Sunday, March 13, 2011

Dressed for the hike to the Grotto of the Ancients


Madison, Wisconsin

On going to bed on Friday night, I asked guidance for the workshop on Shamanic Lucid Dreaming I was leading over the weekend. I woke with this dream:

I am wearing a magnificent duster (a long, ankle-length riding coat) that flares at the bottom. It is buttery in texture, and very light golden brown in color.

At a security check, the X-ray scan sets off alarms. The security guys are very respecful as I search the pockets of the duster and finally a concealed pocket in the hem to see what may have set off the concern. I bring out a magnificent amber-colored stone that may actually be a big chunk of amber, the colors ranging from dark to golden and near-white. In the concealed pocket are lots of coins, including at least a dozen heavy gold coins. I lay these things out on the table. Security is satisfiied and lets me take everything with me.
     I re-examine my finds in a private space, surprised that I had completely forgotten that I possessed the gold coins. I now notice that my possessions also contain a fine, narow gold ring set with a ruby. I try it on my fingers experimentally. It perfectly fits the "marriage finger" of my left hand, but I decide not to wear it.
     I now resume leadership of a group I am leading into wild and beautiful country. When not sporting my duster, I am wearing a well-fitted three-piece pinstripe suit, but no tie and with rough hiking boots. This feels like the right garb for my leadership role, asserting authority but still informal (no tie etc).
     We proceed along a dappled trail through woods. I see a most interesting stone on the trail and pick it up. The stone is the size of a brick, with rounded edges. It seems to glow from within. On each side of the stone is the image of an African lion. He looks alive. I am thrilled with excitement, but replace the lion stone on the trail. I know this is a blessing and also protection for the group.
     We walk a long way to a magical grotto, one of the destinations we have agreed on for the journey. As we enter the cavernous space, huge, possibly sculpted figures rise in a semi-circle before us. The colors are wonderful, across a spectrum from cobal through turquoise to acquamarine. There is something vaguely Buddhist about the figures, but I suspect they are much more ancient than the coming of Siddhartha. Are they sculpted, and worn by time and water, or natura formations - or the preserved forms of some very ancient entities?
     We will explore these questions together, in the grotto.


Feelings: Delight, excitement


Reality: My workshop is being hosted by a horsewoman who keeps horses, on a little farm in Wisconsin horse country. I don't wear a duster, but the style (later borrowed by J.Peterman in the U.S.) is quintessentialy Australian. It is at least 35 years since I have worn a 3-piece suit, but I do (in and out of the dream) understand the need to consider self-presentation and the balance between informality and authority that must be worked by a leader and presenter.
     I have a strong connection with the lion, and with amber.


Follow-up: On Saturday, I turned this dream into the map for a group experiment in shamanic lucid dreaming, with wonderful results. Many of us had the experience of dreaming together in another reality, with mutually confirming discoveries. For example, many dreamers (including myself) found that it was necessary to use one or two of the coins to pay the Gatekeeper. Many found a healing pool in the Grotto of the Ancients, and were able to travel within or through the giant figures to powers beyond them.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh my! I had a duster in the 1980's that I wore out...the oil cloth was destroyed. I still have the leather hat (I have no idea what they're called) that went with it. I always felt like I could do anything in that coat. Any time I'm in a duster it's an adventure...seems to be the same in dreams. I may have to see about acquiring another one for the waking world. Thanks sparking very fond memories!

Wanda Burch said...

I LOVE this dream. I'm so glad you used this dream for journeying. In my dream it has the magical quality, in the sense of the best children/adult adventures, for journeys that involve the sweep of a long coat already designed for travel protection, the pockets filled with exquisite objects that harbor more magic and possibility. On view they whisk one through security and past the gatekeeper and, on second look, reveal a ruby ring that, in my dream, is analogous to ruby slippers that can aid in transport. If this were my dream, I would be anxious to share its treasures in my all my workshops and invite people to put on their travel duster, search their pockets for the treasures that will allow passage through the guarded gateway and walk a path where they search for their own magical stones, the destination a grotto - and report back on what they experienced and what they found in their grotto! Which you have done in one place - I would love to see it explored in other of your workshops!

