Gold in the Dream

Gold in the Dream

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Becoming familiar with one’s dream world is akin to finding gold.  What could be finer than being one’s own authentic person, more in tune with our god given nature, able, stronger, to withstand what life throws at us, tossed and turned like flotsam on stormy seas. We can feel a sense of growth within, from the time and effort we put into it to become more conscious, adding a ray of light onto the darkness, gradual it may be.

The dream is a gift, following its evolutionary impulse towards growth. Like our gardens, the more we give them our care and attention, so will our garden yield its fruits, and the more the dream will yield its gems. Like mother’s milk, the more the infant feeds at the breast, the more milk is  produced. So too with our dreams, those night time visitors, looking for the gap in the garden to plant the seeds so we grow towards wholeness and psychological health.

I am always grateful when a dream presents itself even if I have no clue what it means, even if it is banal or grim and gross in the extreme. Even a nightmare is a gift –  through willing and conscious re-entry into that dream in the light of day to get to its genesis even if it takes forever, is a gift for the message it brings. It’s quite something to step in the gap between night and day and ask for the key …

Dreams offer us a glimpse of the ground of our being, of our unresolved conflicts not only with ourselves but collectively too. It points out, sometimes not so gently, the repair work that needs to be done. 

The dream is always on your side, in guise, as guide, waiting in the wings, wanting to yield its gems in the garden.

Fertility, Faith, in the Dream

Fertility, Faith in the Dream
JungMarie-Louise von Franz says in her book ‘The Way of the Dream’ that ‘…the unconscious part of our psyche is portrayed in our dreams, and by recalling our dreams, our conscious mind has the opportunity to view (the) contents of the unconscious mind’.

We can view the dream in the light of day and try to ascertain what the unconscious is saying to us that needs to be brought to consciousness, even if frustrating and fragmentaryAgain, at the risk of repetition, it is necessary to bring an attitude to it other than the one we usually use.

Through the dream, we venture down into the depths to consciously reclaim some of the fertile ground of the unconscious, that enormous and abundant well waiting to be mined. The knots and fear that have kept us bound are already being loosened, more so as we travel upwards again, into consciousness.

Faith in the dream is not easily come by. This is hardly surprising, since having faith in one’s dreams means having faith in one’s self – and trusting that process. Faith is hard won, and for me, it is always a struggle and sometimes seems hopeless. Becoming true to one’s own fragile self is a hard task, or ask –

Whether or not we believe we dream or remember them, we have them. They are as essential as fresh air, a healthy diet, sleep and exercise. They’re also an excellent indicator of our psychological health or otherwise and give us the opportunity of paying attention to what  it is trying to impart – for our psychological health.

 Many of us have fertile dreams where slumbering ideas are brought forth and flower in the light of day. We can make that foray into the unconscious and its fertility.

The dream is on your side, faithfully waiting in the wings, sensing the fear of going down, though fair at all times –

Exploration of the Dream

                                                Exploration of the Dream

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A dream seldom tells us what we already know. It is there to point us in a direction that is  unknown, that is helpful to us. It indicates to us what we need to know.

The dream often stirs up emotions, overwhelming and distressing, which are not to be dismissed.  This provides vital clues to the meaning of the dream and it is important to note these when writing down the dream or committing it to memory. This makes it more concrete, and brings it up, so to speak. In the writing or sketching or contemplating, other bits and pieces are recalled and retrieved. No matter how exotic or elusive or enigmatic it seems, other elements emerge.

 Does the emotional content of the dream relate to our everyday life, perhaps a portrayal of an unresolved conflict albeit in disguised form? Have we lost our keys in the dream? What loss are we experiencing in real-life?

Dreams are meant to shake us up and the content of them invites us to explore them. With effort, the enduring essence of ourselves can be found even if it feels ephemeral and unreal. The echo is somehow there. I’ve been shot at in a dream; perhaps some part of me needed to die. Many times my dreams are double-dutch to me for days and weeks, months and years – really I’m not exaggerating. I look back on dreams from 10, 20 years ago and I see something not seen before. But, with patience and trust and exercising that inner muscle, I start to trace a thread, and a pattern emerges. The more I exercise it, the more energy is found.

The dream is your friend, not your enemy. It waits in the wings, wanting expression of your inner being  –

Thanks to google images for above graphic

Dialogue with the Dream

Dialogue with the Dream

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‘The two fundamental points in dealing with dreams are these: first, the dream should be treated as fact, about which one must make no previous assumption except that it somehow makes sense; and second, the dream is a specific expression of the unconscious’. C.G. Jung (Man and his Symbols).

