tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78094147186222574132024-02-19T06:28:56.838-05:00In Search of PuellaMy Journey in Natural Dreamwork & DruidryLaura Smith-Rivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563181578141381991noreply@blogger.comBlogger104125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7809414718622257413.post-12031514929750950092023-10-22T12:03:00.002-04:002023-10-22T12:04:38.900-04:00Shark vs Dolphin and The Great Sea<p> <br><br></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjug_q9_qgEdH7O0wrVL9UzVrH0H6gkHsF5LguhJir_hDrdgwBU07wTfBr2Q0vmLqpPcJzScdk_xMJW6GtZP-3MRuUCV5HCUgwVAiL8m2lTzdGjpWo8w5z7YFyRWWlSIvQWHeD8tkKELhyxaw5Tc2CrV57Vrm4S9LfWWkgCD0QRabMzneNEuVIqLSaISk0/s4030/C3AD4AD2-4CED-4329-9FDD-F2AC59655225.jpeg"><img border="0" data-original-height="2686" data-original-width="4030" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjug_q9_qgEdH7O0wrVL9UzVrH0H6gkHsF5LguhJir_hDrdgwBU07wTfBr2Q0vmLqpPcJzScdk_xMJW6GtZP-3MRuUCV5HCUgwVAiL8m2lTzdGjpWo8w5z7YFyRWWlSIvQWHeD8tkKELhyxaw5Tc2CrV57Vrm4S9LfWWkgCD0QRabMzneNEuVIqLSaISk0/w320-h213/C3AD4AD2-4CED-4329-9FDD-F2AC59655225.jpeg" title="Reaching Towards" width="320"></a>*</div><p></p><blockquote><i>Dream: I was with my brother John and we were out on a boat. We went in the water and were swimming around under the water. It was a bright sunny day and a calm sea. I could see under the water and we went quite deep. I had a moment of fear about sharks when I saw a large fish down in the distance. It was deep so it was only a shadowy figure. We couldn’t tell if it was a shark or a dolphin. Then as we were swimming back to the boat I saw a bunch of them below me and they were dolphins. One was leading the way coming up towards me. I reached out my hand to touch her but they were still too far away. I continued to reach down towards them anticipating touching their soft smooth skin.</i></blockquote>This dream for me is a very affirming dream. It reflects how supported I often feel in my life to enter into deeper feeling, exploring the depths. It also reflects my knee-jerk, trauma induced tendency towards distrust…perhaps how I project fear and danger onto what actually might be a place of deep desire and longing. The mind says SHARK!, but what really arises is the dolphin. It is a wonderful moment in dreams where we feel our fear and stay long enough within the space to move through it and find that there is actually something quite wonderful. So, shark vs dolphin and the great sea. <br><br>Being in the water in a dream is often a profound experience for me. A moment of feeling the great unconscious, the depths, feelings/emotions, fluidity/movement, held in the vast salty womb of the great mother. In this dream, I feel the sensuality of the water on my skin, the presence of my brother and the boat as support/safety and I feel my curiosity as we dive down. As we go deeper, the water becomes a bit darker, less clear. When the shadowing figure of a larger fish comes into focus deep down, I feel fear. <br><a href="http://insearchofpuella.blogspot.com/2023/10/shark-vs-dolphin-and-great-sea.html#more">I want to read more!</a>Laura Smith-Rivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563181578141381991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7809414718622257413.post-68355597396915170492023-10-15T06:08:00.004-04:002023-10-15T06:11:57.670-04:00Natural Dreamwork and Working with Conditioning, Habitual Patterns, Shadow<p><span style="caret-color: rgb(85, 85, 85); color: #555555;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calluna; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF_1B3PD1K2kw5o_DpXma_7r2Qw_VuRr2Zwr72hh_T98c4PL2kMsN0q_Ogw5cN9irljJRGauHAtfP_GPl_SfvhUTnPv_BgXBeCnVueV6-ApjawXRR9i_nfwDIU0QaHgfB1fBwqwwB5FFHFxlsaIuhtaZgJjwuZsCc836uOZ8lmnAbEPgNxkscwbUE2g3k/s802/Lauraconditioning-802x675.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="802" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF_1B3PD1K2kw5o_DpXma_7r2Qw_VuRr2Zwr72hh_T98c4PL2kMsN0q_Ogw5cN9irljJRGauHAtfP_GPl_SfvhUTnPv_BgXBeCnVueV6-ApjawXRR9i_nfwDIU0QaHgfB1fBwqwwB5FFHFxlsaIuhtaZgJjwuZsCc836uOZ8lmnAbEPgNxkscwbUE2g3k/w228-h192/Lauraconditioning-802x675.jpeg" width="228"></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">The term “conditioning” in Natural Dreamwork refers to all of the habitual patterns, behaviors, reactions and ways of being, conscious and unconscious, that we have developed to cope, survive, and protect in a world where trauma, sacrifice of self, and lack of support prevents us from opening to deeper, more vulnerable feelings and soulfulness.<br><br>Often, we may feel we “know” what our issues are, we may know our history of trauma to which we continually react, or we always feel something just doesn’t seem to work out for us and we are not sure why. We feel we can’t get to our deepest desires, or maybe we don’t even know what those desires are.<br><br>Dreams want to help us get to our soulful nature, the part of us that can feel deeply and know our own intuition by virtue of a strong connection to our felt experience and an openness to our vulnerability through those feelings. They do this using some essential functions such as revealing and invoking. A stripping away, like an onion to reveal deeper and deeper layers, and the invocation of feeling in our dream bodies so that we may “know” on a deeper intuitive level our own inner truths. I think of this as the promise of the dream.<br></span><a href="http://insearchofpuella.blogspot.com/2023/10/natural-dreamwork-and-working-with.html#more">I want to read more!</a>Laura Smith-Rivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563181578141381991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7809414718622257413.post-28678336727686916432023-02-09T11:41:00.011-05:002023-02-11T09:00:12.823-05:00Druidry - The Hunter Ally<p><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtCcd-ZjPixsCDlT07F9Fni8VaJPVyA9LET7nLfFaw0AIeFb4fxrCxrgjfKRMEpkDmWBQ5osGOpvtdhtsyVKl0iy1bdZW3y6IG_akE9AQUGBL0190KO8wdo8NzKwXWiyesDiuF81oipX6x259GvOeV1mF7OoslzB3d7GPpIA9qi3CKX_nEyIOISUEg/s3775/GuardianoftheSevenSisters.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3775" data-original-width="2903" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtCcd-ZjPixsCDlT07F9Fni8VaJPVyA9LET7nLfFaw0AIeFb4fxrCxrgjfKRMEpkDmWBQ5osGOpvtdhtsyVKl0iy1bdZW3y6IG_akE9AQUGBL0190KO8wdo8NzKwXWiyesDiuF81oipX6x259GvOeV1mF7OoslzB3d7GPpIA9qi3CKX_nEyIOISUEg/s320/GuardianoftheSevenSisters.jpg" width="246"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Guardian of the Seven Sisters <br>by Laura Smith-Riva</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;">Owl is a most beneficent hunter ally. She watches, her eyes receiving even the faintest of light. She listens, her tufted ears cock towards the faintest of sound. She sits calmly and waits, her head swiveling silently. And then with all the precision of a ruthless hunter, she glides on silent wings and pierces her prey with powerful talons. She consumes the smallest prey whole. Large prey is torn to pieces and consumed in smaller chunks.</span><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And so it is with the work of hunting down all that blocks me or is no longer useful or needed on my spiritual journey. Small changes are integrated more easily. Larger shifts require smaller bites, time to process. Perhaps a bit of the prey is stashed in a tree hollow or some marsh grass to be returned to later.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In Druidry, the hunter ally is first invited in during the Ovate grade - a time of deep reflection in which the student begins to see and acknowledge those parts which are out of balance, bloated or diminished. We hunt for the energies which feed off our fears and siphon our magic, our possibility, our power - all that impedes us on our journey.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My hunter ally came as Owl. She is the perfect response to my sun sign leonine qualities. She teaches me to become a warrior, but not the warrior that is familiar to me who lives within the more yang qualities of reason and logic, the extroverted problem solver, an action oriented doer in all forms. Owl, as a supplicant to the darkness, thrives on the stillness, the silence, contemplation. The moon is her companion and as such the yin qualities of receptivity, deep intuition, and the watery depths of feeling and emotion are her offerings. And yet, she is a fierce hunter, moving through the nocturnal landscape with stealth and surety.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><a href="http://insearchofpuella.blogspot.com/2023/02/druidry-hunter-ally.html#more">I want to read more!</a>Laura Smith-Rivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563181578141381991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7809414718622257413.post-5070390080295007312023-02-08T07:51:00.010-05:002023-02-13T02:55:29.947-05:00The Ancient<div style="text-align: left;"><br></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.nikifineart.com" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="477" data-original-width="700" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnOrKFReJfF52NeG1qM9BGxtG95fAJIhVXRFAqCgq_IpA6Byan4fiYahYZyo0RZn-rVVh4WD9HGJ_BPWNYUd-GMisftt3ZKVyDGu3TwR8zE_GS6r3JIZhS2Ie-oeQne6_XF5dfxSoOnCVGW9d13qBRAnBmJ3Eej6wubPwhXD3kFkpJQJ5fXPeDK1GU/s320/abstract-sea-painting.jpeg" width="320"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">"Calm" by Niki Katiki (nikifineart.com)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The dream:</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"></p><blockquote style="text-align: left;"><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I am a youth with B (a man in my life who is a trusted father figure, mentor). He is on his boat and I am on my own, a small little disc shaped boat which is tethered to his. We are exploring out on the ocean and he is navigating us through the water. My small craft is so low on the water that my little body is floating in the water but yet I still feel safe, connected. I look up and he is at the helm of his boat which from this angle looks a bit unstable like mine. He is looking back at me and tells me to stay close to him. We pass over some ledge just below the surface and I ask him about it. He tells me it’s call The Ancient and I run my hand over its smooth dark surface. </span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br></span></p></blockquote>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This dream for me holds a moment of presence. There is no particular destination that I am aware of, though perhaps the dream imago of the guiding father knows where we are to go. He tells me to be attentive to him, to stay in connection. I am the child, curious, connected to my father, in his care and protection, present to a moment. The dream offers the gesture of stroking my hand across the smooth black stone, The Ancient, to remind me of this presence. Slowing down, sensual touch, innocence. </span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The stone is a threshold between the above and below, reminding me of the depths and what lies below the surface and also what arises from the depths with the waxing and waning of the tides of life. Ancient and deeply rooted. Terra Firma at one with the waves. Mariners, from all times, have navigated the shoals of life just as my navigator guides me. He guides me close enough to touch the smooth surface of The Ancient, perhaps a mountain top at the threshold, as am I.