From this darkness we are nourished to bloom into the 2021 Mara Bishop MA So, let’s embrace it, explore it, and be gentle with ourselves as we confront our fear of it. We need it to survive and be healthy in the long term. The dark is a vital part of the wheel of our days, our years, our lifetimes. Self-compassion is most needed when we’re a mess. Instead, we gravitate towards purveyors of easy “love and light!” spirituality, shying away from the deep, gooey work that happens to the larval versions of ourselves (and those around us) when we’re in the darkness of the cocoon. We sometimes feel hopeless and helpless in the dark. These are periods of catharsis, healing after trauma, cocooning in preparation for the next version of ourselves and our world. In darkness, transformative processes happen without spectators, often below the level of our conscious awareness. Times of symbolic darkness are also helpful. Times of literal darkness are needed for regeneration. Compassion is the magic ingredient that turns our personal “compost” into personal evolution. Sometimes it turns around faster than we think possible, like time-lapse photography of a log rotting on the forest floor with new green shoots springing to life overnight. Sometimes all those different elements take a long time to dissolve and break down. The speed with which that brew changes from nasty to nourishing varies widely with the internal and external conditions. It’s hard to be patient, to let everything, both scorned and enjoyed, stew in our symbolic personal compost piles. The cycles of the natural world, into which we are interwoven, take time. This meditation is part of the toolkit in the audio course Shining Bright Without Burning Out. Research shows self-compassion helps us stay present and kindhearted without sinking into absorptive empathy, which can lead to overload and burnout. Like composting, it isn’t always pretty, but it’s potent. Self-compassion (and compassion for others) holds both the rejected and respected parts of who we are. Our personal work includes processing our own “dark” sides, the parts we’d like to hide or discard. It all transforms into a rich sloop that eventually nourishes future plants. It’s also the leftovers from delicious things we appreciate and enjoy, silky mango skins, green tea leaves, dark coffee grounds. Compost is the stuff we reject, the moldy, wilted, too hard, too soft, nasty bits that don’t make it to the table. Cue the weird, glorious cabbage flower which came to life in the dark. Nature is our ultimate model and guide-in the light, in the dark, and in the most surprising and gorgeous ways.
How can we do this if we already feel overloaded? Having compassion for ourselves and others is especially important in times of literal and metaphorical darkness. Many people are feeling a collective spiritual darkness now, exhausted and frustrated, maybe also angry and scared. Reflecting on the discovery of this “flower” in the shadows, I’m reminded of, and heartened by, the fertility of dark times. It blossomed into something unexpected, unusual, and fiercely beautiful. Instead of fading quietly however, it burst into new life in the dark grotto of my cabinetry. This exquisite thing grew out of a chunk of purple cabbage that I’d put under the sink to go out for compost. It was elegantly twisted, like a dragon at a Chinese New Year celebration. Some time ago, I found a strange bloom in the kitchen. Conscious Dreaming‘s innovative system of dream-catching and transpersonal interpretation, of dream re-entry adn keeping a dream journal enables the reader to tap the deepest sources of creativity and intuition and make better choices in the critical passages of life.Compassion is the magic ingredient that turns our personal “compost” into personal evolution. In the dreamscape, we not only glimpse future events, we can also develop our ability to choose more carefully between possible futures. Moss’s methods are easy, effective, and entertaining, animated by his skillful retelling of his own dreams and those of his students-and the dreams’ often dramatic insights and outcomes.Īccording to Moss, some shamans believe that nothing occurs in ordinary reality unless it has been dreamed first.
Author Robert Moss explains how to apply shamanic dreamwork techniques, most notably from Australian Aboriginal and Native American traditions, to the challenges of modern life and embark on dream journeys. A leader of dream workshops and seminars details a unique, nine-step approach to understanding dreams, using contemporary dreamwork techniques developed from shamanic cultures around the world.Ĭonscious Dreaming shows you how to use your dreams to understand your past, shape your future, get in touch with your deepest desires, and be guided by your higher self.