Explore The Magical, Mysterious Amazing World of Dreams Vancouver

Within a week both Woody Allen and Donald Trump showed up in my dreams. I was not too happy to wake up to the latter. However our unconscious is profoundly brilliant at selecting precisely the right image – our challenge is to find out why a particular image shows up? In a symbolic dream each symbol or figure will represent archetypal significance. This particular dream presented a warning on too much attention on the shallow, meaningless and inauthentic.

Dreams tap directly into our unconscious. Learning to work with dreams can prove to be a source of guidance, inspiration and insight. Dreams come in many sizes, shapes and configurations. Not all dreams are created equal. This workshop will help you discern the different types of dreams, identify the dreams that are most significant, explore why some people and symbols show up and provide tools and a process to explore their meaning. WE can view dreams on different levels. Only the dreamer can truly know the meaning of their dreams and a dream unexplored is a letter not opened. (The Talmud)

Workshop Outline

• Learning to differentiate types of dreams and discern which are likely to be meaningful.
• How to facilitate remembering dreams and keeping track.
• To explore the principles of dream analysis and how to tend a dream.
• Exploration of the relationship between the imagination and dreams and how symbols are created in dreams
• Introduction to dream partnering
• Looking at the dream in the context of your life..
• An exploration of energy, feelings and consciousness in dreams.
• Learning to understand archetypes and their influence on dreams.

Location and Timing

Kitsilano, Vancouver Sunday March 29th 10:00 am to 4:30 pm.

Contact trevor@soulclarity.com if you have any interest. Maximum 8 People

Fee by Donation

What Others Have Said

Thank you SO much for such an interesting, inspiring and fun evening! 

You are such a relaxed, organized and passionate teacher so WELL DONE!

Janie Brown

“I found the sessions I was able to attend to be simply excellent.  I loved the opening meditations, your flow in bringing the content into application, and your style in honouring of individual input.   Thank you for showing us a craft that you have obviously invested time and energy in mastering.” Joyce Gwilliam

A Flutter of the Cosmic Cape

On Thursday I awoke suddenly to the beating of my heart. It seemed faster than usual. Since the procedure that corrected my atrial fibrillation I have been much more conscious of my heart, I focused, it was still in sinus rhythm then it seemed to miss a beat. I was immediately traumatized; I practically leaped out of bed; the possibility that my atrial fibrillation was coming back deeply disturbed me.

Coping With Denial

At first I did not want to know. I decided to engage in my morning meditation practice hoping it would dissipate by the time I finished. However it still seemed to be beating faster than usual. I made my morning tea, sat for a while with my anxiety then checked my pulse again. It was definitely beating faster than I was used to however it did not have the familiar pattern of the arrhythmia that I had lived with for ten months. My first coping strategy was to suppress what could be happening. I would rather spend the day in denial rather than address the situation. I had an appointment with my cardiologist in less than week; I would try to defer worrying until then.

A Tinge of Relief

I headed to the gym. As I began my 35 minutes on the treadmill, I was apprehensive about what would happen. For ten months the treadmill had not been able to measure my heart beat because of the erratic rhythm. (At the time I had assumed all the machines were broken.) Since my procedure they had worked fine. After fifteen minutes I gingerly placed my hands on the monitors. I practically held my breath waiting the fifteen seconds for the reading. Finally 154 showed up. I gave a sigh of relief and offered up a brief prayer of gratitude. It was not arrhythmia but why was my heart beating less efficiently? It was definitely about ten beats faster than usual. Was I becoming obsessional? Was this something to worry about or was it just within normal range? I knew it wasn’t tachyarrhythmia, the levels would be much higher and it wouldn’t steadily decline.

Slipping into Mindlessness

I did my best to pack my anxiety away and get on with my workout. I was relieved to find it didn’t possess me as I got on with my day. It was only later in the evening that I noticed I had shifted into a state of preoccupation with overlapping mindless activity – Netflix, playing games on my iPad and feeling restless. When this happens it is like a stop sign reminding me I had unresolved anxiety.

Contemplation and Reflection

I decided to spend the last two hours of the day in contemplation and reflection to assess what was going on. I began by putting on some sacred music, then picking up my journal.

I began to unpackage my anxiety. It was not so much about the condition – I had lived with it for ten months; I was fortunate enough to have few side effects. However I certainly did not want to get embroiled in the medical system once again.

The Anxiety Behind the Anxiety

Then I realized what eminent Jungian analyst and author James Hollis describes as the anxiety behind the anxiety. I had undertaken a three-month inner journey as a result of my atrial fibrillation. (See https://wp.me/phAyS-CP) Suddenly I was facing a realization that perhaps my quest for meaning has been nothing but a delusion. Perhaps I had made it up to feel better. This was the real fear – that this inner journey had been for nothing In summary, “I guess feel bummed, and the proponents that life is random win out.”