Freedom-2-Thrive said...

Nice! The power of a uniform... Interesting going through "security" with the powerful tools... Amber and gold... Being an amputee, I get molested every time I travel, sometimes my leg is gone so long I have missed flights... The suit is a powerful tool in dealing with those who are into the posturing... I use to wield these tools effectively. The duster... Defines a freedom... Protection from the wild elements... And the horse... Awesome! Power, Travel, Companion, Freedom... A favorite dream of mine was riding with my long missing daughter on the high plains...A nature reconnected dream... If it were my dream. Namaste'

Adelita Chirino said...

If it's my dream, I feel bathed in the warmth of the golden colors. The coat, that buttery tan, the gold, the amber and the lion. Sun and earth shining everywhere. Then the red of the ruby; the heart, the gem, the greater surprise, since I hadn't seen it at first.

Very energizing; plus, I look good. I might hold this image of myself for extra energy when teaching.

Ache

Anonymous said...

What an interesting post. I feel this may be related to the previous subtle body post (healing). Also, Thomas' post brought to mind the Clint Eastwood movie/American West "High Plains Drifter." A supernatural character who brings justice to a town. Margie

Robert Moss said...

Grace - Ah, yes, there is that fine sense of adventure, and flying hooves...

Robert Moss said...

Wanda - Thanks for evoking the child's delight in secret pockets and hidden goodies. Very relevant to what flowed from group journeying through the portal of this dream, since the weekend was rich in soul recovery healing. I was privileged to see many people reclaim their lost boys and girls.

Robert Moss said...

Thomas - I didn't think of the duster as a "uniform" but of course you are right; it was certainly the right travel gear. Sorry about your difficulty with gatekeepers at the checkpoints in physical life. I greatly admire all you manage to do with your body, Thomas "Runs with Dogs", and so appreciate your great heart.

Robert Moss said...

Adelita - Yes, oh yes. Your bring the colors vibrantly and warmly alive as you praise them. Abtazos.

Robert Moss said...

Margie - I liked that old Clint Eastwood movie, but there's no sense of a Wild west vendetta here. A gentler adventure. You may be right in sensing some continuity with the "subtle body" dream. Putting on hat duster was a bit like assuming a new energy body. Then we have the sculpted giants in the Cave of the Ancients...

Unknown said...

Two months before the Asian Tsunami I had three dreams in four nights. All with a massive tsunami. In the third dream unlike the first two dreams I didn't expect it. But by the third I was warning people on the beach at night. People where partying and nobody would listen to me except one friend. I pointed out to the sea and said look, as rapid white waves began to become visible in the distance. The this very large black wall was moving inbound. That's when I began to start running Inland and I woke up... I know God was giving me these dreams, he even gave me the time frame and the location. I said two weeks or two months something big was going to happen. Two months later it did. I even had a friend pop into my head from the Philippians but I thought at the time she was from Indonesia.. God showed me the time frame and the location. I told about six people about the dreams including my mother and father. One night while sitting watching a program about the tsunami a few years later they started to talk about people dreaming about the tsunami before it came, my mother looked at me and turned a little pale. Funny. But at the same time a terrible tradegy. I would encourage people to watch gv247.tv thedanielproject look up Zechariah 14:4 Written in around 500 B.C. Concerning Jesus Second Advent. Then look up Miunt of Olives and Rift Valley Fault line. No joke this is as real as it get people. Jesus is who He claimed to be as far as I'm concerned as many others. John Lennox mathematics at Oxford. John Polkinghorne physics at Oxford. Find out who Sir Lionel Luckhoo is and why he was entered into the Guiness book of records in 1990 and what he said about the Resurrection. As well as Simon Greenleaf founder of Harvard law school. Take care