To Journey with Dreams

I believe in everything until it's disproved.  So I believe in fairies, the myths, dragons.  It all exists, even if it's in your mind.  Who's to say that dreams and nightmares aren't as real as the here and now?   John Lennon

Scientific studies, psychological literature, and sage philosophers reflect the importance of dreaming and substantiate dreams.  We dream in color, images or symbols reflecting emotions, and frequently personal messages can be detected.  In a sense, dreaming can be a form of communication.  This includes pleasant dreams as well as nightmares.

As I was driving home from Nashville, Tennessee,  I decided to listen to a series of spiritual tapes (yes, they are old)  to help pass the time as I found my self to be bored.  I had played these tapes many times, but it had been years and I was curious as to how much I had forgotten or embraced. 

After considerable winding and rewinding, I managed to insert one of the tapes correctly.  The content was discussing how God uses the Holy Spirit to speak through us.  The presenter was using an example of a child dreaming, actually having a nightmare.  Assuming the audience was on the same wave length, he describes entering the child's room and gently assuring the child he or she is safe.  He firmly stated that "we" were not interested in the dream content as it was not important.  "We" did not ask the child what the nightmare contained,  as our job was to bring comfort from the Holy Spirit through our voice.  After a few moments of assurance, the child is told to return to sleep.

Confined and alone in my car, I found my self yelling, "Are you kidding me?"  My hands  white knuckled on the steering wheel, and my foot accelerating in reaction to my anger,  I found my self speeding down the interstate.  Yes, of course, comfort the child with God and Holy Spirit flowing through words, but if there is no discussion of the dream, one will simply repress what was already repressed, allowing the nightmare to resurface again.

As I continued my drive home in silence, I recalled many times each of my four children experienced dreams.  They reported mystical dreams or silly adventures or nightmares.  I would remain present with them, listening and allowing them to talk the content out.  Comfort is vitally important but it is not the only necessity in dream resolution.

I think of dreams as feed back.  If I am suppressing fear, chances are good I may have a nightmare.  If I am struggling with creative output, I may have a dream containing an excellent format I had not yet thought of.  If I am conflicted with a relationship, I may dream a mini drama reflecting different options I had not considered or see my self portrayed in a not so pretty light.

Dreams are a form of communication, telling us, showing us, and helping us to navigate in life just a little bit better.  They help us to see things how they could be or maybe how things really are.  There are symbols, themes and insights buried within the scenario just waiting to be discovered and applied.

If you are the least bit curious, please discover the book:  THE MYSTICAL MAGICAL MARVELOUS WORLD of DREAMS, written by Wilda B. Tanner.  It truly is the only book a person might need.  The first part explains how dreams work, what they might mean, and developing the practice of remembering or recording dreams.   Another section discusses what animals, buildings, clothing, backgrounds, locations, actions, parts of the body, and actions have to do with dreams.  The remainder of the book is a dream dictionary.  I first purchased this book in 1988 and truly believe it is one of the best available.  It is very user friendly, respected, and thorough.

Need to get away?  Grab this book and a journal and you will be blown away!!

The Road Less Traveled ...

Two roads diverged in a wood,

and I .......

I took the one less traveled by,

And that had made all the difference.

Robert Frost

Traveling down a darkened path, I came upon a fork in the road.  In this dream, there was also a tree plumply filled with birds as though it were a sacred symbol deliberately placed to gain my attention. I looked to the path leading to the right, and it was a well traveled straight line to my destination.  The other path was not well lighted nor was it very well groomed.  Some how I understood this path would also take me to where I wanted to be, but that it would be the long way, not the easy way.  The choice I made in the dream seemed to govern my choice of passage in real life.

We all wonder how we will be called to serve others.  It can be through teaching, social services, fire fighting, police, military as there are many areas available.  The career chosen is simply the vehicle we use to serve and we individually choose if we will serve with integrity or deception.  Frequently we are faced with the decision whether to take the easy route or the longer less defined way.

In many ways my life has been challenging, but in my heart it is very clear to me that I have best served others by taking the less traveled road.  It has offered me more opportunities to walk upon a path meeting others who have been teachers for me or those in need of who I am.

