Dreamwork: A Good Way to Get to Know the Whole Self

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One of the many benefits of remembering, recording and working with dreams is that it allows one a deep and profound window into the workings of the soul: one can see some of the many parts of the self which are often hidden, or in shadow, to the waking mind.  It is a challenging undertaking but one that is indeed worth the effort of ongoing dreamwork.

We know that ignorance, misconceptions and lack of understanding all contribute to fear and evil.  But more than any of these contributors to negative energy is our own ignorance of our unique blind spots.  We like to think of ourselves as good or aligned with the good, making us often unable to see the evil in ourselves–or if we catch a glimpse of it, we often justify our negative actions by rationalizing that it serves a good purpose.   Very few people who do evil believe they are doing evil.  It is no wonder that the Buddha said ignorance is the root of all evil and Jesus asked the Father to forgive his executioners on the grounds that they didn’t know what they were doing.

The reality is that people who are not in touch with their deep inner selves will more likely be driven by inner forces, good or bad, in a way that leaves them pre-programmed like a computer, unable to act in an enlightened and choice-filled way.  Dreamwork allows one to get to know those forces in a safe and conscious manner, and make better, conscious choices when strong energy comes on.

Catching Glimpses of the Whole Self

A dream will often present a many-faceted story with a variety of characters, symbols and energies.  This rich panorama is giving the dreamer glimpses into the many sides of the soul, and the archetypes that are animating the person.

Working with a dream as if everything thing and every feeling in it represents a part of one’s self or one’s own energy is a way of owning and acknowledging that there is good and evil and other opposing voices residing within—all of which want recognition. By prayerfully reflecting on, and encouraging each thing or person in the dream to have a say in what’s happening in one’s life at the moment, one can go far in integrating all aspects of the psyche into a creative and functioning whole.   In this way, evil is not acted out unreflectively or in ignorance, and the good within is not blindly projected onto others who don’t deserve it.

The person has a choice to act or not because he or she is aware that the strong energy is there, and what it can do:  he or she has already seen it and the results of its working in dreamtime.  This person is then better equipped to use such strong energy in a productive and creative way, rather than a destructive, driven, “devil made me do it” way.

Wishing all my readers a Merry Christmas and a Joyous New Year!

A Christmas Dream

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Around the holidays it is often common to have dreams that reflect this special time of the year. Here is a dream I had the other night. I call it a Christmas Dream.

I am in a beautiful house filled with wonderful Christmas lights and decorations. There is only one room on the second floor that needs some decoration. I bring a decorated Christmas Tree into the room and place it by the fireplace.

This is a peaceful, hopeful dream–one that is opposite in tone and feeling from what I am feeling day to day. It is reminding me that at a deep level, there is Christmas peace and light. So I just need to slow down and enjoy the season!  The to-do work is mostly done.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!  And have a very merry dream of the season.

Integrating the Kundalini Experience into Christian Practice

The Cross and the Seven Chakras

A kundalini awakening, the release of the primal life force or mother energy, from the base of the spine and moving upward to the brain, is a human phenomenon experienced by some throughout the world but only fully recognized and studied in the Hindu culture as a process of spiritual transformation.   Therefore, when it happens to non-Hindus, it can be a confusing, troubling and even devastating event wreaking havoc in people’s lives, especially in those who do not seek out the awakening or understand its profound spiritual, emotional and physical meanings.   Moreover, kundalini is often misunderstood or misdiagnosed by doctors and psychologists, adding more suffering to those who live with often varied, bizarre and intense symptoms following the experience.

For a devout traditional Christian who finds out what has happened to him or her, it can be even more shocking because the experience is not articulated, promoted or condoned in the Bible or Christian teachings.  A reading of the lives of the saints, however, will tell us that many saints experienced kundalini symptoms on their spiritual journeys.

“Christianizing” Kundalini

A kundalini event, and the changed life that comes after, can be integrated into Christian practice and can greatly inform and aid the believer in spiritual, psychological and physical healing.   When kundalini energy works in the body, it works at the cellular level to cleanse the body of everything that doesn’t belong there—from negative thought patterns to illnesses of every sort.  It is a matter of believing something profound is going on and accepting a process that can at times be painful and disconcerting.  The ego’s defenses weaken by its onslaught, and eventually wear away.   What can the Christian do to bring this process into a Christian framework?

• Many spiritual gifts will come with this event such as visions and the ability to see auras. Use these gifts to help you along.  For example, when my kundalini energy opened, I had a vision of Jesus standing by me, bringing peace to me during those first frightening symptoms such as intense migraines.  I knew instinctively that something spiritual was happening to me.  I was not “sick.”  I also received the gift to intuitively diagnose physical conditions.  I was told in dreamtime to use this whenever I encountered strange sensations in my body.
• Therefore, If Jesus or a saint or angel appears, pray to this spiritual being to be your guide in working with the energy so that you may be transformed into the person you are meant to become. Your spiritual guide will provide guidance and support.
• Pray using energy and healing concepts that blend Hindu and Christian beliefs, if you feel comfortable doing it. An example is my version (others have done something similar) of the Lord’s Prayer, written to show how the points of the prayer coincide with the seven chakras, or energy centers, of Hindu teachings.  Click here to see sample.
• Do dreamwork by
  • Keeping a dream journal and reflecting on the dreams recorded. Dreams will let you know much about the purpose and the process of your kundalini experience.  They will let you know of the ups and downs, the flow of the energy and the progress you have made in working with the energy.  Also this website contains a number of articles on working with kundalini energy such as Symbols for Kundalini Energy in Dreams: Volcanoes.  Click on “Kundalini in Dreams” under the Topic menu to your left to find these articles as well as other related blogs in “Dreamwork and Christian Practice.”
  • Before going to bed, prayerfully request a dream that will guide you by asking for a certain dream to resolve a specific, stated issue related to the kundalini.

Read about others’ experiences.  I highly recommend a book by Philip St. Romain called Kundalini Energy and Christian Spirituality that describes not only his efforts to deal with the energy but also his attempts to integrate his understanding of this energy into Christian theology.  I have written a short online book digest for this book called Pioneering Christian Kundalini that can be found at The Intuitive-Connections Network website by clicking here.