Saturday, February 23, 2013

The Inner Church

What is an inner church?


Many times in my dreams, I am in auditorium, a theater, Grange hall, lecture hall, or a church auditorium. Commonly they have rows of seats or benches, in a circle or semicircle. Often the rows of benches will be ‘auditorium style’ or on steps rising up from and encircling an inner center. The room is usually white and sparsely decorated and furnished. It might be a church building that you are familiar with from the present or the past.


photo of the Mary Rippon outdoor theatre at the University of Colorado in summer.Something or nothing at all may be in the auditorium. Activities might include – a concert, a church service, a wedding. Or you might just be sitting with friends or alone. The activities, activity level, or calmness will probably tell you something about your inner center or Self. I think this circular image speaks to our soul, spirit, or inner sanctum, reflecting inner wholeness or need for wholeness, the rounding out of our personalities, even completion of an aspect of inner work.

Why do we have one and why do we need one?


Our inner world is a sanctuary, a place of reflection where we:
• gather strength (sitting with supportive people)
• commune with our own spirit and God’s spirit (hear messages)
• see ourselves as God’s unique and beautiful creations (commune in peace and quiet)
• join diverse aspects together. This might be reflected in a dream marriage ceremony or seeing four of something.

What might or might not be there?


Usually the cluttered odds and ends of our waking lives stay at the door. I find usually some person or persons are with me. The others will be symbols also and should be looked at carefully to make sure that the whole message is understood.

Lessons and Interpretations


If the church building is an old church that you used to attend, this reflects your old inner church, or your old concept of spirituality, worship, or rightness. If it is old or run down, your inner world, ideas of spirituality, spirit-lead direction, may be undergoing transformation. If the service is off-kilter in some way, or the attitudes are negative, you probably need to consider changes to support your spiritual life better.  Once, I walked into a dream sanctuary and found a bar inside. That was a shock!

If your inner sanctum is clear, light and shining, your inner world is being transformed by knowledge, enlightenment and spiritual awareness. If the people you are with are helpful, supportive, shining with inner light, and smiling then your inner world is doing well. The people may also have specific dream symbolism. What are their names and what do they mean? Are they spiritual people? what are the strongest associations you have with them? See the People Blog.

Your activities in the auditorium or church are also part of the dream. Are you participating in some way? Are you there to learn? Listening? What is your reaction? Are you attracted, shocked, appalled? Are you singing?

Usually the dream place, sets the stage for the meaning of your dream. By understanding that the setting is your inner church, you know that the dream message will pertain to your inner self or spirit.

It could be a message of common sense, assurance, even your direction or calling. Many times, I find the dream is about self acceptance and assurance of my value and God’s protection. We see and feel God in our inner church. It is a place of power and beauty.

Other Blogs
My Favorite Dream Dictionary Websites

Understanding Locations - Key to Getting Your Dream's Message

People You Know - Family, Friends, Co-workers, Bosses

The Trinity of Faith, Hope and Love

Friday, February 15, 2013

Kharma and my Catholic Mom

Did your Mom say something like “This will come back to you!” In my family, this meant that whatever unfortunate behavior or attitude that was on display would surely be visited upon me later in life, probably by my own beloved children.

As it turns out, Mom was right about this and a lot of other things. By the way, this is the Catholic version of Karma.

So, how does the great Karmic Wheel show up in dream life? I think I’ve found a couple of images that speak to the force of Karma being activated in my waking life, and by listening to my dreams; I was able to detect it. I’ll admit I’m not the most spiritually attuned person, so often a series of symbols will show up which eventually form an identifying pattern.

Linked Rooms

 
Rooms which lead into one another, are connected, especially back rooms or hidden rooms point to the connectedness of our past, present, and future. Rooms that are connected and climb upward through a house can also show that we are evolving, moving, changing, yet all our experiences are connected to a larger whole.

Our lives are like rooms - we are in one stage of life, then move naturally to the next, just like walking into a new room. We are constantly learning, and growing, finding new interests and friends. As we move we connect past experiences, relationships, Karma, and even the Collective Unconscious to our present.

When dreams connected rooms appear, it may be important to look back.

Karma Questions


  • Have I been here before?
  • What did I learn?
  • Did I do right or wrong?
  • If wrong, am I on the other side now and how does that feel?
  • If this is payback, what might I do with that information?

