Catharsis and Atonement As Seen in Dreams

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Yesterday I had an interesting conversation with a Reiki healer who made the comment that her clients often experienced vivid dreams after she did a healing on them.

I began thinking about this and saw that this was only natural–perfectly in keeping with what dreams are all about.  One of the many purposes of dreams is to show us what is going on inside us, so a healing process, no matter if it is physical, emotional or spiritual will be reflected. 

Reiki healing works with the universal energy around us and the body’s own energy field.  I have always observed that dreams reflect through symbol and story the working of energy within us and the energy coming from outside of us.  So if there is a significant shift in energy this will be seen in dreams of catharsis and atonement, catharsis meaning a purging of negative emotions and atonement meaning a bringing back into a state of at-one-ment, or wholeness. 

Dreams of Catharsis

In terms of symbols catharsis may be expressed in dreams related to the bathroom such as toilet dreams, of having to urinate or defecate, of needing to take a bath or shower–or actually doing these things.

Dreams of Atonement

Atonement, or the process of realignment to one’s true self, may be expressed in dreams of being at a barber or hairdresser’s where one’s hair is being redone expertly by a professional in the business, of being coached or of being forgiven.

A successful catharsis and atonement may be reflected in bright lights in dreams, either coming from or through the dreamer, or dreaming that such a light passes through a symbol for the self such as a Christmas Tree.  However it is symbolized, it is powerful.  Have you seen your Day of Atonement in dreams?

The Last Glass Ceiling to be shattered by a Woman?

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In the many years that I have been teaching dreams in my dream ministry practice I have had hundreds of women students but only a handful of men students.  The men that I had in class were unusual in that they had highly integrated what I call the “feminine” side into their personality:  They were very respectful of women and women’s ways of doing things, they were sensitive, compassionate and comfortable not being “in control” all the time, and they were very intuitive—often a trait attributed to women.   In other words, they were the exact opposite of someone like Donald Trump.

For much of Western history, when women had no voice, men like Donald Trump ran the show and were in charge of religions and nations.  It is no wonder then that dreams and intuition were not respected as a valid form of awareness because these forms of consciousness require a certain passivity, a receptiveness to information that cannot be controlled—and the information received often runs counter to, and does not support, the practices of these male dominated institutions, especially when the practices are cruel and unjust.  As a result, in the old days, it was often the highly intuitive women, the so-called “witches” that were burned at the stake.

Even though many inroads have been made in allowing women to enter male environments, I have found that the ones who initially succeed are usually the ones that feel they have to act like men, and can outplay the men at their own game.   They can act overly rational, hard-hitting, cold and surprisingly inept at handling people.  The women that follow can be more themselves when men get used to them being around or being in charge.

Since Hillary Clinton has had such a hard time breaking the class ceiling of American politics, and no woman has even come close to entering the power structure of the Catholic Church, it makes me wonder that the very last glass ceiling to be shattered will be when a strong woman’s woman—one who is highly spiritual in a womanly way, and is intuitive and experienced in dreamwork and exploring the psyche—becomes the head a world religion.   Just imagine what a new perspective she can bring!