Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Channelling Angelina

This pic appeared in Cristina's Blog
pictures via: celebrity-gossip.net/justjared.buzznet.com
Angelina Jolie, she of the pillowy, ruby red matte lips and catlike sweep of eyeliner at the Golden Globes 2012 stands regally overseeing her domain. The red slash blazoned across her collarbones, skims her left shoulder and then disappears into the white fabric wrapping around her torso and under her right arm adding a swanlike length to her neck. There can be no mistake who's in charge at this event nor in my dream of Friday night.

However in my dream, after a day of hard work alongside others in the fields and schools she stands hair-tousled in the drab, dusty brown garb of a soldier. Only her regal bearing reveals who she really is. She surveys the scene as all hurry about her organizing the troops for her inspection because SHE HAS ARRIVED.

What a contrast to the Angie of her early days rife with rebellious, distasteful images: Billy Bob Thornton's blood in a vial on a chain hanging around her neck, the steamy hot kiss shared with her brother at the 2000 Oscars, the home wrecker who stole the heart of the husband of America's sweetheart.

Action hero, adopted Mom of 3, birth mother to 3 more (a set of twins included) who tows her international brood around the world for work and education, movie star with clout, actress, director, humanitarian spokesperson and benefactor paired with another godlike yet down to earth alpha being.

Whether the "real life"Angelina knows or cares who she was, how she was perceived and how far she's come matters little to me. What matters is how I feel slipping into the role of the dream Angelina. I'm pleased with who I've become and my strength. I've discovered who I really am. I've dropped away all the games and roles. Be myself, follow where my heart leads and others will be inspired to support the work and do the same for themselves.

The action for the day...channel Angelina.

Greet the day from "her" vantage point. How does it feel? Does it change my actions and reactions? Will I be blessed with a new point of view; more optimism and self-confidence?

It's perhaps not surprising that this is also a technique sometimes used in hypnosis to help you reach your goals. Become who you want to become, or at least discover who you admire or who inspires you. By mimicking how it "feels" you are on your way. Walk around in their skin to find out how they got there and what it takes for them to continue being who they are. Back up this "fake it to make it" route with research, work and effort in order to achieve your goals. And use the feeling SHE HAS ARRIVED to inspire you on your way.
*          *          *
"REAL LIFE" SYNCHRONICITY:

The next morning (Sat) still working on "Angelinafying" myself.
Saturday morning - I send out an e-mail to a friend/fellow therapist confirming my appointment with her.
Saturday night - I receive an e-mail from her that starts...
Alpha Nance...
Sunday morning - I respond...
LMAO re: the alpha comment. She has no idea about this dream or my adventures in being the very "ALPHA" Algelina Jolie.
Sunday night - She responds.
This was a spell check error on the part of my i-phone. I typed in Aloha Nance and it got changed to Alpha Nance.

I love it! At least part of the universe got my message. I think I've still got a lot more work to do.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Dream prescription

CEDAR
My bed shakes in time with the clinking of Flippy's toe nails against the name tag that dangles from her collar. This is the daily neurotic ritual she performs to get me out of bed before I am ready. She knows it drives me nuts.
I stumble out of bed, unzip the a pre-portioned packet of brekkie into her tin bowl and then one into Maya's. I should get up but the rumpled, warm duvet upon my bed beckons me back and into its fold I willingly fall. I don't want to fall back to sleep though. With no dream remembered from last night and still barely awake this is an opportune time to drift into the hypnogogic state.

A west coast village is nestled in a densely forested area. The random patter of droplets is just one reminder of the recent rainfall. The lush shades of green on the leaves of deciduous and coniferous trees and the low lying growth of the forest floor appear as splashes of luminous colour against the background of darkly glistening black-brown of the trunks, branches and loamy soil of the surrounding forest creating a visual feast.

The air, freshly transfused with life by ocean breezes and earthy forest scents energize me. I breathe full and deep as I walk towards the plank house in the distance where new construction is taking place. A powerful middle-aged native man has drawn excess boughs of cedar and pine from the roof line. He walks towards me cradling them in his arms. No words are exchanged as we meet. He holds the boughs out to me as gift offering which I accept without question.

My alarm goes off. Though it seems like hours, a mere 15 minutes have passed.

I have been given a gift of cedar and pine in the dreamspace. I know that these substances will provide me with healing and wisdom if I honour them in waking life. But what does this mean and how am I to use these gifts?

