Across time and cultures, teachings on dreams place them in categories, or levels; most simply put,there are Big dreams and more ordinary, everyday ones.
Big dreams also have different categories. For instance, there are Collective Big dreams, like when Carl Jung, in 1913-1914 described his dreams of blood flooding Europe and of frozen barren lands. He knew a collective catastrophe might be their meaning; World War I broke out soon after.
The longer you pay attention to your dreams, the more you'll discover your own personal Big dreams. In my dream repertoire, my personal Big dreams are markers of my soul's journey. My first I had as a child of 5 still living in Havana, Cuba. My second was a dream trilogy just prior to my graduation at 21 from the University of Rochester, N.Y. Unfortunately, I only remember one of those dreams clearly. I was 27 the next time. There were a series of dreams that prefigured a future love affair that I never in a million years would have predicted. That proved a stormy time in my life, but one dream in that magical series of dreams I had stood out so much that I actually wrote it down at the time. It's probably the dream that initiated my passion for dream journaling.
The title of the dream is, "Let Me Tell You My Story."
The dream's story involves many classic Jungian Archetypes: the hero,the journey across the desert, finding sustaining waters. It's the end of the dream that's most magical to me. After enduring many tests, my dream Self, now in my own form, is walking up one side of a mountain. As is possible in dreams, I'm not scaling sheer rock cliff, I'm just slowly walking up to the flat knoll at the top. As I crest the edge, so does the man I love, from the other side, facing me. We step towards each other at the same time and I say to him, "Let me tell you my story."
To me, it's a classic Jungian individuation dream. I join with my Animus, my soul mate, on the mountaintop after surmounting all obstacles to proclaim my life story, my spiritual journey, my individuation. Remember Ecclesiastes saying, "Naked came I into this world and naked I shall return?" For me, this always means that despite all the love and connections we make in our lifetime, we will be dancing out by ourselves, one by one, naked, except for what we can take with us, which is every soul lesson we've mastered.
This Big dream became a source of strength for me, a personal parable that took me through many years of changes. When I had to make choices at that time; the dream helped me choose to care for myself, to do what was in my best interest. In showing me some of the hardships I'd have to endure while presenting the ultimate success of my journey, the dream gave me a road map and assured me I was on the right path. In the end, I didn't get my man,or at least, that man, but I came into my Self.
Each of us has a story. I wonder if when we cross over, when we die, there will be those waiting to hear our stories, not to judge us, but to acknowledge our journeys on the earth plane and welcome us Home.
Big dreams are great gifts from the dream Source, whatever you believe it to be. For me, they are the channels that all my teachers and guides on other planes use to assist and instruct me, and that those who love me on the other side of life use to stay in touch and support me.
This drawing is an awkward attempt at portraying the last scene in "Let Me Tell You My Story." I drew it now, these many years later to honor a recent dream I had where I discover many forgotten dream sketches among my journals. In my dream, I'm delighted because I can use these to illustrate my blog.
As with most dream drawings, there's an element that surprises me. In this one it's that I'm holding hands with my Love. After so many years, this makes me feel that all is well and all is forgiven. I didn't mean to draw the figures holding hands. That's what I love about dream drawing.
Big dreams don't tell me just what I already know. Big dreams are initiations into my life's true path. They become the road maps I need to stay on course and get there. They help me realize, as in the illustrious words of the Rolling Stones, "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need."
Adelita, as always your writings, your stories, your openness to all things seen and unseen - move me. As I sit in our public library reading your dreamblog, I have anywhere from a mile wide smile on my face to a tear in my eye. Thank you for sharing parts of your journey with the world. I am, as always, fascinated and rapt at attention. I can't wait to read more.
ReplyDelete