The Puzzle Unfolds

As I sat reflecting, listening to the beautiful music of Enya, some pieces of my personal puzzle emerged. On Tuesday I had held a dream group. During the evening we drew angel cards and another from a deck called The Nature Speak Oracle by Ted Andrews that had previously offered great insight. On this particular evening I had drawn Courage from the angel cards and Power of Prayer from the nature deck. Neither had seemed particularly relevant then but they certainly did now. Then I recalled a practice I often do when I am suffering from challenges of faith. I review what I refer to as my Soul Journal. It is a collection of meaningful moments on the Soul Journey including something I describe as Moments of Awe and Wonder. It is my “Go To Chest” in times of challenge.

Exploring My Go To Chest

Somewhat synchronistically the previous day I had come across the very first entries when I first started in 2010. As I reviewed I began to capture the list again in my journal.

• Taking a hiking cane for the first time on the day I broke my ankle, without it I would never have made it off the mountain.
• Doing a 360 over my handlebars to avoid a small child and finding myself sitting on the ground with no injury as a passerby said “wow that was spectacular”
• Meeting a woman for the first time in a line up at the library and realizing I had her telephone number in my pocket as someone I wanted to write about.
• Driving up Mammoth Lakes Road and feeling what I thought was an electric shock. When I stopped I saw a turn-off that I knew I needed to explore and found a couple desperate because they had locked their keys in the car.
• Having a psychic love affair as a result of which my worldview completely shifted.

In total I recorded eighteen of these moments of awe and wonder. I felt a clarity and calmness. No one contrary incident could cause the experience of years to collapse. My worldview felt affirmed. Perhaps I was supposed to live with atrial fibrillation, if that was my destiny then so be it. I will continue to seek meaning in every experience. It is my way.

Power of Prayer – I Hope

I decided was time to engage in the power of prayer. I have a somewhat dualistic relationship with prayer. I know it works – there are too many amazing stories about prayer. (Check out Larry Dossey’s books on the subject.) But how when and why is all part of what I call the Mystery. Who exactly I am praying to is beyond my comprehension. I don’t believe in praying for specific outcomes for my self. The phrasing of this particular prayer was more a discussion.

“Divine presence within me, I would prefer not to have my atrial fibrillation return but I am willing to accept whatever is for my highest good. In which case I pray for the gift of acceptance and surrender. Maybe it will come back, maybe it won’t, help me to surrender”

An Amazing Shift

I noticed how much better I was feeling. I found a new poem to learn and wrote it out, I did a gratitude meditation and focused on the transmission of positive energy to others. I realized how much better it was to spend my time in this manner as opposed to the mindless television and games playing.

The next morning I felt different. After my meditation I checked my pulse – the gentle, slow beat of my heart had returned. I sat with gratitude in my heart and wondered what I may have been missing.

A Flutter of the Cosmic Cape

The words the fluttering of the cosmic cape came into head. Like the matador fluttering his cape at the bull, perhaps the cosmos had been trying to get my intention.  As I contemplated this possibility, it occurred to me I had lost my way in terms of two practices that used to be a key component of my day. On the day of my episode I had spoken to a friend in Ontario who shared with me her morning practice of music, journaling and contemplation. As she spoke I remembered that used to be my practice before I got an iPad. Then the ability to check e-mail created so many distractions that contemplative practice vanished. Also my evening gratitude practice had also become truncated and squeezed in between TV watching and bed.

Finding My Way

It is time to disengage and set a different focus. My day would begin with meditation; continue with music, journaling and contemplation. At ten in the evening, I would put away my devices and focus on my inner journey. I would try and spend from 10 p.m. to 10 a.m. without devices.

Post Script: Missing The Clues

It was only as this particular episode completed that I realized that the flutter of the cape was perhaps the end of a series of hints and clues my Soul had been sending me. (I sense the fluttering of the cape is one step ahead of the cosmic 2 x 4.)

First I burned myself on a hot dish, then I damaged my ribs helping my friend load his truck, spilt a bag of almonds and lost a toque that I was fond of. Then there were two dreams: one with Woody Allen and the other featuring Donald Trump reminding me that if I follow that which is mindless, shallow and inauthentic I will lose out. All small things but certainly suggesting my life had lost its flow. (See my dreamclarity blog for more on the dreams

James Hollis suggests in his book “What Matters Most” that the psyche asks of us what sustains the Soul and what sustains the Spirit and if we do not answer these consciously they will go underground and show up as somatic disorders, behavioral disorders and projections. I sense my Soul was asking the question but I was asleep.

 

 

 

 

The Soul’s Journey Finding Empowerment With the Medical System

Birthday Blues

On Tuesday which happened to be my birthday I awoke at 2:00 a.m. and observed the prospect of more sleep fading like the grin of the Cheshire cat in Alice in Wonderland. I set aside my frustration and did my best to engage in my usual insomnia treatment – mindfulness meditation. I soon realized that I was suffering from anxiety about my appointment that morning at the Atrial Fibrillation Clinic. Part of it was fear my A-Fib would return. I did my best to practice a mantra I developed while at a circle at Callonish (a centre that provides emotional and spiritual support for people living with cancer. “It may come back, it may not come back, help me to surrender.”

