KAJAMA.COM NEWSLETTER

January 16 through January 22, 2023

Happy Chinese New Year of the Rabbit! This new year kicks off early, officially starting on Sunday. In the days coming up to it, we’ll have virtual musical chairs of planets shifting as we prepare once again to greet a new year. Monday’s Scorpio Moon will carry an intense vibration, enabling us to get a lot of things taken care of that have been on the back burner since last year. A lighter energy prevails on Tuesday and Wednesday as the Moon dances through Sagittarius, but we’ll have to watch for oversensitive people or emotional outbursts here and there. Part of the cause will be Mercury turning direct in Capricorn on Wednesday. This can cause miscommunication and technical glitches are sure to try our last nerves! The Sun will move into Aquarius on Friday and meet up with Pluto, giving us a sense of destiny and karma to guide our way forward. On Saturday the Aquarius new Moon will occur, which then dictates the beginning of the Chinese New Year on Sunday. To add to the melee, Uranus will turn direct after four months of backward motion and cement the idea that new beginnings are upon us! With the Sun moving into Aquarius, the new Moon in Aquarius, Aquarius’ ruling plant Uranus going direct (as well as Mercury), and the Chinese New Year all happening within a matter of days, the message is clear: Change is on the horizon!

The 5 Most Common Recurring Dreams, by Michael Lennox

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

When I ask people about their dreams, many times they will recount experiences of crazy landscapes where anything can happen (and probably will). But more often than not, what I hear about is the regularly recurring, repetitive dream that has haunted the dreamer their entire life; I hear over and over again from people that they "always dream of ______" (fill in the blank). It is not that these people have no dream imagination; it is much more about the effectiveness of the dream process as a tool for helping the mind achieve balance.

As an example, say you are someone who has a recurring dream of driving a car up a hill. The hill is steep. You keep going, only to get to the point where finally you are at such an incline your car can no longer move forward; you begin to slide backward, out of control. The feeling is terrifying as you completely lose control while the car careens backward, and you are left panicked and useless as you plummet to what is certain death. And then, of course, you wake up.

You dream this dream frequently, perhaps monthly, and have done so for years. This is simply a function of your mind's dynamic response to this particular image: it is perfectly suited to accurately express the various stresses of your individual life. It hardly matters what it is in your waking life that inspires the dream. An argument with a friend or a large credit card bill that you are worried about paying on time could both illicit the very same dream. Both waking-life circumstances are clearly very different in nature, but the dream that helps your restore your psychic balance is the same.

Recurring dreams are not necessarily the most common dreams that people have, but they are the ones that are most readily remembered and frequently talked about when I do workshops. I assume that this is because of the fact that they recur, keeping them in the forefront of the mind of dreamers. And this is, of course, what the underlying purpose of a recurring dream actually is. If a dream comes again and again, it is attempting to do something very specific: it is trying to get your attention.

Stress is a constant companion to us in the Western world. We are born into it, and for most of us, it is a way of approaching life that has become a macabre sort of paradox as an actual tool for getting through life. Presented with obligations and obstacles, we have grown to believe that the ensuing stress itself is what helps us to effectively meet those obligations and overcome those obstacles. This is, of course, a magnificent lie that is not only tragic in its utter fallacy; it is a misconception that is fatal. Stress kills.

There are all kinds of beneficial and scientifically proven stress combatants, from exercise, meditation, medication, yoga, breath work; the list goes on and on. However, there is one prominent, organic tool for reducing stress that is built into the human mechanism, one that is—without a doubt—the most effective one there is: dreaming.

The stress an individual experiences throughout their lives changes. The stressful areas of life that are causing anxiety will change as you age and move through various circumstances and stages of life. What will not always be different, however, is the way in which the unconscious mind will use dreams to regulate that stress and reduce it to non-lethal levels, allowing you to wake up each morning and do it all over again.

Because the human mind is economical, it will often turn to a recognizable image that has worked in the past to convey certain emotional states. We experience this in the form of a recurring dream. These are those pervasive dreams that trouble us from time to time, such as being chased, falling, or being naked in public, to name a few common ones. These are not usually filled with elaborate plots and characterizations, but are rather simplistic with a familiar theme.

