katherand2003

I had a dream last night... a nightmare. Very symbolic and scarier
while awake than while I lay dreaming it. It was definitely related
to things that are happening in our lives, but I came away with some
insights that I've heard many times on this board about relating to
one another in the family within the unschooling philosophy.

In the dream people were impressed with the potential of a great power
which had been used individually but never collectively to the
magnitude they wanted to use it. <<Skip to the part I remember
vividly upon awakening... >> There were holes in the earth. People
bundled up and threw many sticks down into the holes then covered and
bottled the holes up. Very shortly there came shaking, rattling,
reverberating, exploding, trembling all over, violence. The people
shook up and down, fell and were catapulted by the upheavals. At
first they were impressed at the power they had created with the
sticks. Then the shaking stopped, and people and animals lay bleeding
and dying. Whew. I awoke.

Stunned by how amazingly archetypal and elemental/ elementary the mind
is in sleep. I wish I understood the lingo more often. Bottled up
"sticks" led to these gigantic HUGE explosions. I thought the dream
blatantly spoke of anger.

I ended up thinking a lot about that. A long list of stuff:
* Not allowing anger too important a space in our lives or giving it a
louder bang by bottling it up, but rather cooking on an "open fire" so
to speak
* Thinking, talking and acting on things that matter to us on a
personal not abstracted level; avoiding hypothetical issues (people in
the dream were actually cheerful about the potential for damage as
though it wouldn't effect them and the look on their faces was eerily
familiar... I wondered why... the tendancy to abstract things/
distract ourselves removes us emotionally so that real present issues
can seem unrelated)
* Talking and listening a bit at a time all along the way as we live
our lives together; allowing "steam" to escape gradually from the
"kettle;" sharing generally in a wider space rather than narrowing our
outlets
* Exercising reason while alone in our thoughts as well as in
conversation together
* Being friends with everyone's needs and emotions
* NOT bottling up needs and emotions or using them for power; but
rather empowering ourselves and others simultaneously and sanely
* Having a safe space for anger; not allowing it to overwhelm
ourselves and those around, or else everyone is traumatized
* Stirring not from nervousness but enough to keep things from
sticking onto the bottom and sides; not settling for sour burnt
tastes; seeking out and stirring for happiness
* Avoiding fancy alarms (labels for instance, or prejudgements, akin
to entertaining hypotheticals); NOT abdicating our voices and minds to
self-appointed experts; being aware ourselves of self and others;
speaking to the individual not statisticize ourselves and others; in
other words, tending the "kettle"

The thought passed through my mind at some point that anger probably
isn't even a primary emotion (not my idea but something I read.... I
think it was Marshall Rosenberg in NonViolent Communication). Anger
is probably fueled by other needs and emotions like love, fear,
hunger, etc... things that ARE primary.

Kathe

Robyn Coburn

<<<<< scarier
while awake than while I lay dreaming it.>>>>>

<<<< There were holes in the earth. People
bundled up and threw many sticks down into the holes then covered and
bottled the holes up. Very shortly there came shaking, rattling,
reverberating, exploding, trembling all over, violence. The people
shook up and down, fell and were catapulted by the upheavals. At
first they were impressed at the power they had created with the
sticks. Then the shaking stopped, and people and animals lay bleeding
and dying. Whew. I awoke. >>>>>>

The insights that you have gained in the thinking it over later are really
interesting. I especially endorse the idea of not letting things stew until
they turn into big resentments. I had to learn that early in my marriage,
and I still sometimes forget.

However I want to add an idea to ponder based on the concept that you say
here - that the fear came later on awakening. I think the emotions felt
during any vivid dream are really important clues as to the real meaning.

I think the "earth" here could be a symbol for your Self - the upheaval and
shaking perhaps symbolic of upheavals or changes in your thinking and your
life - possibly related to paradigm shifts with Unschooling, possibly not.

My thought is that since you saw that changes can be visceral and have
consequences (the wounded creatures), yet did not feel fear or anger at the
time - I mean the dream self did not feel those emotions - but only later
once awake and back in the conscious self, saying the dream is speaking of
anger just because it was energetic, *may* be too literal, too blatant.

Maybe the message that your higher self is sending you, is that these
changes and upheavals, while appearing vigorous and damaging of the Old
Self, need *not* to be feared. The old "you can't make an omelet without
breaking eggs". This is similar to the Tarot card "The Tower" which is an
indicator of incipient great upheaval, initial destruction and change - but
not bad change in the end, change to be welcomed and embraced.

