"Don't ask what you already know," I was once advised by a babalawo, a high divination priest of Ifa, the
Yoruba oracle. I think he was correct. We annoy the spirits, and confuse our
own ways, by constantly asking questions when the answers are already with us.
I have many friends who start the day by
putting questions to some personal system of divination, from Tarot to tea
leaves. And many more who put a question to their dreams every night.
I am in favor of seeking guidance from sources beyond the ordinary mind. But I have mixed feelings about asking all these questions, especially if the questions are on the same theme.
When I put a question to the night, it is most often only, "Show me what I need toknow".
I am in favor of seeking guidance from sources beyond the ordinary mind. But I have mixed feelings about asking all these questions, especially if the questions are on the same theme.
When I put a question to the night, it is most often only, "Show me what I need toknow".
There are questions that have to be lived,
not merely answered. And it is often better to hear the questions the world is
putting to us, rather than constantly putting our personal questions to the
world.
Spontaneous night dreams and the play of synchronicity in everyday life will tell us what we need to know, if we are ready to hear. By attending to dreams, especially dreams we did not ask for and may or may not want, and to the voices of the Speaking Land (as Aborigines call it) we escape the trap of constantly moving among projections of our wishes and fears. Spontaneous night dreams and synchronicity speak with an objectivity the ordinary mind often lacks.
We can tap to awaken the spirits, as the reader of Ifa does with his divination tapper. But it is more interesting to let the universe and the spirits tap us.
Spontaneous night dreams and the play of synchronicity in everyday life will tell us what we need to know, if we are ready to hear. By attending to dreams, especially dreams we did not ask for and may or may not want, and to the voices of the Speaking Land (as Aborigines call it) we escape the trap of constantly moving among projections of our wishes and fears. Spontaneous night dreams and synchronicity speak with an objectivity the ordinary mind often lacks.
We can tap to awaken the spirits, as the reader of Ifa does with his divination tapper. But it is more interesting to let the universe and the spirits tap us.
1 comment:
Since reading your books, I am again recording all my dreams, just after they come, during the night. I don't wait for the morning. I found that this new habit makes me relax to get back to sleep, I don't have insomnia anymore, perhaps because I know that the important things are recorded, and I will take time during the day to organize those records and put them in my dram book. Also, this way I remember all my dreams! If I make this comment it is because I indeed noticed that when I ask specific question and don't get an answer at night, I should not get disappointed, aka "it doesn't work with me". When I need answers I get them anyway a few days later, on sometimes several dreams; it seem my "dream director" gives me answer when he thinks it is appropriate, but even more often, I get answers on questions I never asked, and those subjects appear to be important to me!! Dream Land is not an euclidian universe, things always seem to appear non linear. Anyways, thanks for your blog. I learn, while enjoying and marveling at the same time.
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