h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I do not take anything to be about unworthiness
I do not believe you are!

Hey Isn't that a folk song lyric?
Answers blowing in the wind

I suppose it could mean that the answers I seek will not be found written down anywhere or coming from any teacher. That could be why the figure was faceless and the words were buried in the sand. Maybe each of us has to discover it independently and it is personal for each of us. The questions may be universal, but the answers are personal and reside inside of us rather than outside.

Or maybe the answer is that there aren't any answers. Maybe this searching is a narcissistic waste of time - an attempt to find meaning in the meaningless. We should just get on with our lives. Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die.

Too many possibilities. The dream has upset me and I wish I could forget it. But I can't.

Dearest Hyp

I am generally reluctant to offer interpretations of dreams, because while there are archetypes there is usually so much personal stuff in them it becomes impossible to offer any real clarity at all. However, in this dream of yours there do seem to be some clear pointers. I'll share them with you, but please do only take notice if they resonate.

All spiritual traditions, and also freeflow journeys, have a wasteland, a wilderness experience. It seems to be part of the deal, part of the journey. It might not be too pleasant, in fact can be pretty scary, isolating and confusing, but it is vital. To wander into a place where nothing is fixed or known, where you can slough off the know and rigid, surrender, enables you to realise some basic truths.

To know not, and to know you know not is one of the most precious places to be. It is the place where you stand at the door of everything, of not needing things, or you, to be fixed,known, definable, but to be what they are. Splendidly multifacted and flowing, unpredictable and confusing.

In the end it is ones interpretation of that which makes or breaks you. Why would you think you were unworthy to know? Why not instead consider the possiblity that you are precious enough to be taken on this journey into the unknown?

Why see yourself as alone? Yes, in one way you are, in others not at all. I am here, as are others.

The face, the faceless one. Perhaps he has your face, because your perspective, your journey is your own, perfect for you, even if it may often feel to be not the case at all.

Sorry, I think I may be getting a bit carried away here. I do know how horrible such a place can feel, but I also know for me at least that when I gave in to it so much became clear.

Momenta, I think I was writing about a different kind of "knowing" in my last post. That's why I put it in inverted commas. The thoughts,even my thoughts, have got a bit at cross purposes. I was attempting to point to a better way of relating for all, not just a total sharing with one person in the present state of things. I think I replied to you, Hypatia, a while back that I see a "summit" of all-knowing and that we are all on differing routes to it. We just don't need or want to know all the intimate details of each other's "climb", but we can and do share much in an agreed loving partnership, We are, in that case attempting the climb together. Even then the route to the top has many unknowns and challenges which are uniquely our own. One could not afford to be always exchanging the fine details with the other, just would not be relevant.
It occurs to me now, Momenta that the kind of "knowing", intuition? that you experience with others, even on line is much akin to what I see at the "summit". The "summit" is, of course only an analogy. Perhaps I should call it a realisation. It might be, relatively speaking, a gift on your part but it is there waiting for everyone if they can arrive at it. The implication from this is that both kinds of knowing can run side by side. The evolving one will not erode individuality but fulfil it as, one by one we apply the the all-knowing Love of our "core" to each other. I like , first to think that I'm on track with this notion and, second that we will be super-conscious of everyone's being.

Hypatia, I find your dream fascinating. I have liking, even a longing for wilderness in waking life. In a dream, once I approached what looked like the forward edge of a huge glacier, though it really had to be rock formation. I knew I had been there before and longed to go there again, ie. up on to the plateau and beyond. But some kind of discipline within me said, "you have other priorities to attend to".
I'm sorry your dream distressed you. I feel that reflects, what you express to us from time to time, that you feel a bit trapped.
I have some other thoughts on the dream content which I can put forward if you desire. I think abbi and momenta have given a good positive support. You are definitely not as alone as the dream had you thinking. I seem to remember on another of your Circle threads, can't pinpoint which, you got inspiration from "a rock and its oneness with the earth" Did this weave itself into the dream?
As ever, ed.

I hope you feel better Hypatia.
I know what dreams with a bad emotional hang-overs feel like

One corny saying I've found to be true and hope it is for you.
It is darkest before the dawn.

You can ask for another dream or for the same lesson another way. If it is an important one, it will happen on it's own.
Did you write it down?
Read it again if you did, something new may take priority within it.

Thanks everyone. It helps to be able to talk. I feel better after reading your suggestions.

I think ed has probably hit the nail on the head. I do feel trapped by all of my responsibilities and sometimes resent the source of them. I try to tell myself that this too will pass and to resign myself to the situation instead of fighting it. But apparently my brain is doing a beter job of accepting it than my psyche.

Anyway, it is reasonable to assume that the dream was an acting out of frustration and that the feeling of emptiness and hopelessness came out of feeling like there is no way out of my situation.

As to why I assumed it had something to do with unworthiness, that goes back to my early religious training - the notion that few of us will ever be worthy of salvation and that there is nothing we can do to actually earn it. Salvation is a gift that depends upon faith alone. This again is a situation of my brain telling me one thing and my psyche believing something else. It is difficult to overcome early conditioning. Especially where guilt is involved.