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br></span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"></p><a href="http://insearchofpuella.blogspot.com/2023/02/the-ancient.html#more">I want to read more!</a>Laura Smith-Rivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563181578141381991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7809414718622257413.post-4866911279435245212023-02-01T16:14:00.003-05:002023-02-08T07:37:17.383-05:00The Green, Dreaming of Me<p> </p><p><br /></p><p p="" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center; widows: 4;">❂ <b style="font-family: trebuchet;">The Green, Dreaming of Me </b>❂</p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: center; widows: 4;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center; widows: 4;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I was not drawn so much to the darkness as to the crucible,</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center; widows: 4;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">To wrap myself in crisp white muslin, </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">to enter the desert, the burning sun, </span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center; widows: 4;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">To walk the serpent’s path to the beating heart at the center of it all. </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center; widows: 4;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Blue eyes fading into red corporeal dusk,</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center; widows: 4;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Pain kidnaps blackened feet,</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center; widows: 4;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">One in front of the other, a trod well worn, both flower and thorn. </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center; widows: 4;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Each cairn a hope, a wish, a prayer, a promise. </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center; widows: 4;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Where is my oasis? </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center; widows: 4;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Thirst licks tear, dust meets knee,</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center; widows: 4;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">A cry to heaven…</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center; widows: 4;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">A holy vision - the green, dreaming of me. </span></p><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtOuEyvQScqk1mWj02lb3TC38RWPYO0SybzZMxL5l1dxPrD-qtm_fNkoSOq_2auVQvoxlRfNHJb61U4vw0op5NVTK-QVZwkYZPkWmiFKZlY-kGXTRPcY-vmVPubCa9Vicei2XDtF-pwc9DkHwxi5ouSRgdA1AkUZ9I2_rfriDdZJHz3_rvxK_zhztd/s1800/7411C273-351E-43B8-9877-C2DDA4602258.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtOuEyvQScqk1mWj02lb3TC38RWPYO0SybzZMxL5l1dxPrD-qtm_fNkoSOq_2auVQvoxlRfNHJb61U4vw0op5NVTK-QVZwkYZPkWmiFKZlY-kGXTRPcY-vmVPubCa9Vicei2XDtF-pwc9DkHwxi5ouSRgdA1AkUZ9I2_rfriDdZJHz3_rvxK_zhztd/w200-h200/7411C273-351E-43B8-9877-C2DDA4602258.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Death Valley, 2018 Earth Wander</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p>Laura Smith-Rivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563181578141381991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7809414718622257413.post-84138855630168917272021-11-03T22:17:00.009-04:002023-02-09T11:54:15.786-05:00Druidry - Assumption, Sonnet to Li Ban<p>Assumption Ceremony. An assumption ceremony in the tradition of the Green Mountain Druid School training is the culmination of three years of training and involves journeying to meet a God or Goddess from any pantheon who steps forward to be assumed. Preparation involves spending time in contemplation, ceremony and synchroncity with the deity who chooses the supplicant. To merge with and co-create ceremony with a deity is a daunting task requiring the ability to deeply commune with the magical realms in a safe way, with humility, curiosity and reverence. This work is a requirement of third year students, supported by the teachers, and is witnessed by first year students in an evening ceremony. </p><p>Li Ban is a pre-christian Goddess of the Irish pantheon of gods and goddesses, originating in Northern Ireland. Li Ban translates to "Paragon" (or Beauty) of Women. She is triple goddess aspect, the maiden and a water oracle. Her tale speaks of a great loss, her guilt at having survived when others did not, her retreat to solitude, and her rebirth as a mermaid of the great Loch Neagh.</p><p>To speak too much of the ceremony would take the mystery from it, so instead of explaining what it was like, I share this poem I wrote to the Goddess, Li Ban, who chose me and this photo taken just prior to assumption.</p><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Sonnet to Li Ban</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Beneath the lake so wide and deep,</div><div style="text-align: center;">She bowed her head in shame and loss</div><div style="text-align: center;">A grieving heart sank into sleep</div><div style="text-align: center;">And fiery tresses turned to moss.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The curving sky the sun did yield</div><div style="text-align: center;">The silver moon grew full and soft</div><div style="text-align: center;">In the deep her fate felt sealed</div><div style="text-align: center;">Her cry to heaven flew aloft</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">To know forgiveness and release</div><div style="text-align: center;">From a burden carried not one’s own</div><div style="text-align: center;">Oh Ancient One, maiden of peace</div><div style="text-align: center;">With your grace may love atone. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The girl burst forth from sorrowed cave,</div><div style="text-align: center;">By bright, iridescent tail and fin and wave.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj08Jk1G7w-qU3tFgYAlGbiIcuFcL4LOUSEOsEFiV7-pZSMvFIulZqDO3zOeqN_3f0lbcLjzN2D_1towMP2Cc2FcZMEDdMqfUY4jCYVfahiIuQzE5JLuyIQi-vqxU2di9dwksyVJJX0UI/s2049/IMG_6804.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2049" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj08Jk1G7w-qU3tFgYAlGbiIcuFcL4LOUSEOsEFiV7-pZSMvFIulZqDO3zOeqN_3f0lbcLjzN2D_1towMP2Cc2FcZMEDdMqfUY4jCYVfahiIuQzE5JLuyIQi-vqxU2di9dwksyVJJX0UI/w480-h640/IMG_6804.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Laura Smith-Rivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563181578141381991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7809414718622257413.post-36798771120560133222021-10-12T14:34:00.007-04:002023-02-09T11:54:38.750-05:00Druidry - The Antlered One, Guardian of All Who Journey<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw2ons1-eLLvcQDZ0IDAb-Rp48kWZSFBsYAdB5PQOwCcLdVJXnuIcoBoadp69O6DN9NleZRq7HYlFNcpDUrsD7canQCLTJlNoVd_HGlq19n5ZBkTXlfHXct7_ifM850VhRZ_PVORiDafk/s2048/DD09A72D-2B43-4E7F-AD01-B6360B1EA035_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1547" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw2ons1-eLLvcQDZ0IDAb-Rp48kWZSFBsYAdB5PQOwCcLdVJXnuIcoBoadp69O6DN9NleZRq7HYlFNcpDUrsD7canQCLTJlNoVd_HGlq19n5ZBkTXlfHXct7_ifM850VhRZ_PVORiDafk/w303-h400/DD09A72D-2B43-4E7F-AD01-B6360B1EA035_1_201_a.heic" width="303" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Antlered One, by Laura Smith-Riva</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The Antlered One first came to me in the dreams. She is a wise woman, a protector of the pathways, a teacher and a healer. She is the mystic on the other side of my amazon/warrior. She is deeply mysterious and lives in the liminal spaces awaiting those who seek her on the path.<p></p><p>I have encountered her many times on my journey. She came after a dream where a young deer had its antlers brutally cut off by a man. In the dream she offered me the large antlers of an adult deer carved with magical and sacred symbols and images which she had discovered on her land. This moment represented for me the return of that which had been cut off. In so many ways, we cut off sacred and holy parts of ourselves in order to survive in a world filled with traumas and challenges, to fit in, to make do, to take care of others at the expense of ourselves. Our creative life withers and we become like the walking dead, moving through life on a stream of expectation, fear, numbness and unrequited desire all fueled by the many lies we come to believe about ourselves and the world around us. Many will never escape from this inertia, often disguised as a whirling dervish of doing.</p><p>Some, however, are called or thrown into the journey, the journey back to soulful life. The Antlered One is waiting. She is a profound archetype with a history dating back to ancient times, perhaps Paleolithic times. In the Celtic pantheon she is known as Elen of the Trod and her roots trace to northern Wales and a time when humans were in relationship with reindeer there. Female reindeer have antlers as do the males. The Celtic god Cernunnos is the male counterpart.</p><p>As a Druid, she came to me in a vision. As part of the druidic training of the Green Mountain Durid Order, each grade participant is encourage to journey to and find the inner grove that will support their work. There are three grades: Bard, Ovate and Druid. They roughly correspond to these steps:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Opening the Way - reigniting the magical child and rediscovering our creative, magical selves</li><li>Hunting the Shadow - transforming old conditioning and habits, developing a practice of self-reflection and accountability</li><li>Being of Service - manifesting one's calling, becoming a guardian of the earth and providing spiritual guidance in one's community</li></ul>It is a path of spiritual discovery. There are many such paths. This path taps into my own Celtic indigenous ancestry and has offered me the opportunity to work with an animistic approach to spiritualism which allows for direct contact with spirit through the natural world. <p></p><p>Back to the Antlered One. She came during my Ovate training, appearing first during an inner journey and became part of my Ovate Grove as a supportive ancestral guide. In this inner sanctum, she stood at the gateway entering the grove and as a protector along the way forward in my work. She rubbed red ochre on my belly and breasts, she brushed my flesh with the soft needled branches of the Tamarack. She invited me to lie back in the roots of the great tree and covered me with the softest sheepskin. </p><p>We all need succor on the journey. We all need support. We may find support in the world through family, friends, mentors or others, but the beauty of inner support is that it's always available to us. Building a relationship with this support is so important and must be done during those good times, when we are feeling good. It's like building a muscle. If we don't exercise it how can we expect it to be strong when we need it most?