In my dream, there's a tiger on the loose.
I’m standing in a city park when I see it.
It's hungry, magnificent, and moving toward me.
I freeze, hoping it will go away.
It doesn’t.
I search my mind for the correct response. (I live in Alberta. I know about bears, not tigers.) Oh my god. What am I supposed to DO?
A voice says,
Tuck into turtle position.
I drop on my knees and bend into child's pose, pulling my arms and legs beneath me, pressing my forehead to the ground.
The tiger circles, breathing me, sniffing me.
My body shakes so hard it rattles my teeth. I try to stop, but can’t. Oh my god. What am I supposed to DO?
"HOLD," the voice says. "Hold the position."
I do as it tells me and the tiger leaves.
I wake up immediately, but instead of relief, I feel shame.
I survived the ordeal with the dream tiger, but I didn't stand up to it. I didn't look it in the eyes and stare it down.
I know the tiger represents the current thing is my life that feels big and scary. My deepest desire is to FACE the tiger instead of turtling into avoidance or helplessness.
"You cowered," an inner part says with a sneer.
I recognize this voice. This is the inner critic, ruling queen of survivor brain. I know it's not inner wisdom because it hurts.
I close my eyes and drop into dream analysis and talk to the symbol directly.
Turtle Position, please tell me about yourself.
I am turtle position. I'm a direct path to truth. I provide a method of connection to a higher realm of possibility, so you can see a compassionate, alternate reality instead of your own fearful projection.
But what about warrior pose? Why not the stance of the champion who responds to fear with courageous action?
You are not ready for courageous action. You want to face the tiger and this is admirable, but your desire is rooted in wrong timing and is out of sequence. Before you can stand strong in your truth and see the beast as the illusion it is, you need to CONNECT to the truth of peace and wellbeing and your own creative power.If you engage with the tiger without this in place, you will strengthen your belief in it. By giving it your attention—by trying to get rid of it, by trying to overcome it, by trying to stare it down—you will give it life and make it REAL.
Thank you. Do you have any other words of advice?
Instead of facing the tiger, PULL FOCUS and stare into the eyes of the beloved—the higher TRUTH of love and wholeness.
My body floods with relief.
This is the voice of the higher self because it feels GOOD.
I lie there, amazed. The turtle position immobilized my arms and legs in the dream so I couldn’t rush into DOING. It put my nose to the earth, into the sweet smelling grass, forcing my attention away from the story-telling mind (that can only interpret circumstances through the lens of danger) and into the support of the present moment.
I wasn’t in a fetal position. I didn’t just roll up into a ball of helplessness.
There was intention there. I wasn't cowering or ignoring the things that need my attention. I was PAUSING, tending to the most important relationship there is—to the self-to-self connection that's always centered in higher-awareness and knowing.
One of my top ten tools is called STOP, DROP and CONNECT and THIS is what my guidance was pointing to.
Instead of taking orders from survival brain (which is always driven by fear), I was being asked to drop into a deeper dimension of awareness.
By connecting to my heart (which has a direct line to creativity and possibility) I'll be guided to the next right action step.
If you're curious about the scary tiger in my life, I'll give you a quick synopsis.
Eldercare is looming large. The funds we need for support aren't there. My time and energy are being drained. The burden seems impossibly heavy. The flashes of my future are grim.
If you're suddenly anxious for me, don't be.
This situation is only scary because of the stories my mind is telling. The things I think I "see" are really just a projection of my thoughts which are based on my own feelings of inadequacy and victimization.
It's only going to get worse
This is too big to fix
If I go down, we all go down
I can't do this
It's not fair
These scary thoughts are creating an scary image that's NOT REAL.
Thankfully, there's a simple solution . . .
Tiger, meet TURTLE.
Sending you so much love,
P.S. Eleven years ago, Martha Beck taught me an amazing method of dream analysis I instantly fell in love with. I was so inspired by the simple formula (that engages the wisdom of the subconscious) that I began practicing with every human who was willing to let me lead them through the process. (I once considered setting up a dream analysis booth at the park, if that tells you anything).
Since then, I have analyzed hundreds of dreams and am always amazed at the messages of support, benevolence and clear direction that are embedded in even the scariest nightmares. (I've found this method also works for real life situations. You don't even need a DREAM to benefit from the answers that come from doing this exercise.)
If you're interested in exploring with me, CLICK HERE.
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