You’ll recall in my previous posting about Alice’s dream (see below) that I posed questions about the relationship of Alice’s pneumonia, stumbling and the staircase.
In understanding the meanings of illness we first recognize that the body speaks in a language peculiar to it. We gather this insight based on the spiritual philosopher Martin Heidegger who rightly said that human existence is denoted by two characteristic elements: language; dwelling. Human beings speak: verbally, emotionally, mentally, actionally, bodily. Human beings dwell. That is, at every moment we are living somewhere: in dreams, memory, reverie, fantasy, imagination, hallucinations, delusions, waking life.
All of the communications we offer are capable of being read through a process called analogy, what we might term an inner form of logic by which we don’t strive to reach conclusions or formulate syllogisms. Rather, we seek to discover relationships, correspondences, correlations, mirror reflections, seeking to realize a more complete comprehension, a fuller picture bringing various parts into a unified whole. In doing so we gain access to a deeper measuring of human beingness and form a bridge to healing that encompasses our whole humanness – physical, emotional, mental, social, moral – not simply the cure of a symptom, which modern medicine aspires to through its limited, narrow–band array of interventions. This is not to demean establishing "cure" as valuable, but rather to point out the limitations of the modern medical model. The traditional model, derived as it is from a western spiritual foundation of the past 5,000 years, presents a wide–band broad palette of possibilities much truer to human existence. We are much more in fact limitless beings in contrast to the mechanical robotic beings the current model would have us believe. This perspective, condensed as it must be for purposes of this discussion, takes care in an introductory way to Heidegger’s point about language.
Regarding dwelling, his emphasis points up the limitation of psychiatry that has probably done the most to push a field supposedly dedicated to the exploration of the mind to becoming a pill–pushing profession in the main. Spiritual point: every dwelling engaged in by a human being is real and the self who occupies these dwelling sports is living in that particular reality, whatever it may be at any given moment – dream, imagination, waking life, memory, etc. The question about any experience we encounter is not whether it is real or not, an incorrect concern by psychiatrists – whether people have proper "reality testing"; are they living in the "real world?" and so forth. Fact is there are no experiences that are not real. Every experience is real! The issue is not that of real or not real. The issue is truth! When someone believes himself to be Jesus Christ the experience is real, but is it true? The focus has to be on that matter, not focusing on trying to bring someone back to "reality." These latter efforts have not succeeded in denting the mystery of mental illness. I don’t see how headway can be made if reality is mistaken for truth. If it continues then we’ll be constantly shooting at the wrong target.
Getting back to Alice’s pneumonia: What may be the analogy here? The lungs reflect internal crying; a desire to be free; a call for help… any or a combination of these reflections.
The staircase going up. The vertical axis represents freedom, freedom from the constraints and shackles of everyday, horizontal life. Directions in dream life speak to possibilities and issues in one’s life. For instance, going to the left refers to the past, to the right the present leading to the future. Alice sees the transcendent possibility – the staircase going up – making its appearance to her and becoming more available when she retires (Fred). She has been interested in spiritual life for many years, unable at this point to fully immerse herself on this path. But, the opportunity now presents itself. She is anxious about it, knowing how it requires a significant change in her life pattern, to which she is accustomed. She can stumble and fall, which is a concern. But, the adult, well–ordered self comes along and lends assistance to the less balanced part of herself. This is an auspicious sign and portent of how things may⁄can go for her as retirement time dawns. The pneumonia is directly related to the dream: an imbalance occurring physically reflecting what impending freedom might mean, just as the dream portrayed. It is interesting to note how what we yearn for can provoke anxiety and⁄or fear. We all really want freedom, to free ourselves from the shackles of enslavement many, many experience in life. Yet when it becomes a possibility to be realized in front of us, freedom can be a double–edged sword for some. Old habits die hard.
After our collaborative exploration of this dream the pneumonia cleared up quickly. She had been taking antibiotics prior to the dream investigation. She noticed a dramatic shift in this condition. Such understanding as elucidated above does kick the inborn healing potential into its active mode. Yes, we do have the ability to heal built into our birth. Yes, it can be triggered. Dream reading⁄understanding can be such a trigger.
Your dreams reveal much more than your wishes, fears, and undigested strife of your daily life. When you turn your senses away from the everyday world by going to sleep, you enter a different pan–dimensional reality; much like stepping into a living movie experience. Your dream is an experience of this non–material reality. It is a place where you peer into the inner mirror of life and see your SELF reflected back to you. The images you perceive are reflections of qualities of you appearing in a form perceptible to your senses.
What does this "book of life" reveal about your unique life? Among the most cogent pieces of information:
Given what you’ve read in my previous idream column it is now up to you to start learning to read the divine language, the langue of invisible reality called "image." Image is the inner (and outer) hieroglyphic language of divine origin the ancient Pharoanic Egyptians engraved on the walls of their temples and tombs.
The basic way to begin reading this communication from the invisible reality we visit after falling asleep is to recognize that what you see is tantamount to looking into a mirror and seeing a quality, trait, characteristic, or possibility of yourself being reflected to you as you peer into this mirror reality: you are seeing you reflected back to you. Thus, what you see is telling you something that is necessary for you to know about that quality at this time.
Examples: Alice dreams of a friend named Fred who is climbing a staircase and in doing so slips, falls down and is not able to get up without assistance. Alice feels anxious about Fred’s condition.
Spiritual Point: Nothing happens by chance. So, in the dream of all the people Alice knows, has met, knows about, has read about or seen in the media, Fred appears. He then represents a special something to Alice at this moment in her life.
I asked what quality Fred bears and is reflecting about herself. She immediately shot back that he represents retirement. Fred is retired for the past five years and is struggling to find something interesting and meaningful with all the time now available to him. Alice is now considering retiring and the pressure regarding this change in life has her worried, concerned whether she can stand on her own two feet solidly, a la Fred climbing and falling down. What is she to do with retirement staring her in the face? The dilemma reflects her concern reflected to her in this inside mirror. Alice had suffered a bout of pneumonia throughout the week prior to this dream. What is the relationship of the pneumonia to this dream to Fred (retirement), stumbling, and the staircase? Stay tuned for the next installment. But, first start practicing reading the inner glyphs of your dream in the way I have recommended.