like collecting leaves for Biology class.

I Can See Clearly Now stands as a proof of personal transformation the master of self-transformation himself has undergone throughout his life. As a young child, Wayne had a wrathful disposition towards his father’s memories and even in his dreams, he had furious arguments with the man, who was a serious threat through his unruly behavior to his mother and many other women, who he married later. The man had serious alcoholism and engaged in stealing money. However, Dr. Dyer, declares from the elevated perspective he owns now, how clearly it appears to him that the reason his father deserted his family and especially him, was to help him grow self-dependent. “Perhaps my father agreed to come into this world from the world of Spirit and live with his own life in such a way that it would require his youngest son to learn how to live a life of self-reliance as a toddler, a teenager, and then a young adult.” (47)

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With each chapter, the appendage titled “I Can See Clearly Now” urges the readers to cogitate the events that appeared at each stage in his life to devour the peace and harmony of his life, but at a later stage became foundations of his grand ideas and practical tests supporting spiritual truths.

My first encounter with Dr. Dyer was when I came across his book You’ll See It When You Believe It. I felt at home with Dr. Dyer’s concepts and they showed me what I so eagerly was awaiting, a path of self-conviction and learning. Along with new things to learn from without, there is more clear-sightedness hidden within us that we should unlock. We are not just physical beings, on the contrary, “spiritual beings having a human experience”, You’ll See It When You Believe It taught me. Each time I came across a book or concept taught by Dr. Dyer, my life has taken decisive turns towards the direction that was meant to be my mission during this lifetime.

Needless to say, I feel connected to Dr. Dyer like a student with his teacher. I consider him my teacher and feel that our encounter was not just a chance encounter or accident, but a predestined one. Without You’ll See It When You Believe It I would not have known his teaching, and without the realizations I gathered through his writings, I would not have been able to live out my dream to be a writer to the fullest extent. My writing has taken crucially beneficial turns after reading Dr. Dyers messages. Although a storyteller, I am now moving on to non-fiction as well, through personal essays, like the one you are currently reading. However, the most important message I deciphered from Dr. Dyer was not a truth residing outside of me. The greatest lesson I had from Dr. Dyers book You’ll See It When You Believe It was the conviction that what I had been thinking about myself and about others around me, about life and death, about being alive and being a writer, were reasonable, logical and not insanity. What I had in my mind as a spark of creative thinking about ‘my ways’, the ways in which I would love to lead my life, weren’t mere fantasies of my young immature mind. I learnt this crucial lesson and that was the second time it happened in my life. First time, it was when I read The Fifth Mountain by Paulo Coelho.

The Fifth Mountain lit a fire in my mind that was going through a confused darkness. I was at a juncture where making a certain choice was inevitable. However, I was tottering on my trust on the ability to make any choices. I was afraid of making mistakes. While reading I Can See Clearly Now I am taken back to those days of confusion and apparent relief and solace I received after reading Paulo Coelho’s great book. Elijah, the prophet, a man of God, a “God-realized being”, to use Dr. Dyer’s terminology, was facing challenges similar to those any ordinary mortal might. This thought hooked me. I realized, for the first time, that the thoughts on ‘fulfilling a dream’ or even having one, isn’t totally nonsensical, as many others had already advised me.

“Being a winner” isn’t always necessary. I could just live out my destiny and travel the path the universe has chosen for me, and follow my dream, without shame. I realized.

Image Courtesy: Author Anu Lal

I used to remind myself during those days of enlightenment that I have to work ‘double’ hard. I was in college, doing my graduation. Whenever I felt down or lacking in enthusiasm and energy, I would remind myself of this: I have a dream, which is not the same as anyone else’s; they might not be working as hard as I do, but I have to do it my way. And my way meant, pushing myself as hard as possible and making the impossible happen.

Today, after nine years, I have three books to my credit. I believe this was my first step in fulfilling a higher mission. This awareness makes me feel that I have surely done what was meant as my mission and I am at the right place, in time. This awareness fills me with gratitude and peace.   

Life has its own way of teaching us. I Can See Clearly Now is Dr. Wayne W. Dyer’s way of telling the world about his “quantum moments” that helped him be what he is. Combining autobiography with metaphysical cogitation Dr. Dyer spiritualizes every important turn in his life, and urges the readers to see clearly this same is happening in your lives too, only that you, at present are away from your vantage point. Once you reach a position from where you can look back and comprehend the greater meaning in every event that transpired in your life, you will see clearly, how each failure and each success had their own ways to pave way to bring you closer, with each step, to who you truly are.       

Browse through Dr. Wayne W. Dyer’s books HERE