 To approach the depth of the dream requires dialogue with it in order to discover its underlying dynamic. Dialogue would be done in the light of day but by putting aside one’s egoic way of looking at things. It means having a conversation with one’s self and any images presented. Questioning what appears to be a dissonance between how one perceives one’s self in real life and the data in the dream is not straightforward. It requires a descent towards its depths, bringing an attitude of unknowing towards it, quite different to our usual linear and logical one.

 Often, we’re in a dilemma in the dream and our defences are down. The dream is of course a direct expression of the unconscious. One can ponder, what is this dream saying to me? In what way can I relate my present situation to it? If I were to give this dream a title, what would I call it? Who are those others in the dream and in what way are they representative of me, in both their positive and negative qualities? Why this unknown landscape?

Yes, we can feel hugely disadvantaged when looking at the dream in the light of day because of the difficulty of decoding it. We play detective to try to decipher. Like a diver into the depths of the sea discovering the unknown all around, so too can we descend into deep waters.

The dream as daimon, sometimes daemon, as guide, waiting in the wings, wanting your dialogue –

 Thanks to google image for graphic above

Challenge of the Dream

CHALLENGE of the Dreamdreamimages (12)

In conversation with my sister a while back, long distance, she related a dream she’d had that morning which had left her weepy. We agreed it was a challenging dream, cryptic in its characterisation, yet the connections to her psyche were clear.

 Curiosity towards the dream is good as long as it not idle intellectual curiosity. Curiosity implies a creative attitude, allowing an opening where things previously looked choked or blocked. This challenging dream requires a commitment from her to apply herself to it, in order for the connections between her conscious and unconscious life to become clearer.

If the dream gives cause for pause it is assuredly portraying something. Again, we have to be careful of our blind spots, that we do not bark up the wrong tree or down a depleted river. It needs to be held, nurtured, even though it may be weeks and months before its meaning becomes clearer. It’s our cross to bear that we become conscious of the conflict.

C.G. Jung:The dream shows the inner truth and reality of the patient as it really is, not as I conjecture it to be, and not as he would like it to be, but as it is’

 Even if the dream seems barely worth any consideration, make a note. Don’t be certain of its meaning. Let it cook in the psyche, allowing it its alchemy. Let it change, dissolve, transmute, while it simmers and steams and be conscious of the changes of its complexities. Each clue is like a crystal and has value even though it be darkly hinted at. We have the capacity –

Can we uncover that which has been covered? And be compassionate towards whatever is revealed?

The dream is your friend, waiting in the wings, wanting to be made conscious –

And a Blessed Pesach and Easter to all.

 Thanks to Google image for above image

Blind Spots in the Dream

        Blind Spots in the Dream

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Like driving on the roads and no matter how careful we are and alert to other drivers, sometimes that driver or pedestrian sneaks up on our left or right hand side or behind. This always gives me a start when it happens to me. A blind side –

We have blind spots with regard to an interpretation of our dream. We want to put a positive spin on that strange, sometimes bloody dream. 

This also happens in trying to tease the out the meaning of a dream. I heard of a woman who couldn’t figure out why, for a long while, she kept on dreaming of trying on different coloured jerseys – in a changing room. Her relationship was cause for concern but she chose to ignore warning signals as she was very invested in making the relationship work. But, she had a blind spot with regard to it. When it was pointed out to her that the wool was being pulled over her eyes in her dream, the penny dropped. 

And since the dreamer didn’t get the message first time round, it kept on re-occurring. The dream couldn’t have been clearer obscure though it seemed. She awakened to the message with regard to her relationship.

So, we have our blind spots in interpreting our dreams. Also, especially when faced with a blockage in our lives, we are not that keen to face it, preferring blindness.

The dream helps to bring about a corrective attitude to our conscious attitude and behaviour. It serves as a balance to our lives bringing to our attention an unvarnished truth.

The dream is your friend, not foe – it waits in the wings, wanting your attention to bring about balance –

 thank you to Google images for the image

Attention to the Dream

Attention to the Dream

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What we give our attention to is what gets things moving. Thanks to the pioneering work of e.g. Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung and many others before and since, we are more aware of the mysterious workings of the inner psychology of mankind. Many are awakening to the abundance of the unconscious from where the dream comes, and are giving it their attention as a psychologically sound and healthy way to access their own precious psychological authenticity and we’re animated in the process.

