Dream Exercises

I've been doing guided meditations for donkeys' years so I wasn't particularly tempted by the lucid dreaming exercise proposed in class, partly because I don't have a need to dictate to my mind what to dream about, and partly because I like to let my unconscious mind come up with unexpected combinations of things. So I thought I would share a healing meditation that came to me a few weeks ago.

I was relaxing with my eyes closed, letting my mind drift along gently when I decided to focus on parts of my body that were in pain or causing me concern. As my energy shifted from one pained area to another I began to identify and call out each area: Right elbow. Back of neck. Left big toe, etc. so that I could direct healing energy towards them. Soon a vision of three rather scary men appeared in my mind's eye; they drove up to me and opened the door of a large black sedan, indicating that I was to come with them. Immediately I was afraid. As I focused my concentration on them, each man began to shrink in size until he was as only as big as an apple pip. I gathered up the three seeds and planted them in the garden at the side of the house. They immediately started growing into rose bushes and bloomed into vibrantly colored roses, unfolding again and again. It became evident to me that there was a correlation between my heart chakra and these lovely flowers, as if I was being told that while fear can settle in the heart so easily and cause us to make rash decisions based on it, it wasn't necessary to interpret my reaction to those men in that car as fear.

Somehow or another it reminded me of Joseph Campbell's take on the Bardo Thodol where one has to let go of earthly concerns, such as fear, in order to get beyond reincarnation and achieve nirvana.