Thank you again to everyone who came to the workshop the other night. I was in a yoga class the last week and in tree pose and a thought popped into my head. Usually ideas come in and out and just like a dream they disappear before I have a chance to write them down. That’s my signal that it probably wasn’t a good idea to begin with. However this one stuck around till after I got out of class. The idea was to create this piece above for people who come to my workshop.

The symbol is the Tibetan letter A. It is used for visualization exercises in the Tibetan dream yoga practice. In dream yoga, the symbol represents the natural non dual state of the mind. During meditation the practitioner is to look at the symbol while meditating without shifting his or her gaze. It is also recommended not to think about the A, but to simply allow it to be within one’s awareness. Once the image is clear in one’s mind, they are to close the eyes and visualize it. The next progression is to visualize being the symbol itself. After this is achieved, one should try to release all images and simply become the essence on the A itself. It is good to give yourself enough time at each step.

It is also recommended to use the A as a point of focus as you are falling asleep. It is said to rest at the throat chakra and is to be visualized as a red four pedaled flower that faces up to the sky with the A in the middle. There is a mantra that corresponds to the four pedals. RA, for the pedal facing front, LA to the left, SHA to the back, and SA to the right. This practice will bring about peaceful dreams and more restful sleep.

It has been noted that my design has a certain Looney Toons feel to it. I was actually thinking about that while I was making it. I’ve always been a fan so I thought why not add a hint of that Merry Melodies flavor. I hope this brings your practice many fruitful experiences. That’s all for now folks!

ShareThis

I’ve been thinking about the apparent speed of dreams. When we are in the dream it seems to be moving just as quickly as our waking life. However, most of our dreams only last about 5 minutes when they can appear to last hours. So you can say that creativity is moving at a higher speed or frequency than the ordinary state of the conscious mind. Maybe remembering our dreams could be compared to getting off the highway. If you want to make a smooth exit with you car intact you need to decelerate gradually to make a safe and complete stop. If we want to retain our dream experience we need to foster an environment that allows our mind to retain our experience by realizing that we are going through a large shift in consciousness.

Maybe another way to look at it is thinking about our dream experience like an egg. When we wake up we decide the future of the egg. Does it splat against the alarm clock as we become startled and realize that we’re late for work? Does it land safely into a pile of feathers as we wake up with the awareness that we are awake and safe in our bed with plenty of time to get ready for the day? Does it land at all? Perhaps it remains suspended in air as we see it from all angles. Once I have fully processed, I would like to cook that egg and eat it for breakfast! Yum! We all need to learn how we can better guide this delicate transition along. Then we can begin to develop our dream recall in a very powerful way. The choice is ours.

ShareThis