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Dream Interpretation


If you are here, reading my BLOG, it’s probably because you are interested in Shamanism, the Medicine Wheel and Indigenous Dreaming. That – and probably some curiosity about ME!

Recently I posted on our google community site for individuals to post dreams…
There’s nothing more brain-racking than to search for understanding when it comes to our dreams. So many people will come to me with the popular statement: “What’s the use of having dreams night after night if there’s no way to figure them out? All they do is tire us out.” Actually dreams only exhaust us when we are not disciplined dreamers. They are not meant to be a burden but more so a tool. Lots of people will refer to dream dictionaries but most will come out empty handed. Some will go see therapists who have some level of symbolic dream interpretation. Rare are those who seek out traditional dreamers – people who actually live their whole life according to the dream time. These individuals are actually initiated into the art of dreaming and can give you a reading (so to speak) when it comes to your dream space that can keep you busy for years.

The idea is not to dwell on every dream you have but to work with those who are impressionable. A dream cycle is 30 days from New Moon to New Moon. Basically every dream you have within a 30 day period is committed to one theme or one Dream message. For those who are passionate about dreams – try keeping a dream journal for 30 days. See how every dream within this time is like a piece of a bigger puzzle. And then, pay attention to the shift. See if you can tell when one Wheel as ended and another want starts.

Finally, “we” use the Medicine Wheel to help us interpret (for lack of a better word) our dreams. I’ll show how that works in a minute…
Here’s a dream that Emily who’s now in Bolivia has provided for us. Let’s see what we can understand of her dream!
From Emily:
It’s 3 dreams, but they are all one dream really, all connected.
Ok I will start with this one - -
When I was in Bolivia I dreamt that I was sent a gift in the post. It was a pair of gloves and a hat. There was a letter with the gift. But there were spaces in the letter where words were left out.
From LISA: There are 4 levels of dreaming. There’s what we call waking dreams; subconscious dreams or good for nothing dreams; superconscious dreams; and Dream Time dreams. You can dream lucid dreams at all four levels. So unlike the Western perception LUCID DREAMING is not a Level of Dreaming.
When we receive GIFTS in our dreams we are always dreaming at the superconscious level where we meet with guides, teachers, other dreamers etc…. Basically these dreams respond to a request. I believe you may have been cold in Bolivia and so, you asked for warmer clothing. The dream basically responded to your need.
It looks that whoever responded to your wish – wanted to communicate with you. The letter was her or his mode of expression. In other words whoever this person is --- she or he usually writes to you. This is not a person you’ve met in person yet. Obviously this person is also a dreamer because there were words left out. Traditional Dreamers believe that the journey between every inhale and exhale --- in the silence of every breath.
From Emily (her dream): I remember the name ´Dreamer or Dreamweaver´ and the name ´Kayleigh´. Jack told me that one of the translations of ´Kayleigh´ is Keeper of the Keys.
From LISA: The fact that you mention JACK leads me to believe that the person who replied to your wish (for the warm clothing) could have been HIM. It’s interesting that the dreamer in your space actually introduced himself: Dreamer, Dreamweaver or KAYLEIGH (Keeper of Keys)
From Emily (her dream): Then I dreamt I was at a dream seminar. I was there with a girl. I felt like I was her guide. I was there for her dreams. There was a man leading the seminar. The girl told me about her dream. She was to meet a woman there who would answer a question that she had.
From LISA: Remember what I said earlier – “basically every dream that we have within a 30 day period speaks of the same theme or dream message.” The same applies to every dream that we have in the same evening. For some reason they are different forms of the same message attempting to be delivered.
In this above paragraph of Emily’s dream – she very clearly speaks of the individual who was in her dream. She talks of HIM and she describes him as a GUIDE. The fact that this man can lead a seminar leads us to believe he’s an advanced dreamer: An expert in his field.
The girl that accompanies Emily could be another fragment (an inner child, a role, a totem etc…). The dream basically tells us that the “warm clothing” wasn’t sent to Adult Emily but to an inner child Emily; hence, the reason why the prayer was responded to through the dreaming. Also it is this inner child that is dreaming this dreaming or that needs this message from the dream time.
From Emily (her dream):I sat with the girl and discussed her dream. I began to speak about the woman she was to meet there. I said this woman would be very intuitive, wise and gentle. Then I looked to my left and smiled at the woman next to me, she had short dark hair. She smiled at me back, knowingly. This was the woman the girl was to meet.
From LISA: Again this above paragraph speaks of superconscious dreaming. The scene still refers to a guide, teacher, helper etc…. The only difference between this dream and the original version with the warm clothing --- is that the dreaming makes a difference between Emily and another part of Emily (inner child). Now, it is one of Emily’s inner children that is being guided (by Emily) to a wise woman. Obviously, Emily is looking for a healing for a part of herself.
We have no idea which inner child this dream is referring to because there’s no direct reference to it. Yet, it would be interesting to see if Emily has been working on a Moon recently. Perhaps, she could fill in the blanks (so to speak). I certainly hope to see a message from Emily in response to this blog entry…..

