I woke up hearing the word ‘Integration’
(deep within myself) and let it stay with me. Then, went for a walk and felt my
body integrating with my being along with the crisp fresh early morning air of
the Universe. As I came into the room and stood in front of the Altar, my
conscious mind was picking on an object/aspect to ponder upon for ‘Integration’.
Something didn’t feel quite right with the objects I was consciously choosing
and then just as I let my vision wander, ‘the dragonfly’ stood out
which just clicked.. The Dragonfly, a creature born of water, then flies and is
also on earth; meaning a symbol that integrates all the elements (air, water,
fire and earth). I then did some breathing and guided visualization connecting
to the elements and felt deeply connected to my centre and inner-power in a beautiful
way. I finished the visualization with the image of the dragonfly to guide me
and was immediately inspired to blog- something that I had been putting off
quoting time and other reasons.
Now what am I trying to say? For those of us who are familiar
with the Psyche, we know that it’s not just the conscious but the unconscious
which influences us to a large extent. While it can seem daunting, one way the
Psyche in itself aids us is through Dreams. Carl Jung,
my favourite Psych has shown how to use the ‘Dream Messages’
to better ourselves and individuate- which in simpler terms would be akin to
self-actualization.
Rather than trying to interpret the dream straight away which
is what we are drawn to do, we could allow ourselves to just feel the energy
before jumping out of bed. Then ponder upon ‘Is there a
thought/phrase/image/feeling’ that conjures up and let this guide us.
While my immediate association was ‘integrate all the personalities within me’,
thankfully I did not start dissecting and over-analyse. Walking in open air further
opened my mind and when I came into the room and played some music, my head
space was much clearer. This then allowed the unconscious to guide to the image
of the ‘dragonfly- a symbol for self-actualization’. The
Dream message of ‘Integration’ proved to be a powerful ‘anchor’ for
my creative juices to flow.
What impressed me the most was how letting the ‘Psyche’ free to guide was essential. By clearing the head
space via exercise helped in getting the message that made sense to me. It also
aided in body-mind
synchronization which made writing effortless. We often try to
force a solution from the dissecting intellect. However, we could use the cues
the body and surrounding is giving us to aid in the process. This might not
just help in getting an answer/ solution but also in opening up our creative
space. As Einstein had once said, ‘you
can’t get a different answer with the same way of doing things’.
The ‘ritual’ with awareness
is a trigger to synch all our aspects and tap into the unlimited potential
lying dormant in our Psyche which is trying to make itself known through images, symbols etc. It
could be a simple act of exercise or prayer which helps the conscious mind stay
centered in the activity and simultaneously makes way for the unconscious to
guide to the right message. Writing flowed after I followed my ritual of walking
and visualizing- i.e., by Integrating mind and body. The more deeply the ritual
is followed with awareness, the greater the benefit.
My rambling is a humble attempt to hold a ‘mirror’
to the Psyche (comprising of both conscious and unconscious) containing many ‘Gifts’; instead of running away if we can embrace it- both
Light and Shadow, it’ll guide us towards our true Self which aids in our
purpose and calling too. Just as the body can aid the mind via exercise and
music, the unconscious treasures can aid the conscious if we allow it by learning
to decipher its messages via image and symbols.
I’m so glad to have connected to this aspect of Dream
Anchoring as Dreams have always been a fascination with me. Synchronously, Jung
himself started guiding when I attended Manasa’s Dream Workshop, and gratefully
dedicate this blog to ‘Jungian Analyst Manasa.K.S’
for bringing Jung into our lives as he continues to inspire through our Dreams
:)