My identity ebbs and flows based upon my confidence, awareness, compassion, and connectedness to the whole, especially through nature.  When I am at my best, my energy and light touch the lives of others just by my presence.  By offering loving kindness whether through a smile or a thorough discussion, I have the choice to help someone in need. 

There is no intention for reward or recognition, but a simple hope to have cleared the way for someone else's understanding.  Perhaps I have lifted the veil to greater understanding or planted a seed that will produce food for thought.  It does not matter what profession we claim, but how we use our loving kindness to enable the 'wounded' to be brave enough to heal themselves.

Mark Nepo in THE BOOK OF AWAKENING uses the term "spiritual hospitality."  He describes this as helping kindred spirits by offering and receiving "...guidance

and comfort on the way --- without imposition, design, or thought of reward." 

By offering compassion to those who struggle, a sense of comfort is created where healing can begin to take place.  In many ways, the action of "spiritual hospitality" is like the book PAY IT FORWARD.  By experiencing loving kindness from others whom we may never have the means to repay, we extend learned compassion to those we eventually come to meet. 

I truly believe whenever we extend a helping hand, a gift is left in the palm of our own.  We must extend our hand, one to the other, rather than raising a fist or building a wall.  Allow the hand to remove the wall or to relax into a gesture of kindness. 

By joining hands, we can make a difference no matter which road we decide to travel.  We can reach out emotionally or physically, silently or actively, receiving or offering, but reach out we must.

Our Dream as a Stepping Stone

Who looks outside, dreams.

Who looks inside, awakens.

Carl Jung

A distinction can be made between dreaming and dreams.  Dreaming, even day-dreaming, offers information, creative expression, artistic flair, prophetic message, assessment and symbolism.  This list really could be extended in great length.  An important difference between dreaming and dreams is the dreamer does not have control over dreaming, but does create a dream in the sense of a goal.

A dream can be an expectation deliberately formed with specific efforts to be carried out.  It can be planned, orchestrated, prepared for, and adjusted to fit a time line or other expectations.  In this instance, the dreamer chooses everything defined and has control over the content.

From the time we are little tykes, people are asking what we want to be when we grow up.  So from a very young age, setting up a dream for ourselves is already in process.  Over the years, the dream changes from wanting to be a fireman to a basketball star to a college coach or athletic director.  Our original dream might be of a ballerina to a rock star to an athlete to owning our own dance studio.  As life unfolds, however, we are likely to have a greater variance in our unfolding.  Many of our intentions fall by the way side forgotten or repressed.

In THE BOOK OF AWAKENING author Mark Nepo states:

             The truth is that what we want or dream of doesn't

             always last.  It tends to serve its purpose in our

             development and then fades away, losing its relevance.

             And we can do enormous damage to ourselves by

             insisting on carrying that which has died.

             Living up to a dream is rarely as important as

             entering it for all it has to teach.

Energy is wasted when being used to beat ourselves up for failing to follow through with a dream.  Instead, we can look more closely at what was learned while striving towards the dream.  What did it teach us?  Did we learn a discipline that we might not have learned otherwise?  How did the dream connect us from one point to another?

Perhaps it is healthier to look at a dream as a stepping stone rather than the ultimate destination.  Over time, our growth or development evolves, altering our perspective.  Our personal dreams need to be flexible as our reality changes.  

There are many 'baby boomers' retiring now who were 'hippies' or 'flower children' with passionate dreams for reform.   As their dreams faded for whatever reason, they now have the time and sometimes the money to return to the passion that stayed lodged in their hearts over the years.  Volunteering, community involvement, structuring non-profits or becoming a spokes person revitalizes and redesigns the original dream.

Dreams can be laid to rest or set aside for future reference.  The important thing is to be mindful of the gifts along the way.  Let there be no pass or fail in judgment of what might have been.  Allow the spirit residing within guide you exactly where you need to be. 

Life is an adventure if we do not let our designated dreams become barriers to where we eventually become drawn.  It is important to not let dreams set limitations preventing all that you were truly meant to be.

