Today’s Mandala
Dreamscape
“Dreams are illustrations… from the book your soul is writing about you.”
— Marsha Norman
“Trust in dreams,
for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.”
— Khalil Gibran
“That the prospective function of dreams is sometimes greatly superior to the combinations we can consciously foresee is not surprising, since a dream results from the fusion of subliminal elements and is thus a combination of all the perceptions, thoughts, and feelings which consciousness has not registered because of their feeble accentuation….
With regard to prognosis, therefore, dreams are often in a much more favorable position than consciousness.”
— Carl Jung
Ok, so this mandala is a little bit different. When I pulled out the pre-painted paper (see below), I saw in it several things: a landscape, a skyscape, a couple of critters, and a couple of trees. I felt inspired to accentuate them and bring them to life. Looking at it now, the whole thing looks so surreal, especially when I was drawing it out…I almost gave up on it thinking it was too weird. Then I heard in my head the word ”dreamscape”.
Ah, now I get it. On day twelve we looked at our ”daytime” dreams. Today we’re being reminded to also make use of our dreaming dreams.
In this dreamscape I see a timid animal (lower left) testing the waters (although it also looks like a person just getting out of the water and walking away), a big fish being still under the water, a tree without branches growing out of that water and its roots under the water. I see a calm pool of water that goes into a small waterfall (lower right), another tree situated on land, hills, and wild things happening in the night sky. The mandala feels like its coming down from the heavens (insights coming?). The nautilus type mandala (upper right) has an opening in its design (letting something in or out?). Overall a lot of energy and movement and yet it gives me a sense of calm, as if to say ”all in due time”. In looking at the fish again, a question comes to mind: would I rather be a big fish in a small pond or a small fish in a big pond (ocean)? Definitely lots to ponder.
Anyway, about making use of our sleep dreams…
- before going to sleep at night, write down a question or issue to the subconscious, put it under the pillow. Then let it go, asking that the answer or insight be revealed in an easy-to-remember dream.
- for those who remember their dreams, write them down as soon as you wake up. The more we wake up, the more the dream details slip away.
- while writing down the dream, more insights come through that would otherwise be overlooked if we just recited the dream rather than putting it pen to paper.
- for those who have trouble remembering their dreams, a good practice is to say to yourself as you’re going to sleep ”I remember my dreams. I remember my dreams.” Say it in present tense. It may take a few days or longer for it to kick in. You can also add ”I’m ready to remember my dreams”, ”It’s safe for me to remember my dreams”, or something to that effect. Just keep it positive and in present tense. You may also want to check out this article on dream recall.
- The fun part of dreams is analyzing them. Know that everything in the dream is some representation of you and has special meaning only to you. If you and a friend dreamt about a red apple, the meaning for you maybe that you’re ripe and ready to move forward while for your friend it could mean that something is ”poisoning” her (a la snow white). Check out Good Therapy web site for more insight regarding dream analysis.
- Embrace nightmares. When looking closely at them, they generally have a positive message. The subconscious is just trying to get our attention; letting us know that ”hey! this dream is important! Pay attention!”
Sweet dreams!
Blessings,
Maureen
The Mandala Lady
btw…here’s how it started…what do you see in this image?
Mandala of the Day 