Which brings up a long-term complaint of mine about giving children religious instruction before they are old enough understand the nuances. It perpetuates ignorance - but that's fuel for another conversation.

The rock buried in the earth comes from John of the Cross. He never fails to inspire me. I suppose I could have subconsciously been thinking about his example since I read it again not long ago.

I have a question about dreams in general, but I think I'll take it over to the dream thread.

Hypatia

Abbi, I didn't write it down. I keep saying that I'm going to keep a notebook handy for that purpose, but I don't do it.

Glad you have gotten some inspiration from brain storming about the dream.

Great to recognize the rock is/has been important to you
That's a personal symbol that may return in future dreams!
You may even get a series going around that theme.

It can happen!
It can become a way of validating a message for your heart.
You may even be able to ask for the rock to appear.

I think it helpful to identify with each of the images in a dream and see what you might think if you were coming from any one of them, including the rock or the sand etc. I would see the wind as the wind of change in your life, Hypatia. Go with it. There is light at the end as abbi writes, "the dawn". Also "the answer is blowing in the wind".
I feel for you, Hyp., ed.

If there's no wound on the hand, that hand can hold poison. Poison won't penetrate where there's no wound. There's no evil for those who don't do it.

-Dhammapada, 9, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

This showed up this morning in my mailbox. I think it's interesting. Not long ago an acquaintance - won't call her a friend - came into the library and proceeded, out of the blue, to start unloading a bunch of stuff about being under attack from devils. She then made a statement something to the effect that it was because she was holy and holy people are always prey for demons.

The Buddhist saying seems to indicate the opposite.

It never ceases to amaze me that the sayings that arrive each morning relate to things I have been discussing with someone or thinking about. I know the same mailings go out to thousands of people. But I think it's anyway.

And before you ask, yes, I am used as a confidant for some reason by lots of people. I feel like a bartender sometimes. Some of the things that people tell me are pretty strange. I must be a good listener.

That's a really interesting quote Hyp. I can't really go into the details of a thread on a similar topic elsewhere, but it is along very similar lines.

What I find so fascinating about it is that there appear to be two schools of people there. One who see evil wherever they turn, and feel the need to protect others, to fight said evil and so on; and the others who see no evil, who have nothing to fight because they focus on other matters, and have little trouble with life other than the challenges they see as opportunities.

Neither group have much understanding of each other. The group that focus on evil actually laugh at the apparent naivety and apparent foolishness of the others.

I wonder why this happens, that to both the reality of their perceptions so accurate and true no other can exist.That they cannot see the perceptions of the other have validity.

I agree totally with you, Momenta. Both extremes seem unproductive. The person who sees no evil is happier, I'm sure. But the truth is that bad things do happen to good people. Not all dark clouds have silver linings.

I think we should strive for balance. I know that it's difficult to achieve - at least for me.

I always think of balance being a huge key
It is hard, but just trying teaches so much in the process.

That is Einsteins question - Friendly or Hostile?
The answer is key to our perceptions.
All is viewed through that lens

It makes a hugh difference how we react to things. In most instances we make our own happiness or unhappiness. So when we find evil - and I do believe it exists - we need to recognize it for what it is and form a reaction to it that lets us rise above it. I think that is different than taking the attitude that the evil isn't there and doesn't touch us.

Momenta, I've been meaning to ask you a question about your daughter. Does she relate well to kids her own age? Having a child with special gifts must be very rewarding, but challenging as well.

H

Hi All

Just spent a fascinating and enlightening weekend living fluid spirituality with someone I met online but who though from America is now living in England. As with my last encounters, as I think I may have mentioned previously (forgive if not) it was just as anticipated, flowing, fascinating, both daring to be what we were, make mistakes and then notice what we were doing and sharing the experience as it was rather than as perhaps we might have had in mind.

To be able to live that with another human being, for however brief a period, is a gift, to see how things could possibly be, to be part of one another's liberation rather than bondage to who we think we ought to be, a blessing to each other on our journey, it makes me smile, and I am glad of it.

My daughter relates to children her own age, but not too well Hypatia. She is often totally mystified by the way other children behave, and can tend to observe them, because to fully participate tends to mean pain or bemusement at their lack of consistancy and honesty. It is challenging, but not for this reason. She says to me all the time she is really glad she has me to talk about it with.

The challenging bit is that I can't get away with much at all. 'Shall we go here?' says I. 'Why are you asking me' says she,' it's not a question is it? We'll be going anyway'. Oooops, spotted!

Where's everyone gone?

I'm here. Just totally uninspired of late.

My husband said that he started having serious psychic experiences when he was around 4 or 5 and that he has talked to others who began being aware that they were 'different' at about that age. Having never experienced anything like that, I can't imagine what it would be like.

F steadfastly refuses to have anything to do with the computer, but he is the one who should be in this conversation - not me.

H

*waves*
Computer troubles
Trying to catch up when it decides to work.
Of course the site rarely works when the computer does *sigh*
I'll be back......

Hyp, I like talking to you!

Tell aforementioned husband from me (should you so wish of course) that I was the most dreadful bigot about the net for years, and I have had to eat my words. I have 'met' the sort of people I have longed to talk with for years.

Abbi awwww