Lucid Dreaming

Did you remember your dreams last night? Most people don't! Why, you might ask? Because we as a culture do not consider them relevant or useful. They are considered a random mess of mumbo jumbo with no logical connections or coherence. Now of course not all people think this is the case. We owe a lot to Sigmund Freud in teaching us the meaning and value of our dreams in connection with our subconscious. Carl Jung took Freud's work even deeper and wrote many books on dreams and their symbols. The fact of the matter is that dreams do have relevance to our daily lives. Dreams have been called our window to the soul. It is through our dreams that we have a direct connection with our subconscious. And our subconscious speaks to us through the language of pictures and symbols. By learning about our own dreams through understanding our own unique symbols, we can not only understand ourselves better, but live better. So how do we learn about our dreams? By studying them. But first, you have to remember them. How do you remember your dreams? By paying attention to them. One of the best ways to do that is to start keeping a dream journal. Every morning when you arise, write down your dreams. I always keep a handy pad next to my bedside to write down any dreams, I may have. If you do not write them down immediately, you will forget them. Once you write your dreams down, then you should take time to think about them during the day. Analyze them. In other words, what do you think it means to you. Everyone has to learn their own inner symbols. Snow in a dream could mean something completely different for me than it does for you. For instance, snow in a dream for a skier could mean something very positive, whereas if I was vacationing in Hawaii and I dreamed about snow it could forecast bad weather or maybe lack of feeling in a relationship. You have to learn about what your own symbols mean for you. This takes time and study, but it is well worth it.

There are many different kinds of dreams. Some are more important than others. Whenever you have a particularly intense dream, that is something to pay attention to. Because your dream is desperately trying to tell you something. A creative way of working with your dreams is to make something from your dream. For example, you could make a painting of your dream or find the object of your dream. If you dreamed of playing a flute, you might purchase a flute. Then you are actualizing your dream. You are giving it manifestation in the physical world and the energy will flow from your dream world to your physical creation, giving it power to fulfill your dreams. Another type of dream to pay close attention to are prophetic dreams. These are dreams that foretell of events to come. I have had many prophetic dreams in my own life, so I know they are real. They are usually messages from your intuition working through your dreams about coming events. Sometimes they give you guidance and sometimes you have to figure them out. The last kind of dream, I want to discuss is sometimes called lucid dreaming. Lucid dreaming is when you become aware that you are dreaming in your dream. I have had many lucid dreams. For example; I was dreaming I was walking by a storefront in a shopping area in a small New England town. As I walked by the storefront window, I caught a glimpse of my reflection. As I gazed at my reflection, I immediately became aware of who I was and that I was dreaming. I felt a sense of liberation at that realization. I knew that I was dreaming and at the same time, I knew that I was sleeping at home in my bed. With that came a sense of power as I was able to participate in my dream. By that I mean, I was no longer passive in my dream, I was able to engage in my dream. I took the opportunity to talk with people in my dream while being fully aware that another part of me was also sleeping in my bed. Through lucid dreaming, you become aware of another dimension of reality where you can learn more about yourself and the universe within you.

Dreams are the window to your soul and provide an opportunity to expand your consciousness to another world within you. There is a famous song that holds a lot of truth. It goes: Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.

For further information, please see: http://www.theastralyoga.com/, http://www.lucidity.com/
Also read: Yoga and The Art of Astral Projection by Jill Lowy, Creative Dreaming by Patricia Garfield and Dreams by Carl Jung.

How a Talisman can help you.

Exactly what is a talisman and how can it help you? Talisman comes from the Greek word telesma which means to consecrate and to fullfill. Many people use talismans in their everyday life and don't even know it. Do you have a lucky piece of jewelry? Or that favorite shirt for job interviews? Remember the popular rabbits’ foot? All of these things are examples of talismans. A talisman is basically any charged object that produces a desired effect. To consecrate an object is to charge it and to fullfill is to produce a desired effect.

Historically, talismans have been used by ancient civilizations for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians used talismans or amulets for many different occasions and needs. They were often made with figures of specific gods such as Isis or Thoth, and used for protection or gaining knowledge and power. Within Christianity, there have been many talismans used over the years, such as the crucifix, which was considered a defense against demons or negative forces. In Hinduism, many talismans are made with images of Ganesh, Krishna and other gods which are considered good fortune. Famous biblical talismans include: Aarons’ breastplate, Arc of the Covenant and the Chalice.

So how can a talisman help you? Basically a talisman acts as an amplifier of your will and desire. Whatever it is that you desire or want to improve in your life, a talisman can help you to achieve it. Whether you are seeking power, knowledge, love, healing, protection or money; a talisman can help you to attain these things. For example, say you are attending college and having a hard time comprehending a specific subject, i.e., English. You could construct and charge a talisman with your specific desire or goal of learning English better. A talisman is generally made of a metal like gold or silver, or certain stones/gems, i.e. crystal, quartz, amber, etc. Technically any medium could work as a talisman, but some work much better than others. That is because there is an inherent vibration in some mediums that will respond better to a certain frequency. In other words, rose quartz would respond better to a love & compassion vibration and iron would respond better to a more aggressive warrior vibration. By using the proper metal or gem for your goal, you will have a faster and better outcome. It is kind of like the difference between using a VW bug and a Drag racer for a quarter mile race. They will both get you there, but the Drag racer will get your there much faster.

