As long as I can remember, I've been a dreamer. I wake up most mornings with wisps of my night time travels lingering in my mind. Some mornings I wake up with a profound sense of relief that I was only dreaming - you know- the dream where you're standing in front of the class absolutely naked, or where you've been chased all night long by powerful and unknown predators. I don't always understand the meaning of my dreams, but have always felt they bring useful messages into my waking life.
A few months ago, I signed up for a Jungian Dream workshop, led by Shannon Yockey. We've been meeting monthly and gaining an introduction to the Jungian approach to interpreting our dreams. So, I've been tapping into my dreams lately with greater awareness than before.
“Dreams are illustrations from the book your soul is writing about you.”
A couple of weeks ago, I had this dream and shared it with the class:
It was at night and I driving along a very quiet road out in the country. Not many stars out and no artificial lights. I was with a crew checking the connection lines. There were a couple of other people in my crew.
We stopped along the side of the road. When we checked the lines at this spot, the connection was disrupted here. It seemed to me, though, that we could tap in and set up a bridge connection to reestablish a strong signal. To do that, I needed to step off the road, climb over the fence, and check what was on the other side. I couldn’t really see what was out there. It looked kind of like a fog covering the landscape.
After climbing the fence, I reached down and felt earth beneath me. It was good soil and I felt a sense of relief. This would be a good place to make our repair.
I talked to my other crew mate, a woman, about this. I was telling her I thought this would work, and I was asking her if she could tap the line, as that was her expertise. I wanted to see if it was feasible so I could get permission to do this. (Permission from our supervisors, from the owner of the land?)
Before I realized what had happened, she was on her computer and sent a pulse along the line to just go ahead and do it. She didn’t want to go through any red tape. Better to beg forgiveness than ask for permission.
I was alarmed as her actions shut down the whole line. She said not to worry, that it would be back up in no time. I continued to worry as I knew from my engineering experience that there are often unforeseen consequences. I thought that she had been reckless.
There wasn’t anything I could do at this point but wait. I felt cut off. No connection. Waiting in the darkness. I wasn’t really afraid. I felt safe; just isolated.
After what seemed like a long time, I could feel the signal rebooting. I could feel pulsing starting up again. It took a bit of time, but the connection came back, much stronger than before. I could also feel the network was bigger, more encompassing.
Then, I woke up.
You might be wondering why I'm sharing this... Because stepping back and taking a look at your dreams is fun! Each of us taps a line into our inner knowing every night. If you don't think you dream, or can't remember your dreams, then you are missing out on valuable insight.
“The dream is the small hidden door in the deepest and most intimate sanctum of the soul.”
This dream shed light on my inner sanctum. It helped me understand the tension between two aspects of myself; the person who just goes ahead and taps a line (and begs forgiveness later if she has to) and the person who uses her engineering brain, plans for contingencies and asks permission before acting. The outcome of this dream "a connection much stronger than before... a network bigger and more encompassing" encourages me to trust my intuition and just go for it.
The dream also reminds me to keep the faith. Often when there is a big shift underway, or we take a risk, there is a period of waiting for the outcome. We can feel helpless, cut off, and in the dark. And, doesn't that sound familiar these days?
Before you go to bed tonight, set a notebook and pen close by. Science tells us that everyone dreams, so ask your true self for a dream that will light up your inner sanctum. And, set your intention to remember your dream. When you awake, jot it down while it's fresh in your memory. Then ask yourself a few simple questions:
What emotions did I feel during the dream?
How do I feel after the dream?
What is the setting of the dream? What associations do I have with the place, people, and images?
What story is the dream trying to tell?
I'm learning that no one else can interpret your dream for you. Others can, however, help you tease out layers of meaning and see things you may miss. Sometimes the messages in your dreams become more clear as time goes on. And, if you miss something important, you'll keep dreaming about it until you get it.