I decide to go for a walk to help me ponder these questions. As I step foot out the door a light, misty rain, not unlike that in my dream, has begun to fall. And I walk...
It is not the boughs that are important. It is the cedar and the pine leaves that hold the power. It isn't about size or bulk but about scent.


How is it that I never saw before the varieties of cedar and pines that exist just outside my door? I pluck only those samples that are given up willingly by the trees. Gently I crush their leaves and needles in my hand. To my delight and surprise each variety yields a distinctly different aroma. Who knew? I expected a generic scent - pine to smell like "pine"; cedar like "cedar". How did I not notice this before? Periodically as I walk I sniff the little bouquet I have gathered. My chest feels light, my sinuses clear and my breathing is free and easy; a big contrast to the inter-scapular tension and sinus congestion that has been plaguing me these past few days.

Is that it, I wonder?

Take them home. Have a warm shower (no problem as I'm getting wet AND cold) and place them on the floor of the shower as you do so.
I willingly comply. The scent of pine and cedar is heightened by the warmth and the steam of the shower. It's invigorating and uplifting.

Gather them up, run the fresh water through them and shake it off all over your skin.
I recognize this as a form of smudging used as an alternative to smoke. I sprinkle myself from head to toe.

What am I to do with the leaves once the shower is over?
When you are finished mix the batch with some tobacco, scatter it under the cedars outside your front door and give thanks for this day.
I do so gratefully.

What does this all mean? I haul out my reference books on aromatherapy and these properties/messages seem particularly relevant:

CEDARWOOD - Soothing and uplifting, good for nervous tension, appropriate if you have problems with self-identity, encourages interrelation with other people. *
Strength  Endurance  Centainty
Fortifies and strengthens, tonifies: the body's Qi energy, Kidneys, Spleen/Pancreas, Steadies the conscious mind and fortifies the action of the will to hold firm even against persistent external forces, bolsters the transforming power of will helping us to transform an emotionally charged negative situation into one from which we can derive strength and wisdom. **

PINE
PINE - Refreshing and opening, can be used to revive the nervous system, main action is on the respiratory tract - chest, throat and sinuses, decongestant, eases aches and pains.
Pine helps the adult, once rebellious spirited child with non-conformist attitudes, break through to reclaim sensitivity, enjoyment and happiness in life.*
It is psychologically fortifying, instills positivity, restores self-confidence and counteracts pessimism. Helps to restore balance where there is a weakness of "boundary" ("where one can't distinguish others' responsibilities from one's own") and self-identity replacing undue guilt with forgiveness, self-acceptance and self-worth. **

*        *        *
NOTE: a few days have passed since I had this experience and began writing this post. I'm glad to report that the mucus membranes in my sinuses, for the first time in months, are no longer bothering me. The day before the experience I'd done a kundalini practice a little too vigorously leaving my hips feeling achy; this too has subsided.
It is possible that these scents were given to me to further actions that I've been consciously working towards in my waking life since returning from Hawaii namely letting go of old emotional patterns that have plagued me all my life and left me feeling unworthy, negative and pessimistic. The result has been almost radical self-acceptance with a huge dose of Ho'ponopono (forgiveness towards others and myself for any misunderstandings that have caused pain) resulting in a renewed sense of purpose, self-worth, gratitude and HAPPINESS. 
My journey these last few months has been to allow myself to find out what it is to really enjoy my life.

* source - NEAL'S YARD REMEDIES ESSENTIAL OILS - Susan Curtis, 1996 Aurum Press Ltd.
** source - AROMATHERAPY For Healing the Spirit - Gabriel Mojay, 1996, Gaia Books Ltd.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

IMPROVING DREAM RECALL-Dreamwork 101

The biggest challenge facing every beginning dream worker is remembering our dreams. How can we improve dream recall?

REALIZE THAT DREAMING IS A NATURAL ABILITY
First off realize that it is a skill that we naturally have. Notice how easily children recall dreams and engage in them. As we age we are told to let go of childish things, unfortunately most of us live in a culture which would include dreams and dreaming in this category. So, dreaming is a natural state, one that we all experience many times every night. Dream recall, also a natural ability, is honed and perfected with practice.

