The Wonder of Dreams

I have always been fascinated by the dreamworld-that mystical state in which we spend a good portion of our lives.  Although I don't often remember my dreams, I usually have the sense upon awakening that I have been experiencing other realms and wish that I could recall them long enough to record them.

Sometimes , dreams can seem like nonsense; the result of my consciousness downloading the unprocessed fragments of a busy day.  Other times, I wake with a clear impression etched in my mind and a sense that the dream is very important and should be remembered.

A few days after my mother passed away, I had a very vivid dream that I knew carried a special message.  In the dream, I was sitting next to her hospital bed, holding her hand after she died, saddened and horrified to feel her body growing cold.  As I sat crying, her hand became warm, she sat up, the light came back in her eyes, she said "I love you" and smiled. I woke up then, emotionally overwhelmed by the clarity of the dream, but with a strong assurance that this was her message to me that her spirit was still alive and she would love me forever.

I have had other dreams that are experienced with such clarity and emphasis that I know they are important spiritual messages.  It can be difficult to interpret dreams because our subconscious minds use symbolism, impressions and pictures that we can't always grasp the meaning of.  In biblical times, those who could interpret dreams, like Joseph, were revered and given positions of honor.  There is a clear message, throughout the bible, that dreams are one of the ways that God communicates with us, and we should not trivialize the ones that come to us with clarity and a sense of importance.

So how can we increase our awareness about our dreams and begin to remember them more clearly so they can provide us with insight and wisdom?  The following is some advice from Psychology Today:

Your dreams can reveal many truths about your life. They can provide extraordinary intuitive insights, and give you information that can help your health, love life and career. You'd be surprised at the straightforward advice that your dreams give, either spontaneously or on request.

Dreams can keep you well. Dreams provide answers. But first you must retrieve them. Here are  four strategies to help you remember your dreams:
Keep a journal and pen by your bed.

• Write a question on a piece of paper before you go to sleep. Formalize your request. Place it on a table beside your bed or under your pillow.
• In the morning do not wake up too fast. Stay under the covers for at least a few minutes remembering your dream. Luxuriate in a peaceful feeling between sleep and waking, what scientists call the hypnagogic state. Those initial moments provide a doorway.
• Open your eyes. Write down your dream immediately; otherwise it will evaporate. You may recall a face, object, color, or scenario, feel an emotion. It doesn't matter if it makes perfect sense-or if you retrieve a single image or many. Record everything you remember.

When you're finished, refocus on the question you asked the previous night. See how your dream applies. One, two, or more impressions about the who/what/where of your solution may have surfaced. Get in the habit of recording your dreams regularly. Be assured I've never met anyone who can't be taught how to remember. Keep at it. Remember to practice. Soon it will become second nature to you!

 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/emotional-freedom/201002/how-remember-and-interpret-your-dreams

This morning, I am thankful for mystical moments, visions and dreams and pray for insight into the wisdom and guidance these can provide today and each day.

Winds of Change

I love the crunch of autumn leaves under my feet as I walk through the woods and their earthy, pungent scent in the air.

On a morning like this one, when the sky is slate gray and the wind blows cold, seeming to blow away the last of summer's heat as it tosses those beautiful leaves around, my thoughts turn to change,

Autumn, more than any other season, ushers in dramatic change...a new school year, new clothes, new jobs, new elections, new perspectives.  

Even while our day-to-day life stays much the same, things are changing around us. Some are predictable and expected, like the leaves changing color and falling to the ground, or the holidays we celebrate every year.  Others can take us by surprise, like the changes that Covid has brought, or technological advances that leave us a little confused if we're not continually learning new ways of doing things. Sometimes, change can be devastating, like the loss of a relationship or job, the illness of a loved one or the death of a friend.  

Change can be difficult if we remain stuck in the past, or it can foster spiritual growth if we are willing to let go of what is presenting itself to be released and move on.  Like the tree that I'm watching out my front window, bending and giving up its leaves to the wind, I can offer my pain, my regrets, my stagnant habits of mind...whatever hinders me from the fullest expression of the person that God created me to be. 

So on this beautiful autumn morning, I breathe a prayer of thanksgiving for what is and release whatever no longer serves my highest expression.  I breathe in forgiveness and love, breathe out pain, sadness and regret, giving them up like leaves on my tree...all is well in this moment.

Crazy Vanilla Sky

The sunrise this morning was a beautiful "crazy vanilla sky" -- pale blue streaked with deep pink, the kind of sky my daughter Kara wrote a poem about when she was eight. She called it crazy vanilla because there was an ice cream flavor of the same name that looked just like that perfect pattern of color.

I still have that poem, somewhere, which makes me think I should go through the boxes of my children's writing and organize them so I can remember what lovely, creative beings they have always been. Reflecting on this, I see that each person and each day really is a gift.

I am starkly aware that every day is unique -- a little bit different from each day before it. If we aren't paying attention, it's easy to miss the little distinctions like a crazy vanilla sky or the exact way the leaves are beginning to turn orange on the sugar maples. Life can seem very ordinary and dull if our eyes aren't open to the mystery and beauty of everything around us.

If we stop to think about it, it is an amazing gift that our own personal perspective is unique.  No one else sees the world through our eyes or experiences things in quite the same way.  Even though we are all connected and may have similar thoughts, feelings and viewpoints, each one of us is a miraculously crafted one-of-a-kind creation.  

That is why it is so important to be authentic; to bring forth from within that which is our own. We cannot find it by listening to what our parents or society have told us about who we should be, by following a list of rules, or saying a particular prayer.  

We can only find it by spending time in silence, tuning to the within and finding our Source. If we believe that a loving God created us and longs for us to express our own gifts, not someone else's, we will find our way to Him/Her and start to live an authentic life.

This day, I pray that our eyes will be open to the unique gifts of each day, as well as the beauty that lies within each one of us, just waiting to be expressed.

Grace Falls Like Rain

 Yesterday morning, I was walking in the rain, trying to release angry, irritable feelings that I had regarding a certain situation in my life. I felt remorse about bitter words I had spoken the day before. Suddenly, the phrase "grace falls like rain" floated around me like tiny sparks of light and I saw very clearly that I was already covered in undeserved mercy and love. In that moment, every bad thought and feeling washed away like rain. It felt like a baptism..

"There is therefore now no condemnation" Paul tells us in Romans 8:1, yet this seems to be a very difficult concept for many of us to grasp. There is a human tendency towards self-condemnation that leads to damaging negative self-talk and guilt that can plague us for years. 

As soon as we feel that remorse and have a change of heart, however, grace and mercy will pour down on us like rain if we believe in the Spirit who gives us life. It's that simple. There is nothing more we have to do- we only need to accept the free gift. There is no legalistic requirement to be good enough, follow certain rules or do a certain number of good works in order to receive God's grace. We are simply forgiven and loved as we are.  

How liberating this is, if we only trust in this assurance.

 As Philip Yancey explains in his book What's so Amazing About Grace:: “By striving to prove how much they deserve God’s love, legalists miss the whole point of the gospel, that it is a gift from God to people who don’t deserve it. The solution to sin is not to impose an ever-stricter code of behavior. It is to know God.” 

It is the experience of knowing God that changes our hearts, not the striving on our own power to be better and do better, then condemning ourselves when we fail.

So this morning, I am thankful for the gift of grace, that is poured out continually, unmeasured and overflowing, renewing and changing my heart day by day.

Breathe in and out, releasing all and accepting the love that is freely given...  

 

*Art by Grace Dillon