</p><p>The Antlered One is timeless and ageless. If you look for her, you may find her in dreams, visions and journeys. She may appear in the synchronicity of the deer on the field, in a shell on the beach or a flower in the wood. She is the keeper of the trod, the protectress of the magical pathways, the healer and the divine spirit of the land who knows the hidden trails and traverses of the true heart. She is the guardian of all who journey. May you receive her.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Rt0fy2dJKiD3aGSy-3gMoMngGcMFROHLeXmW1aFEYVBeFNI3-spuZuDPWhomhB1ngyxOqTdyecHLMqcuPfSUP-y853Fbo3mKTM4UuOWJK-EIGwpiXbo1NKQvEjmab3OLpImTjjDHW3E/s1024/The+Return.JPG" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Rt0fy2dJKiD3aGSy-3gMoMngGcMFROHLeXmW1aFEYVBeFNI3-spuZuDPWhomhB1ngyxOqTdyecHLMqcuPfSUP-y853Fbo3mKTM4UuOWJK-EIGwpiXbo1NKQvEjmab3OLpImTjjDHW3E/s320/The+Return.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Return, by Laura Smith-Riva</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Blessed be.</p><div><br /></div>Laura Smith-Riva is a Natural Dreamwork Practitioner from the mysterious Green Mountains of Vermont. <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">www.archetypaldreamworks.com</a>.Laura Smith-Rivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563181578141381991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7809414718622257413.post-57558606597457052332021-08-01T17:44:00.004-04:002021-10-12T11:44:50.168-04:00Bringing the Unconscious Conscious <p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQDubSyUH2BgIvVRd34eBcoY2b46fFprT4a_uJ_uPBRjzT1IekBi73Jarc_v_VSJLFrg3LZqED0IHCWPNvWZmb5NP3twHiO8Ky4skthM89cESI6Axi1GjpVzEarHtX0ZNAh_CEzB7DAqA/s1154/A830A5E8-FF99-4B25-A157-1D4F9C3F51C2.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="1154" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQDubSyUH2BgIvVRd34eBcoY2b46fFprT4a_uJ_uPBRjzT1IekBi73Jarc_v_VSJLFrg3LZqED0IHCWPNvWZmb5NP3twHiO8Ky4skthM89cESI6Axi1GjpVzEarHtX0ZNAh_CEzB7DAqA/w400-h210/A830A5E8-FF99-4B25-A157-1D4F9C3F51C2.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Detail from “Green Pot with Fish” by Laura Smith-Riva</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Recently someone posited a question on a depth psychology Facebook page asking how does one let the unconscious become conscious. My immediate thought was Dreamwork. Dreams being a portal into the unconscious, our nightly reveries leak into our awareness the very images, gestures and feelings that support that process.<br /><br />A preceding question might be, why would we want the unconscious to become conscious? One simple answer is because when we are conscious, we have more choices. When we are unconscious, we are driven by instinct, emotional reactions and habitual conditioning.<br /><br />The practice of Natural Dreamwork is to let things happen in the psyche, to engage our imaginations, to revel in the feelings that arise from the dream moments and images even when those feelings may be deep grief, pain, or fear.<br /><br />And yet every step of the way, we are dogged by the conscious mind that wants to evaluate, negate, judge, control, exhort, admonish, appeal, help, cajole, and otherwise persuade us away. Its objections are prolific, ever constellating and mutating into a more attractive (to the part of ourselves that believes its machinations) version of itself.<br /><br />So to stay with a powerful image, gesture or feeling that has arisen from our dream practice would seem easy enough in the speaking of it, but like clearing the mind in meditation, it requires practice, patience, and compassion with oneself.<br /><br />In my current dream, I am with a group of people. Folks are lined up along the bank of a lake. Everyone is learning to fish. My first thought is there are too many lines in the water…lines will get tangled. As I see one person bring up a fish, I think “Pumpkin Seed” (a bony fish, not edible). But then I see that it is a large fat fish, lots of meat. Someone else pulls in a fish and, again, I think Pumpkin Seed. But then I see that this fish is also a large fat white fleshed fish, delicious, lots of meat.<br /><br />The dream offers me several things. One, the opportunity to see how my mind’s natural tendency is towards impoverishment, looking for the problems. Another opportunity is to feeling into the grief of how this has been true in my life, how this orientation has protected me in some way from disappointments and loss and how I can feel a certain control and sense of anticipation for “when bad things happen”. A wonderful skill for survival perhaps and yet it keeps me in feelings of impoverishment even when this isn’t true in my life today. The dream is provocative in its effort to show me this negative thinking and to offer the gift of the truth for me, which is about the awe and joy of abundance. The dream brings pain as gratitude for the gift of its teaching.<br /><br />My work is to close my eyes and be with the students learning to fish, to feel the awe of the big fat abundant fish and to notice where in my life when I am living from the place of “Pumpkin Seed”. This is an example of how we can work with the dream to help to bring that which is unconscious, conscious. When I can notice the Pumpkin Seed narrative, I have more of a choice. Perhaps I can shift to be in the anticipation of abundance rather than impoverishment. I may not be able to break from Pumpkin Seed thinking all the time, but I can know and begin to trust more that abundance is possible. <br /><br />Originally published on <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">The Natural Dream</a>. <br /><br />Laura Smith-Riva is a Natural Dreamwork Practitioner from the mysterious Green Mountains of Vermont. <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">www.archetypaldreamworks.com</a>.</p>Laura Smith-Rivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563181578141381991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7809414718622257413.post-77233524777005634882020-02-18T11:27:00.002-05:002020-05-16T13:30:26.392-04:00When Lion Comes<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lion by Laura Smith-Riva, Oil</td></tr>
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There is a solitary lion who walks the landscape of my dreams. He does not roar or snarl. He is silent on padded paws. His eyes are yellow gold and his tawny coat ripples like the surface of a vernal pool.
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I see him sometimes when I journey to the grove. Often just out of sight, tracking me. Sometime he sits by the lake, cat paws crossed. He yawns and turns to glance at me as I pass. Languid or bored, he licks his cat paw and cleans his ear.<br />
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I shed the last vestiges of a civilized world and sit before the fire on the shores of ancient waters. I inhale the slowly curling smoke of cleansing herbs that have been prepared just for me. An Undine splashes near the shore, sending a rainbow spray of water the lifts my skin in shimmering back arching waves.<br />
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When I enter the sacred grove, I am greeted by the old one with the antlered crown. She uses her fingers to paint ochre on my belly and breasts. I receive. She leads me to the temple.<br />
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The drum is distant, holding me, containing me, tethering me. I lay on the thick sheep hide inside Mother Tamarack. Her boughs are the bright green of early spring and soft as goose down. <br />
My eyes lift and I see the chrysalis that is me hanging above on the stone lintel. I close my eyes and fall below the drum, below the journey, beyond the grove.<br />
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I am a warrior, young, strong and curious. My people are celebrating, the revelry of the harvest moon. The Watcher stands tall, her mature warrior’s gaze lifted toward the distant horizon. She must hold herself above the revelry, listening, watching. I, watch the Watcher.<br />
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We see. We see the riders, like distant fire flies etching the darkened landscape, before we hear the thunder of their hooves. Chaos, battle cries. I reach for my weapon. And like a rabbit in a snare I am caught, entangled. Heart beat keeping time with the leaping fires and cries of the wounded ones, I sense the dissolution, the coming, the ending. The Tamarack’s bright green boughs are turned brilliant orange, falling.<br />
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There is a solitary lion that roams the dark reaches of my deep. He does not roar or snarl. He rises silently before me, impossibly tall, five cubit, white belly sailing over my head. Black toes, cat paws on my spine, blood welling, sooty tear stained eyes slowly close. Surrender.<br />
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When I return, all is quiet in the grove. The Antlered One listens as With down cast eyes, shy, I reveal what I have come to know. She stays firm when I hold onto her, trembling as the snake rises, her breath a small gasp of shared knowing. We are carried deep into the sea, a tsunami lifts us, ecstasy. <br />
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There is a solitary lion that lives deep in my heart. His teeth drip with the blood of my thoughts. He is a devout connoisseur of demons, breath stealers, whisperers and ghosts of dead heroes.<br />
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Laura Smith-Riva is a Natural Dreamwork Practitioner from the mysterious Green Mountains of Vermont. <a href="http://www.archetypaldreamworks.com/">www.archetypaldreamworks.com.</a>Laura Smith-Rivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563181578141381991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7809414718622257413.post-36397208461102698012018-12-23T01:36:00.001-05:002018-12-23T01:48:02.898-05:00Good Company in the Snowy Field<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There is a moment before the white tail lifts in a short, sharp,
shock and she disappears in silent bounds into the forest. In that
moment, there is an inquisitiveness, an ears forward fearless gaze.
Glistening snow holds the space her hooves once occupied.