ASSIGN DREAM RECALL AND RECORDING SOME IMPORTANCE
What will you GAIN from remembering your dreams? What is your motivation? How will this practice benefit you? Increased creativity, problem solving, fine tuning intuition, exploring lucid dreams, travelling to different realities, time travelling (past, present, future of our present life), travelling into past and future lives, fun, healing, entertainment, future spiritual gain - developing mindful awareness and mind training to help in times of challenge and transition when emotions may be high, pain intense and as a preparation for the dying process, to explore the nature of "reality", mend the past, set a nightmare right and reclaim personal power, to resolve and release recurring dreams, a form of self-study... these are and have been just some of my motivating factors. What are yours?

MAKE DREAM WORK AND RECORDING THEM A HABIT: Realize that you will have to dedicate some time EVERY DAY to dream working. Make it a habit, like brushing your teeth. How much time do you want to allot to dream work?

PREPARE YOURSELF: Set your alarm clock to go off anywhere from 15 to 60 minutes before your normal arising (this means you may have to go to bed earlier). Find an alarm clock with a soft sound. If it is too loud or "alarming" you will be woken up too abruptly, as will your bedmate. You want to become gently aware that you are rousing from sleep. Place a pen and a journal within easy reach (mine is in a basket under my bed. I simply roll over and reach down and have accessed it with very little disturbance). Some people like to use a recording device but I find the act of writing accesses the subconscious mind most effectively.

BEFORE YOU GO TO SLEEP SET AN INTENTION that, "I will remember AND record my dreams upon awakening." Repeat it mentally as you set your alarm reminding yourself that the alarm is to trigger you to recall and record your dreams.

MORE ON INTENTION: Sometimes our motivation and intention needs to be more enticing and fun than just, "I will remember AND record my dreams upon awakening." Set yourself a fun assignment i.e. I'm going to explore and relax on a beautiful, sandy beach and get some sun or I'm going to meet that great guy/girl that I saw yesterday. Make it interesting, something to look forward to; an adventure. As you drift off imagine your chosen scenario. When you awaken check. Did you go to the beach or meet the guy? If yes, you may find it easy to ask your dream self to tell me (your waking self) all the details.

THE ALARM CLOCK REMINDS YOU OF YOUR INTENTION not only to remember your dreams but to record them as well:
Many people open the door to dreams but don't do the follow through because of laziness it takes too much effort I'd rather go back to sleep for a few minutes more, or they hit the ground running as their mind gets flooded with other things that seem more important I've got to get going, got to do X and X and ..... 
Do not allow yourself to rush into your day! That's why you've set the alarm for an earlier time. Its ring or buzz is a reminder that you have set aside this 15, 30 or 60 minutes for dreamwork. It is also a signal to get your journal and pen which you placed within easy reach the night before.

USING THE ALARM CLOCK AS A TOOL TO DREAM RECALL AND RE-ENTRY - 3 different scenarios and the approaches I employ for each.
Note: Though I don't usually need 60 minutes for dream work I set aside that amount of time. 
1. The initial alarm goes off. I turn it off, grab my journal and pen and the dream virtually spills onto the page. I may or may not need to re-set the alarm clock to ring at the time I NEED to get up.
2. The initial alarm goes off. I grab my journal and pen. I know the dream is there but it's not willingly revealing itself to me. I leave my alarm on snooze (it goes off at 4 minute intervals) and draw it close to me so that if, during dream re-entry, I drift off I will be brought back to my intention to write my dreams. I have recaptured full dreams using this technique. They may have been from earlier that night or taken place during a 4 minute period (In dream time a lifetime can be lived in 4 minutes!) Once I'm well on my way to dream recording I effortlessly and without disturbance, re-set my clock for the time I NEED to be up. 
3. The initial alarm goes off. I grab my journal and pen. I sense nothing. I set my alarm for 15 minutes later and allow myself to go back to sleep "perhaps to dream". Upon awakening I either set my alarm for when I have to get up and begin recording what I've recalled or do the snooze technique. 

