The Art of Listening

Dreams are probably the most popular subject when it comes to listening for answers to your questions.  They are visual masterpieces of symbolism, and most certainly spirits way of communicating with a higher power.  Write a your question on a piece of paper and put it under your pillow at night.  To understand your dreams, you should write about the dream out as soon as you wake. Put pen to paper, or type it out on the computer.  You do this for two reasons, one of which is that you have a record of the dream to refer to later, if it is indeed a prophetic dream.  It has been my experience that prophetic dreams occur right before you wake up, and you swear to God the dream is real. 

Yet other times, dreams simply assist us in identifying behaviors that are detrimental to our spirituality; or assurances of our waking life choices.    Which is the Second reason you’ll want to record your dream for reference, it makes it much easier to identify the symbolisms of the dream. 

Your intuition is just as important in determining a dream message.  Listen to your heart and be honest with yourself. 

To assist you in determining a dreams message, there are dream dictionaries that you can purchase, as well as online dictionaries that are free.  I often use www.dreammoods.com – it’s free. 

Cloud Reading is another way of receiving messages from above.  Windy days are the best.  Close your eyes and quiet your mind.  Next, meditate on the question you seek the answer to.  Look up at the clouds and reference what you see.  Is it an animal, or an object, or person?  Next, research what you seen.  If it’s an elephant, the message may have to do with ancient wisdom.  A dragon often signifies luck.

“The divine always reveals itself in nature.” – Ted Andrews, who wrote the best seller, Animal-Speak teaches us how to communicate through animals.  Respect and honor the animals and they will guide you too. 

A raven once warned me of a speeding ticket if I wasn’t watchful.  Crows and raven are watchers.  They often fly ahead of wolves and warn them of impending danger. 

On this particular day I was turning onto an on-ramp that led to a freeway.  This particular part of the freeway was under construction and it wasn’t unusual to see a patrol car parked with his radar on, just ahead as soon as you merged with the traffic. Yet, I saw a raven sitting on the speed limit sign on the on-ramp.  I wondered to myself, “What are you trying to tell me?  I know there’s a cop up a head, I see him everyday.”  I was surprised when I merged and the cop wasn’t there.  Right as I was ready to punch the gas pedal, I glanced in my rear view mirror, and there behind me was a patrol car.  If I would have stepped on the gas as I had planned, I would have been busted for sure.

The radio is another tool; a source of solutions when pondering a question.  Random music isn’t always so random. For example, I’m driving along on my way home, when a song comes on the radio called “Somebody’s Watching Me,” by Rockwell.  Chills ran up my spine.  I decided to pull into a grocery store to see what I could see.  And sure enough, a car that I had seen earlier in the day pulled in behind me.  I approached the vehicle, and the driver squirmed and twisted trying hiding her face.   But I was determined to make eye contact, and sure enough I had actually sat and spoke to this same woman in a bar/restaurant earlier in the day on the other side of town.  She turned out to be a private investigator working for the federal government, investigating a federal complaint I made against an employer.

I have found that at times the answer to my questions comes immediately, and other times the answers may come later, like in the night time as dreams.  But still there is another more direct way of seeking knowledge; it is often referred to as shamanic journeying. 

Shamanic practitioners often access the subconscious mind through repetitive drumming.   Some traditions include rattles; Australian shamans use didgeridoos and click sticks.  It’s the monotonous sounds generated that is used to enter an altered state of consciousness, allowing one to access invisible worlds.

If you would like to learn more about journeying, I suggest Sandra Ingerman’s book for beginners; it comes with a drumming CD, but of course there’s always the internet as well.

This is where the magic is.  It’s in open minds and open hearts.  Those who do not believe in magic will never find it.

 

"Together we can face any challenges as deep as the ocean

and as high as the sky." - Sonia Gandhi

 

THE MYSTERY & MAGIC OF THE CAT

The people of ancient Egypt attributed magical powers to cats.  When a cat would die, the Egyptians honored the cat as any other member of the household.  Cat mummies have been discovered in ancient tombs.

 

The prophet Mohammed was said to love cats.  One time his cat fell asleep in the sleeve of Mohammed’s robe.  Instead of disturbing the cat, Mohammed simply cut his sleeve off.

Christian legend says it was a tabby cat that kept Jesus warm at the time of his birth.  With gratitude the Virgin Mary marked the cat with an M on the forehead.  In addition, it is said to dream of a tabby cat is a sign of luck for the home and all who live there.

Some say to dream of a black cat is lucky, while other interpretations say it is an indication of fear using your physic abilities and trusting your intuition.

As dream symbols in general, the cat could indicate that someone is being deceitful towards you.  Even old dream interpretation says a cat is a bad omen, and you can expect deceit from those you trust.

I found this to be true long ago when I dreamed of a cardinal sitting on the bed.  The cardinal hopped off the bed and went under it.  When I flipped the mattress, the cardinal turned into two cats.  One week later, my lover left me for another.  I was totally clueless to the affair. 

