DREAMSDREAMS
Dreams as Permanent Impressions in the Soul
by Ivy Norris
I have a very strong desire to listen to my Self. I want to know the truth in order to answer two questions of “why” in my life, questions such as the cause of disease in the body, conflict, or success in my life. Most importantly I want honest feedback to these questions which is something we cannot always get from our own or other’s conscious minds. The subconscious mind, the inner Mind we use to dream, can tell us the truth about our thinking and why events in our life are occurring. Through interpreting my dreams I have awareness of an inner friend within who only relates truth.
Dream interpretation is what brought me into the School of Metaphysics about five years ago. Lyle Branson, the director of the Indianapolis branch at the time, was in the same chiropractic office as I was the day I told the office manager of my strange and reoccurring dreams. I was having dreams of animals running wild and out of control, and terrifying dreams of people chasing me and stabbing me with knives.
Lyle interpreted my dreams and the insight he offered was empowering. He said, “What your dream is telling you is that you need to create a clear image of who you want to be and where you want to go with your life.”
How foreign and how attractive this new information was to me! At that time I had been chronically ill for years, and had spent very little time, if ever, feeling capable or empowered to make changes of my own. The insight Lyle gave me that day started me actively on a path of Self-discovery, as I was realizing some inner work needed to be done if I was to heal my body. After this encounter I began classes at the School of Metaphysics.
Now that I’ve gone through the first cycle of lessons at the School and have interpreted my dreams daily, I have had experience of my inner Self urging me to change and to grow. I have learned that every dream is about the dreamer and that they tell us the truth about our thinking, our state of awareness.
From my time spent in class and outside of class interpreting dreams, I have learned that in order to interpret them accurately, it is important to understand the communication of the inner Self. The inner Self communicates to the outer self in a language of symbols and pictures called the Universal Language of Mind. This language is the language of function. For example, death is a change from one state to another. So in a dream death represents change. My dreams about knives were talking about tools for change that existed in my life. At the time of that dream I didn’t feel in control of my life. I needed to change. I needed to make some shifts in the way I thought and responded to life in order to be happier and healthier. I didn’t feel capable to make these shifts. So when new experiences and opportunities to make changes arose I felt pressured. Now I know that by using my will to visualize what I choose to experience and give, I take control of my life, trusting in the urge of my soul to continually grow and create.
Another of my dreams was of two high school friends and me in a contest. People in our dreams represent aspects of ourselves. To understand which aspect, the next step is to identify one or two words that describe the outstanding quality of the person in your dream. The qualities describing my female friend were smart and anger-driven. The other friend I described as being insecure. These characteristics represent qualities that I have within me.
The contest, in the Universal Language of Mind, represented the way I was approaching life, through competition. This information immediately caused me to evaluate the motives and intention I held toward life. I began to make new choices; choices based on intrinsic motivation rather than on what I think would appeal to and satisfy others. This is the benefit of listening to the inner teachings dreams afford – they give us instant feedback for growth and learning!
I had another dream that so obviously showed me my inner guidance. In the dream I called a news reporter who is male. I asked him about some current health challenges I was having. My question was, “What’s up with my liver?” (I had had liver problems for years.) His reply was, “I’m a liver. I live life.” When the dreamer dreams of the opposite sex, such as my dreaming of the male, this represents an aspect of the dreamer’s subconscious mind. The news reporter represents an inner aspect that witnesses timely and readily available information. A telephone symbolizes a means for communication and a diseased liver symbolizes a lack of purpose for living.
This dream shows that during the day prior to the dream I had been initiating communication with my subconscious mind. I was seeking an objective viewpoint as symbolized by the reporter, an aspect of my Self who witnesses what is occurring in my life. I was seeking timely and readily available information concerning my purpose for living symbolized by my concern over my liver. The dream reveals that subconsciously I know I need to identify with my purpose for living, to become that purpose, as symbolized when the male says, “I’m a liver.” What I learned from this dream with the assistance of my teachers in my life is that purpose is more than a reason for existing. When the minds are in harmony, purpose is the capacity to envision where the accomplishment of an ideal or goal will lead you. How it will change you. This awareness was missing in my life at that time. Now for most everything I do I create a purpose for doing it, and with this I have experienced greater fulfillment in my creations, greater meaning in my life, and a liver that is much healthier.
Even though I recognize the great value in my dreams, it is not always easy to remember, record, and interpret them. This requires will power and discipline, and at times it is easier than others. The times in which it is easier is when the desire to do what I am “supposed” to be doing on this planet, to grow, to learn and to love, becomes my fueling purpose. During this time I move beyond limitations and follow my strong inner urge to create which is to know my Self.
Other times it is a struggle to maintain the discipline and to constantly employ proper perspective. A thought may be “with all I have to do, I don’t have time to do this.” These days, this thought, is quickly replaced with “I don’t have time not to be disciplined!” For instance, on mornings when I’m rushed to go to work, I cause my Self to still my mind and give my attention to remembering my dreams. After remembering and interpreting my dreams, I apply them in my life. This is why we have dreams, by actually utilizing them in our life the dream lives on, and the message becomes permanently impressed in our soul.
Recently, I was hungry for knowledge of healing and spiritual wholeness. I wanted answers that would aid my soul to blossom. Which direction do I go in my learning? How could I best serve people with my skills? How can I be a productive spiritual healer? I stayed up most of the night reading, meditating and contemplating. I found answers, but I wondered if these answers nourished my soul with what I needed at this time to grow and to expand. That night I dreamed of hugging Steven Segal. His feet were bare, and he asked me, “Why is hair growing on them?” My insecure answer in the dream was that the hair growth was for warmth. The two attributes that stand out to me about Steven Segal are that he is knowledgeable and dedicated, as shown by his natural health teachings in oriental medicine and therapeutic essential oils and his commitment to his spiritual practices. In the Universal Language of Mind, feet represent out spiritual foundation, and hair represents conscious thoughts. Heat, or warmth, represents expansion. My dream is showing me that after the evening of intense study, I was embracing a knowledgeable and dedicated or disciplined inner aspect of my Self and this is causing expansion of my thoughts for greater openness and growth of my spiritual foundation. The insecurity in the dream comes from a need to have more experience. This is where the dream left off.
So the next step, the way I applied the message, was to create and receive opportunities that come and to gather more experiences. Recognizing this need I attended Healing for a Higher Purpose , a Spiritual Focus Weekend at the College of Metaphysics, as well as more training in various natural-healing modalities. What I have found to be most important in enhancing the healing of myself and others is the continued growth in the area of Self-awareness. It is who we are, not what we do, that matters most. The more Self-aware I become, the better therapist I find I am, beyond any natural-healing technique I might learn. Dreams provide this opportunity for Self-awareness on a nightly basis.
I desire for all to recognize they have this inner support for knowing themselves better. We are never alone. We can activate awareness of this knowing through desire and discipline. I’m becoming more aware of my connection with others, with God working in my life all of the time. Concentration, meditation and dream interpretation are aiding me to be conscious of the impact I have on all creation with my every thought. This knowledge and these tools assist me to help my Self and others in directing our lives and in living each moment for something greater than ourselves.
Ivy Norris has a private practice as a natural healing therapist and a teacher at the School of Metaphysics in Indianapolis.
©2002 School of Metaphysics