A NOTE REGARDING INTERRUPTING SLEEP - some people recommend setting the alarm to go off at specific intervals (timed to maximize contact with REM sleep) throughout the night to increase the likelihood of capturing a dream. Personally I don't like this interruption until the later hours of the morning when REM sleep is longer and more vivid, intervals between shorter, and the hypnogogic state (state between waking and sleeping; sleep and waking) more easily accessed. Recent research shows that our natural sleep cycle (and one that existed before the invention of the light bulb) is to sleep for about 6 hours, wake up for an hour or so and then go back to sleep for an hour or two more. This second sleep is rich in dream offerings and increases the likelihood of experiencing lucid dreams.
Others recommend recording a dream if it has woken you up during the night. Good advice! Either write in full, write a word, phrase or dream fragment that can serve as a doorway into fuller dream re-entry in the morning.
Still others, recommend drinking a glass of water before sleeping so that you will have to wake up to use the washroom in the middle of the night and perhaps recall a dream. As a Shiatsu Therapist I don't recommend this - it is unnatural, taxing to the bladder and kidneys and I believe, may be disturbing to the nervous system if done to excess. 
If you want to try the water technique, use it as a memory prompt. Have a glass of water by your bedside and drink a small sip before bed while repeating the suggestion, "I will remember and record my dreams upon awakening." Some people have found that upon awakening the act of drinking the water, even just reaching for the glass, triggers dream recall.

BODY POSITION DURING RECALL AND RECORDING:
Disturb yourself as little as possible. Lay in the position in which you awoke. If no dreams come or if you think there is more to be recovered, change into another sleep position and wait there. Record what comes. In changing positions I often gather more info and glean a new perspective from each position. I record with my free arm (it helps but isn't necessary to be ambidextrous).

WRITE IT DOWN:
The smallest, most insignificant "dreams" or waking thoughts can prove to be filled with information or be the vehicle to synchronic happenings during the day. If you've read any of my other entries on dreams, dream work, dream circle you know that dreaming constitutes more than just sleep dreams.

I GOT NOTHIN' - WRITE IT DOWN:
If you really have no dream to record WRITE DOWN, "No dreams recalled" this act, oddly enough, has spurred on many a dream recording.
What are you feeling, thinking, sensing? Write it down.
Tell yourself a story. Write it down.

DURING THE DAY:
Be open to the fact that your dream may spontaneously come to mind as you're engaged in daily activities. Take a moment to review, remember and write it down as soon as possible. 

TALK ABOUT DREAMS with: your family and/or friends who are open to this material.


READ ABOUT DREAMS - reading about dreams increases the likelihood of recall.


JOIN A DREAM GROUP - learn from the wisdom and experience of others. Being in the company of other dreamers inspires us to becoming more skilled in the art of dream navigation. In dream groups/circles we explore the many facets of dreams and dream-related states. There is also plenty of time for Q&A.


CONSULT A DREAM WORKER WHO KNOWS THAT THE DREAMER, AKA THE AUTHOR OF THE DREAM, HAS THE ABILITY TO UNCOVER AND DISCERN ITS WISDOM, who will help you develop facility with dream work. Challenging dreams such as nightmares, night terrors are not suitable for most dream groups/circles and are best explored one-on-one in private consultation with a dream worker.

I host a dream group at my place every second Wednesday of the month and at various locations in the Oakville, Burlington area.
I do one-on-one dream consultations and lead dream circles for individual and corporate groups.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Mirror Mirror

"Real" life spills into our dream world and vice versa reminding me that the veils between the worlds are permeable indeed.
A friend buys a beautiful one of a kind hand crafted mirror at an exclusive art and craft show. She hangs it on a wall in her office. When it is unveiled, the natural light streaming upon it reveals a less than perfect product. During the fabrication process perhaps the grinding plates were too coarse as the reflective metal surface under the glass is scratched. We take it back to the seller's booth and on second viewing in this space the flaw is so obvious it is inconceivable that it could have been missed during the stages of production and by artisan, seller and purchaser alike; but it was.
It happens. While working as a camera operator, in the composing room of a local newspaper, I occasionally subbed as a proof-reader. I performed the latter duty in a small cubicle papered with clippings of the "ones that got away" such as the headline proudly declaring "PUBIC MEETING A RESOUNDING SUCCESS!"
But I digress.
Back to the mirror and my point. This waking dream-like event fuelled a waking dream spurred on by an uncomfortable "real" life interaction that I had had with a woman who was acting in a, perhaps self-appointed, authoritarian capacity. The details are not important except to say that we had widely differing assessments of a situation. What is important is that we were both acting from what we felt was the best interest of another person. Our perspectives spoke volumes about us as individuals and our particular take on life.
What causes some people to have such a narrow, uptight, shame based, constricting, dour and solemn view that distorts the intentions and actions of another? I asked myself later that night weighed down by the event.
As I posed the question I drifted off into a waking dream enveloped in a grey, fog-like mist. The mist swirled around me leaving misshapen forms in its wake as I backed away. I latched on to one form, squinting to get a clearer picture of the image before me. An odd sensation took over me. I began to embody it.
Walk away. 
I stopped
Walk away. I was warned.
Stealthily I backed away until I emerged from the spell of a fun house mirror. There I stood gazing at the distorted reflection of myself.
Do not gaze too deeply or you will be ensnared once more. Look around.
There were many such shadowy, misty mirrors; each with their own particular pattern of distortion.
Your image in any of these mirrors will reflect a distorted view of yourself. 