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An old red fox
crosses the field, her broken tail askew. Head down listening,
listening to the soft rustling of life beneath the snow. She pauses,
still, creeping, still and pounces her headlong abandonment into the
deep drift. Coming up short, she trots to the large pine and rolls in
the snow.<br />
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She is in good company.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZocS30-SgIA6cY9IUxsMVpz0buL54LtQIwGOJ_GaPxBZ6hpKQtRG3O-mZoYkUUYdmq6-JfN3bOMDygzl3Hxa3O9eiSfpZ5CMZcbIuWZaD1tZG8MgJU5ytB5rPrteDf4-2l2Va049VaJc/s1600/fox.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="600" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZocS30-SgIA6cY9IUxsMVpz0buL54LtQIwGOJ_GaPxBZ6hpKQtRG3O-mZoYkUUYdmq6-JfN3bOMDygzl3Hxa3O9eiSfpZ5CMZcbIuWZaD1tZG8MgJU5ytB5rPrteDf4-2l2Va049VaJc/s320/fox.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fox, artist unknown</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Laura Smith-Rivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563181578141381991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7809414718622257413.post-61712936497275851922018-12-04T18:47:00.000-05:002018-12-04T18:47:30.464-05:00Bear Cry<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9EpLPlsLe1kOOWJHp9EpccxKD2tomEX4oQFtQfIM-mzs9AEJ-3rr2fOhtXRuxeYoUaz79C7Wseo0tlmTd1qFKcOM78DfgPoiqlZ8WLSN3RL0Qa0ndUG1Cj8okP3J7YOELb8wUFc1EG8k/s1600/Primal+Bear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="640" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9EpLPlsLe1kOOWJHp9EpccxKD2tomEX4oQFtQfIM-mzs9AEJ-3rr2fOhtXRuxeYoUaz79C7Wseo0tlmTd1qFKcOM78DfgPoiqlZ8WLSN3RL0Qa0ndUG1Cj8okP3J7YOELb8wUFc1EG8k/s320/Primal+Bear.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Primal Bear by Laura Smith-Riva</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In the dream, I see some deer coming out of the woods, followed by a
coyote and a bear. They are being “pushed” out of the woods by a
man who I believe is a hunter who is baiting the bear. I can feel how
in the dream, I have the story of the hunter in my head before I even
see him. Nothing in the dream supports the story I have about the
hunter. The animals are calm, the man looks like a carpenter in
overalls and a straw hat. He is carry a bucket, and now as I remember
back into the dream, perhaps a pole as if he’s been out fishing.<br />
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
My story is that he
is a bad guy who is tricking the bear towards its death. This is a
place of trauma for me. I know this story well. Being tricked, betrayed in the place of decency and vulnerability.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
In the dream, the
creatures come down onto the wrap around porch that I am on. The
porch over looks down onto a wide field and forest. The sun is near
the horizon. There is another man with me now. Is it the fisherman?
He feels supportive, tells me to perform a ritualized cry which I
believe is about moving the bear along so she won’t be caught. The
bear is next to me and I cry out. The man directs me in the cry
which becomes more like a primal scream. High pitched and yet
guttural. I feel a pushing energy in me, push this scream out. First
towards the bear but then just out over the field and forest and sky.
The bear stands next to me and looks out towards the expansive
landscape. And I continue to scream. I send all of it out into the infinite cosmos where there is room for all of it; there is no more room in me.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
This is the cry to
heaven, the release of something. Anger, grief, fear...An
acknowledgment of all that I know and all that I feel in the acknowledgment of my own places of trauma. What has
happened, what is right and what is wrong. How I do know and it’s
not me. I am not what is wrong. </div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I belong with bear, coyote, deer. The
fisherman knows about all of this. He understands the vulnerability
of deer, prey. He understands coyote, a different kind of trickster, and how he survives. He
understands Andarta, Bear Goddess of my North, and her great potency. And he understands me in
my grief and anger.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
There is no trick.
Deer, Coyote and Bear are coming to me and there is nothing to do
except lift my voice in the full throttled cry that connects me to the cosmos...and know that this
man, the fisherman, is not here to trick me.</div>
Laura Smith-Rivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563181578141381991noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7809414718622257413.post-78504251009550522842018-03-08T22:03:00.000-05:002018-03-25T20:21:23.547-04:00Severance<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>dream inspired poem</i></div>
I had my place at the ancient<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Colosseum. A seat right up front...<br />
until the horses thundered by<br />
all froth and supple violence<br />
sending shit-mud-water<br />
raining down.<br />
<br />
I simply cannot abide. I cast<br />
a final gaze at vacant-eyed<br />
corpses lifting delicate parasols,<br />
colorful, dripping brown.<br />
The spattered faces of my<br />
family, so enraptured.<br />
<br />
They did not see the sky<br />
turn to lava, alien drones<br />
opening fire. Do they even<br />
know that they are dead?<br />
I cannot not go back. <br />
<br />
Instead, taking up arms, a tired<br />
rebel, adrenaline junkie<br />
lifting sword and shield.<br />
Broken glass, stumbling,<br />
black-toothed railroad ties.<br />
<br />
I yield to a stony bank,<br />
rough kneed, blood in my<br />
palm, dusty sandpaper eyes.<br />
Raven, dark winged<br />
shawl bows my head.<br />
<br />
And we make our escape toward the<br />
bright forest, where the moon sheds<br />
her clothing on oak, ash and thorn,<br />
yew and cedar, my ancestors.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK6LCK60lYyP_c0jxIROxYI9jV8nxWEKISoRPUtrfc86Zxam98y5GZ9WURMg_BHPQoyullrv4cpuM6ucKgzYv7A5aD0FXmFfdr6F00aeM_l60pEC7Ufzz1wPh-K4tzTJOr3dehBn_VjZU/s1600/forest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK6LCK60lYyP_c0jxIROxYI9jV8nxWEKISoRPUtrfc86Zxam98y5GZ9WURMg_BHPQoyullrv4cpuM6ucKgzYv7A5aD0FXmFfdr6F00aeM_l60pEC7Ufzz1wPh-K4tzTJOr3dehBn_VjZU/s640/forest.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Laura Smith-Rivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563181578141381991noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7809414718622257413.post-90634067369107177382018-02-21T21:43:00.000-05:002018-02-21T21:49:44.638-05:00Death Valley Dreaming<div style="text-align: left;">
Death Valley </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The wind howls across the spine of shale and abraded </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">rock ridgelines where Sentinels stand tall in the twilight, </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Gods watching the story of the desert night unfold.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I reach out and touch the lovingly placed stone</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">whose countenance reminds me of home fires,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">moonlit snow crunching beneath my beloved's footstep. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Am I too safe, too protected in the womb of this slumbering</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">mountain? Who am I? Bared bones, desert dry skin, with wild hair, blue dress dancing, voice lifted in song: </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Sister Wind, Brother Stone...marry me home...</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Reeling starlight peeks through the crevice doorway straight</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">into my broken heart. It shines coolly down on the desert washes</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">where hours ago I wandered in the blazing sun collecting</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">fossils and dreaming of discovering the crescent moon</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">curve of the magnificent Big Horn sheep, fallen among the </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">shattered rocks, creosote scrub and red fruited desert holly.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgErSzmrmKg6TE-oSK5EvlQcr5gLpKB79HZ60Y26ab0XnyRVllOAJVHUKDGE9LuBBt9rle7EhIs3J4Tq6tKE6-JJ-_HflESA5fgO7OhkxgR-MSeUBe4HDHOsBUPDUZpIIXzbS3Z58DCAE/s1600/deathvalleystars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="736" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgErSzmrmKg6TE-oSK5EvlQcr5gLpKB79HZ60Y26ab0XnyRVllOAJVHUKDGE9LuBBt9rle7EhIs3J4Tq6tKE6-JJ-_HflESA5fgO7OhkxgR-MSeUBe4HDHOsBUPDUZpIIXzbS3Z58DCAE/s320/deathvalleystars.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Laura Smith-Rivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563181578141381991noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7809414718622257413.post-58246093312848962492017-04-21T22:35:00.003-04:002023-02-09T11:56:37.261-05:00Druidry - The Coyote Stone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgci0V-j2hstqWXL-p6btehi5Zwhh-eFhyphenhyphensA_xn6nkBYPHQ2R5trnnesBNsi4ejgiLm1fHvN_NwU7yMGtJgyM85tzccHhUbALJpCgOYqvK7adUX3U4vBjBs6gnjpevy_366jtu0sS2suU/s1600/13512084_10154732101315942_7254003231521870657_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgci0V-j2hstqWXL-p6btehi5Zwhh-eFhyphenhyphensA_xn6nkBYPHQ2R5trnnesBNsi4ejgiLm1fHvN_NwU7yMGtJgyM85tzccHhUbALJpCgOYqvK7adUX3U4vBjBs6gnjpevy_366jtu0sS2suU/s200/13512084_10154732101315942_7254003231521870657_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
I recently participated in a training offered at Dreamland through the <a href="http://greenmountaindruidorder.org/" target="_blank">Green Mountain Druid School</a>. One of the activities we engaged with was working with the element of Earth. To begin, we chose a standing stone from within the circle of standing stones which create the sacred Dragon Temple of Dreamland Sanctuary. I was drawn to the stone called Coyote Stone. I felt drawn because of the connection I feel to the many coyotes who make their home on my property here in Vermont.<br />
