More Dream Stuff

Last night I got the chance to do something ubercool in my dream that I had always read about, but never done. They say that if you have recurring nightmares, say, that you are being chased by someone or something, stop and ask whatever is chasing you, "What are you trying to teach me?" It's a way of addressing your subconscious directly. Supposedly you will get answers.

In my dream last night, not a recurring one, but one that puzzled me nonetheless, I found myself caught in terrible storms. Lightning streaked across the sky, thunder rolled, shaking everything, and tornado-like winds blew leaves and dust all around me in the dark. I was trying to secure myself in a house that wouldn't lock. Then the house disappeared and I was exposed to the elements. In a moment of lucidity, I asked the dream my question.

"What are you trying to teach me?"

Believe it or not, the dream responded.

"What do you think?"

Apparently, even my subconscious is a wise-ass teacher.

I have no idea where my answer came from, but I replied.

"Too much focus on trivial things, like places and things, not enough on people."

When I said this, all at once, the wind stopped. The storms subsided. Everything was calm. A tree towered in front of me, and as its leaves stopped trembling, it leaned way down toward me, and touched me gently with one branch, like a fingertip, to my forehead.

I was right.

Now, you don't have to tell me how weird that sounds. I know. Very Shel Silverstein. But it has been on my mind ever since I woke up. What does that mean? Obviously it's good general advice. "People before things" has always been one of my favorite sayings, reminding me how my priorities should line up. But I don't see the relevance to what's going on in my life at this particular moment that warranted a stormy dream to remind me of this little spirchul gem.

That's how the subconscious works though, isn't it? We suppress things unaware, then they bubble up in our dreams (or in other ways) until we are forced to deal with them. I guess I am too focused on things that don't matter these days. And in the process of overfocusing on these trivial matters, I am neglecting more important things, like people. Hence my stormy, insecure subconscious.

So, if I guessed right in the dream, I should be well on my way to figuring this stuff out in my conscious state and calming those storms, right?

You'd think. . .

I have a few ideas, but no certainty about the shift I need to make right now to change the weather pattern in my mind. What I can tell you is that I will be doing extra meditation today to gain some clarity. Stilling the mind is like letting the dirt in a glass of water settle to the bottom so you can see through the clear liquid. Stillness is the key. So, today, I will sit still, be quiet, and wait.

In the meantime, I have also decided to be mindful of every moment and the choices I make in those moments. What to think about, what to say, and what to do are all choices. Now, when I am faced with a choice involving people versus things, I'm choosing people first.

I tend to listen to my subconscious, even if it is a wise-ass sometimes.