KAJAMA.COM NEWSLETTER

Spirit and Dream Animals, by Richard Webster

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

Many years ago, while doing some research in Hong Kong, I accidentally overheard two women talking about dream animals. I went into a café and sat down at a table next to an attractive Asian lady and her American friend. I wasn't paying any attention to their conversation, until I suddenly heard the Asian lady explaining the concept of animal dreaming to her friend. According to her, if a woman dreamt of an animal about the time she became pregnant, her baby would possess the qualities of the animal she had dreamt about. I was fascinated, and after apologizing for overhearing the conversation, asked if I could join in.

The two ladies were very kind and gracious, and allowed me to join them. I learned that, in Asia, dreams are believed to be created by a lack of energy. However, dreaming of an animal does the opposite. These dreams create energy, in addition to providing valuable clues about the personality of the unborn child. I also learned that not all pregnant women dream of animals. These dreams occur only if the unborn child has significant potential.

The Asian woman leaned towards me. "Did you know that Buddha's mother dreamed of a gorgeous white elephant with six tusks that ran around her bed three times?" she asked. "That's a classic example of a prophetic animal dream."

I chatted with the two ladies for about an hour. Just before leaving them, I learned that it was important that the mother-to-be told no one about her animal dreams. "My mother had several dreams involving me before I was born," the Asian lady told me. "She told me they were good, but that's all she's told me about them."

When I returned to my hotel, I wrote down everything I could remember about the conversation. As I'm interested in both dreams and animal symbolism, I tried to learn more about the dreams pregnant women have about animals. Unfortunately, the people I spoke to weren't able to tell me anything that the two women hadn't already covered.

About ten years later, while in Singapore, I was fortunate enough to meet a lady who made her living interpreting t'aimeng, which are predictive dreams about unborn children. Once I got to know her, she was happy to answer my questions, and encouraged me to write Spirit & Dream Animals.

A month or two after that, I had a predictive dream. In the dream I was driving into the city on the freeway. The car in front of me had a personalized plate that read "animal." One week later, I was driving along the same stretch of road that had been in my dream, and saw a car with the personalized plate "anamal." The spelling was slightly different, but it was obviously an omen. Over the years, I've learned to act on these, and a week or two later I began working on the book.

Although I first heard about predictive dreams involving animals while traveling in the Far East, they can be found all around the world. Here's an example. Olympias, the mother of Alexander the Great, dreamt that she was sleeping with Ammon, the horned god. In the dream, Ammon told her that she had conceived a male child who would be her avenger.

Men can also experience predictive dreams about their unborn children. In the Bible, Joseph experienced a predictive dream after discovering that Mary, his wife, was pregnant. An angel appeared to him in the dream and told him the unborn child, Jesus, was the Son of God (Matthew 1:20-21).

Animals are often overlooked in our dreams. However, they fulfill an important purpose. Carl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist, noticed that people frequently dream of helpful animals, or animal-headed people, when they are ill. In some way, these animals symbolize the healing process. One of the central beliefs of shamanism is the intrinsic connection between animals and humans. Shamans perform their tasks by using their power animals, or guardian spirits, to connect with the animal world. This connection frequently occurs in dreams.

Animals sometimes appear in dreams as human beings. The Jívaro people of South America find that a guardian spirit usually appears first as an animal, before appearing as a human being in a dream. The Jívaro believe that if an animal speaks to you, it is undoubtedly your power animal. It's not surprising that animals can appear in human form in our dreams, as we are both living on this planet together, and are related in many different ways.

Australian Aborigines frequently refer to "Dreamtime," when the world was fresh and new, and ancestor spirits created form and shape to the land. Some of these mythic beings were people, while others were totem animals. The ancestor spirits had the ability to change from person to animal to help them decide what they wanted to be. According to Aborigine belief, animals still remember making their choice. The great fertility mothers and male genitors created the first people; these mythic figures are eternal, and even though some are killed, disappear, or change shape in the Aboriginal mythic stories, their integral qualities remain. They are spiritually just as alive today as they ever were, and the places where they metamorphosed became, and remain, sacred grounds. In the Dreamtime, man is just one part of nature, and is not considered especially different to the mythic people and animals that live there. The land still retains its memories of the Dreamtime, as do the Aboriginal people. Everyone is given an animal spirit at birth, and this provides the person with guidance, wisdom, and protection.

Dreaming of animals can be highly beneficial. They provide comfort, advice, and protection; they even provide advance warning of upcoming danger, when necessary. Their task is to help you progress through life. Because of this, you should pay attention to your animal dreams.

You should also be aware of your guardian animals while you are awake. If you are not aware of your guardian animals, ask them to make themselves known to you in your dreams. Once you have discovered who they are, communicate with them regularly, and call on them whenever you need advice, help, or comfort.