Attention to the dream, those night time visitors, will yield rewards. We pay attention to what is important to us – our careers, relationships, health, finances, inter alia – why not to that other reality? We are after all, the author of the dream, no-one else. Dreaming is an instance over which we have no control. They are spontaneous and come from the deepest reaches of our being.

Attention also means intention to take the dream seriously, to try to figure out what it is saying. We know that it speaks in a language different to the one we are familiar with, and this makes it difficult. It is best to bring an attitude of unknowing to the dream.

Analysis of the dream requires careful and patient attention to detail e.g. the arena in which it occurs, any action that is expressed in the dream and awareness, worn like a protective cloak, as we actively work in deciphering the clues.

By the time we reach the age of 60 we’ve spent about 15 years of this time asleep and a significant portion of that time dreaming. Let’s attempt to access our dream world.

The dream is your friend, not foe. It is your guide wanting to bring you to greater awareness and consciousness.

thanks to Google image for above image

Pesach and Easter

Pesach and Easter

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A time of reflection – to deepen faith; a time of redemption – to deepen faith; a time of renewal – to deepen faith.

A time of ‘looking back to the going forward’. Pesach commemorates the Exodus (Greek: going out, 2nd book of the Bible), from Egypt. A time to look back to the 400 years of slavery, and Moses’ leading the children of Israel to the land God had promised on oath to Abraham. Their homes were passed-over when Pharoah ordered the slaying of all first borns.  Joyfully celebrated, in remembrance of the fulfilment of God’s promise of reaching the Promised Land, in spite of trials and tribulations.

Had the Passover not happened, we would not have had the birth of the carpenter from Nazareth. We would not have had His extraordinary teachings applicable to every human, of religious feeling or not, many times told in parable form. Every word, every setting, every moment, is painfully poignant. They are of psychological meaning. The gospels, also, are succour to my soul as I enter the story and feel it, challenged, speaking directly to my psyche.

 I celebrate Easter as a remembrance of His Life and message. For His unconditional Love, for sacrificing His own life so that our sins be forgiven and arising again, and again as we do even among these very difficult times we live in. His poetic justice; His showing us that the spirit alone is of value; His love for the sinner who repented.sunrise

For all, my Chag Sameach good wishes to you, to Christians too who celebrate this time, to all of any persuasion of good will, may this be a time of reflection, redemption, renewal.

A-Z Blog Challenge Theme Reveal

   April A-Z Blog Challenge -Theme Reveal! 

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I’m sure for many of us the excitement is mounting! I hope for all of you it is going well! Thank you to all our hosts, co-hosts, minions, encouragers, helpers, gnomes, fairies, those seen and unseen – it makes a huge difference! 

OK, onto theme reveal. It took me ages to decide on a theme. Once I started I nearly gave up and changed direction because the task was too big to do it justice. I even thought of quitting! 

I’ll be posting on Dreams as I believe the gift of them is much unrecognised and undervalued. As above, so below. Those dreams we have come from our own inner being. They are a direct expression of the unconscious, of the psyche, and therefore my approach will be a psychological one that explores the treasure house of dreams, capable of revealing its jewels if we pay attention and persevere.

I’m keeping them short (under MAXIMUM 300 words). Most are around the 250 word mark.  I won’t be analysing my or any other dreams per se but will hopefully provide pointers and an incentive to you to take your dreams a little more seriously. Like an explorer setting out with trepidation on a journey to unknown lands and places, the dream world offers just as exciting a journey, inwards –

I hope you’ll join me ..

The dream is always on your side, as guide, even it appears otherwise.

There is time to join the April A-Z Blog Challenge: http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/a-to-z-challenge-sign-uplist-2015.html

New Moon, Equinox, Solar Eclipse

New Moon, Solar Eclipse, Equinox 

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The new moon (super moon) is tomorrow, Friday night and at the same time, there’s a solar eclipse (partially viewable only in some parts of northern Africa and Europe. The total eclipse is viewable from Greenland and Iceland); and it’s the equinox the following day on Saturday. Three rather extraordinary celestial events.

The new moon is always an inspiration to me – even if she causes a solar eclipse while passing in front of the sun (the solar disk) and her shadow falls on our planet. The moon will be in her waxing phase from tomorrow night, growing brighter and fuller in the night sky  – even if she plays hide and seek.

