Understanding your dreams

Dreams can be read from different perspectives. You can always peel off their multiple layers of skin one by one to further explore their deeper and deeper meanings. Examining the various sides of dreams could bring not only insights but also sometimes answers to your questions.

 

The Dream

A young man often plays with cats. He thinks it would be better to be a cat. Scene changes to an indoor home and a black and white cat is there. Male actor Stephen Chow walks to the right side of the flat which is a living room. There is also a room with the door open. He plays with the cat with a ball attached to a long elastic band. Every time when he throws out the ball, the cat would chase that ball, then the ball will go back to his hand. The young man's mother sees that and says, "enough!" She throws out a soft ball with blue and yellow strips for the cat. The cat is the young man.

 

Subjective vs Objective

People appeared in a dream can be subjective, meaning they are representing a part of you, or objective, reflecting the dynamics between you and that person in your waking life. The dream character could possibly be objective only if he/she dressed, talked and behaved exactly the same way he/she would do in your waking life.

Going back to the dream, the dreamer could not recognise any of the characters appeared in the dream as someone close or she really knew in her waking life. Therefore the characters were considered as subjective rather than objective. The dreamer associated the young man to herself - she liked playing with her cats and sometimes would think that it would be better to be a cat. The cat could be her playful and instinctive aspects, as compensation to her waking life personality.

 

Dramatic Structure

You can analyse a dream by identifying its structure as a play - the setting, development, conflict/turning point, and resolution/conclusion. Not all dreams have all of these, for example some dreams do not present a resolution.

The dream was in a home setting. It started with a young man often played with cats, then Stephen walked into the living room and played with a black and white cat. The turning point was the angry mother entering the scene which brought in the conflict. The conclusion was the cat was actually the young man. The dreamer reflected that the cat was happily playing and running around, no matter with Stephen's attached ball or the mother's free ball. There was no right or wrong, good or bad. It didn’t matter to the cat. It was only how people think, how they interpret other's actions and whether they could understand the others’ viewpoints. It could be taken emotionally, or without emotion. The dreamer further gained insight that she could choose to be the cat be in the moment and focus on what she wanted, rather than thinking and judging too much.    

 

Associations and Amplifications

Dream contents are usually not to be taken literally. Personal associations and amplifications (by relating to for example myths, art and cultural materials) of dream elements and images would be useful to reveal the underlying messages from our unconscious.  

The dreamer associated Stephen with in charge, calm, intelligent, didn't care about how other people think about him, not placating, thinking a lot, seldom talked, usually not understood by other people. Someone that the dreamer would like to be, who kept things to be under control (ball attached with elastic band). He could be a positive shadow figure. If there was the Self in the dream, the dreamer thought it could be the invisible mysterious power who turned the young man to the black and white cat, who was not showing its face and involved in the play, but watching and working behind the scene.

The mother archetype in the dream showed both her positive and negative qualities. She was caring, loving, protective and would take action. But she would only consider what she thought to be good as good and would like other people to follow her way and judgement, without trying to understand others.

 

More thoughts

The dream ego was just watching and not involved (remember how the dreamer described the Self?) No judgement, not taking side, just observing. The cat was black and white. There was Stephen and the mother. Binary opposition. But with the cat, Stephen, the mother and the dream ego, the four could be a sign for the opportunity towards integration to wholeness.

With the rich ingredients discovered above, you may choose to settle for an interpretation at the moment, or go back to the dream any time to dig deeper for deeper meanings. Enjoy your dream journey!