Like a moth drawn to a flame I was strangely fascinated by each and felt compelled to delve deeper into their shadows.
GAZING INTO THE CRYSTAL MIRROR
©Nance Thacker '12
Gaze too deeply into any of these and you will be transported into a world of distortion fitting the reflection. You are familiar with these worlds. Though it will be challenging, it is time to let go of your fascination with these things. You have many choices. Look around. Find the mirror with the impeccable finish. The one that reflects most accurately the brightest, clearest, lightest image - your true self.
Mirrors in frames ranging from ornate and opulent to mere ribbons of metal or unfinished wood, hung in the air or stood self-supported forming a brilliant, shining maze in an otherwise black space. Looking from mirror to mirror, I caught glimpses of multi-reflected selves and infinite possibilities.
Find the mirror that shines brightest. The one ringed with gems and crystals. They will strengthen and amplify all the positive feelings and thoughts that you put into it and will reflect this world back to you.
*      *      *
GAZING INTO THE MIRROR OF
GROWTH
©Nance Thacker '12
A few days later my elderly client wants to go over Kahuna Harry Jim's FOUR DECLARATIONS with me. She's not sure of the meanings that they hold. I know them by heart as I recite them before and during my treatment sessions but I decide a re-reading of his book WISE SECRETS OF ALOHA is in order so that I may relay their wisdom as clearly and accurately as possible.
To my shock and amazement I have been reciting one of the lines in the first declaration incorrectly as:
"My presence in the Halau is a sacred manifestation from me to myself to shower gratitude, GRACE, and bliss to my whole being and through me to the receiver."
THE CORRECT VERSION IS:
"My presence in the Halau is a sacred manifestation from me to myself to shower gratitude, GROWTH, and bliss to my whole being and through me to the receiver."
I wonder what will be freed up in me once the seeds of welcoming growth take hold?




Sunday, April 8, 2012

From Uuugh to Ahhh

Uuugh, that was one of those dreams I'd rather forget! 

You know the kind. Filled with frustration, missed connections, rapidly changing scenarios littered with events gone wild and threateningly dark characters. Everything seems out of my control leaving me feeling lost and out of sorts upon awakening.

I lay there in a stupor. This type of energy rises up in you this time of the year; EVERY DAMN YEAR. You shouldn't be so surprised, I told myself reassuringly. My mind had raced ahead and was throwing in the towel to all my hopes and dreams. When this mood settles upon me like a weighted black robe its darkness envelopes me making it near to impossible to see and feel the light. I'm in limbo, unable to get a clear view of my surroundings, let alone envision a future of my own choosing. A future which just a few days ago seemed full of adventure and promise.

I'm not going to record this dream. I'd rather forget it. What's the point. It's all so depressing. I tossed back the duvet, sat up in bed and was just about to step onto the floor...

Don't be such a wimp. At least write down a title and maybe a little summary; no biggie. What can it hurt?


I gather up my journal and pen and lay back snuggling into the dreaming posture from which I'd awakened just moments before. 


TITLE: I've lost my ID and my money.
FEELING: upon awakening - lost, out of control, out of sorts.
FEELING: in the dream...Wait! Was I really lost? I didn't lose my ID or my money I actually got them back...
Before you know it a full dream recording and re-entry took form.