 The equinox, when the days and nights are of the same length, 12 hours each, before the days and nights slip into a different gear. For a moment, balance. Here in South Africa, the days become shorter while in northern climes you’ll be welcoming spring and longer days of sunlight. Here, we note the advent of autumn. Already I see signs of it when I walk around my small garden. But surprisingly, while I note some things looking decidedly tired and weary, I note other plants and flowers coming into their own. They’ve been lying low, giving me surprise and joy. Yesterday when I went for a walk, my first in ages, I noticed the lengthening shadows, and the sun lower down in the sky.  It’s our season for turning towards darkness and burial, while for many of you a time to look toward renewal. 

As I write it is hailing, something I haven’t seen for a while. So far it does not look destructive. The thunder is rumbling, at times hugely banging. We have fearsome lightning bolts. I’m writing off line as I’ve disconnected from the plugs – I’m taking no chances while the celestial happenings are making themselves felt.

May the balance of the equinox, and the new moon and the sun in alchemical counter poise to each other, be a reminder to us all of the changing and turning of the seasons, bringing change into our lives, a harbinger of a positive and healthy kind amidst all the turmoil of the world.

With Easter and Pesach approaching early next month, I’m reminded that both are times for redemption and renewal. May these days irrespective of your perspective, bring you exactly that. 

Health and Anarchy

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Does anyone feel really fit and well these days? You know, fighting fit, glad to be alive, full of energy, full of the joys of life and brimming with good will?

I’m  not sure if it’s the change of seasons here in South Africa from summer to autumn – harbinger of winter – but so many are ill, feeling low, exhausted, depleted, weak. But sometimes I wonder if it is the outer events on the world arena that predispose one – me – to feeling drained, enervated, anaemic, from hot to cold, like the weather, and back to feverish again.

The world near and far seems to me a troubled and dangerous place. I feel anxious when watching the news, hearing flowery, political spin by those doctors about the behaviours of their leaders. All that plotting and planning, depriving the ordinary citizen of their rights, exploiting their hard earned money by way of inter alia higher taxes to fund their extravagant lifestyle – while smiling. I want to withhold my taxes and let them know why and wherefore. My anarchic protest is my way of not colluding. R33 BILLION rands lost to corruption in the last financial year. 700 BILLION rands in last 20 years. Let them know that I will not be bound or bowed by their illegitimate rules and laws, that I am fed up to the back teeth of their fleecing, the injustices, not only on my person but on all of us, in the attempt to render us sheep like, obedient, subservient. We, the tax paying public (only about maximum 10% of the total population), fund their flamboyant flights with families in tow to far-flung places, boisterous parties, sexy shoes, cars the size of their egos, systemic, systematic failure of the government where patronage is the name of the game. You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. Parastatals like our power utility service, the post office, our national air carrier, mines, hospitals and clinics in dire straits ‘managed’ by ill educated CEO’s, our education system designed to keep the majority dumbed down…

My husband is a medical specialist and he tells of the sick people he is seeing at his rooms, more so than ever before.  It’s like a malaise that has gripped us all. The parasite that is the government, sucking away at its host. I feel the prison walls coming closer, the power elite sniggering outside. Our beloved beautiful country, being fracked and f*%#@ed, waters and rivers poisoned from mining, fish dying, animals, birds, forests under threat, rhino, elephant poached. This is what misery feels like – and it’s why I am in favour of anarchy. Purposeful anarchy may be necessary for my health if it means freedom from the shackles of a government who does not have my or anyone else’s best interests at heart. They are tyrants who do not know the meaning of being servants of the people. They call themselves the ‘ruling party’ – and this is what they stand and live by, forgetting who it is who pays their salaries.

It’s enough; it’s making us ill.

Faith, Synchronicity, Doubt, Uncertainty

 Faith, Synchronicity, Doubt, Uncertainty –

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 What does one do when one can do no more? Perhaps a better question is what can one be when all else seems dark and hopeless? Is keeping Faith uppermost in our hearts and minds the only way to endure, and thereby ‘get through’ suffering?