Messages from Nature Spirits

Uriel brought me passing through the same gate to the forest. We stopped somewhere in the middle of a circle of big trees. My back shivering and I felt some gentle breeze surrounding me. Uriel pointed at somewhere behind me with a smile and said, the air spirits got something to say. Rather than hearing words, it’s more like some breezing sound in the ears. “We are anywhere. We do not necessarily have forms. We can make water flows, fire glows, leaves singing different tunes. Formless is the most powerful.” I looked at the river on my front left. Water spirits’ voice was like jingling bells, clean and beautiful, like singing a poem in an amazing heavenly tone. “Let's flow you don't need a boat. Let's flow to a far new road. Let's flow see the views you never know. Let's flow hear the stories untold. Let's flow don't worry about where to go.” I felt drunk in the mesmerisng sound and those words were like flying around my head. Fire spirits on my right drew my attention back, showing me the fire and making a warm sensation on my hands. “I can make you warm. I can burn things down. When you can only see one side, see also the opposite at work.” A big old tree on my right spoke in a low earthly tone. “Ground is the magic word. Ground yourself as you now have roots. The more you are grounded, the more expansion of your branches and leaves. That's how the leaves can sing amazing new tunes and your enormous lights can shine to the sky.” Shaking leaves on the tree sounding various tunes. I can see my tree of light growing more and more light spots on the branches and shining bright. I felt very tired and overloaded. Uriel sang the low wooden flute tune to dismiss the nature spirits. He led me back to the gate and said, no worries while you write it down you can remember.

Be yourself

Everyone has a role to play, a purpose. 
Do not afraid to be yourself. 
It's only when you can be yourself, 
you can feel the Divine's love, compassion and light, 
and be real presence.

動物花園

坐在河畔，流水在我的左邊，一隻青蛙出現在我右邊，看著我。後來前面還來了一條蜥蜴，前右方是一尾蛻皮中的白蛇。

甚麼意思呢。三者像是同類，身上有像鱗片的立體紋理。只是不清楚不認識不想接觸才會怕，願意近看知道了，便會發現不過如此，沒甚麼好怕的。

青蛙呢。他給我看是兩棲，適應力，對環境的應變和適應力可好好運用。

蜥蜴呢。他給我看斷了的尾巴再生，生命力，再生。

白蛇，那個蛻了一半的皮太明顯是蛻變了吧。

又回到青蛙，他提醒本來是蝌蚪的模樣，成長可以很大變化呢。

蜥蜴，有時必需失去原有的，才得新生。

白蛇，往往得捨棄原來的 comfort zone，才能成長得更強大，剝落原來的框框，才有更大成長的空間。

星際旅行

一片星際漆黑，繁星點點，我也是其中一點。感覺自由舒廣，與其說是在飛，更像只是就在，緩緩地漂浮著。

出現一個中年男人，四周變成棕啡色系，男人頭上中間沒有頭髮，只有左右兩邊還有點頭髮，穿著棕啡色布帶連成的背心上衣和同色短裙，同色涼鞋。他身後有很高很大的石塊建成的土啡色金字塔。我問這裡是埃及嗎？有聲音答道，可以是，也可以不是。即使是，也不是你所知道的埃及，不同時間線不同宇宙都有相類似的地方。

這時又出現一個埃及男人，頭戴埃及帽，在略暗的洞穴裡，他在洞穴壁上刻畫著。我問他在做甚麼。他說他在書寫。我問是要留存信息給看到的人嗎？他說不是為了留下甚麼，也不關誰將看到。就在書寫的瞬間，相同頻率的東西連接起來，同時在連結、接收和發送，你知道的和你不知道的。你所知道的符咒也是如此。你也做著同樣的事。You should write as much as you can。

昴宿星人是男的，全個身體是藍色水晶，顏色如藍寶石般藍，披著的斗篷是更深藍色的水晶。從他的眼裡，我看到的我自己，全白色，像蝴蝶，但整體有半個人頭大，身體比蝴蝶大，翅膀卻比蝴蝶小，飛翔拍翼的形態倒像蝴蝶。我問他有甚麼信息給我，他說你所看見的我，就是你以為的自己，但那跟真實的你差別很大。What you experienced here is my gift to you。

Compassion / Innate Harmony / Healing / Unconditional love / Projection

Q: 怎樣既compassionate又不會被濫用？

A: Compassion與boundary並不相違。compassion是你看到事實，完整看到別人的不同面向，心生體諒明瞭，而不對對方所言所行生情緒，這是對別人同時對自己compassionate。當你對人生起情緒，即同時讓著方拉走你的能量，也讓對方的能量加諸你身上。至於之後的行動，完全由你自己決定，compassion與做甚麼或不做甚麼無關。