Here are the five most common, stress-related, recurring dreams:

1. 1. Being Chased: A person who regularly dreams of being chased will likely not have much detail beyond the act of running from the enemy, who is often unknown to them. Then unknown enemies are remembered as frightening and usually leave the dreamer with residual anxiety. This common dream serves an important purpose when our waking life presents us with scary life experiences. A person under excessive stress might experience this dream image in order to process the unconscious fears that come up as the result of chaos in their lives. Their ability to survive the danger or panic present in the dream may actually be helping them navigate their daytime obstacles. It is in living out the raw blast of unbridled fear in their dreams that allows them to wake up feeling a sense of balance that without the dream would leave them emotionally ragged.

1. 1. Falling: Falling is actually the only fear with which we are naturally born. Everything else we come to fear are notions we add to the mix, but gravity is a very real thing that we must contend with; disrespect its laws and it can be fatal. We spend our entire lifetime controlling our environments in an attempt to protect ourselves from the dangers of gravity. Extend that out a bit and you can see that we also attempt to control all sorts of things in anticipation of perceived dangers, some that exist and most that are imagined. Falling in a dream is to feel out of control. You never know when or where you're going to land, and it's not the fall that kills you, it's the sudden stop. This dream will come when you are feeling that you have no control over some circumstance in your life.

1. 1. Back To School: The dream of returning unprepared to a high school setting also falls into the category of helping with daily stress and chaos. It will often recur when one is not feeling ready or prepared for whatever life is presenting. At a moment where the ability to perform is under scrutiny, a person might dream of being back in high school and unprepared for a test. Any dream that points out this sort of vulnerability is helping to balance out underlying feelings of inadequacy, insecurity, or overwhelming responsibility. Since it was in high school that we were first faced with accountability, the same need to prove ourselves in adult life may spark such a dream.

1. 1. Apocalypse: The world coming to an end seems like an awful thing. However, behind this frightening and destructive scenario there is a built-in redemptive quality just beyond the devastation: there will be a new world that emerges in the future. All change includes some element of the death-rebirth cycle; something must be sacrificed in order for something new to emerge. In this way, any image that involves this principle is actually a positive expression about change being at hand. An apocalypse implies that the entire world is coming to an end and is a symbolic expression of so much change all at once, it feels as if everything you know is shifting and transforming. Change is scary.

1. 1. Tsunami: Water connects to our emotional nature and the unconscious mind, whereas land represents the conscious. A tsunami is an enormous wave that is completely unavoidable, and that surges up from the depths and destroys everything in its path. Emotions can act in the same way, rising up from the unconscious parts of ourselves of which we are not typically aware. They overwhelm us. Many people engage in complex inner avoidance mechanisms that will, eventually, cease to work. It is this fear of being overwhelmed by emotional content that is being expressed in a dream of a pending tsunami.

1. Bonus: Teeth And just for good measure, I'm going to throw in one of my favorite, though less ubiquitous, recurring dream images: the one where your teeth crumble, disintegrate, or simply fall out of your mouth. Your teeth accomplish several things. Firstly, they aid in digestion by preparing the nutrition in your food to be absorbed by your body. In this way, they relate to self-care and nurturing. Secondly, when you reveal them in a smile, you draw people to you. In this way, they are related to attracting love. Conversely, if you reveal your teeth in a snarl, you can protect yourself through aggression. Nurturance, love, and protection: without these things, life would feel pretty unsafe—and you would naturally feel quite insecure. This is a dream sparked by moments of insecurity and is usually helping you navigate through a moment when life is causing you to doubt yourself.

So the next time you have any one of these dreams, ask yourself where in your life might you be experiencing the stress that may have caused it. Your dreams are trying to tell you something; the more you pay attention, the more they can reveal. The most important thing to remember is that as disturbing as these dreams can be, they are happening for your benefit. You do, after all, survive the terrifying onslaught to wake up and do it all over again.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2015. All rights reserved.

Life has been tough lately. I can't find work, had to fight to get grant money to upgrade my skills, and have been fighting the VA to upgrade my disability. I was at a metaphysical fair a while back, and while looking at some merchandise, this woman walked up to me and told me that the Universe wants me to rest, and that's why I'm having all these problems, why I can't seem to get a job, etc. Does the Universe/Spirit decide such things as when I need a rest in my life? I have worked most of my life and have chosen to remain single. I have gone through all my assets and I am scared I will not have enough to retire on. If what that woman said is true, the Universe/Spirit has picked the damnedest time to force me to rest. I don't know if I can handle much more, especially living here in the desert. What do you think?

