My love and I took a refreshing hike on the White River Valley Trails this weekend and after all that rainy weather we’ve had, they were popping up everywhere. In fact, we were surprised that we didn’t see more critters but the ...variety of colorful fungi certainly made up for it.
It got me thinking about the cycle of life—the decay of what was to make room for what can be. I thought of how the nourishing earth mixed with emotional water makes a fine environment for growing things when in the right balance.
Mushrooms are a symbol of fertility, synonymous with abundance and creativity. People have long sought after them as delicacies and as hallucinogenic catalysts to wisdom and understanding.
What’s my takeaway? They represent those elusive moments of the fruition of something wonderful that come about when the conditions are just right. They sustain, charm, and keep us hunting for more. They are those moments of reward and inspiration that are the gateway to the magical thinking where anything is possible. Curious and curiouser!
They remind me that I mustn’t lose faith when good things die. Those things now nourish and support wondrous new possibilities for faith, beauty, and abundance.
I've been seeing lots of Canada geese lately, often in pairs. Two is a number of balance, encourages planning, urges decision making, and for us to use our good judgement for the betterment of our Soul. Ted Andrews, author of Animal Speak, says geese are very tied to our childhood stories; hence, Mother Goose's nursery rhymes. He said to think back to our favorite stories and fairy tales of our childhood and think on how they actually correlate to your life. The first one that popped in my head as a lasting and particular favorite was "Bedtime for Frances" by Russell Hoban. I hadn't thought of that book in years but it fits so well! Frances is a little girl badger who is trying so hard to avoid bedtime like most children her age. She uses all the stalling tactics: requests a drink of milk, extra affection from both parents, her dolls and stuffed animals... Then she starts letting her imagination get the better of her and even familiar items look scary and distorted in the darkness of her room.
(Side note: I was flabbergasted to learn at the time of this writing that there has actually been controversy regarding this book and efforts to ban it due in part to a reference to Frances being threatened with a spanking if she doesn't comply to staying in her bed. Mostly, this comes from people in the anti-spanking, spanking = abuse camps of thinking. They feel that the threat of violence from Frances' father is scary and inappropriate for children. I see how this would concern those who take this stance and, in fact, very rarely spanked my own children although it was mostly because I didn't find it to be a deterrant to them particularly. However, as a child abuse survivor, I never found this book to be anything but a comforting and sweet story that I cherished and found Frances' home to be a desirable place to live.)
I certainly can relate to Frances! Darkness and sleep commonly represent the sub-conscious, dreams, mystery, and intuition. I look at the way I've cautiously held my new career at arm's length. I procrastinate, fear it (to a degree as discussed previously), mistrust it, and seek the comfort and affirmations of people I hold up as authority figures for guidance... I'm sure that even more could be gleaned from each of the specific stalling she tries. I don't even think it's necessary to go that far in my own analysis when perhaps the most poignant moment of all for me is the end when she comes to understand that it is her job to get some sleep so she can wake up fresh the next morning to be her best.
I will be purchasing another copy because I wish I could remember the story in more detail. Although, there are parts that are still really stuck in my memory. Like when she decided to sing her alphabet to herself. "A is for Alphabet, B is for Bear. C is for Crocodile combing his hair..." I can still hear Lillian Hoban's childlike voice singing this little tune on the record that came with my copy of the book.
It IS my job to welcome the darkness in order to bring about my full potential and develop spiritually. So in attempting to embrace my new "job" in dreams and intuition, I admit that I have been going forward dragging my feet with all kinds of irrational fears. Frances finally exhausts herself to the point that she falls asleep but she still did it thinking she accomplished it on her terms when, in fact, she just stopped fighting the inevitable for her own good. When you open your mind and listen to the world around you, even a pair of geese and a procrastinating child badger can be your gurus.
As a native of Tornado Alley, I've had more than my share of tornado dreams. If I lived on a coast, I'm sure I'd have hurricane dreams. I'm willing to bet my cousin in California has had an earthquake dream or two. Natural disasters have been a staple in human lives since the beginning of our age. The forces of nature were not to be trifled with. Often referred to as Acts of God, catastrophic natural events cause massive physical change to the landscape , suffering, and destruction on a scale that only a deity could wield. We may have made strides in understanding the elements and through technology harness their power but they are still the Great Equalizer. No matter how high and mighty we get, Mother Nature still comes along and knocks down our Legos to make us start all over again.
In our dreams, what better symbol to reflect chaos, confusion, frustration, and the feeling of helplessness than these events? What a perfect metaphor for the unforeseen challenges of life. Nature reminds us of our place in the big picture. It reminds us we're still just critters scurrying around with the rest of them-- smart critters-- but critters none-the-less. When you remember that a dream is one big metaphor for what's going on in our world, we can really see why our subconscious chooses this imagery to bring issues to our attention. These dreams are often scary stuff and nightmares are actually just ways to get our attention focused a little more quick-like :)
Aside from the disasters that occur naturally in the regions in which we're from, a look closer may reveal that a specific kind of catastrophe may correlate to an area of your life where you're experiencing difficulty. Look at the element of nature being represented. Tornadoes, hurricanes, and cyclones are all good examples of a disturbance in the element of air. Air is the realm of thought, ideas and inspiration, and perspective. When I've wrestled with some primarily intellectual issues in my life, it wasn't uncommon for some tornadoes to show up in my dreams as I'm trying to sort it out; especially when it comes at me suddenly.