Q: 如何達到innate harmony呢？

A: 同樣地，看到事實，自然不起情緒，就是innate harmony。

Q: Healing呢，這該是各人自己的事，我不覺得我能干涉別人的生命。

A: 你不必療癒別人，那的確是別人的選擇。你只需為別人點亮一點火苗，種下一顆種子，讓人看到他們從不知道的可能性，之後便是他們自己的選擇了。

Q: Unconditional love呢？

A: 當你能夠愛一個人或物，同時完整看清這人或物的全部面向，而不單是投射，你便能同樣地愛其他人和物，這就是unconditional love。只要你能完整看清其他人和物的全部面向，而不單是投射或片面。

Q: 既然伴侶之間的吸引力不過是anima和animus的投射，還需要伴侶嗎？

A: 當你能看清投射，如是地看見他/她，要伴侶或不要，只是個人選擇。

小矮人的遊樂場

有個白色小矮人，紅高三角帽白衣，周圍有許多白色如雪花的orbs。最特別是他沒有眼。他一直掛著笑臉。我問他怎麼沒有眼。他說沒有眼才能看得最清楚，不用雙眼才能看得最清楚。

他問我，人生的意義是甚麼。我想了又想，左手感到熱度。我說是燃燒吧，即使燃燒殆盡，也無悔了。

周圍變成粉色圖畫般的遊樂場，他在滑滑梯，又坐在雲上。我的左手持續有股熱氣。我問小矮人，他說你感覺你看看呀。我看見手上有蠟燭，有火，火有時橙色有時綠色有時黃色。他問我火有甚麼顏色，我說紅、橙、黃，他問綠色呢，我想起剛剛也有出現過，他問藍色呢，我說有丫，bunsen burner的火便是藍色，他又問紫色呢，我這時才想起紫火，原來火有彩虹七色，還有白色，像冰火。人和萬物都有各色，不止一色。

他又回到遊樂場在玩，You can see everywhere as your playground, and be playful. You can create your playground everywhere, and be playful.

認出工具 走出限制

概念、定義、架構，都是人發展出的工具，後來卻變成規範人的標準。要認出工具加以利用，定還是任由工具變成框架限制，要不要跟隨盲從，都是個人選擇。

神聖標籤

 除非於所有人事物都能看出神聖，否則聖化任何人事物不過是為投射貼上標籤。

It's okay

It's okay to have two lives, as long as you consciously know what you are doing and other people are not affected.

It's okay not to just follow instructions and get things done right away. You can take time to experiment and try different approaches even though other people don't understand. It's also not about how others expecting you or whether they are hearing you, you can just speak with the flow.

Do not settle for smaller, always ways to aim and work out bigger. Take action. Let others take back their own responsibilities.

天事

我們才不是為人做事，我們是為天做事呀。

對。為天所用，天自安排，go with the flow。就是這意思。時候到了，又自然會出現因緣。做吧。以後看發展便知天意。

能分開事件，如實觀，便不關個人榮辱，連個人都沒有，就只有天事。事件如實，經過個人認知及連結內在情緒，情結才再增生糾結，又再鞏固信念。只停留在事件如實，分開企圖連結的內在情緒並不加認知處理，便能與情結分開不依附不壯大，亦不再有下一步的不實信念。先不新加，再剝掉拆解內在固有情結，覺察，逐層逐層解結。明心見性。內在本來就甚麼都有。有自大也有自卑，甚麼都有，只看某一面，或避開某一面，才失衡。如實，不加認知處理，便沒有善惡之分，才沒有分別心。分開別人的事和自己的事。處理自己的事就好。

禪修打開感官

有說禪修會讓人感官變得靈敏。與其說是變得敏感，其實是更覺察。當能覺察內在，自能更覺察外在。所以獨自時又會更敏銳，與別人同行免不了會分散注意，隨時隨地都保持覺察，當然最厲害。倒不必想得太玄太細，去到看見光暈或聽見電波。有一次，我跟同事午飯後，我說剛才餐廳牆上貼的舊報紙（是幾張完整頭版喔）頗有意思，她卻說，有嗎，她沒有留意到牆上有貼舊報章。

Butterfly

Hold the keys

to every room in the house within

Bravely explore the different me

May it be evil, may it be fear

Hear the cry

embrace with care the inner beast

Heal the wounds in the deep deep sea

Integrate the parts which are new to see

Transform to be whole

as grounded as a tree