- Karen

Dreamchaser:

Karen, you say that "the Universe/Spirit has picked the damnedest time to force" you to rest. Would there have been a better time in your life? Were you ever at a point where you were able, in any form, to take a rest? I would venture to say the answer to those questions is "no." There is no good time (in our human opinions) for struggle. We tend to say, "Why NOW?" Well, as I said, it is not like there going to be a better time.

Whenever we struggle in any way (with finances, health, faith, etc.), we tend to try to find a solution or an answer. The iceberg theory applies here: we can usually only see just the tip of things. Under the surface, there is this HUGE mountain of ice that is keeping everything frozen. You cannot see why this is happening, so your efforts to try to fix things are not really helping at all. There is a bigger plan. You just are not privy to it at this time, so all the fixing that you are trying to do is not accomplishing much of anything except making you tired.

I keep flashing back to a man from the Christian Bible named Job. I am sure you have heard of him. His problems were not even about his life. His problems were a result of God and the Devil doing battle - a bet, if you will. All Job did "wrong" was be the most just man on the planet. He was tortured for being too GOOD. I think you need to look at Job as an example in your own life. Read about him if you want. Maybe you'll get some much-needed inspiration.

You also said another mouthful when you said, "I am scared." This is like a light switch. It cannot be on and off at the same time. We cannot be walking in faith and afraid at the same time. You believe in Spirit enough to go to a metaphysical fair and listen to something a woman walked up and told you out of the blue. Maybe you should go find your faith that went missing. If you could find it, you would stop trying to fix things, and you would be at peace with how things are, because you would know that things would move again when the time is right.

I do understand how you feel. We all lose our faith from time to time. It is time for you to go looking for it again. You have worried and tried to fix things for long enough. Just because we are suffering and things are very difficult does not mean that Spirit has abandoned us. It just means that we are going through hard times and they've gotten the better of us. It's easy to trust when things are good. Are we really THAT fickle?

I wish you attainment.

*****

Astrea:

We are LUCKY. No matter what happens, something always comes along to save us. You can't find a job right now? When you get down to your last two nickels, a dream job will fall right into your lap. You can't get yourself motivated to get going? Something will come along after this last Mercury Retrograde that will inspire you.

Everyone gets depressed from time to time, but a Sag knows how to blast herself out of that state. You need to do some BLASTING, that's all. Blast away at that feeling of lethargy; giving up is dangerous. NEVER GIVE UP!

I know what an awful year it's been for you: piles of stress piling onto more big piles of stress that were there already, people being ugly and rude, family letting you down at every turn. Yes, I do know. This next year (2004), however, is going to be FABULOUS for FIRE SIGNS! We're finally going to slow down enough to allow the abundance the Universe has planned for us to come into our lives.

Perhaps this was what the lady in the store was trying to tell you. Sit tight and wait and rest NOW, and let these things start to stack up on the POSITIVE side of your life. You're going to be so busy in 2004 making money and having a good time that this is the only "down time" you'll have for a long time. Take advantage of it until January 6, and then go ALL OUT to get what you've only dreamed of before.

As for the Universe wanting us to REST - OH! If that was so, I would be back in bed this morning! Whether it's a blessing or not, a Sag is DRIVEN. We're driven to do everything BUT rest! From my own Sagittarius experience, I know very well that "rest" is a foreign concept to us; it's something we do when we're SICK. It's that way with all Fire Signs, but we seem to get an extra dose of "busy hands are happy hands." Even if you're not working, you can be creating. Write, dance, walk, run, play! Lots of exercise will help your head get straightened out, and will lift that depression, too!

As tempting as it might be to heed the stranger who came up to you in that store, I think you know that was just the Devil trying to make you get all lazy. As a Sag, you have to take charge of your own life EVERY SINGLE DAY to make sure you get as much out of each day as possible. Life is too short for us; more so than for any other sign. Gosh, GIRL, have some FUN!

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.