There’s so much to say about dreaming…..
This is a start.
P.S. I've taken every picture that you find in my blog entries. They all have special meaning to me. This particular picture of the nest in one of our Grand-Father Pines -- has brought many wonderful dreams to me. Hopefully it will do the same for you.


LISA

Comments

Emily said…
Hey Okwaho!
Thanks for using my dream :)
I am sitting with what you wrote. What you say does make sense, it always does!
I guess I have been dealing with some issues/Moons.
Ive been dreaming a lot about my mother. These dreams are surrounding my issues with abandonment, neglect and feeling responsible for her.
Neglect is a big one.
My most recent dream was this -
I was in the house i grew up in. I was in the bedroom i shared with my sister. We were fighting. I told her i hated her. She told me the same. Yes we fought a lot as kids. And yes i often told her i hated her and she told me the same. I have many dreams like this. She hit me in the face and left a mark on my jaw. Then she told me to stop or else mum would leave again. She was down stairs in the kitchen. I stopped fighting. My sister went down stairs. I followed after. My mother was at the table, she was talking. She didnt acknowledge me when i sat down. Everyone had a plate of food except me. I left the table again and went up stairs.
My mother did threaten to leave us many times when we were kids, and sometimes she did leave. We worried she would never come back.
So I do have this issue, I assume people will leave before they even do. I leave before they get to leave me. I also have this fear, that when or if i do have children i may fear leaving them if i cant handle it. And this would be the worst thing i could ever do to my own child.
People always leave at some point. Its good to be aware of that.
My mother did neglect me a lot growing up. I do not want to be the mother she was.
Yet I think in some ways i am similiar to her, and i dont like it.

Emily
Lisa F. Tardiff said…
Emily,

We all have the power of choice. You don't have to be like your mom. You can be your own person with your own story. Still, we are related to our parents and ancestors.... We do carry a bit of them in us. Try to find the good and the "practical helpful" that you received from your family --- and be proud of what you chose to carry from them. See what I mean?

Lisa
Emily said…
Thank you Okwaho.
Yes there is some good of course. I see that too. Im glad the experience we had led us to be independant people. My siblings and I are very independant. And we are not afraid to go our own way. We are also very wise people, we have grown a lot in a short time. I say ´we´ because I see us (my siblings) as I see myself, they are part of me, we shared the experience. Im proud of them, of where they are today, yet i know they have wounds, but they are strong people, they dont play the victim. I see they just want to get on with their lives and do things differently. Im so proud of my sister, she has a beautiful baby boy, and he is amazing. I see how loving she is, and how she and her bf have welcomed him to his life with love and acceptance. I also see her fear, we have talked about our common fear, but i know she has the support of her partner, he has been very good to her. They are both wonderful parents already. I know i have a different attitude to my mother, so already this is positive. I see her as a teenager, still finding her way. Im lucky that ive been through what i have and learnt from it. I feel a whole lot wiser, i have a whole new persective..

Emily
Change said…
I really enjoyed reading on the dreams,, there is lots of information that I didn't know befor, like the connection of dreams running within a 30 day cycle,, moon to moon. This was very usefull information, kind of like each dream being a different part of the puzzle. I am going to try and be self disciplined and journal by dreams, to better understand there meanings. Thanx Okwaho for the information, and Emily for sharing.

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