 

In Dream Time

Dreams show us how to find a meaning in our lives, how to fulfill our own destiny, how to realize the greater potential of life within us.  ~ Marie-Louise von Franz


In dream time, a house or home is symbolic for the body.  The top story of the home, such as the attic, holds spiritual beliefs or higher self, whereas the basement contains the past or lower level of thinking.  Individual rooms within the home represent rather obvious needs such as:  the kitchen (nurturing and preparation), the bathroom (cleansing), the dining room (socialization), the den (family issues), game room (playing games with ourselves or others), hallway (areas of change), living room (daily mental activities), and bedroom (private space for dreams, sex, or integration).

There are numerous other rooms to be considered such as a hidden room where thoughts or ideas are undiscovered and unexplored.

So as dreams or waking dreams are recalled, observe what rooms were used if a house was utilized.  Was it a current home or childhood home?  There is much to be explored.

If interested in exploring dreams with a very resourceful book, The Mystical Magical Marvelous World of DREAMS by Wilda B. Tanner is an excellent choice.  The book easily engages the reader with basic information and also contains a user friendly dictionary. 

"God Comes To Your Window ..."

Dust

Someone spoke to me last night,

told me the truth.  Just a few words,

but I recognized it.

I knew I should make myself get up,

write it down, but it was late,

and I was exhausted from working

all day in the garden, moving rocks.

Now, I remember only the flavor -

not like food, sweet or sharp.

More like a fine powder, like dust.

And I wasn't elated or frightened,

but simply rapt, aware.

That's how it is sometimes -

God comes to your window,

all bright light and black wings,

and you're just too tired to open it.

by Dorianne Laux

RISKING EVERYTHING

110 Poems of Love and Revelation

Edited by Roger Housden

Stone Walls Do Not A Prison Make

"Stone walls do not a prison make."

Richard Lovelace

So often a person feels imprisoned never realizing that the door is unlocked. 

Once in a dream, I found myself in a cage.  I wept for my freedom and was starving for nourishment.  My spirit kept growing smaller like a light fading into the darkness.  Fear was draining all of my energy so I could not imagine trying to escape.  I grew cold and put my hands into the pockets of my jacket and to my astonishment, there was the key!

Prisons are frequently self-imposed as we unknowingly give our power away.  Our voice grows silent further stiffling dreams and desires.  Depression triggers a withdrawal from support and isolation completes the disconnect. 

Why is it that we tend to withdraw when we most need to reach out?  What makes us trust the power of others over our own?   How is it that we close both eyes and ears when we know the truth in our heart?

Reach into your pocket and hold the key in your hand.  It is a key to opportunity allowing personal, emotional and spiritual security.  Unlock your hidden fears and unfulfilled desires through therapy, energy work, or journaling.  Rediscover what lays beneath the debris of life.  Your authentic self is waiting, do not delay!

Day Dreaming a Grandmother

The eyes of this unknown woman reach out to me.  I love her upon sight and wonder about the history encripted in every detail of her face.  I imagine her to be my long lost grandmother, holding secrets of my ancestors that are just waiting to be released.

I trace her wrinkles lined across her sweet face and fall deeply into her blue eyes. The crinkles around her mouth break into a warming smile as she lovingly wipes the tears from my face laughing softly into my eyes.

I adjust her scarf and straighten her cap, while she gifts me with her 'babushka' that once had been rolled and crumpled around her neck.  I hold this gift close to my heart, smelling the light fragrance from her daily use and years of wear that only a grandmother could have.

She invites me to her little room and I follow her slowly up the incline of the well worn wooden stairs.  The heavy door unlocks with the turn of the key as my imaginary grandma opens both her heart and home to me.  She serves me tea in a petite china cup with little cookies taken from an old cookie jar.  Books are neatly lined on the shelf of a cupboard leaning against an uneven wall.  A little day bed stands in the shadowed corner covered with a handmade quilt almost threadbare.  She takes an old wooden box from a drawer and places it in my lap.  Upon opening the box, I find brown antique photos revealing her life from an ancient past.

I hold her hand smoothing the creases of her apron while I sit at her feet listening to stories of loss, love, and gain.  I try to memorize all of the wisdom imparted from her lips, and find myself telling her I never want to leave. 

As in all day dreams, my eyes eventually focus and the imaginary room fades away.  My heart aches for this woman I have never met and for the dream that never was meant to be.  My imagined exchange with her lingers still as I wonder where she might be or who she really may have been.