Then I realized there was a larger anxiety. It concerned telling the cardiologist that I stopped taking my prescribed blood thinner. How did I explain my decision to ignore medical advice? I began taking the blood thinner called Xarelto after my initial diagnosis for two reasons. First it seemed clear there was a much higher risk of stroke from a blood clot if you have A-fib, second they would not do the procedure called cardioversion unless I took it. Cardioversion is a treatment where they shock your heart with an electrical impulse to restore the natural rhythm.

The procedure had worked perfectly for me and almost immediately I observed it felt counter-intuitive to keep taking the drug. My heart was functioning perfectly why did I need it? However my fear of countering medical authority was far greater than trusting my intuition so I carried on.

The Interpreter for the Divine Feminine

Then I woke to a lovely image of Missandei (the beautiful Nathalie Emmanuel) from the Game of Thrones with her arms wrapped around my neck. As I recalled the content, I suspected there was something important encoded by my unconscious into the dream.

The dream had begun with me sitting opposite Missandei and noticing how attracted I was to her. I also realized that I had no idea if my feelings were reciprocated. Then she was standing across from me and performing some kind of mystical enchantment with her hands that was directed at my heart. I knew she was trying to assess whether I was authentic – ‘the real thing”. I felt this glow of warn energy around my heart that expanded until it felt like a blissful golden ball. Then she moved and placed her arms around my neck. I knew she had decided in my favour. I exclaimed, “God I love you but will I get hurt?” Her response was gentle and clear, “I will not hurt you.”

The key to the dream I sensed was figuring out what archetype Missandei represented. I knew she must be an aspect of the divine feminine. It was when I recalled that she was Deanery’s’ interpreter that the meaning began to fall into place.

It was an “ah ha” moment. The interpreter of the divine feminine would be my intuition or inner compass as I have become fond of referring to it. One of the guiding principles of my life today is to follow my inner compass. (It was reclusive poet Emily Dickinson who in a poem observed, “The sailor doesn’t see the north but knows the needle can” that gave rise to the idea of an inner compass.

The Sign That Made The Difference

It was a powerful message to follow my intuition yet I still felt too scared to oppose medical advice. A couple of days later I shared my confusion with my dear friend and dream partner who asked me whether my body gave me any signs on how the drugs were effecting me. I replied that there were few side effects although it was a nuisance no longer being able to take anti-inflammatory products.

That evening to my surprise I glanced down at my left forearm to see a huge discoloured bruise. It was a huge shock! I appeared to be bleeding internally. However it seemed like a clear sign and gave me the courage to immediately stop taking the drug. (A nurse friend of mine told me later that it was probably seepage from the vein that had collapsed when the nurse was inserting an IV. The Xarelto had been doing its job to prevent clotting.)

Now two months later I had an appointment with the cardiologist. I realized I could tell him I was still taking the drug, or offer to start taking it again but both responses seemed inauthentic. As I walked to the clinic I asked for support in finding then words to handle this situation.

It is somewhat ironical to reflect that for many years I had been teaching decision-making at Inspire Health in Vancouver to help people feel more empowered when facing medical authority. I had even written a book titled Life’s Little Book for Big Decisions. Suddenly five years later I am experiencing this challenge in person.

Facing Fear and Staying in Integrity

My appointment went well. The ECG proved my heart was still in sinus rhythm. The nurse asked me about medication and I told her I had stopped. She asked if I knew it was recommended that people of my age stay on the drug to lower risk of stroke and I said “yes”. She did not question my decision. One down, one to go.

The cardiologist had been briefed by the nurse and brought the subject up immediately. He told me that A-Fib could return and the medical recommendation was clear that people of my age and diagnosis were more likely to suffer stroke if they did not take the medication. I told him that I was aware of that. “So why stop the medication?” he asked. The moment of truth had arrived.

The words flowed smoothly and easily like a gentle stream. “It concerns my worldview,” I observed.” Much as I respect the value of western medicine, I believe that healing is much more than just treating the symptom. It is about wholeness and I have done an immense amount of work on exploring what was behind my heart losing its rhythm.” (See https://wp.me/phAyS-CP for more on this) Then I shared with him my fear and apprehension, the power of the dream and the sign of the bleed in my arm that encouraged me to act.

The Joy of Empowerment

He was respectful and empathetic. He said they could work with me in the future if required and perhaps if there were a reoccurrence of my condition I could consider taking the drug again. I responded affirmatively saying I had kept my supply. He discharged me from the care of the clinic and we shook hands. I walked out into the sunshine feeling joyful and empowered. It felt like a wonderful birthday gift.