Skip to main content

Dreaming and Meaning.


Last week I received this message from MR and promised a response through a blog entry.  MR’s e-mail was the third in a long list of e-mails I’ve received in the last few months asking for clarity when interpreting Spirit messages.

MR’s e-mail:

Today I got up feeling confused and disoriented. Then I got focused and got LOTS DONE. A couple of times when I came into the kitchen I felt like my spirit was HUGE!

Then I sent out texts to some people for the RW talk at the college tomorrow night and a cousin of mine send back an angry text basically saying that Natives were free-loading drunks and should stop asking for hand-outs and get jobs!!! I sat with it for a bit and in the past I would have deleted it and forgotten about it. But I answered her saying she was being harsh and judgmental. We ended up texting back and forth and she softened. She said she never had a positive experience with natives. She is a single 40 year old mom with 5 kids. I told her that the reserves were built to kill off the Natives and so on... In the end, she thanked me and said I was doing great work. I felt my Peacekeeper at work, soft, compassionate and gentle approach that makes enemies into friends.

I watched APTN news and there was talk of protests up north towards the Canadian government because the Natives are starving, food costs too much and they can't afford to eat and they don't get healthy choice available to them.


Then JZ came home and shared his day. He had some of the same experiences as me: Chaos in the morning, then focus. When he came home the TV was on the Aboriginal channel and it was the story of Poundmaker and talk about how the Natives were being starved on the reserves much like I had just heard on the news today.

As we sat there, he said his spirit felt big and he felt not grounded in his body....

I want to learn how to read the messages from the dreaming.
The theme of Native people being judged, and starving was repeated. But what does that mean from a dreaming perspective?

I appreciate your feedback on this. I was going to write it as a blog but am not clear enough on the message and what to do with it.

****
When working with dreams it’s important to observe and keep note of repetitions.  Like MR expressed through her story the theme of Native people being judged and starving seemed to reoccur during the week.  The impression of feeling “Spirit huge” also repeated.  Once we’ve made a list of the repetitions we’ve observed, the next step is to find associations.  What basically connects the dots.

I often brainstorm to trigger some associations.  I allow my mind to free-associate the details.  For example with the information MR provided in her e-mail I could say:

·       We need to stop judging and assuming because often these behaviours take away from people’s power.
·       We need to adopt the kind of attitudes that allow us to see Spirit in others.
·       We can resolve past issues and get to a point where our Spirits soar.
·       We need to start giving to those who need so their Spirits can soar.
·       Nature is telling us to be “extraordinary”. 
·       Etc…

When we are learning to associate repetitions or synchronicities we often come up with a long list of possibilities.  There’s no right or wrong answer.  We notice that every potential message somehow completes another.  In the end, we are able to bring them all together and zero in on the actual message being conveyed.  It takes practice to develop this skill; but while we are developing the ability we notice that the journey itself teaches us how to be disciplined.

It’s important to not to be in hurry.  If we want a quick answer, this isn’t the way to do it.  Indigenous dreaming is a conversation of sorts between us, and the Cosmos (the dreaming, the earth, spirit, ancestors etc…).  Like any discussion there has to be a give and take or a come and go.  In other words, while we are talking the Universe is listening and the same should apply vice versa. 

What’s also important is to learn the “language.”  The Cosmos doesn’t speak English.  It speaks “synchronicities, senses (impressions) and imagery.”  Rather then coming at it with our intellectual mind, we need to be able to invest in the conversation with everything that we are: Our personal Wheel.  It’s an experience or a journey.

Whatever the Cosmos is telling us refers to US and our story even though it may be involving others in the conversation.  For example in MR’s message it talks about MR and Jihad observations of the same repetitions.  There’s no doubt the final message will be helpful to a cluster of people; but if we want to understand what’s being conveyed we need to come at it with our personal story.  Find the compatibilities. 

What makes us compatible to the imagery, the synchronicities and the impressions?

When I read your message the first thing that came to mind is the popular and growing movement “Idle no more”.  You may want to check it out.   Basically this movement speaks out against injustice towards the First Nation people and encourages them to grow strong in Spirit.  I noticed the “Idle no more” posters on the reserve last week and have been following their progress on facebook. 

If I look at my own story and the synchronicities repeating in my life I understand the message left within your e-mail as meaning: “We should be fair and all equal.” 

Sometimes when doing association we miss the meaning behind the story because we haven’t quite collected all the details yet.  Again, it takes perseverance and patience.  Don’t be afraid to go deeper and gather more observations.  If it begins to be too confusing: Take a step back.  Sometimes it simply means “we’re too emotionally involved; or we’re touching some fears or unresolved.”  It’s not only about deciphering a message it’s also about learning and about healing.  It seems the journey towards meaning – is also about growth and transformation (change). 

I hope I’ve answered your question MR.  If not – don’t be afraid to leave a comment following the blog entry.  More often then not I uncover answers through “discussion.”  There are quite a few people who read my blog – and it would be great to see what they have to say and what they do to work with their dreams. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Drums and Rattles.

Lately I’ve received a few e-mails and letters from people asking questions about drums and rattles. I don’t think I’ve written a blog on this topic yet. JB wrote in his e-mail: “I often read that Drums are connected to Shamanism and often the tool of choice for Shamans. How do Shamans use drums differently than anyone else who’s in Shamanism?” I thought it was a great question. For starters, one of the reasons why a drum is an interesting tool in Shamanism is because it can mimic a heartbeat and induce a state of trance. A rapid heartbeat can trigger nervousness, excitement and even aggression. A very slow heartbeat can help in relaxation, sleep and dreaming. Every rhythm can inspire an emotion and can bring about the memory of a past experience or a parallel reality. In Shamanic circles the drum can be instrumental in healing, teaching, ceremony or ritual, expansion of consciousness as well as dreaming and journeying. Almost a decade ago I participated in a Mohawk namin...

Medicine Wheel the Experience.

Imagine the Medicine Wheel as a wigwam (tepee). The anchors hold the wigwam fasten to the ground. In the east there’s the door. The clans are at the center where the fire should be. The moons are orbiting at the top where there’s usually an opening to let out smoke. The poles which give the three dimensional aspect to the wigwam are the mysteries. The elements identify everything that moves or remains within the dwelling: People, stories, blankets etc… The winds refer to life’s challenges: Natural storms, death, accidents, war etc… Lots of people come knocking at my door to learn about the Medicine Wheel. Most will say that the reason why they are approaching this indigenous philosophy is because they are looking for healing and self-discovery. From a Western point of view or from a New Age point of view this actually makes sense; but from a Sacred Circle perspective it hides a few inconsistencies. The whole idea behind the Medicine Wheel is that we are born and we live ...

The Seven Clans

Wow! I can’t believe that in the last three years, I haven’t written a single blog on the topic of “the seven clans” of the Medicine Wheel. For the last two months our Montreal circle has been exploring the subject. I think it’s the first time in fifteen years that I ask my students to go out into the World and experience the clans first hand. “Look at people and see which clan they can belong to; or look at behaviors and attitudes and try to connect them to one of the Clans.” We often speak of the clans as the seven faces of Creator. In Christianity or Judaism God can be angry, impatient, judgmental and destructive; but he can also be merciful, compassionate, forgiving and loving. The Medicine Wheel may not personalize Creator in the same way many Religions do, yet in many ways it accomplishes the same end result where we can see ourselves as children of divinity. Often in non-traditional circles the seven clans are understood as archetypes. Each clan holds particular att...