<br />
Just before the snow went, I had seen a coyote loping across our field and I went out in the early morning dawn to track him. I followed his tracks back towards where he was coming from and saw drops of blood in snow. Then I tracked him back towards the direction he was headed which I know to be where their dens are. Seeing that blood in snow brought me fully present to the wonder of nature in that moment. Why was there blood? Was the coyote a bitch in heat or was he father coyote, the hunter, returning to the den with some small prey to feed his family?<br />
<br />
The coyotes put up quite a ruckus later that night yipping and barking in an uproarious outpouring of moon driven wonder (see below for a clip of what this sounds like!).<br />
<br />
I sat leaning against the 6 foot tall grey stone and felt the hard coolness of it against my ribs. Our teacher guided us into communion with the stone. She encouraged us to feel the slowness of stone, the ancient heartbeat, so slow that the world must stop to detect it. I felt the minerals of my bones communing with the minerals of the stone and my breath slowed and I entered into the trance-like state that is so similar to the hypnagogic dream state. The fact that I was three weeks into lambing on our farm averaging only a few hours of sleep per night helped to facilitate a quick drop into trance.<br />
<br />
The aura of the Stone engulfed me and I experienced the slowness of Stone time as a speeding up of the world outside the Stone's aura. Sounds suddenly sped up, the wind picked up speed and force and bird's cries became eerily urgent. I felt a crushing sensation on my back as if my ribs were pressed too hard against the rough igneous rock face of the Stone, mineral being drawn back to its source perhaps.<br />
<br />
Then the Stone spoke to me: "You carry me too heavy" was the message it delivered. And then suddenly I saw a skull with sharp animal teeth coming at me out of an orange burnished darkness. It was as if the earth had heaved the skull up out of it's molten core and enlivened it. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgfbXv0SonhtDhnYPuO_Hc4u4KfDzRkrQtH1nZYMS-IUgzoJPYi_fkQgsYzdTsHZ6f_n4GBWFC8D9shtFm2HQpVn7m1XvmY6-9gohFETsGZKP0O49MZdqD3AG-q3J3sIRCPQT8crd1uus/s1600/moon-talk--coyote-marion-rose.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgfbXv0SonhtDhnYPuO_Hc4u4KfDzRkrQtH1nZYMS-IUgzoJPYi_fkQgsYzdTsHZ6f_n4GBWFC8D9shtFm2HQpVn7m1XvmY6-9gohFETsGZKP0O49MZdqD3AG-q3J3sIRCPQT8crd1uus/s200/moon-talk--coyote-marion-rose.jpg" width="198" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Moon Talk - Coyote by Marion Rose</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Later, I received the mind blowing information that there was literally a coyote skull buried beneath the Stone.<br />
<br />
The message of the Stone, however, is still working in me. When I shared in circle about the message of the Stone, my teacher asked if I was a serious person. I laughed, "No!" But later, I realized that perhaps there is a certain seriousness in me which the Earth Element seemed to want me to know about.<br />
<br />
My dreams over the years have often shown me a way in which I perceive the world through a sense of responsibility. I tend to take things on and feel responsible for "getting it right". I am capable and high functioning and have the Leo leadership qualities of my fiery rising sign, so it is easy to take things on successfully. The dreams often present the feelings associated with trauma out of which the sense of responsibility or "something is wrong with me" is born.<br />
<br />
In a recent dream, my old dog falls in and sinks to the bottom of a pool of water in the concrete remains of an old mill near a fast moving brook. I jump in to rescue her. Then I realize that my young dog has run off ahead or, I worry, perhaps he has been swept away by the fast moving brook. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place! No room to feel either the surrender of the old dog or the exuberance of the young dog. There is only me worrying and trying to protect and rescue. Perhaps this is what carrying too heavy looks like. Too much earth element can snuff out the fire element in me.<br />
<br />
The lesson of Stone on this day is to slow down to Stone time, lay down the burden and perhaps allow the energy of coyote into my life. Be a little more playful, embrace the unexpected and know that the old structures no longer support my path. Perhaps Coyote is saying it's time for this old dog to learn a few new tricks.<br />
<br />
Here is a video clip of what a pack of coyotes sounds like. We hear this most evenings here on our farm in Danville, Vermont. It's eerie and a bit raucous.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MpTPgs94m-o" width="560"></iframe>
Laura Smith-Rivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563181578141381991noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7809414718622257413.post-48673450177895376132016-12-26T13:16:00.001-05:002024-01-02T12:04:07.354-05:00Natural Dreamwork for the New Year<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMIgDg9OinNocXvSCQEjm_-j8F5pOlFdcXIrrZrGJEvl8XjoM-zq4_Ze_P39MdX85TqP1Na7DMR77o4Brk27Phygsh2k26zSo67Mt2In2cwHgmmG-QRE1zgpxrpM2R3QIo7ih7WXqTBqU/s1600/solstice.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMIgDg9OinNocXvSCQEjm_-j8F5pOlFdcXIrrZrGJEvl8XjoM-zq4_Ze_P39MdX85TqP1Na7DMR77o4Brk27Phygsh2k26zSo67Mt2In2cwHgmmG-QRE1zgpxrpM2R3QIo7ih7WXqTBqU/s320/solstice.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>
This is the time of year in the northern hemisphere where we are
experiencing our longest nights as we move from the old year into a new
year. During the darkest days of the year, everything is held in a
shimmering darkness and awaits the shattering return of the light. It is
a time of endings and beginnings…the cycle of unfoldment…birth, death,
re-birth.<br />
<br />
And so it is with our dreams. The dream lives not in the arrow of
time but in the great cycle. You can step in anywhere in this cycle and
be in the flow, for there is really no beginning or ending. The dream
offers ever-unfolding moments, a steady turning and returning, opening
and closing, erupting and sinking. It offers you a wisdom against the
back drop of a reality that feels increasingly untenable.<br />
<br />
In the world today, we have only to look at global climate change,
limited resources and the resulting war, the constant grasping for the
next thing that will make our lives “better”, conflicts both domestic
and foreign, conflicts between two or between many. We all want a first
world economy, with all the attendant stuff that goes along with it. We
know in our hearts this is not sustainable. What if what is happening to
the world is only a reflection of what is happening to our souls?<br />
<br />
The natural dream cares nothing for our worldly schemes and
machinations. It cares only to bring us back into connection with the
sacred in us. Dreams convey upon us both endings and beginnings, making
dreamwork the perfect way to step into the cycle of your life. No matter
where you are in your life, you can step in now and your dreams will
immediately begin to offer you real wisdom that you can use in your life
today.<br />
<br />
<b>What if your New Years resolution was to give your dreams a chance?</b>
As you traverse the time-space-feeling experience of the dream, you
will find a unique and evocative combination of contemplative images,
gestures and revelatory feelings. Give yourself a gift for the New Year
2024.<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz3rsZba65Wn93QkGJpkt21A5IdchdpW3thD42nuDsHf0cAkSaOEHsKfZ3jEinUPq_0_KVjYYjNNAjujbsM0Tq84PHc_9nBW1Kw4mWWQ46wYn7yjI7sk7SNI5KOuXP4u1ekxge8J89RC-DdvQiNlclEiDtwpFIGnZdbUD9FGHBqcfOnVViYcMbPAE_dh0/s2048/IMG_6848.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz3rsZba65Wn93QkGJpkt21A5IdchdpW3thD42nuDsHf0cAkSaOEHsKfZ3jEinUPq_0_KVjYYjNNAjujbsM0Tq84PHc_9nBW1Kw4mWWQ46wYn7yjI7sk7SNI5KOuXP4u1ekxge8J89RC-DdvQiNlclEiDtwpFIGnZdbUD9FGHBqcfOnVViYcMbPAE_dh0/s320/IMG_6848.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br />
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<br />
<br /></div></div>Laura Smith-Rivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563181578141381991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7809414718622257413.post-88867086480441531772016-12-18T20:14:00.002-05:002016-12-22T20:50:41.789-05:00Creating a Sacred Dream Altar<span data-offset-key="ebuju-0-0"><span data-text="true">As we enter into the Winter Solstice, I have felt called to create sacred space in my home. My recent personal work with dreams has been very intense. I realized since I have moved, I haven't fully committed any sacred space in my home beyond what I have done to set up my paint studio, which I do consider sacred space. During these darkest days of the earth's cycle around the sun, I feel drawn to create a place in my home where I can set daily intention and draw energy through ritual and engagement with sacred objects to support the work I am doing with dreams.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-offset-key="ebuju-0-0"><span data-text="true">The dream, as a sacred encounter, offers us many gestures, objects, symbols and energies. We can create ways to bring to bring the energy within our dream into our waking life in an intentional way. The winter solstice offers the perfect time for gathering. Creating an altar or renewing an altar is a time of gathering, gathering to oneself and within oneself all that is sacred and special. The act of creating an altar is a ritual gathering from without to turn within.</span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ntRNz5gUNp09tJFY1V0vjYyudddM8IvSIdk_Ap0F47mI1tyqfqvntR7JeSFNlYkolZ20hbDrw-RRjmXP36rnZfZLpbb2PCG-eVW_NF86p1kAzt6Q-hxElTn-QmTCvEFeHZ7IVJM-mRk/s1600/Alter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ntRNz5gUNp09tJFY1V0vjYyudddM8IvSIdk_Ap0F47mI1tyqfqvntR7JeSFNlYkolZ20hbDrw-RRjmXP36rnZfZLpbb2PCG-eVW_NF86p1kAzt6Q-hxElTn-QmTCvEFeHZ7IVJM-mRk/s640/Alter.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Dream Altar, Winter Solstice 2016</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span data-offset-key="ebuju-0-0"><span data-text="true"></span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="ebuju-0-0"><span data-text="true">The use of altars is an ancient tradition present in most cultures of the world as a place of worship and a place to concentrate ones intent around connection to spirit. It offers an intentional way to engage in prayer, to think, to meditate and to listen...in a space that we have devoted for such purpose. </span></span><span data-offset-key="ebuju-0-0"><span data-text="true">Altars can also