OTOH it could be as simple as a fear you are holding on to that some
relatively trivial planned action or event is going to turn out badly (the
cheery folk later surprised by the devastation.) Sometimes our dreams are
less "earth shattering" than they seem. (Oh did I really make that dreadful
pun.....)

Way cool that you could remember so much of it.

Robyn L. Coburn

--
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.1.375 / Virus Database: 267.15.10/263 - Release Date: 2/16/2006

Sandra Dodd

On Feb 17, 2006, at 7:19 AM, katherand2003 wrote:

> There were holes in the earth. People
> bundled up and threw many sticks down into the holes then covered and
> bottled the holes up.


It's your dream, and this could be wrong, but when I read the part
above I was thinking schools. Holes everywhere, conveniently located
in every neighborhood, and kids are bundled up and off to school, but
they sometimes blow up on us (the schools and the kids, variously).

Sandra

katherand2003

Hmmm. I'm sure I'll gain more and different insights as time goes on.
And what you bring up is definitely something I don't want to hear--
paradigm change and all that. I do feel stretched beyond my limits of
imagination at times during waking life, that's for sure. Not due to
unschooling per se but life and marriage. What you've said definitely
bares thinking about.

Kathe


--- In [email protected], "Robyn Coburn"
<dezigna@...> wrote:
>
> <<<<< scarier
> while awake than while I lay dreaming it.>>>>>
>
> <<<< There were holes in the earth. People
> bundled up and threw many sticks down into the holes then covered and
> bottled the holes up. Very shortly there came shaking, rattling,
> reverberating, exploding, trembling all over, violence. The people
> shook up and down, fell and were catapulted by the upheavals. At
> first they were impressed at the power they had created with the
> sticks. Then the shaking stopped, and people and animals lay bleeding
> and dying. Whew. I awoke. >>>>>>
>
> The insights that you have gained in the thinking it over later are
really
> interesting. I especially endorse the idea of not letting things
stew until
> they turn into big resentments. I had to learn that early in my
marriage,
> and I still sometimes forget.
>
> However I want to add an idea to ponder based on the concept that
you say
> here - that the fear came later on awakening. I think the emotions felt
> during any vivid dream are really important clues as to the real
meaning.
>
> I think the "earth" here could be a symbol for your Self - the
upheaval and
> shaking perhaps symbolic of upheavals or changes in your thinking
and your
> life - possibly related to paradigm shifts with Unschooling,
possibly not.
>
> My thought is that since you saw that changes can be visceral and have
> consequences (the wounded creatures), yet did not feel fear or anger
at the
> time - I mean the dream self did not feel those emotions - but only
later
> once awake and back in the conscious self, saying the dream is
speaking of
> anger just because it was energetic, *may* be too literal, too blatant.
>
> Maybe the message that your higher self is sending you, is that these
> changes and upheavals, while appearing vigorous and damaging of the Old
> Self, need *not* to be feared. The old "you can't make an omelet without
> breaking eggs". This is similar to the Tarot card "The Tower" which
is an
> indicator of incipient great upheaval, initial destruction and
change - but
> not bad change in the end, change to be welcomed and embraced.
>
> OTOH it could be as simple as a fear you are holding on to that some
> relatively trivial planned action or event is going to turn out
badly (the
> cheery folk later surprised by the devastation.) Sometimes our
dreams are
> less "earth shattering" than they seem. (Oh did I really make that
dreadful
> pun.....)
>
> Way cool that you could remember so much of it.
>
> Robyn L. Coburn
>
> --
> No virus found in this outgoing message.
> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
> Version: 7.1.375 / Virus Database: 267.15.10/263 - Release Date:
2/16/2006
>

katherand2003

Oh! That definitely is what happens I think.

Kathe




--- In [email protected], Sandra Dodd <Sandra@...>
wrote:
>
>
> On Feb 17, 2006, at 7:19 AM, katherand2003 wrote:
>
> > There were holes in the earth. People
> > bundled up and threw many sticks down into the holes then covered and
> > bottled the holes up.
>
>
> It's your dream, and this could be wrong, but when I read the part
> above I was thinking schools. Holes everywhere, conveniently located
> in every neighborhood, and kids are bundled up and off to school, but
> they sometimes blow up on us (the schools and the kids, variously).
>
> Sandra
>