Another really common example are floods. Water is the realm of life experiences, creativity, and emotions just for starters. When overwhelmed with big emotions, it's prime conditions for a dream flood, tsunami, or drowning dream.
If the Earth is shaking or cracking in your dream, take a look at your foundation. Not literally. Well, unless you live in an area prone to Mother Earth's shimmies. Then you might be getting a timely message to check your home before financial troubles arise. By foundation, I was initially referring to your core being; the rocks of your life, the cornerstones. How's your will power?
Forest fires or volcanoes making appearances lately? Think about the actions you're taking, or not taking, in your plans... Or have you acted rashly? Positively, are you experiencing an opportunity for rebirth?
There are some natural events which touch on a little more. Think about a thunderstorm. It can have elements of air, water, and fire within it. Consider the size of the storm. If I, a Missouri girl, dream of a hurricane it's likely that my issue is being felt on a larger scale than a tornado but there's more time to prepare for it. A volcano has both fire and earth. I could be making big changes in the foundations of my life. Look at the severity of the destruction and what was affected.
Really looking at the details around the event in your dream will help you to figure out what you can learn and apply in your waking life. Use the clues to pinpoint areas of stress so you can jump back in and regain control. Remember, too, that these times of difficulty can be opportunities for creative expression, new beginnings, and renewal of your Soul Self. Just as in nature, what destroys also makes room for new life. A volcano makes an island. A forest fire thins the undergrowth that chokes out the trees. It's important to remember that although they can be disturbing, most often these types of dreams are simply messages in code and once you start deciphering them for yourself, an understanding can be developed and your intuition strengthened.
I've always been fascinated with symbols. I love to look beyond the surface to find the message in everything. Our whole world is full of symbols. Dreams are a wonderful and rewarding source for all kinds of symbolism and knowledge. They've been used for inspiration, divination, and self-growth. Every dream can be a valuable tool in understanding what makes you tick. Let's look at what a dream really is.
Have you ever wished for a best friend who's precisely "another you"? Someone who came from the same background, has the same perspective of the world around you, and knows everything about you? That person who, because of everything afore mentioned, just knows what to say when life gets a bit complicated? Well, guess what? You've had that friend all along. Meet your sub-conscious! AKA your Soul Self. Your sub-conscious can fill that role. In fact, it is the real you. It tells you like it is, rarely pulls any punches, and genuinely has only your best interests at heart. Very few best friends can actually fit that bill. Dreams are the vehicle for communication with your newly re-discovered best friend.
Your sub-conscious, your Soul Self, has a link to the divine and has painstakingly gathered everything you've experienced in your lifetime. All that you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell is stored away for future reference. Most often these references are communicated back to you through dreams. Your Soul Self is building a vocabulary from the moment you enter this life. When we communicate with others outside of ourselves we begin with a thought. The mind forms images of that we wish to communicate and we then use our vocal abilities, physical gestures, and socially agreed upon symbols to convey our thoughts as accurately as we can to another being. It's a pretty complex system when you think of it that way and when you consider that for most of us this process takes place in microseconds. Obviously, some of us are better than others at getting their ideas out of their heads and to another person. Unfortunately, there can be many obstacles to prevent the message from coming through accurately. For example: different languages, different culture, and different experiences can affect the interpretation of meaning behind someone else's words.
Now, your Soul Self is you so it skips right over everything past the initial thought. It needs no words so it's almost like using flash cards to tell a story or those pictograph stories we did as kids. A pictograph uses an image or icon instead of a word or phrase to get the same meaning across. In our culture it's generally not as accepted to talk to ourselves with any seriousness and we tend to forget our own power so we often look outward for our answers. Dreams are a reminder to us that we are more than flesh and bone. For some this is an avenue for communication with our Creator, Spirit, or higher power. For others, it's a mind-bogglingly complex system of self-study that uses the extra power of the brain to consider our life interactions while the body gets healing and rest. (Whew! That's a mouthful!) Regardless of which camp we're in, there is the understanding that benefit can be gained from the consideration of our sleeping thoughts. Although I'm in the first, I felt I should reference both sides-- spiritual and secular-- because one doesn't have to be spiritual to recognize the complexity of our existence and find value in the study of our psychological processes.
Dreams are an incredible resource and a wonderful first step to beginning to realise our true potential and empower ourselves. Once we begin deciphering the language our Soul Selves are using, we can begin to gain insight from our dreams that we can apply to our waking life to help us lead a more fulfilling and enriched life.