be a place to draw family, teach children and loved ones about what it
means to enter into contemplative space to reflect and connect with
spirit. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-offset-key="ebuju-0-0"><span data-text="true">My altar consists of sacred objects collected through engagement with the natural world and shamanic work, along with a number of items related to my dreams.</span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="ebuju-0-0"><span data-text="true"><br /></span></span>
<span data-offset-key="ebuju-0-0"><span data-text="true">Here are some thoughts on creating altar:</span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="ebuju-0-0"><span data-text="true"></span></span><br />
<ol>
<li><span data-offset-key="ebuju-0-0"><span data-text="true">Select a space that is one that you feel safe and comfortable in. Some place where you can retreat and find solitude.</span></span></li>
<li><span data-offset-key="ebuju-0-0"><span data-text="true">Clear the space. I used a Palo Santo wood stick I obtained recently at our Dream Caravan event in New Orleans. Sage works fine too.</span></span></li>
<li><span data-offset-key="ebuju-0-0"><span data-text="true">Choose sacred objects that carry meaning for you. Objects which either hold energy or invoke feelings that are important to you in your journey.</span></span></li>
<li><span data-offset-key="ebuju-0-0"><span data-text="true">Renew your alter. It is important to periodically renew this space. Clear the space to reset energies. Add or change out sacred objects as they guide your journey.</span></span></li>
<li><span data-offset-key="ebuju-0-0"><span data-text="true">Let the dreams guide your on-going engagement with the altar. You may take a word or a small drawing or a special object and place it on the altar for contemplation of a dream moment. As your dreamwork changes and moves, your altar may change and move with you.</span></span></li>
</ol>
<span data-offset-key="ebuju-0-0"><span data-text="true"></span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="ebuju-0-0"><span data-text="true">More about what is contained in my current altar and how I engage with it to help you think about what might be important to you in creating your own altar:</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The cloth is actually an Icelandic sheepskin, from one of my own animals and carries my connection to my farm and the creatures I am in relationship with. I remember this animal as one I found tangled in barbed wire. I disentangled and saved her. The pelt actually shows the wound from where she was caught. This item is imbued with the instinctual in me and my deep connection to earth. It also reminds me to tend to my own wounds.<br />
<br />
Sage and Palo Santo incense for clearing the space and myself. The large sage bundle was a gift received during Kunsi Keya's annual Lakota Sundance Ceremony which I had the honor of being invited to attend the public portion in 2011. <br />
<br />
A small candle to bring in the light and to honor the fire in me.<br />
<br />
A piece of white quartz stone from my land here in Danville obtained during a short medicine walk I took with my dear friend Mary Kay which holds the energies of earth for me.<br />
<br />
A small flask of water, an important element in my dreams and to remind my self to take more water into my body. Water is life. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Chime..I ring this as a way to call in the spirits and to release them at the end of the meditation. Sound is important to me in terms of healing in my throat chakra, a place of intensity for me in my work with dreams.<br />
<br />
Sacred moss agate yoni egg from a client of mine who is a healer in New Orleans (you can find her at http://www.asc3nsionart.com/). This object is connected to my on-going dreamwork practice, opening to the vulnerability and strength of the feminine...the place of my deepest wounding.<br />
<br />
A small shard of <a href="http://www.gotostcroix.com/st-croix-blog/chaney-unique-crucian-treasure/" target="_blank">"Chaney"</a> pottery found on the beaches of St. Croix USVI. This object holds connection to my birth mother and our time together discovering each other...a major part of my healing journey.<br />
<br />
The abalone shell and the fossil are sacred objects connected to many dreams but most recently a dream of being a boy in a sand stone cave...there is the feel of the ancient primordial sea...and exploration.<br />
<br />
There is a small drawing of a horse that I did many years ago...a dream pony...an invitation to ride. <br />
<br />
My version of the hand of alchemy, a painting I did which contains astrological and other symbols of meaning, importance and positivity to me from my dream work and from my astrological birth chart. <br />
<br />
A small figurine, an excavated frozen doll laid in a gold painted oyster shell...another sacred object connected to the feminine, which holds deep meaning from a dream.<br />
<br />
Bones from a deer which I found in the woods on a walk and which I spent time cleaning and bringing in. And a turkey feather also found on my land. Both bring connection to nature and my instinctual self.<br />
<br />
Two baskets, one contains feathers gifted to me by owl one morning. The other basket holds sage.<br />
<br />
There is also a sea shell which I made into a necklace. The shell comes from Ariel Sands Beach in Bermuda where I attended a powerful dream retreat in 2011.<br />
<br />
A small clay stone inscribed with the words "progress not perfection" which pays homage to the program of recovery which began my spiritual journey.<br />
<br />
And finally, a small snake pendant carved from a tusk and holding the energy of snake who bite me in a dream in 2007 and started my journey to discover the wisdom of the dream.</blockquote>
<br />
<span data-offset-key="ebuju-0-0"><span data-text="true">I encourage all my readers to work with their dreams and their dream practitioner, if you have one, to find the gestures and sacred objects which you can bring into your waking life to support the work you are doing with your dreams and a deeper connection with the sacred in yourself.</span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="ebuju-0-0"><span data-text="true"><br /></span></span>
<br />
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<span data-offset-key="ebuju-0-0"><span data-text="true"><br /></span></span>Laura Smith-Rivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563181578141381991noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7809414718622257413.post-55134371660401881762016-12-05T21:05:00.002-05:002016-12-18T20:58:41.230-05:006 Canons of Dreamwork<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh81zTCL5TAswUi1MGtEDfLJDJuullNGOtJbX45r95vn6LLg38nerby0SuFxreLOc7KiGSwOLHajIzMvwzd7GVGfzxjZWOhv3mQBoro3fESEMEfwT_WfoMbNYfyArEz9_HTo6MxEDACDQk/s1600/odilonredon.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh81zTCL5TAswUi1MGtEDfLJDJuullNGOtJbX45r95vn6LLg38nerby0SuFxreLOc7KiGSwOLHajIzMvwzd7GVGfzxjZWOhv3mQBoro3fESEMEfwT_WfoMbNYfyArEz9_HTo6MxEDACDQk/s320/odilonredon.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<i>Article first published on <a href="http://thenaturaldream.com/" target="_blank">The Natural Dream</a>.</i><br />
<br />
6 Canons of Dreamwork<br />
by Laura Smith<br />
<br />
Dreams have long been lauded as sources of divination, and sadly, in more recent time, by some as detritus resulting from the human mind performing a ritual house cleaning. But for those who pay attention to our dreams, we intuitively know that there is a deeper meaning to dreams and dreaming and we understand the potential that our dreams have to offer. Deeply rooted cultural wisdom tells us that we must honor our dreams. I would go one step further and say that we must allow them to live and have an active role in our emotional, psychological, physical and spiritual well being as individuals, as a community and as a species. <br />
<br />
Here are 6 canons of dreamwork that can help you better understand what dreams are and why paying attention to your dreams is important. <br />
<br />
<u><b>Canon 1: Dreams are both organic and inalienable.</b></u> They are part of the over arching human morphology and are produced naturally, without artificial chemicals or stimulants. Human beings dreaming appears to be universal and true as far back as we can know. They are as natural as all other human functions, produced not as waste as some seem to believe, but as an organic alchemical agent which attempts to facilitate change and growth within the emotional, psychological, physical and/or spiritual body. As such, dreams are inalienable. They cannot be separated or taken from us. Once a dream is remembered and especially once you have worked with it, it forever holds a place in the psyche even if forgotten later. Some believe the plants and other animals dream too, indeed some would argue that the world itself, as a living organism, dreams. If true, could this not be where our eternal Archetypes and mythologies come from? The dream can be viewed as living and eternal and as such we can enter into a relationship with it, returning over and over again to a moment where we can re-experience what the dream has to offer as both a reminder and also to promote new growth and healing. <br />
<br />
<u><b>Canon 2: Every Dream Carries the Possibility for Growth and Healing.</b></u> Dreams actively seek to bring about our emotional, psychic, physical and spiritual growth and healing. Often the dream may bring difficult emotional content relating to childhood or adult trauma, wounding, loss or other habitual patterns which block us in our efforts towards wholeness, healing and joy. The dream may mirror behaviors which are unconscious and will show us the possibilities of who we are as our innocent soul selves. This mirroring quality allows us to begin to accept ourselves more fully and to make choices for ourselves from our deeper intuitions rather than from our unconscious or trauma-driven reactions. <br />
