Dreaming Muscle

It was raining this morning when Gérard and me decided to take the dogs out for a walk.  Summer time is the only season where I enjoy being outdoors when it rains.  I think even the dogs appreciated the scene despite the fact that they were dripping wet by the time we returned home.  They played for a while in the backyard and we were able to towel them down before heading into house.  Suddenly a rainy morning became a moment of perfection where all of our senses were wide open and savoring.

I noticed recently that Gérard and I often share our dreams during our dog walk in early morning.  I think part of it is because “our dreams are still fresh in our minds” and we are still trying to figure out their meaning.  My teacher on the other hand, probably would have pointed out “how nature gives us better access to dream imprints” – explaining why we always start our conversations as we reach the park.  As traditional Dreamers, Gérard and I were taught to remember “impressions” rather than countless dream details. 

I was telling a student of mine recently how much times have changed.  Honestly I never thought the day would come where I would actually utter these words especially when it comes to Spirituality, Shamanism, and Dreaming.  In most cases people still explore dreaming from Jung and Freud’s perspectives.  When you look at dreaming and psychology or psychoanalysis it seems nothing has moved since the 20^th century.  Yet, people have changed and so have their dreams.

Indigenous Dreaming explores dreaming as a connection between man and nature / man and the stars.  Details like over population, urbanism, and technology influences human nature and human behavior.  So much so that it eventually affects the way we dream about “our World and our environment.” 

Lately Gérard and I often start our dream discussions with the statement: “I had a strange dream last night.” 

More and more we notice that our dreams carry details and impressions; which are unfamiliar or “new to us.”  Last night’s dream for example was about a man who was trying to break into my home.  In the dream I recognized the man even though he was a total stranger to me.  I knew the man wanted me harm; and I took every precaution to lock every window and every door to keep him out.  I could hear him from outside shouting threats. 

He was warning me: “Your actions are futile.  I will be coming in.”

I woke up somewhat baffled and with a series of questions:

·      Why didn’t she call on neighbors or loved ones?

·      Why didn’t she call on the police?

The impression was that “I was looking into someone else’s reality”.  After sharing the dream with Gérard he informed me that before our dog walk, he had driven his mother to the courthouse; where she was a witness in a trial against a man who had broken into their apartment a year ago.  The man had violently broken down their door. 

Gérard wondered:

·      Why dream about my mother?

·      How does the dream connect to you?

The answers seemed so obvious and clear to me:

·      I dreamt of her because I was meeting with him in the morning and he was worried he would have to cancel.

·      The dream connects to me in a circular way – through my connection with him.

“That simple?” he asked trying to find another perspective. 

Honestly I was quite happy with the fact that I we managed to identify the character in my dream as his mother.  It seemed to answer all my questions.  G’s mom is not someone who readily asks for assistance.   She’s also not the kind of person who would jump to the conclusion that “someone would take advantage of their age and want them harm.”  The attitude of the dream character was so unlike me that it puzzled me.

I find I’m often able to let go of dreams after I identify the characters and identify the meaning behind the dream.  In this case this dream was informative:

·      It informed me about an event; which occurred last year and the lasting effects of it. 

·      It informed me that Gérard was helping his parents: Driving them to the courthouse.

·      And finally, it spoke of his mother and her issues with depending on others.

For hundreds of thousands of years humans have dreamt about the weather; their environment; territory; and journeying.  It’s always been a blessing for a hunter to dream about a herd of caribou for example, and to be able to identify where its hiding in a valley.  In ancient times some dreams allowed family members to visit while territories apart.  It’s only recent that dreaming has become about “subconscious issues”.  By changing our “focus” when it comes to survival we’ve also changed the purpose of our dreams.

I often tend to dream similarly to my ancestors.  People often laugh at me because I seem to be only person they know who refuses to depend on a cell phone. 

Yet, like I often explain:  “It’s this life choice; which allows me to dream of others and their reality.”

I don’t consider myself “a psychic” and yet, the information I receive on others through my dreams is always very accurate.  I tend to use my “dreaming skill” as a technology that was used for millenniums by my ancestors.  Unlike many people in my life, I can tell you 48 hours in advance whether we should leave earlier for the airport because of traffic; or cancel a supper downtown because of a snowstorm; or expect car trouble on the way to a workshop… 

If you don’t use a muscle it often looses it’s strength, and the same applies to dreaming!

*****

P.S. I plan to write a few blogs on dreaming because next week we are launching a two year POWER HUNT.  Many of the participants will inevitably search for ways to be stronger dreamers!