Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes

It's really quite amazing how fear controls so many aspects of ourselves, our lives, our creations, our thoughts and our actions. How many things do we NOT do because of fear? How many unnecessary or unhealthy things do we do to avoid feeling that fear?

Fear seems to be one of the key issues I've been working with the past year. I have a lot of baggage, of course, and I have a lot of issues, like we all have issues. But the strides I have made in this department have been transformative, enlightening, life-altering and even kind of shocking.

The tricky thing about fear, though, is that we have built up these complexes about our fears, to the point where we don't even know what the original sin was/is. We execute all of our fear-based actions automatically, without being aware of the root. To address this problem, we can turn to our dreams.

Our dreams process our emotions and fears in a very symbolic, very real way. You may have nightmares about something you wouldn't ordinarily feel afraid of in waking life, and because it seems strange or random to you, you ignore it. Same with reoccurring dreams. You may wonder why you always have the same, seemingly meaningless dream. It's time to bring more awareness here.

If you can face your dream symbols, even without knowing what they represent, it affects your waking life. Our dreams and our waking life are connected to the point where if you alter one, the other is altered with it. Even if you can't name the problem, the solution is still that- the solution.

For example, for a few years I've had reoccurring dreams of tornadoes. The tornadoes are always coming straight for me, and I do everything I can to get away, whether I'm running, driving, swimming, whatever. See, I'm the kind of person who stands out on her dock with her camera during tornado warnings hoping to see one and get close to one, so this is not a waking fear I have. But in the dreams, I am terrified beyond belief. Last week, I found myself in the midst of another tornado dream. I saw it coming, and ran into a nearby diner to find shelter. But then the entire building began to move across the parking lot. I did a protection ritual that I do in waking life to try and protect the people in the diner, but they all stared at me solemnly, knowing the tornado was after me alone. Finally, I submitted. I realized that I could die, and that this wasn't something I could control or predict. I gave it to God: I said, "Okay. If I am meant to die during this, that is okay. If I'm meant to live, that is okay too. I give you my submission." I held my arms out and closed my eyes. Everything got dark and quiet, and an incredible tingling warmth filled my body until I was completely relaxed and in joy. Then I woke up.

I knew the tornado represented some sort of fear, but I hadn't known what exactly it was until facing it in the Dreamtime. I fear what I cannot predict. I am able to feel out people and situations fairly well because of intuition and informative dreams, but the things I cannot predict at all terrify me. After submitting to the tornado, I feel better about facing the unknown in my waking life. I can't fully explain this psychological connection, but I know that it's there. It simply feels different, freer!

I think all of us are so conflicted and our fears are so complex and twisted that we could all use some dream therapy. Don't worry about interpreting your dreams if you don't understand the symbols. But be aware of them! When you have a nightmare, imagine yourself having that same nightmare, but this time, you face it or change it. Be sure to write down your dreams and give them appropriate consideration. If you can bring this awareness to your dreams while you are awake, you will in turn bring this waking awareness to your dreams. Lucid dreaming is of course an excellent tool for facing fears in dreams, but as long as you are aware, you don't need to be lucid.

In our dreams, we can be warriors, psychologists, mystics and healers all at once.

[Image from Cloud Cult's album: Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes)]