<br />
<u><b>Canon 3: Every Dream Holds the Possibility for a Sacred Encounter.</b></u> When we dream, our dreams often carry elements of the profane, or that which is mundane and of our daily outer world lives and thus perceived and known by us in some specific way. However, each dream also contains that which is sacred, or that which is set apart from us, an unknown or previously unexplored part of ourselves which, when encountered, may be revelatory. The dream landscape is littered with sacred artifacts in the form of images, symbols and metaphors which associate to memories, feelings, aspirations, and desires. When we meet a dream character, whether it is someone we know or someone we don’t know, an animal or other non-human entity, this is a wholly sacred encounter. Characters, creatures and other entities may be reflecting something of our shadow, a behavior which is blocking us or may be a powerful Archetype whose sole function in the dream is to guide, teach, support and love us unconditionally as we move deeper into our inner life to discover the hidden treasure within. <br />
<br />
<u><b>Canon 4: Dreams Convey Meaning with a Poetic Sensibility.</b></u> Dreams do not speak in a language that can be understood in a rational way. They speak more as a poem, with imagery, symbols, metaphors and seek to invoke deep feelings which open our intuitive body. The messages may be a metaphor which speaks to a personal mythos or idea we hold about who we are, how we are living or what our future might hold. The metaphor may also carry the energy of the collective unconscious which holds true in a more universally accepted way. A symbol in the dream, as a sacred artifact, may have a very specific set of qualities and meaning for the dreamer, which evoke memories and feelings. The artifact may also be imbued with the collective wisdom associated with the symbol socially, culturally or universally. But ultimately the dream must be understood through the feelings they evoke and the activation of authenticity and intuition within. This is an ancient language that has evolved unique to human beings and which taps into the depths of the human experience in a humanistic way. <br />
<br />
<u><b>Canon 5: Dreams come from a Power Greater than Ourselves.</b></u> Dreams come from a creative and universal source and as such should remain beyond our power to control. They are revelatory and unfolding in real time/dream time. Choices we make in dreams come from two sources: our deepest fears or our deepest intuition. When we attempt to place our egoic/waking world ideas of what we think something should be onto a dream, we are not in our deepest intuition. We are attempting to play God, believing we know what the message of the dream should be rather than accepting what it is as a sacred encounter and an opportunity to learn and grow. When we turn to face the lion in our dream, we face into our deepest fears from the place of our deepest intuition. This is particularly true when, in the dream, we are conscious in the moment of what we are doing. A primary teaching of the dream has to do with trust, namely trust in something greater than our own machinations if we are to grow in our understanding of who we are and why we are here. Our trust often begins in relationship to a dream mentor that we are working with, but ultimately we begin to trust the Archetypes who come to teach, guide and support us. We begin to learn what true faith feels like as something outside of us that we can rely on in daily living. <br />
<br />
<u><b>Canon 6: Every Dream is For You and an Opportunity to Reclaim Wisdom and Intuition.</b></u> Each dream has an intended message for the dreamer, however, this message may be layered. There are numerous associations a dreamer may have with the elements contained within that dream. These associations can take us down many paths toward understanding of the dream. Sometimes, we will only reach one layer of understanding, other times we may make a connection to multiple layers of meaning and understanding for ourselves. Firstly, each dream is for the dreamer and the dreamer’s benefit. That others might benefit, our community or even the world, is a by-product of the dreamer finding the intended message of the dream that is just for them. While dreams often seem nonsensical, they actually make sense. But this “sense” must be incorporated into the emotional, psychological, spiritual and physical bodies of the dreamer. This embodiment is the message of the dream truly and deeply received. Ultimately, a dream make sense to us once we receive its specific message for us. A dream message fully received become a portal into the reclamation of our wisdom and intuition and allows us to make better choices for ourselves and thus to carry a message of hope to others.<br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Artwork:<i> Odilon Redon ~
The Yellow Sail, Final Journey, Guardians of the Soul </i></div>
<br />Laura Smith-Rivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563181578141381991noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7809414718622257413.post-58483136305775159752015-12-02T19:44:00.001-05:002023-02-09T11:51:41.409-05:00Souls on Deck<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZrYl82budanR5_un0_MUFNin7zn8iEIwxHPq_PRk_71CLEps-kK-W1FLrxDfcJfZfdDvb76Itfl-t2tehFDjh3aP0C9f4xMRCeOPlwdaTtVINfYATiMTDshq787wRYktsJW3eT1ASNIM/s1600/handonfirebyelbichopt.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZrYl82budanR5_un0_MUFNin7zn8iEIwxHPq_PRk_71CLEps-kK-W1FLrxDfcJfZfdDvb76Itfl-t2tehFDjh3aP0C9f4xMRCeOPlwdaTtVINfYATiMTDshq787wRYktsJW3eT1ASNIM/s400/handonfirebyelbichopt.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Hand on Fire by Elbichopt on DeviantArt</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Here is a quote from one of my favorite authors of dream and vision
work that carries some of the essence of what I am feeling in these times of extremist violence in our world.<br />
<br />
<i>“One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do
to intervene in a stormy world is to stand up and show your soul. Soul
on deck shines like gold in dark times. The light of the soul throws
sparks, can send up flares, builds signal fires, causes proper matters
to catch fire. To display the lantern of soul in shadowy times lik</i><span class="text_exposed_show"><i>e
these – to be fierce and to show mercy toward others; both are acts of
immense bravery and greatest necessity.”</i> ~ Clarissa Pinkola Estes </span><br />
<br />
<span class="text_exposed_show">Many of my spiritual compadres are asking why? What can we do? What difference can we make? I do not have an answer. I beseech my own Goddesses and Gods and still I cannot see the answer clearly.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="text_exposed_show">
I am working with a dream where a man of fire is coming through a wall
towards me. I am terrified. I have been working with fire for the last
several months. I have fire in me. I feel the heat of it. I feel it rise
and I notice when it comes out in ways that may be more about releasing
the energy rather than embodying it.<br />
<br />
I do not know what it means to
live as one with the flames. I have only the dream moment to return to
and then the next thing. Moment to moment. And mostly I forget and then I
feel the heat again. It's good to have such visceral homework, the kind
that comes unbidden. It is intense and it is nuanced and its unbidden
nature helps me to remember that I am a creature of fire. The becoming
is about remembering. The lion is in me. I forget. This is the human
condition...to forget. Our work helps us remember, re-member,
re-me-ember. The spiritual condition is to remember....<br />
<br />
The being
who is of flames is a reflection. The dream, like the moon, offers the
gift of sight, the true seeing. It is subtler than the sun, whose fire can blind. When my dream guide had me be the being in flames from my dream,
it felt encompassing and my vision felt obscured by the flames.
Everything looks different when seen through eyes of fire. I don't know
how to see through eyes of fire, so I don't understand what I see. I
just see that everything looks different. It's like seeing from within
the aura. <br />
<br />
And yet I forget. When I can't hold the flame as the
gift, the invitation, the offering, it can flip. Is there righteous
fire? Is there a place for the fire to be the cry to heaven, the outrage
at a world filled with injustice? At the helplessness of myself and others? And can it carry me to something
more? Do I even want it to? How do we work with this material to support
the fire in the world and all it has to offer as the fire of passion
and love, the fire of pain that burns, the fire of anger that engulf and
destroys, the fire that is eternal? <br />
<br />
Is doing my work enough? What does being of service really mean? Can I offer more? Is it true, that I must first heal the split in myself before I can hope to offer healing in the world? What does it mean to be a soul on deck? How do I hold the flame and yet
offer it?<br />
<br />
On fire,<br />
Laura<br />
<br />
To find out more about how your dreams can guide you towards a fuller manifestation of your fire, contact me. www.archetypaldreamworks.com<br />
Tend to your dreams, consort with them!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Laura Smith-Rivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563181578141381991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7809414718622257413.post-51532381878589793572015-05-05T14:59:00.000-04:002017-09-16T18:12:56.815-04:00Who is Puella?<div>
People often ask me, “Who is Puella? Or, “What does Puella mean?” I have
come to realized that for me there is something so personal about her and also
that this topic can offer a larger meaning in our world today.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br>
As a Natural Dreamwork Practitioner, I practice a deep presence in
working with my own dreams as well as standing with others as we explore their
dreams. It is meaningful work, a path for those who seek healing and wholeness.
