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March 27 through April 2, 2023

We'll feel quite invincible as the week begins, sharing our thoughts and hopes with anyone who'll listen under Monday's Gemini Moon. With all the planetary shifts we went through last week, this is a good time to go inward and ask for spiritual direction before we make our next move. Ride the waves on Tuesday and Wednesday as the Cancer Moon promotes introspection and emotional balance. With the Moon traveling through Leo Thursday through Saturday, we'll be drawn to focus on ourselves. More self-care, commitments to healthier living, and restoring our balance of give and take are essential now before we don our spiritual armor and set out to slay all those dragons standing in the way of our dreams! The Virgo Moon holds reign on Sunday, inspiring us to clear a physical path to our goals, so addressing clutter, clearing out our cyber inboxes, and organizing our homes and schedules will be a theme.

Healing the 3 Faces of Our Shadow through Deep Dreaming, by Linda Yael Schiller

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

Our Light and Dark Sides
Our Shadow side, in our dreams and in our lives, is the counterpart or counterbalance to the Light. We need both to be whole. Shadow, a Jungian term, refers to those parts of ourselves that we wish to bury or disallow or not acknowledge. We unconsciously make invisible or dissociate from the parts that we are embarrassed of, of our hidden or forbidden desires, or even the strengths we have that we have not yet owned or lived up to. Jung tells us that, "People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own souls. One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious." We need to honor and recognize both sides to be fully whole and learn to make our darkness both conscious and healed or befriended.

When parts of ourselves or our history are not allowed expression or are unresolved, they can show up in our dreams as a monster: as a dark or evil force, as something that is chasing us or endangering us. Those lurking dark figures, those creepy slithering beasts, those masked men or women—all can be a sign of our shadow. Literature and myth are full of these figures, from Medusa the snaky-haired Gorgon to Darth Vader (later challenged by his son, Luke Skywalker, using the Lightsaber as his weapon in a historic battle between good and evil.) There was an old radio show called "The Shadow," whose creepy weekly tagline was, "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!"

The Three Faces of Shadow in our Lives
What has not been widely talked about are the three faces of our shadow in our dreams and in our lives. It is mostly thought of at the personal layer with our personal challenges, traumas, and demons. What are less widely known are the ancestral and world shadows that can also show up in our dreams. From the science of epigenetics, we are learning that more than eye color and height can be inherited: the vicissitudes of life that our parents, our grandparents and even our more distant ancestors lived through can show up and effect our lives and our dreams. What is occurring in the world around us, what Jung called our collective unconscious, can also seep into our dreamscapes and we can dream of worldwide events that are not part of our personal history.

At the first layer, the personal layer, our shadow consists of the unhealed or unacknowledged parts of ourselves. The old hurts or traumas, or our own greedy or envious or foot-dragging parts can be here. For example, my client Samantha had a woman in her dreams blocking her path who moved ever so slowly and kept stopping and keeping her from getting out of the hole she was stuck in. Her Shadow side was the "Slow Woman" who kept her stuck in indecision and prevented her from action in her life.

To understand the second layer, the ancestral layer, we need only look at the nature/nurture paradigm. Some parts of our selves are governed by our genetic overlay, and some by the environment in which we have grown up. I think this is a false dichotomy, however, as we are parented by caretakers who have their own histories, for better and for worse, as did their parents, and so on and so on. One client of mine, Helene, was told by her mother that it was dangerous to be beautiful or visible since that could attract violence against her. Helene had lived her life suppressing her feminine strengths because of this fear. In investigating her family history, she discovered that her grandmother had been sexually assaulted as a child and passed this fear on to her daughter, who in turn passed it on to Helene. Neither Helene nor her mother had personally been assaulted, yet they behaved in life as if they had and feared most men as dangerous. Once Helene realized that she was carrying a family story that was not her own, she was able to do the work of divesting herself of it and come more fully into her own power. (Mark Wolyn's book, It Didn't Start With You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle, explains this concept in great detail.)