 

(The following is from the book Animal-Speak, by Ted Andrews):

Although a domesticated animal, it would be unjust not to at least touch upon the energies and essence of the cat as a totem.  Many of the larger cats are examined in this dictionary separately, but cats in general - wild or domestic – have certain qualities in common.

In myth and lore, the cat predominates.  In ancient Egypt they held a position of special privilege.  The goddess Bast was often depicted either as a cat or with a cat’s head.  In Scandinavian lore, the cat was associated with the goddess of fertility, Freyja.  In the Hindu tradition Shasthi, the goddess of childbirth, is depicted riding upon a cat.  Cats appear frequently in the tales of the Brothers Grimm and many other folk stories from around the world.

To cats have been attributed a wide variety of traits – often contradictory.  Curiosity, nine lives, independence, cleverness, unpredictability, and healing are but a few.  A witch’s pet was unusually regarded as her familiar – a spirit in the form of a cat.  It was often believed that witches could take the form of cats.

Cats are at home after dark, and yet most humans want them to be traditional pets during the day.  When they do not respond in this manner, they are accredited with independence and unsociability.  Because the dark is the home of fears and those things humans do not want to see and can’t see, the cat has come to be associated with magic and mystery.  The truth is that cats have more rods in the retinas of their eyes, which enhances light perception.  It enables them to see effectively in the dark.  The traditional prey of the cat is the mouse, but it is by no means limited to it.  Cats still effectively hunt birds and rabbits.

The traditional enemy of the cat is the dog, but this is not its only enemy.  For anyone with a cat totem, the study of the qualities of the mouse and dog will be beneficial for helping you understand the magic and the balance of energies with the cat.

Examine the colors, the character, the behaviors of your own cat.  Everything about it will be significant.  Many books exist on the lore and the character of cats.  Whether domesticated or wild, anytime a cat becomes predominant, look for magic and mystery to come alive.

DREAM INTERPRETATION – The Dancing Bear

Today I want share a dream interpretation with you. 

Yesterday morning I dreamed I was on the beach and in the distance to my left, I seen a bear wondering around the stores and restaurants.  Eventually he finds his way to the other side of the wall, onto the beach.  On his hind legs he chases a white bird flying right above his head. 

Amused, I pointed the bear out to someone else who is sitting on my left.  They find it amusing too. As I turn to walk away, this person tells me, “Don’t be scared.”

I turn back to look, and I see the bear running towards us.  I do not trust the bear; I don’t know if it is friendly or not.

So yesterday I spent the entire morning researching the bear.  And throughout the day, the bear kept popping up on the television and on the Internet.  So I know the bear has a message for me, or has come to help me on my journey in some way.

I discovered the bear symbolizes many things to many different cultures.  At first I grabbed Betty Bethards, The Dream Book, and found that the bear not only signifies strength and power, but also inconsistent emotional energy.  Her book states that the bear can not be trusted; it can be violent or cuddly; charming or crabby.  But I didn’t feel that this was what the dream was trying to tell me, even though the word trust was mentioned in her interpretation. 

Next I grabbed my Animal-Speak book (by Ted Andrews) and read about the bear.  What caught my eye was, “Like birds, the bear is often considered among Native American peoples as kin to humans because, like birds, it (the bear) can walk upon two legs.”

In the dream, the bear was chasing a bird. Which then lead me to a Native American web site that says, “If the bear is standing up, this is a sign that you need to defend your beliefs.”  It also went on to say that the bear is often associated with healing and medicine.

In addition, restaurants and beaches are places of nourishment.  Beaches are also symbols of healing and balance; earth, wind, water and fire.  Birds symbolize balance as well (among other things).

Considering I’ve had to drastically change my diet this week, due to a possible bladder infection, I believe the dream is actually a reflection of what I’m doing now to heal.  The thing is that I don’t truly know if it is a bladder infection (unsure of myself, a trust issue), because I refuse to see a doctor.

Therefore, I believe the dream is telling me that the change in diet will heal me; don’t be scared, you are doing the right thing.  The bear moves from the cement in front of the restaurant and into the sand on the beach; nature.  I’ve been using natural remedies to cure myself.

Next the bear is playing with a bird on the beach; a white bird, which symbolizes purity.  I’m working towards purifying my body. 

I am sitting on the beach, a place of relaxation – relax, your beliefs are justified. 

The most important element of dream interpretation is how did you feel while you were dreaming, or when you first awoke from the dream.  Were you scared, angry, amused, calm, etc.? 

When I awoke from this particular dream, I thought, wow, cool!  I was intrigued, even though I didn’t quite understand the message at that moment.  If I would have felt fearful about the dream, I would treat the dream as a warning to go seek medical assistance instead.

It’s always best to interpret your own dreams.  You can ask a hundred different people to analyze your dream and I guarantee you’ll get a hundred different interpretations.  Only you know what you felt in your heart while dreaming. 

As in the case of the bear, the symbolism can vary widely.  You have to ask yourself, what does the bear mean to me?  And of course, incorporate all the dream symbols.

 

For an online dream dictionary visit - http://www.dreammoods.com/