SUMMARY: 
- I'm participating in a course where there's been some dissatisfaction amongst the participants. Things haven't been brought to resolution as expected during the last few days.
- As we are disbanding I see a folk dance line forming. With hands linked they snake their way through the crowd. I hear the music and know the steps to this Greek dance and decide to join in. I tuck my ID and the leather money folder under my black windbreaker and leave it on a chair. I have some reservations but I think it should be OK.
- The leader is speaking in a foreign language, there is a woman between us so I can't quite see the steps and I'm making mistakes which affects the whole line. A friend's husband takes the woman's place. I feel much better about this as he knows what he's doing.
- I'm in a car driven by a friend. She's taking me and the workshop leader to the airport, but I realize I don't have my ID or money and have to go back. She's not offering to take me so I get out and take a bus to Sheridan College where I hope to go to their lost and found department.
- But, I realize that I know where my stuff is and this realization transports me there which is not Sheridan after all but a park setting.
- I see a bunch of shadowy types mulling around my stuff. One of them is sitting on the chair and beginning to take the money out when I say, pleadingly, tearfully, "This is my stuff. Please give it back to me. You have no idea how much I need it". He's moved by my plea and gives everything back to me. One of the shadowy types says, "How do we know it's yours." I know this is a ploy to get the stuff back so I hold it closer to my body. I KNOW WHO I AM AND I DON'T HAVE TO PROVE IT TO ANYBODY!  I keep talking over him as I walk away thanking the other man.
- I'm in my car now being directed to a detour lane by a traffic cop. Cars move slowly in single-file on a winding ramp lane. He's looking me in the eye and waving a flag commanding that I move to my left. But I don't want to go there...

This is where I woke up frustrated at being commanded to go somewhere I don't want to go. I remain in the dream this time and ask Do I have any options?

YES. I pull my gaze away from the cop. To my right is a freeway where cars are moving along quickly and directly to the destination of their choice. The ramp to my left would get me there eventually but it would be a slow and tedious process and traffic is backed up. I have choice, the cop is just trying to get me to make one so that the traffic can flow. I feel greatly relieved as I pull on to the freeway and come up to full speed merging with the traffic.

Ahhh, I emerge from the re-entry refreshed with renewed optimism and energy.

There were a lot of elements in the dream that related to past event happenings and to possible future ones. One warning I take from the dream is to keep a head's up on my ID and money during future travels and especially not to be too casual with them when I find myself distracted by social situations.

I believe that my day was vastly improved as a result of this dream work/re-entry. My initial feelings upon waking were misplaced due to the emphasis I'd put on losing my ID and money rather than on the fact that I'd recovered them. As a result a defeatist attitude prevailed. Had I left the dream unresolved the sense of dissatisfaction, being at a loss and out of sorts would have plagued me throughout the day and sapped my energy. The fact that my emphasis changed upon re-entry and that I completed the action at the end of the dream turned a negative almost nightmarish dream to one of inspiration and liberation.

BANNER: KNOW WHO YOU ARE AND GO WITH THE FLOW

Sunday, April 1, 2012

I know nothing

nance thacker © 2012
On Sunday March 25th I facilitated a dream circle at De La Sol Yoga Studios in Hamilton. Curiosity brought nine participants with varying levels of experience in dream work/play to the circle.

I am always excited to share the technique of shamanic lucid dreaming, a wonderful way of dipping into the wisdom of soul, heart and our subconscious. Where will the journey will lead us?

In dreams anything is possible! We can sprout wings and fly like eagles or grow gills and swim like fish. Or sometimes seeking home can take us on a wild taxi ride, zipping through unmarked streets that seem more like sheet metal chutes than roads. This was how one woman's dream began. After describing her dream to us she permitted us to present lines of inquiry beginning with, "If it were my dream I would want to know..." following the lightning dreamwork process originated by Robert Moss.

We went around the circle expressing what, in her dream, aroused our curiosity. What we would want to explore in more depth.

One woman began, "If it were my dream... I'm not going to do it this way. Instead I'm going to tell you what I usually do. When I think about roads, it usually means..." Sensing a premature analysis of symbology coming down the road I stop her there.

A symbol can have totally different meanings for different people; context refines meaning. It's not that we don't employ the analytical mind; we just ask it to take a back seat until the subconscious has had time to play, reveal its wisdom and communicate using its own language. The meaning of symbols can be ascertained through observing how the "symbol" expresses itself and impacts on our dream and waking life experiences.

The best approach to take is the Zen-like attitude of the "I don't know" mind or empty mind. We don't want to replay what we already know. We want to discover what we don't consciously know.

"Let's not make the dream fit established confines about what symbols mean. That will only take us down a well worn path and bog us down as we try to make the parts fit our pre-conceived notion of how things work. It will suck the life out of the dream. Rather than telling the dream what it is trying to say wouldn't it be much more fun and interesting to let the dream speak for itself? All of our answers are contained and much more easily found within the dream world not out here."

