Issue 90, February 2006
Reality Matters
©Jane Teresa Anderson, February 2006
Reality. The facts of life. The real stuff, what it all comes down to. And the fact of the matter is … what? What really matters most to you in life? (Answer before reading on!)
Dreams feel so real when you’re in them. In fact, the dream is your only reality when you are caught up in its drama, totally unaware that you also have a waking life existence. Asleep and dreaming, there is one reality: dream reality. Once awake, your view shifts towards the importance of everyday reality. But what is everyday reality exactly? And how many realities are there really, and which reality matters most?
To help you sort out the facts of the matter from the fiction of dreams, I’d like you to meet four dream interpretation wizards. No, really. Can’t you see them in your mind’s eye? What do they look like?
Since they all wear pointy hats and cloaks emblazoned with magical symbols, you can think of them as ancient, wise counsels. However I’d like to point out that these legendary magicians moonlight as cyber wizards, those computer toolbox wizards whose purpose is to guide you through the modern mysteries of getting your computer to work efficiently for you. Each of the four wizards brings you the wisdom of ancient mysteries, as well as some up-to-date dream interpretation tools to guide you towards discovering what really matters about your dream.
Let me introduce them by name. Wizard North, Wizard South, Wizard West and Wizard East.
Wizard North hails from the top end of the world, or perhaps the top end of your body: the head end. His speciality is the mind. His purpose is to help you explore your mental reality, the way your mind is programmed.
Wizard South’s abode is deeper down. Perhaps you feel him in your heart, or in the flutters of your stomach, for his speciality is emotions. His purpose is to help you explore your emotional reality, the way your heart responds.
Wizard West sits to your west, at your right hand. He gave his name to the western world. His speciality is the physical and material. His purpose is to help you explore your physical and material reality, the way things manifest around you.
Wizard East rises with the sun, always at your left hand as you greet each new day. Familiar with the way of the east, his speciality is the spirit. His purpose is to help you explore your spiritual reality, the way your soul grows.
Are you ready to watch the action? The four wizards are gathered together in the dream interpretation ring. In the north corner, sharp as a tack and raring to begin: the wizard of mental reality. In the south corner, passions blazing and heart on his sleeve: the wizard of emotional reality. In the far west, fit as a fiddle and rich as a king: the wizard of physical reality. Rising from his seat a little early in the east, transcendentally inclined and inner eye focussed: the wizard of spiritual reality.
Let the game begin. Bring on the dream to be interpreted!
The dreamer, Ben, enters the ring and lays his dream story at the feet of the four wise sages:
"I dreamed I walked into a room. A party was going on. The room was filled with people, all talking at once. I felt trapped. I couldn’t breathe. I felt like I was suffocating."
Wizard North began:
"Your dream shines a light on the way your mind works. Who or what leaves you feeling mentally suffocated?"
Ben replied, "Mentally suffocated, like I just haven’t got room to think, you mean? I keep saying I want to study more, to broaden my mind, but there’s just too much else to distract me in my life. I guess I’m the one who is mentally suffocating myself."
"Ah," Wizard North summarised, "the interpretation of your dream from a mental reality is that you are not giving yourself the space and time you need to study. Your dream shows your mind is programmed to sabotage your goals by cramming your life with other activities. Which reality is to be: suffocation, or growth? The choice is yours."
Ben took a deep breath, and nodded, as Wizard South stepped forward.
"Your dream shines a light on the way your heart responds. Who or what leaves you feeling emotionally suffocated?"
Ben shuffled his feet. "Well, parties, for starters," he grinned. "I never know what to say. I can’t think fast enough and whenever I do think of something to say I can’t get the words out. It’s like I choke on them, and end up feeling totally dumb, like a child. In fact, thinking about it now, the dream reminds me of when I was a child and mum used to show me off to all her friends. They’d all ask me question after question, so fast that I could never get a word in edgeways. Looking back, I guess they weren’t interested in what I had to say, or they would have listened, but at the time I just felt trapped and stupid."
"So," Wizard South empathised, "Your adult heart still responds as a child when everyone talks at once. Where is this happening in your life now?"
"Bingo," laughed Ben. "No, I mean, I don’t go to bingo, but 'bingo', I get it! I’ve just started a new job as a lecturer and I’m totally anxious about how I’ll go. Will the students be interested in what I have to say? Will they talk over me? It’s performance anxiety, isn’t it?"
"Yes," Wizard South agreed, "but your emotional reality is still that of little Ben. It’s time to let the old hurt heal. Nothing a little dream alchemy can’t fix before your first lecture. Thank goodness for the insight of dreams."
Wizard West cart-wheeled energetically to the microphone. “Your dream shines a light on your physical and material reality. In what ways do your physical body or material world leave you feeling suffocated?”
"Please don’t ask me to give up smoking," Ben squirmed. A long silence ensued while the wizards awaited the reality of the matter. "Okay, okay. My lungs are suffocating, my blood supply is suffocating. Now can we move to the next subject please?"
"It’s your choice Ben. It’s your body. By the way, I see in your dream everyone is talking at once. Smoking kind of let’s you off the talking hook, doesn’t it?"
"Hrummph," interrupted Wizard North, "That’s my territory. The way the mind works. 'Puff on cigarette equals excused witty repartee'."
"Sorry old man," winked Wizard West, "sometimes all this physical reality gets a bit superficial. I like a touch of the cerebral from time to time. Now, Ben, how does your material world leave you feeling trapped or suffocated?"
"I thought we’d stopped discussing my smoking habit," protested Ben.
"We have, haven’t we?" taunted Wizard West, one eyebrow arched encouragingly.
"The money I spend on the smokes leaves me with less to pay my rent. My smoking is suffocating my material reality. I’m trapped. People keep on and on telling me this, but they can talk till they’re blue in the face, it’s my life. Hmm. Clever dream though, hey? All those people talking non-stop at the party, like all those people telling me to quit."
"It’s your choice," sang Wizard West, resuming his seat as Wizard East rose from prayer.
"Your dream shines a light on your spiritual reality. Who or what leaves your soul feeling suffocated, Ben?"
"All the party people in my life," began Ben, slowly, light dawning. "My social life is people, people, people, but are any of those people interested in talking about things that really matter to me? Deep and meaningful matters, life purpose and the mysteries of the universe? Spiritual matters? No. It’s all empty words."
"Whose soul is it anyway?" posed Wizard East.
"Mine. My soul. My God! I get it! I’m dragging my soul to the wrong kind of parties, suffocating it. It’s all down to me, isn’t it? I’m suffocating me! Body, mind and soul. What an insight." Ben paused for deeper thought. "It’s my party, I can breathe if I want to."
Engage the four wizards to help you interpret your dreams from time to time. Imagine bringing each wizard into the ring in turn to ask you the kind of questions illustrated here. Look for parallels between your dream and your waking life realities: mental, emotional, physical and spiritual. You’ll be surprised how often your dream relates to all four.
Your mental, emotional, physical and spiritual realities are intertwined, each reflecting different layers of the same issues. When you understand a dream and take action on one level of reality, the other three levels often simultaneously resolve themselves. In Ben’s example, he may find that he suddenly feels ready to give up smoking once he seeks out more meaningful friendships, at which time he’ll also realise that he has plenty of time to apply himself to study.
Your turn. Got a dream, to toss into the ring?
Jane Teresa Anderson
|