Finally, to understand how the world shadow may show up in our dreams, the most recent and common world dream shadow can be exemplified by the plethora of pandemic dreams we have been experiencing worldwide. As the Covid pandemic progresses and morphs, our dreams have shifted with it—themes of bugs, infections, being sequestered, and vaccine hopes. (Deidre Barret chronicaled this in her book Pandemic Dreams.) War, famine, refugee status, and climate change, to name a few, can also show up as world shadows in our personal dreams. We can dream for ourselves, we can dream for our family, and we can dream for our community and our land. Dreaming for the land can show up in our dreams in any form of a ravaged or endangered landscape, and many native and indigenous peoples have been urging us for centuries to dream these dreams forward with healing intentions, ceremonies, and actions to restore our lands. This can be part of our healing and redemption as well, for what we do at one level of action or consciousness affects all others.

Confronting the Vampire
For twenty years, my friend Jason had been followed around by a dark Shadow figure in his dreams that seemed to embody all three parts of this shadow. In the most recent of these dreams, a vampire figure showed up for him in a glass coffin, calling to him to join him on the dark side. Below we will look specifically at what this recurring dream had come to tell him and how it became resolved.

In working with his dream using the GAIA method of Guided Active Imagination Approach, along with hypnotherapy and journeying practices, he was able to identify and resolve all three faces of the shadow in his vampire-in-a-coffin dream mentioned above. Jason has been on a journey in his personal life to conquer addiction and his pull to the dark side of spirit, and to come into his own as a good and powerful man. At one level, the en-coffined vampire calling out to him was the face of his own personal history: needing to be watchful of and aware of his own dark side. Jason also related to me that his father had a history of alcoholism, so there was a family legacy piece as well. On the larger world spiritual and multiverse level, Jason was once told by a shamanic practitioner that there was a curse on his family, and that the men would be "Tragic Men" because of grave misdeeds in the past.

As we worked with his dream, his first inclination was to enter the room not only with the protection of the mentors and the bubble of light he had gathered up during Part 1 of the GAIA method (before entering the dreamscape to enhance safety and protection), but with guns blazing to do away with the vampire once and for all. I encouraged him to slow down and not demolish the vampire before finding out if there was a message or a gift for him hidden in the coffin or the dead-yet-alive man. This is important when we work with dark figures on our dreams: Don't just react to our gut instinct to kill them off; first find out, from a vantage point of safety, who they are and why they are there, and what their message is for you When Jason was able to do this, he could find within his safety net his own heart of compassion and get closer to the figure to really see who he was and what he wanted.

Then, when he peered into the glass coffin, low and behold he found an aspect of himself that needed further healing: both his current "me" and the long ancestral line of men who had come before him. He then climbed into the coffin with the vampire, held him close, and the terrifying vampire turned to ash in his arms. The final action step from this dream was to take some of the ash into his own heart, and then take the remainder and give it a proper burial. Later that day he created a ceremony whereby he wrote out the words Vampire and Dark Man on a piece of paper, burned it, and buried the ashes out in his yard in his pet cemetery. What a nice way to put an end to the old year and bring in the new, as we did this work the first day of the new year. The curse was broken.

To learn more about healing your Shadow and the GAIA method, you can read PTSDreams: Transforming your Nightmares from Trauma through Healing Dreamwork and Modern Dreamwork: New Tools for Decoding Your Soul's Wisdom.

Bibliography:
Barrett, Deidre, ed. Trauma and Dreams, Harvard University Press, 2001, 1986
_______________Pandemic Dreams, Oneiroi Press, 2020
Bosnak, Robert, Tracks in the Wilderness of Dreaming, Delacourte Press, 1996
Dannu, Ayala, Ancestral Dreaming and Why it Needs to be a Part of the Dream Studies Conversation, Dreamtime, Fall 2019
Dunlea, Marion, BodyDreaming in the Treatment of Developmental Trauma, Routledge, Press, 2019
Herman, Judith, Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence-From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror, New York, Basic Books, 1992
Jesamine, "The Shadow: What You Do Behind Your Own Back," blogpost www.counselinginzurich.com
Perry, Christopher, "Shadow," www.webarchiveofthesocietyofanalyticalpsychology, 2020
Schiller, Linda, Modern Dreamwork: New Tools for Decoding Your Soul's Wisdom, Llewellyn Worldwide Publishing, 2019
__________, PTSDreams: Transforming your Nightmares form Trauma through Healing Dreamwork, Llewellyn Worldwide Publishing, Sept. 2022
Wolynn, Mark, It Didn't Start With You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle, Viking Random House Press, 2016

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2022. All rights reserved.