She paused as she took in the new possibilities.

"The best way to do this is to gather intentions for dream re-entry. What would you like to know about the dream itself? What questions do you have for the road, the taxi driver, the policeman, even the rocks and the trees? You can ask them directly, embody them or receive information telepathically. In dreams you can have a discussion with anything that occurs even events themselves. You can walk around the dream and take a different vantage point. You can, through your intention, dream the dream forward or backward. Why did you choose one way of acting instead of another? What would have happened had you taken a different action?"

Like the other members of the group, she was quick to catch on and revised her question. This took her into a totally delightful and surprising course of events when we, fuelled by our curiosity, carried on the beat of the drum, re-entered the dream.

My intention for re-entry was to find out what would happen if I took the path instead of lay on the grass as the dreamer had done in the original version. She was content on the grass though she did wonder herself what would have happened had she journeyed on.

The "dreamer's" original dream (to the best of my recollection) is in regular text. My questions, the answers I received and further dream details are in coloured italics. Here it is...

I'm seeking home. I'm on a wild taxi ride, zipping through unmarked streets that seem more like sheet metal chutes than roads. My amiable, competent, reassuring, though seemingly misguided Middle Eastern cab driver takes me instead to a restaurant at the end of his line. He joins up with family here and I'm offered a meal and an invitation to the party that is in progress.
Q - Why were there no road signs? Why did you bring me here without asking for directions to where I wanted to go?
A - This is the route I always take. I shuttle people here on this direct line so there is no need for signs. You wanted to go home; this is the way. You can stay if you like. My day is done and I'll do the route again tomorrow as I always do and bring more people here. Now it's time for me to enjoy my home and celebrate the end of a day with my family and friends.
Realization - Due to work that I've done, I've been expedited to this place. And though the party looks fun and inviting...
I decline his offer as I'm curious about where I am and I want to see if anyone knows how I can get home.  I wander off into the street where a number of people are clustered around an imposing, authoritative police man in the garb of a motorcycle traffic cop. (Whereas in the "dreamer's" dream she saw a phone booth and tried to call someone without success, the phone booth doesn't appear in my version.) The officer is in control, answering their questions and giving each of them directions (by drawing routes and making notes on the road maps they hold before him) to help them along their way. I look beyond the group and see an overgrown path winding its way to the top of a hill.
Q - Where does this lead? I wonder to myself. 
A - The policeman glances up at just that moment. Noticing that I have seen the path, he waves me on giving me passage. I recognize that he is not only a traffic cop but a gatekeeper. Had others noticed the path they too would have been given permission to move on but instead they are being directed back to where they came. They won't be shuttled back but instead must find their own transportation — the way back is difficult and different for each of them.

Somewhere along the way in the original dream, the dreamer lay down in the beautiful lush grass.
My dream however, continues on...
I walk past the group wending my way through the dense overgrowth of lush greenery and long grasses following the barely detectible worn-thin, dirt path under my feet and emerge in a country setting atop the hill. The landscape is verdant and bursting with colour. An ocean-fresh, crisp, clean breeze caresses my cheeks. There is a classic, pristine farmhouse and barn at the end of a long driveway. I inhale long and deep; exhale with a sigh of relief. I know that all the potential I feel in this place will extend into my waking life. I feel free. I am HOME.


I turn to look to the vista beyond the cliffs towards the ocean. A translucent, luminous yin/yang symbol floats in the sky - one half overflows with green leaves, vines and flowers; the other is made of ice-cold brushed steel, nuts and bolts. Each half contains a dot of the other within. 
Q - What does this mean? 
A - The next part of my life (the green) is informed by all that has come before (the nuts and bolts). There is no conflict no need to reject any part of myself. In fact each informs the other and always has (the dot of the opposite in each). I need the balance of both.


I return refreshed and inspired and we begin to share our dreams. The "dreamer" is the last to tell the story of her re-entry. Experiences and images not contained in the original dream are echoed in many of our dream stories. Different courses of inquiry led to different actions and new realizations. Each dream has specific relevance to its "tracker" because the initial dream has become their own. Yet their versions may also prove to contain useful insight for the "dreamer"; only she will know if this is so.

Thanks to the "dreamer" for this rich and magical dream!