Another important consideration when making a talisman is to use a symbol or archetype representing the energy you wish to manifest. For example, if you want to bring more peace into your life, you could use the astrological symbol of venus. You could draw or carve this symbol on your talisman. You could also charge your talisman with a prayer to the appropriate archetype (God or Goddess) in whatever religion you follow. The Christian religion has a variety of saints that cover many aspects of life. For example, you could prey to St. Francis for peace as he is the recognized saint of peace. Or if you are Hindu, you could prey to Krishna to charge your talisman to bring peace into your life.

Finally, there are a variety of rituals to charge your talisman. The simplest is to wash your talisman first in salt water to cleanse it of all negativity. Then light a candle with incense, clear your mind and focus on your goal or desire. Say a prayer to the God or Goddess that represents your goal and then imagine light energy beaming down from heaven radiating your talisman with divine energy and charge it with your wish. Finish with a prayer and that completes the ritual. It is very simple, but very effective.

Remember that everyone has talismans, but most people have make them unconsciously. When you pour love and affection into your favorite object, you are charging it, whether you are aware of it or not, and creating a talisman. But a talisman will become much more effective, if you charge it consciously with your will, intention and mental/emotional energy.

For more information on Talismans, see: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amulet, http://www.the/ astralyoga.com.

Spiritual Retreats

Is it time for a retreat? Summer is the time when most people think about going on a vacation. For those who are interested in spirituality, a better alternative may be going on a retreat. Retreat literally means to withdraw, and a spiritual retreat is taking time to withdraw from the hussle and bussle of the world, and focus on your inner self. We become so busy in our world, we do not take the time to ask the important questions; Who am I?, Where am I going?, Am I happy?, What is my purpose? A retreat is a time for contemplation, meditation and reflection. It is a time to focus on being rather than doing. It is a time to explore a different world and see what you may find there.

There are many retreat centers across the country where you can disconnect from life's many demands. Whether you are into Yoga, Zen, Buddhism or Christianity, there are many places to find solitude. Not too far from Denver, Co we have several places to go for peace and solitude. Some of them include: Shoshoni Yoga Retreat in Rollinsville, Co http://www.shoshoni.org/; Shambhala Mountain Center in Red Feather Lakes, Co http://www.shambhalamountain.org/, Benet Hill Monastery in Colorado Springs, Co http://www.benethillmonastery.org/, Sunrise Ranch in Loveland, Co http://www.sunriseranch.org/, and Sophia Peace Center near Durango, Co http://www.sophiaretreatcenter.org/. For a complete listing of retreat centers across the entire country, see http://www.findthedivine.com/.

Presence in Relationships

Relationships are so difficult, but so very interesting! Who was it that said, Men, you can't live with them and you can't live without them. And of course, the same applies for women. But why are relationships so difficult sometimes? It is because they cause us to reach beyond our own ego. We have the opportunity to see things from another perspective. And many times we would rather not see things from another viewpoint. We tend to like our own viewpoint the best.

From an esoteric standpoint, the majority of our karma manifests through relationships or other people. If you have controlling tendencies, other people will make you aware of it. If you have anger tendencies, other people will bring out your anger, and so on. Other people are really your mirror and can help you to become aware of your problems. Then you can work on them and balance them more positively. Of course, relationships are also about sharing joy and love which is what life is really all about.

Eckhart Tolle talks a lot about presence in relationships. Presence means to be aware in the present moment without any expectations of the past or future. It exists in everyone at all times, though most people are unaware of it. We have become so accustomed to our thinking mind and our preconceived notions that we come to believe that is who we are. But who we are really exists at a deeper level behind our thoughts and our emotions. Being present is to accept everything as it is, no matter if we like it or not. We don’t have to necessarily agree with it, but to just accept it. To be present in a relationship is to accept other people as they are and to allow them space to be.

Although it sounds simple, this is not so easy to do. Most relationships start with feelings of love and then down the road turn into feelings of discontent, pain and unhappiness. Many times this is because the relationship fails to live up to one’s expectations. To practice presence in a relationship is to let go of one’s expectations and become aware of the person just as they are, not as you expect them to be. Of course, most everyone has expectations, but the key is to become aware of them and realize that expectations are just what you expect, not how things are. To be present in a relationship is to be who you are, at that center of awareness behind your thoughts and expectations, and to allow your beloved the space to be who they are behind the mask of thoughts and emotions. Practicing presence in your relationship, will allow for a deeper and more meaningful relationship than you ever expected.

For further information, see: http://www.blogger.com/www.eckharttolle.com.