“The Chinese philosopher awakened with a start, for he had been dreaming that he was a butterfly. And for the rest of his days, he did not know whether he was a Chinese philosopher who had dreamed he was a butterfly, or a butterfly who was now dreaming that he was a Chinese philosopher.” (Chuang-Tze)
I am one of those people who has vivid dreams almost every night. I adhere to the Jungian philosophy regarding dreams, i.e. that they arise from our subconscious or unconscious mind, that they are revealing of our inner thoughts and processes, and that they can be interpreted in ways that will benefit us in our daily lives.
My most significant dreams are the recurring ones, along four different themes. In my “claustrophobia dream”, I find myself physically trapped in a narrow, lightless, airless space from which I struggle desperately and futilely to escape. In my “convent dream”, I relive the angst I went through when I was in the process of abandoning the convent and religious life to which I had committed myself. In my “bear dream”, I experience the terror of being chased or hunted by a bear. I find my very life to be in danger and yet there is no means of escape. All three of these recurring dreams have a nightmarish quality, which haunts me for several days after the dream. Yet, they compel me to recognize and acknowledge some unresolved issue in my life, and to take some concrete steps towards dealing with the issue in question.
In my fourth recurring dream, I am able to levitate, and even fly, at will. In the dream, I experience freedom from gravity and have the ability to transport myself through the air with feelings of incredible lightness and swiftness. In some of the dreams, I attempt to keep my amazing ability a secret, and I must be very careful not to trip, stumble, burp, fart, hiccup or sneeze, as any of these actions can cause me to leave the ground and reveal my secret to others. This dream leaves me with a wonderful feeling of peace and serenity, even bliss, which I can hold on to and savor for several days after the dream. This recurring dream literally “brings me to my senses”, inspiring me with the “courage to be” and to live fully and joyfully in the present moment.
