Nexus - 0109 - New Times Magazine-pages

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INTERPRETING FASCINATING EXPERIENCES OF THE MIND. UNFORTUNATELY, HOWEVER, IT ALSO TENDS TO BE ONE OF THE MOST CONFUSING. Often we know a dream is trying to tell us something, but whatever it is eludes us. If our unconscious mind is trying to tell us something why doesn’t it come right out and say it? Why the puzzle instead of the picture? Well that would be too easy, wouldn't it? You see, dreams are riddles rather than statements. They ask us a question hoping that we find the answer to ourselves. Dreams aim to broaden our minds, to teach us what is beyond our comprehension. If the dream spoke directly to our present level of consciousness all would be easily understood but nothing would be learnt. They present us with what we are unconscious of, leading us slowly to higher self-awareness. The dream is the royal road to the unconscious. Through follow- ing our dreams we discover what we are personally, socially and eventually collectively unaware of. The dream comes from the direction of the unconscious towards consciousness. Just before it arrives at the Ego it stops and teases us to come forward. The dream dances the twilight zone of our mind, drawing us into the darkness. To interpret your dreams is to travel the royal road. Dreams offer us @ passage into the unconscious, they give us a place to start. It’s impossible to sitdown and successfully think to yourself, ‘O.K., what is it that I’m unaware of?’ A dream tells us exactly what we are unconscious of and what’s more it offers us a way in the unknown. So how does one answer the riddle which the dream is? First of all, it’s not the obvious, With arly dream, be it your own or someone else's, you must say to yourself, ‘I don’t know what this dream means.’ Admit if you are vexed, for the dream teaches us most when the mind is empty. There are no fixed rules for the interpretation of dreams. Each dream is unique and has to be approached in its own way. Dictionaries of symbols, dream books and various psychologies offer us very litde when it comes to the actual dream. For the riddle would not have been asked if its answer were readily available. Getting into the dream is like penetrating the Holy City of Jericho. You can’t bang on the front door and expect an easy entry and you can't jump the insurmountable walls. What you can do is begin a procession and walk around the dream several times, then stop and watch the walls come tumbling down and the meaning come flooding Walking around Jericho is looking at the dream from all angles. Sit down and write out your dream. That's one lap. Next list all the components of the dream, be they persons, places or circumstances. The third lap is the most important, Next to the dream elements, write down all your associations. After this you may also amplify the dream. This is done through taking various symbols and themes from the dream and finding them in works of mythology, psychology and dictionaries of symbols. When all this is done, think about yesterday's + events and go over the material, tossing and turning the dream in your mind. Now stop, pull back and wait. If you've made the procession inspiration is sure to hit (if it hasn’t already). Slowly, cracks will appear and little insights into the meaning of the dream will abound. Before long, the walls will fall down and the dream will be yours. Let me give you an example. I am sitting at the beach fishing but I don’t seem to be catching enough. All of a sudden two fishermen row in from the horizon with their boat piled full of fish. I think to myself, “This is where I’ll getmy dinner’ as the fishermen take their catch into the fish shop. When I go into the shop I ask for the fish but all I can get is fish that’s been frozen: I am very disappointed. Here’s what the elements mean to me; fish - contents of the sea - unconscious. Inspiration. Fishing - sitting, waiting for inspiration, waiting for a dream. Not enough - not enough inspiration. Two fishermen - proper, serious students of the unconscious. Fish shop - a place where inspiration is stored and sold, books and bookshops. Frozen fish - inspiration caught and stored by others. Disappointment - from the wanting of fresh, personal inspiration. After sitting and thinking about this dream it soon reveals its meaning. The dream tells me that if I want enough fresh inspiration [need to do more than just sit waiting for adream. Also, Ican’t satisfy myself with the ideas gleaned from other people’s adventures of the unconscious, their books are necessarily frozen inspiration. I must become like the two fishermen and make a serious art of dreaming. That way I'll have more inspiration than I need personally and I'll have enough to nourish others as well. Youknow when you’ ve interpreted the dream correctly when you get an ‘Aha!’ reaction. Just like a riddle, all of a sudden you ‘get it’ 4 and everything makes sense. The dream transforms from a chaotic jumble of images to a cleverly choreographed koan. If you penetrate only part of the dream or slip up in your interpretation, the unconscious will create a follow-up dream. If you fail to interpret the dream entirely, it will often come again. This is the | phenomena of repetitive dreaming. You may also have a deep, deep issue which is slowly resolving itself. In such cases you have what's called adream series; here various images repeat themselves time and time again revealing what you are ready to know. Each dream takes you one step at a time, leading you slowly to your greater self. One last but important point. Dreams aim to rebalance a partial or lopsided attitude. They teach you a lesson. Once you understand the dream, put your newfound knowledge to work. Externalise the internal by applying the dream to your everyday life. In this way you honour your dream. By Craig Jarman who is available for astrological chart readings and Dreamwork using myth & Jungian psychology. Contact - (02) 747 2707 By Craig Jarman who is available for astrological chart readings and Dreamwork using myth & Jungian psychology. Contact - (02) 747 2707 DREAMING WOULD HAVE TO BE ONE OF THE MOST