Dreams as a Spiritual Practice Again

Dreams as a Spiritual Practice Again

Guest Writer Bridget Hyde

“What I have continued to find… is that dreams are sources of wisdom for problem-solving and life enhancement. They put us in touch with dimensions of ourselves that are normally hidden and that we need in order to grow toward our full potential.” — George R. Slater in Bringing Dreams to Life (Paulist Press, 1995).

The first dream I took to spiritual direction was walking barefoot in the snow. When my foot touched the ground in the dream, I became aware that I was dreaming, and then I started to pray. Reflecting on that dream, I see a person becoming conscious of dreams’ divine nature. When my bare foot touched the ground, I became grounded in the grace of the unconscious.

I had been recording my dreams, sharing them with friends, and honoring them with symbol work, but I had not sought discernment from a spiritual director in this work. So when I told a friend about this dream, she begged me to work on the dream with a retired Episcopal priest and spiritual director named Allen Whitman. 

I followed her stern invitation and began a five-year study of my dreams with Allen. From this inward study, I became aware of many different aspects of my character. My work in dreams began to show me how to connect a dream’s symbolic language to my life’s circumstances. For example, when making a big decision, I dreamed that my airline flight was interrupted. The dream plane was grounded, and I was forced to wait before boarding another plane.

When Allen and I worked on the dream, we both realized that I had come to a waiting time in the decision process. Because of this dream, I waited to take decisive action. I am so glad I did. It was a wonder to see my work in dreams as a kind of spiritual direction. Finally, I started to trust my dreams and their divine nature. Looking back, I see how God has guided me through my dreams, and I honor spiritual direction in dreams as a holy gift.

Bridget Hyde

 Joanna https://www.joannaseibert.com/

 

Listening to Dreams as a Spiritual Practice

 Listening to Dreams as a spiritual practice

Guest Writer Bridget Hyde

“What I have continued to find… is that dreams are sources of wisdom for problem-solving and life enhancement. They put us in touch with dimensions of ourselves that are normally hidden and that we need in order to grow toward our full potential.”—George R. Slater in Bringing Dreams to Life (Paulist Press, 1995).

The Crown

Dreams are a dynamic form of spiritual direction. They come to us in the service of wholeness. A visit from a dream brings unconscious information to our consciousness. Dreams carry a divine desire to make us whole, to integrate the conscious and unconscious worlds, and find a balance between soul and persona.

There is much talk in spiritual direction about the “ego” and how it keeps us from God, our most authentic self. My experience has taught me that ego is not in and of itself bad. However, it is an ego out of balance that harms. 

Don’t we all need egos for our basic needs? Our ego drives us to get dressed and go out into the world. My faith tells me that God gave us our egos, so that we could have the confidence to put forward our gifts and accomplish necessary daily tasks. But, unfortunately, some of us fall into situations here on earth that sap the vitality of our egos and self-esteem. For example, during dark or denigrating times, people often dream of kings and queens. Here, the dream seeks to balance a personal sense of worth by calling forth a regal, powerful archetype.

When an ego is out of balance the other way, it becomes inflated and sees itself above others, immune from harm or wrongdoing. If this happens to a person, the unconscious will sometimes bring a dream of falling from a high place to land on solid ground. The dream will seek to bring the person “back to earth.” Thus, a person may dream that a plane crashes, yet they land safely. Another example is a dream where a car stalls, and the dreamer must get out and walk. The major thrust of such dreams is to help the dreamer feel grounded to avoid the fate of Icarus.

Bridget Hyde

 Joanna https://www.joannaseibert.com/

 

 

Mirrors and Changing Our Lives

Mirrors and Changing Our Lives

 “What we see in other people – particularly those who affront us – is ourselves. They wouldn’t get to us the way they do if they didn’t already have a place in us. They are the mirror. Either that, or we are being visited by someone we will become. Rather than looking upon them with distance or disdain, treat them with kindness because they are kin to us.”—Br. Curtis Almquist, Society of Saint John the Evangelist

Esther Harding also concisely explains how we change as we see ourselves in others. We change as we become conscious of our sins and faults, as they are reflected in someone else. We often recognize the parts of ourselves that need to change only as they are reflected in others. We say, “This is awful. I do not want to be like that.” Then, through some unknown factor, perhaps God’s Grace, we realize that character defect, that sin, that failing is also in us. I often find myself not wanting to be around a particular person. That is often a clue that they carry a trait I do not recognize in myself, but seeing it in the other person, I am repulsed by it.

The reverse side of this truth is that sometimes the people we most admire carry a gift we do not recognize in ourselves.

I also know from 12-step work how people change. They hit bottom. They become so overwhelmed by their condition, so “sick and tired” of how miserable their life is, that they will do anything to change. They see someone else who has recovered from addiction and wish for that life. They then seek help from them.

So, what does all this do with our life in the Spirit? My experience is that it is indeed the Spirit, the Christ, the God within us that is a catalyst for change, that whispers in our ear that those defects we acknowledge in others may also be in us—that a better life is possible. Those in 12-step programs call it a “moment of clarity.” I believe that moment of clarity is God speaking to us; at that point, we find ourselves in a position to listen. Finally, we can hear, as Benedict tells us, with “the ear of our heart.”

Eventually, we see others as gifts, whether they repulse us or we admire them. We share similarities that we learn to know through inner work. We learn to thank them for their presence in our lives.

Self-awareness