On three separate occasions, I have heard my name yelled out by a disembodied voice while I was sleeping. The first time this happened, I heard my departed mother yell Yolanda! and it woke me up. The second time, I heard my dad yell my name in his Spanish accent, but no one was home but me. This also startled me and woke me up. The third time, I heard my boyfriend yell my name and a door slam shut. I awoke to again find I was home alone. Do you know what this could be? It scares me because the voices sound so real, and I feel crazy because there is no one home and no reasonable explanation for this.

Yolanda

Susyn:

Based on the details in your question, I assume that your mother resides in the spirit world while your father and boyfriend are still living. Spirits will often speak to us through our dreams or awaken us from deep sleep. That is not unusual. To hear your boyfriend and father do the same suggests that they were either astral projecting to you in their sleep, or that different spirits or guides mimicked their voices to get your attention.

I am of the belief that when you hear something three times from different sources, there is an important message trying to get through to you. To have your mother, father and boyfriend awaken you by calling your name in the middle of the night, only to discover no one there, tells me that someone is trying to get your attention for a very specific reason.

You hear nothing but your name, which is just enough to get your attention. When this sort of phenomenon occurs, we don't know what to make of it, which sends us on a quest to figure out what is happening and why. This kind of wake-up call can be particularly disconcerting because we have to figure out what someone is trying to say to us on our own. That these are the three people you are closest to suggests that the message someone is trying to get through to you is very important.

In my experience, there is always a reason behind the phenomenon you describe, especially when it keeps recurring. I recommend you stop and ask yourself if there is anything you are doing or not doing that might cause your loved ones concern or worry. You can ask your father and boyfriend directly if this is the case, though I wouldn't assume that they would remember coming to you in spirit form or speaking your name.

Whether you are facing a life-changing situation, have gotten off track somehow, or need to be alerted to an impending problem, the messages will continue until you determine what they mean, after which these voices should stop. Sometimes the reason is obvious, while at other times, no matter how hard we try, we just can't seem to get the message.

While it's most likely that you're being alerted to important guidance, it's possible that your loved ones are just thinking of you and checking in with you. If you can't determine why this keeps happening on your own, you may want to meet with a psychic who can speak to your mother directly and ask your spirit guides what you're supposed to be getting from all of this so you can quickly clarify the message involved and start taking action on it.

*****

Oceania:

While it's possible that your mother's spirit and the higher selves of your father and boyfriend were calling your name to get your attention, it's also possible that these calls originated from your unconscious mind during a dream state. It's easy to wake up from a dream because our brains are nearly awake at that point in the sleep cycle.

As the three most significant people in your life are calling you to wake up, I think you are wise to pay attention. You might be picking up cues from them when you're awake that you're overlooking because you're busy, and only realize that they have something important to tell you when you're quietly resting.

To receive guidance from your inner wisdom or your loved ones, you must schedule time in your daily or weekly routine to be present in the moment and fully aware of your body, thoughts and feelings. Activities that support introspection include meditation, yoga stretches, journaling and artwork. Begin right now. Stop reading and take three slow, deep, relaxing breaths. Next, close your eyes and picture yourself in a safe and peaceful place. Envision your ideal self standing before you. What qualities does she have? Identify three baby steps that would move you closer to becoming her.

Another helpful exercise is to imagine that you ARE your mom, dad and boyfriend, one at a time. Imagine you are your mother and that you are sitting in a chair across from yourself. As your mother, what would you like to tell yourself? Don't think about it; just speak whatever comes to you as it comes. Of course, it is also possible that you have unresolved issues with these three individuals. Think back to when your mother was alive. What did you need most from her? What do you need most from your father and boyfriend? Share something genuine and heartfelt with each of these three.

It is also possible that these sleep intruders represent parts of YOU, each trying to deliver a message to your conscious mind. The Mother part of you is the nurturer, self-protector, and boundary-setter. Name one thing you could do to better preserve and nurture your authentic self. The Father part is your encourager, empowerer, and inner coach. In what way could you go for it, take a risk, exercise courage and discipline? The Partner part is your companion, ally and advocate. Is there a situation in your life where you need to stand up for yourself and be more assertive?

Please don't be afraid when you receive these wake-up calls, for they are opportunities to stretch, learn and grow!

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.