 Last week I was away from home in another part of our country to be witness and hopefully a comfort to a dearly loved human being’s suffering, distress and despair. My sister was with me. The word Faith cropped up in the novel I was reading although this wasn’t its premise; on social media; someone else’s blog post; the newspaper; a billboard – in the strangest of places. This word was jumping out in front of my eyes practically all the time and I couldn’t ignore it any longer – the synchronicity was very real – it was like I was being knocked over the head to receive the message of Faith – when the tiniest bit of positive energy was no-where to be found –

 The more this happened the more I questioned whether my internal Faith muscle needs some exercising. It’s been dormant for too long –

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What does this mean, practically, to me? Is it legitimate that I have faith that this person will get well again and come back to himself, and be the lovely soul that he essentially is? In other words, can I have faith on that person’s behalf? Does this in some peculiar way lessen that person’s authority  – and his own faith in himself – and could this also be arrogance on my side? My faith for that person? Could I rely too much on faith in order to lessen my own pain at being witness to another’s suffering? Will my faith in this person having the ability to overcome his pain and suffering go some way towards alleviating his darkness? Is it sufficient to ask G.d for His help for that person, and ask only once and to have faith that this request be granted – and consider it done? One asks only once –

Doubt is the other side of Faith – the strangest of bedfellows, so apparently poles apart at first glance. But bedfellows nevertheless. Side by side, not exclusive or opposite to each other. They belong together. Like quicksilver, mercury, Hermes on winged feet, doubt always creeps in. Or doesn’t creep but barges in and shakes you up. And brings uncertainty blazing in its wondrous wake. The ground beneath one’s feet does not seem so sure anymore.  Yet, Doubt has its extremely healthy aspect to it especially when it serves to strengthen one’s faith.  Doubt is indeed faith’s strange bedfellow. For me it is a tough struggle leaving me raw, maybe a little more rugged –

It can of course be thoroughly destructive if used in an unhealthy way to serve some or other nefarious purpose –

There are times in our lives which are hard, painful, including witnessing another’s suffering. And we have doubts and we do not know –

Living with un-knowing, uncertainty – a fertile landscape, welcoming it in, willing to walk in its wake no matter what, means exercising those inner muscles, struggling with them, trusting the process, having faith in the process –

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In a way I have written this post fairly freely while thinking along the way about ‘things’ which pertain to me at this time. A sort of need on my side to put it down on paper and clarify my thoughts. Thank you for sharing it with me –

Word Games While Walking

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 I forced my slothful, gloomy self to take a walk yesterday. We’d been back from our long sea holiday for a few days already, and I could feel myself sinking deeper into the quagmire of reality as I saw it. Not only within my gloomy self but on the world stage as well and, closer to home, the politics here in South Africa.

I was thinking about diet while walking. I re-arranged those letters. I’ve been tied up in knots and distressed about the extra kilograms gained.  When thinking about ‘weight’ I’ve been inclined to think in terms of ‘gaining lightness’ as opposed to ‘losing weight’. I don’t like the emphasis on losing. It is my plan to gain lightness this year, by shedding unnecessary baggage whether a kilogram or two, being less of a procrastinator, more focused on WIP, less time on e.g. FB, more time on walking and taking the air, making time to meet a friend here and there for coffee, shedding bad habits –

Re-arranging the letters again I get edit. A letter I wrote recently to a newspaper was published this last Friday to my surprise. A superfluous paragraph was removed by the editor rendering it tighter with stronger emphasis and more flow. My very own experience and one I will take with me while doing much needed editing on WIP. My letter was in response to an article in that newspaper the previous week headlined ‘Why we should not give racist white people what they want‘ the author of which has the same surname as our president. No idea if they’re related but it demanded a response from me expressing my dismay inter alia at its content.

The tide always turns and I’m keeping this idea foremost. I sink into its swells and rip currents from time to time or tide to tide. While holidaying in Plettenberg Bay there were many warnings about rip tides. Instead of trying to get out of it by battling the current and attempting to swim to shore, the best thing to do is to let the rip tide or the undercurrent take you, keeping the shore in sight and swimming parallel to it. Our first panicked thought may be to battle the undertow to try to get back to shore, maybe drowning in the attempt, but this is one of those times that following that first instinct is ill advised –

It is a bit like life I sometimes think –

The below photo was taken with my cell phone. The Kiffness was live on the lawns of the Beacon Island Hotel in Plettenberg Bay. It was around 7.00 p.m. Fishermen on the rocks, the Robberg Peninsula jutting out into sea, the seagull taking off, the tide momentarily stemmed -all was calm and peaceful and all was light and right with the world.

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Do you go with the ebb and flow of life and its tides, many times extreme? Yet, ever changing, re-arranging, becoming one thing, then another, retreating, advancing –