Interlinking the Past, Present, Future


We don't really move on from the past, we carry it with us and we can chose to let it teach us a better way. Sometimes we need to make changes, sometimes reparations.

Other Dream Blogs:


10 Steps to Interpreting your Dreams

The Trinity of Faith, Hope and Love

People You Know - Family, Friends, Co-workers, Bosses

Strangers, Vampire, Cheerleaders and Foreign Folk

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Three Kings and Three Gifts

I’m struggling a little with the title. It is both because this dream series  means a lot to me and because the revelation was on more than one level.

 

Setting the Stage


Let me set the stage – in 2009 and 2010 I lost both my parents. It was really a triple blow because their deaths were within six months of one another. My father’s death was expected but my mother’s was not, so I was not prepared in any way, though I didn’t know that. I thought that one just recovers automatically as one does from illness. But the reality was that I was started on a long journey, the journey to find a way to accept the unacceptable.

So, I was drowning and fortunately was able to find a counselor, Linda, who could help me with that journey. As I find, that journey of sorrow does not actually end, and you don’t finish with your grief.

You learn to bear the shadow of it when it comes over you and shed your tears when they come. You honor your dead - by gathering their loving words, their imparted wisdom, their golden example. And you also guess at their disappointments, the mistakes they felt they made. You find their hidden treasure boxes, the pictures they carefully put away, always kept, never wanted to part with.

And when I wondered why I could not move on, why my grief seemed endless, Linda told me that the grief is proportionate to the person that you lost.

So you learn not to be afraid of the shadow when it comes, and you take the time to cry your tears, and you honor your dead.

After a while you know that this is now part of your life. And during this period of walking through the worst of the grief, I realized that I had no tools, and clearly there is more grief coming. What I had always relied on was my ability to organize, schedule, arrange, and multi-task.

I can’t even tell you how useless those skills are in dealing with the heart. Maybe I already knew that, but I had forgotten.

The Three Dreams


The three dreams came maybe a week or two apart, so in quick succession, and seemed very clearly connected.

In the first dream, I was bone weary, with taking care of this baby I carried in my arms. I gave him over to a previous boss of mine in the dream. But he gave the baby right back to me, as if it were my responsibility. In the dream that seemed odd, because the baby looked like him, so it must be his?

In the second dream, I ran into another boss outside my office who invited me to go with him on a drive. Well this was crazy drive in a black sports car and we zoomed all over town but came back safely.

In the third dream, I was with another previous boss. She and I were in my favorite town, Lafayette, which is associated with creative ideas and living. She and I were redecorating a house together and it turned out very well.

Before this I was not the kind of person who remembered dreams or thought them important. But these ones were clearly important so thatI recorded them and started researching dream meanings.


 

Eventually I related them to Linda, and her initial thought was ‘Three Kings, and Three Gifts.’

And that turned out to be a wonderful starting point.

 

Starting Point for What?


This was my Unconscious Self sending dramatic messages (gifts) that were important to moving on in my life. It was probably in relation to the grief process, but also about adding things currently missing in my life. Like what? Figuring that out was my task.

The baby – This friend had recently begun a new business venture where he hoped to both pursue his creative business ideas, and be able to run according to his own philosophy. A baby in this case was a ‘Mini Me, ‘ or a look alike baby. What kind of new creative enterprise should I put my heart and soul into, which would be the imprinted with My image?

The wild ride – this friend has been known to take a sabbatical from work to take a cruise to all the developing countries in Asia, including Vietnam. He is a traveler and a mentor. In dreams since then, he has demanded to know what I am doing for adventure!

The remodeled house – this friend likes to buy a property and totally update and remodel it. She has wonderful taste in furniture and art. Once I asked her how she became the determined advocate that she is for her disabled son. She said ‘you become what you have to be.’

 

Journey Inside


I really cannot explain how working with these dream role models changed me from the inside out. 

And when I saw their messages and started remodeling my inner and outer life, I realized that the dreams are a tool. They are a very useful and powerful tool.

I find answers, direction, role models, and wonder. They are full of wellness and hope.  And if we ask, we receive more.

I wish you wholeness and sweet dreams!

Other Dream Blogs:


10 Steps to Interpreting your Dreams

The Trinity of Faith, Hope and Love

People You Know - Family, Friends, Co-workers, Bosses

Strangers, Vampire, Cheerleaders and Foreign Folk