By paying attention to your guardian animals, and the animals that appear in your dreams, you'll gain confidence and a sense of direction and purpose. Every aspect of your life will improve as a result.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2011. All rights reserved.

I have always been enchanted by the idea of fairies. Then the other day, I saw someone on television talking about how she has fairies in her garden, and all the wonderful experiences she has with them, and it made me want fairies too! Do you believe in fairies? If you do, is there some way I can invite them into my life? Can I learn to see them and have real experiences with them? I hope you can help me!

- Margaret

Dreamchaser:

If you want to attract fairies, leave them some food offerings. This will give the fairies something they want and encourage them to trust you. You might start with small cakes, candies, ginger, cookies, etc.

Do not look for the offering to disappear, however, because the fairies will not physically eat what you leave them. Fairies are capable of taking the energy from an offering, but they won't consume it entirely.

In a few days, the offering may still be there, but it will look a bit plastic or waxy. Of course, if an animal comes along and eats the offering, this is a good thing - don't shoo it away, for it may be the fairy in animal form, coming for its gift from you.

You can also plant a garden for the fairies, for they love gardens. You might want to plant bluebells and roses in your garden. Also, fairies and animals both love water, so you create a small pool in the middle of your garden. Just dig a small hole and line it, and then place rocks around the edge. You can refill the water each time you water your plants and flowers.

Fairies are wild by nature, so let a small section of your garden go totally natural and get lush with weeds. This will be a lovely place for those untamed fairies.

You can also set aside a corner, dresser, table, etc., for a fairy altar. On this altar, you can place your offerings in a basket. You can also place flowers, dirt and water there. Make it pretty but keep it warm and simple.

Fairies can be very helpful in magickal work, as they certainly are not ignorant when it comes to such matters. If you can get them to trust you, they can be a great help in your rituals and spells. Of course they will only assist in the ones that do not affect someone else's free will, like love spells often try to do, and in spells that do not harm others. Be sure to thank the fairies when you're done, and remember to give them an offering.

Fairies tend to travel in bands instead of alone. These are called Trouping Fairies, and they are the most common fairies of all. You may also occasionally encounter a solitary fairy, but these tend to be mean-spirited.

Some fairies can be seen traveling in large bands, playing music and riding their horses. These are called Raids. They are most often encountered during the holidays (Pagan and Christian alike), for they are especially active around those times.

If you look at the bottom of trees, you will often see arched openings in the trunks. These are called Fairy Doors. It is said that the fairies enter their homes in the trees through these doors. Try leaving an offering by these doors if you find them in or near your yard.

I wish you joyful fairy encounters!

*****

Astrea:

In my family, we have always accepted fairies as a fact of life. The Victorian notion of fairies is a romanticized version of the Sidhe, a fairy race said to have the power to confuse humankind.

Depending on the time of year, there are many different rituals for attracting and seeing fairies. Fairies most often appear at night in the weeks around Midsummer, but they could inhabit any woods around your home at any time during the growing season.

The big pagan ritual days are good times for seeing Fairies. Full Moon nights in Spring and Summer are good for calling them into your yard or home too.

Rubbing fern seed on your eyelids will "open" your eyes to seeing fairies. The fern seed should be gathered at midnight on Midsummer, but I've bought it at the feed store and it works almost as well.

When trying to see fairies, you must absolutely keep your mind off the mundane, everyday world. Light thoughts will draw light beings to you.

For your yard, build a "fairy ring" of stones in a circle, so they'll have a place to come and dance in the moonlight. Fill your thoughts with the beauty of natural things like plants, trees, and small sweet animals. Dance around with the fairies when you see them.

Fairies usually hibernate during the winter, but if you invite them into your home before the first day of fall, they'll move in and work magic for you all winter long. To let them know they're welcome, set up four candles in the Four Directions: green for north, red for south, blue for west, and yellow for east. Place a crystal or a brightly colored stone or marble beside each candle.

Walk in a counter-clockwise, circular motion to each candle, and sprinkle some finely ground ginger as you go. (Sprinkle just a tiny bit - don't make a mess. Fairies are little and can see even the smallest bit of any substance.)

Say this as you go: "Welcome You Fairies and Nature Spirits, I bid you enter, Kind and Good. Welcome all who wish me well."

Fairies LOVE sugar and milk. I leave a bowl for mine in my garden every Sunday night. They are very fond of cake and sweet treats of any kind. Around here, they get lots of food, love and respect.

Whenever children spill some liquid they're drinking during a picnic or when they're playing outside, NEVER scold them. Instead say, "Leave it for the fairies!" Red Chief tells me that fairies find any liquid that has touched a child's lips especially tempting and sweet!

Fairies love a giving spirit, so leave them small gifts of food regularly in your garden, on your doorstep, or any outside place you might want a fairy ring.

Now you know how to draw fairies near - let us know when you see them!

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.