“Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart.”
Carl Jung
Dreaming is an important process for the body. According to a TED Talk by Matt Walker, there are benefits of dreaming while we sleep. First, it benefits our creativity and problem-solving ability. We may go to sleep with a problem in tow and when we wake up a solution may present itself. Secondly, dreaming helps our mental health. Dreams give the body a chance to process our daily events, painful or otherwise. Walker states it is like an “overnight therapy” session which allows us a chance to heal.
I felt like I received a healing dream recently. I shared it with my dream group this week and I had an idea to share it on my blog as well. Many people have dream blogs, so I thought, why not?
My Dream
Title: The View
It’s nighttime and I am walking along a path that is next to a long mountain cliff. There’s a full moon so it is easy to follow along the path. The views are stunning as I walk as there is no light pollution or fog, and the night is crystal clear. I see the stunning stars and even the Milky Way. I see constellations and I know somehow that I am looking at a winter sky, but there is no chill in the air, nor is it hot. It is comfortable out. As I walk along the two-foot-wide path, I see it widen up ahead and there is an elderly man looking out at an overlook. His hair is white and his beard dips past his waist. He was stooped with age. He looked kind.
He nods a greeting to me, and I stop and take in the view of the overlook as well. I mention how beautiful it looks. He nods and holds out his left hand. I shake my head and back away. He is too close to the ledge for my liking. He looks like he could slip off at any moment. He smiles and offers his hand, and his look says, “Trust me.” I take his hand, and we start walking off the cliff. I hesitate as my fear of heights kick in, and he smiles patiently. I hold on to him as we walk off the cliff further into the clouds. Even though we are on a cloud it feels firm like a set of stairs, and we ascend further and further away from solid ground. I am not about to let him go as he leads me to the edge of a cloud. He walks with no trouble and seems full of strength despite his frail appearance.
“What do you see?” the elderly man asks in an ancient voice.
“Our beautiful, small section of the universe,” I say.
The man smiles again, looks back at the sky and lifts his right hand while I still grip his left. Suddenly, the sky shifts, and I see our entire galaxy along with hundreds of others. I gasp. I see our planets circling our sun and other galaxies with suns and planets of their own. I see blue, yellow, purple and red stars/planets of all sizes. I see rotations in all directions and comets passing by. Movement was everywhere. I didn’t know where to look. It was an astonishing sight. I tried to take it all in. We stand there for a few minutes.
He pats my arm and suddenly he seems frail again. We descend back to the cliff, and we are on solid ground again. The sky is back to normal, and I know I need go back. I turn to thank him, but he is gone. I feel this sense of awe as I start back down the path.
***
I felt like it was a healing reminder that I am part of something greater in life. The dream was a sacred gift, and I kept this feeling of awe after the dream. I woke feeling humbled and small, but not alone in the vastness. I was a witness to a miracle. I’ve also been reading The Book of Wisdom (also called the Wisdom of Solomon) in my Catholic Bible, so the wisdom guide in my dream could be a result of this. I didn’t distrust this kind man in my dream. Even when I hesitated to step off the cliff, I felt I could trust his wisdom.
Others in the group dreamed the dream for themselves and asked questions such as:
Did I receive a glimpse of all I could be? The vastness of my potential?
Is my vision too small? Should I dream bigger?
What lives beyond my fears?
Am I being given a new perspective on life?
What leap of faith do I need to take?
The most energy in the dream centered from the extension of the cosmos. I saw the large, familiar piece of sky shrink to just a tiny space and other galaxies appeared to me. The cosmos that I beheld gave the sense of both order and beauty, yet chaos also existed. And the colors were spectacular. More than I could describe in words. It was spiritual as if I witnessed the handicraft and creativity of the divine.
Ultimately, the leap of faith I made in the dream certainly benefited me. If I wouldn’t have taken the risk, I would have missed out on such an amazing sight. My fear of the unknown can be overwhelming at times, and I wonder if the dream gave me a chance to step back to receive a bigger perspective.
I’m still unpacking this dream but felt the need to share it.
What’s your interpretation?
And do you have a dream to share?
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
Genesis 1:1, ESV
More Information:
Matt Walker: The surprising health benefits of dreaming | TED Talk
Matt Walker: Sleep is your superpower | TED Talk
Classes, Groups, Retreats (wisdomtreecollective.com)
Sacred Journey – Thought, Word & Deed (katierea.com)
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