It is heart work. </div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjon-2mfFOYjgST49YkTk6tzcYqNIunHGn8gRQliDC3-SeGig4CaCo2sIQLXJXjadsPcuPAlSrU_LpgIEUvQpwFELpyMjxjsRfA5B3MxMHBDm8fGYe6qUKcLwDB3-uNWTCQo0u3W4u11fM/s1600/girl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjon-2mfFOYjgST49YkTk6tzcYqNIunHGn8gRQliDC3-SeGig4CaCo2sIQLXJXjadsPcuPAlSrU_LpgIEUvQpwFELpyMjxjsRfA5B3MxMHBDm8fGYe6qUKcLwDB3-uNWTCQo0u3W4u11fM/s200/girl.jpg" width="150"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Artist: Stephen Bauman</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Puella is the Latin word for “girl”. In Jungian purview she is often
viewed as the girl who never grows up, as having a child-like demeanor, and as
the feminine component within the male psyche which Carl Jung referred to in his
public, professional life as "puella anima". In Natural Dreamwork, the girl in
a dream is not an archetype per se, because she typically represents the manifestation of
the dreamer's soul. I think of her as Puella Aeterna, the Eternal Girl, not in a
Jungian sense but as the eternal innocence of the feminine. She is present in
both men and women as the essence of vulnerability and innocence in relationship
to the Divine. And she is seeking to come into relationship with us. I believe
that our very existence hinges on our desire and willingness to accept her, to
accept our own divinity as the vulnerable innocent one in relationship to the
Divine. Even Dr. Jung acknowledged her powerful presence within his dreams in
his personal writing contained within the posthumously published <i>The Red
Book</i> (2009).</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br>
Sometimes she will bubble up in our life with a burst of carefree love and
innocence that leaves us filled with desire to know her more. She holds the
place of the innocence and creativity, the vulnerable aspect of the soul self in
connection with the Divine which always seeks dominion in us. But we do not know
this, or we are terrified, or we buy the lie that the feminine represents
original sin rather than divine innocence. </div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br>
The world-side has been violent toward the feminine. Some speak of how we
need to return the earth to the feminine, that the masculine energies are
destroying the earth. But the feminine always needs the balance of the
masculine, just as the masculine needs the balance of the feminine. And it is
true that we are out of balance. The world fears the feminine. She is the
creator and the destroyer. We have repressed her, stoned her, bound her feet,
cut off her hands. We have burned her at the stake. We have defined her as the
seductress, the temptress, and we have held her responsible for the moral
failings of men. And, when she has spoken, we have often not believed her.</div>
<br>
<a href="http://insearchofpuella.blogspot.com/2015/05/who-is-puella.html#more">I want to read more!</a>Laura Smith-Rivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563181578141381991noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7809414718622257413.post-74016814900654100922015-03-08T14:38:00.000-04:002015-03-08T15:12:28.411-04:00Voices: The Darkness and I<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Voices: The Darkness and I</b></div>
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>I.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
You who seek do not need to seek me, for I am always here. I have not left. It is as it has always been and always will be. The past is present and will continue. You cannot escape because I am what you know. You know me too well and worship me, which makes me stronger in you.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Medusa by Gian Lorenzo Bernini 1630</span></td></tr>
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I am the Medusa, the destroyer. I am the darkness where light fades. I am the event horizon into which all things are drawn. I will crush them into nothingness and you can not escape the gravitational pull of our love for one another.<br />
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It is inevitable that each time you seek, you will find me, for I am what you know and therefore you will always come back to me. When you become the bird of your soul and fly to heaven, it is with me that you will land again. I am the olive branch, the world, the earth beneath your feet, these things you know, and I live where you know.<br />
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<b>II.</b></div>
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I sought to banish you. I thought I could fight you single-handed. I saw myself as a God. I thought I knew you, that I understood your evil and could name you and hated you as that which I had named. I sought to smite you but did not understand that the sword I held was yours. And I cursed you when you failed me. <br />
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And yet you compel me to seek the light and a power greater than me, which I know as darkness. Without you I am nothing. Without your evil, I cannot feel my grief or pain, and so cannot know love. I must be a murderess and the one who dies.<br />
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I cannot flee. It is true, there is no escape. And yet, when I surrender, when I take wing and float along the thermal winds of chaos and light, I find myself where wolves howl and the moon is silent and alive. You have not left and yet I am the armless maiden whose tears thwart you. The light has slit my throat and blood drenches my body. The sun pierces my eyes as I lift my head skyward in a cry to heaven.<br />
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My cup runneth over and I find myself a blood filled grail, holy, pure and innocent. Abundance is upon the land and I see the golden city, the earth and the ancient forest. I see cereus bloom at night and tilting worlds, and know that I am mad. And I see all growing and green things born anew lift their heads to the sun. A cry to heaven, let there be light. The child is born, Genesis.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKC5bj-xRLVmAGS7nq9isLKMayeFV5avzpmdrNKcDKrrxiSY726WC85AOUowTCixTurFLZ3lC_HgaG4YlfIZxFXCgCBAHSupSsNcNGSSWyA8-qFeLtoTFnouPRKgQAmKvkvTMGkNozsTI/s1600/black_madonna+katherine+skaggs+2004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKC5bj-xRLVmAGS7nq9isLKMayeFV5avzpmdrNKcDKrrxiSY726WC85AOUowTCixTurFLZ3lC_HgaG4YlfIZxFXCgCBAHSupSsNcNGSSWyA8-qFeLtoTFnouPRKgQAmKvkvTMGkNozsTI/s1600/black_madonna+katherine+skaggs+2004.jpg" height="200" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Black Madonna by Katherine Skaggs</span></td></tr>
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Laura Smith-Rivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563181578141381991noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7809414718622257413.post-69621400928901331692015-02-04T23:24:00.001-05:002023-01-29T13:12:17.889-05:00Archetypal Dreamwork and the 12 Steps: The Recovery Chronicles #02<div style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-size: small;">The Recovery Chronicles by Laura Smith are a series of essays which delve into the ways that dreams can support 12 step recovery work. Through her own personal experiences in recovery and with the dreams, Laura shows how dreams can offer insight, hope, and support in the deeper work toward emotional sobriety.</span></i></div>
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Coming to terms with Higher Power is perhaps the single most effective and critical aspect of a successful recovery program. It is through grace and the keen insight of our founding fellows that the foundation of our recovery must be built on faith in a power greater than ourselves. For what other than the True Light could pierce the darkness of the soul-sickness that we experience as alcoholism or addiction?<br>
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And yet, is it not true that in some deep recess of our heart we know? We know that there is something more. Is there not some basic yearning in us to find our true self again? Is our thirst really our longing to be found, to be whole, to reclaim our lost soul? We had to first accept that we were lost before we could be found.<br>
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The great Carl Jung, in a 1961 letter to Bill Wilson, wrote, "You see, Alcohol in Latin is 'Spiritus' and you use the same word for the highest religious experience as well as for the most depraved poison. The helpful formula therefore is: 'Spiritus Contra Spiritum' (which is translated in this context as 'Spirit against Alcohol').<br>
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Jung had observed that the alcoholic's thirst for alcohol is, "the equivalent, on a low level, of the spiritual thirst of our being for wholeness, expressed in medieval language: the union with God." <br>
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And he went on to quote Psalm 42,1:<br>
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<i>"As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God."</i><br>
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For many of us, finding a God of our understanding is a mighty challenge. Who cares to admit total defeat? And yet, without our admission of our own powerlessness, we have no starting point, no way for God to get to us. But when we surrender to our own powerlessness it is like we are cracked open. It is through this crack that the light can re-enter. And when we achieve fullness, it is through this crack, the crack of our wound, that the light shines back out for others to see and find hope.<br>
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It is this way with the dreams. The dreams want to crack us open, break our willfulness, bring about our total surrender. The dream will give us many opportunities to see how we are blinded by self will, independence, pride. They do this not because we are bad people, or that we should feel sinful or shameful, but because they seek to bring awareness to all the ways we have closed our self off from the sunlight of the spirit. It is the sunlight of the Spirit, or the grace of God, that can burn away our character defects to reveal the untarnished girl/boy soul that longs to be freed from the bondage of self.<br>
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<a href="http://insearchofpuella.blogspot.com/2015/02/archetypal-dreamwork-and-12-steps.html#more">I want to read more!</a>Laura Smith-Rivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563181578141381991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7809414718622257413.post-90105772182742273912015-01-21T21:46:00.002-05:002015-02-04T23:29:35.862-05:00Archetypal Dreamwork and the 12 Steps: The Recovery Chronicles #01<br>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>The Recovery Chronicles by Laura Smith are a series of essays which delve into the ways that dreams can support 12 step recovery work. Through her own personal experiences in recovery and with the dreams, Laura shows how dreams can offer insight, hope, and support in the deeper work toward emotional sobriety.</i></span></div>
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Our dreams can bring great wisdom to our journey. In our practical work through the steps of recovery, they can provide deep insight if we are ready for what they have to teach us. <br>
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Throughout my early recovery, I had several provocative dreams. In one, I dreamed that I was sleeping and then I awoke and felt something moving under my shirt at my solar plexus. I pull my shirt up and suddenly a badger-like creature burst out of my body like in the scene from the movie Alien. Naturally, I am horrified. I grab a hold of it with both hands and pull on it. It snarls and snaps at my hands as I pull it out. It is a wild creature, fierce. It is hard to pull it out and it feels like it is attached deep inside me somewhere. But I get it out and I throw it away from me. Then I am looking down at my body and where the hole would be is a new scar. It is healed but I feel an ache deep inside of me like something is missing.<br>
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When I had this dream, I equated this creature as the demon of my disease, alcoholism, and an exorcism through the force of my own will. But I have come to learn over time, that the dream is not always what we think and often it is more.<br>
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At the time of this dream, I was also working with my anger, which I had repressed for most of my life. Alcohol had helped me with the anger, keeping it contained. But at some point, it had escaped, and like a genie from a bottle, it could not be put back. Unbeknownst to me, the alcohol has stopped working. I endured 4 more years of the horrors of my bottom before finding the rooms of AA.<br>
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In early recovery, I had much angst, shame, and fear over my seeming loss of control around the anger, which worsened when I put the alcohol down. I couldn't understand what was happening. I wanted the anger gone, but it seemed nothing I did would relieve me of the anger. It was like I had traded the alcohol for a new addiction, though I refused to admit that I got anything out of the anger. When my sponsor suggested this, I was outraged. I hated my anger!<br>
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As time went on and I did a 4th step, clearing many resentments and gaining some good insight into my anger, I had to come into agreement that there was something I got out of this anger. But I couldn't figure out what it was. The literature of AA and other 12 step recovery programs has much to say on the topic of resentments/anger. This is because it is a very real energetic block in our achieving emotional sobriety.<br>
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<a href="http://insearchofpuella.blogspot.com/2015/01/archetypal-dreamwork-and-12-steps_21.html#more">I want to read more!</a>Laura Smith-Rivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563181578141381991noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7809414718622257413.post-34723171323550031942015-01-11T21:04:00.002-05:002015-01-21T22:22:06.366-05:00Archetypal Dreamwork and the 12 Steps: The Recovery Chronicles #00<br />
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I came to the dreams by way of recovery. Most of my friends in recovery know this and have supported my journey over the years. I could not have possibly known in the early part of the new century when the alcohol had stopped working and the genie of rage had escaped from his lantern, that I would one day awaken as a teacher and healer.<br />
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A preposterous idea which had neither seed nor sun in the years, days and months leading up to my bottom, when all hope had been lost. No amount of pride, shame, or denial could offer a shield from the moment of clarity that said, "I'm done." It was not a fantastical moment, there were no bright lights, no burning bush, nothing to portend the true coming storm. It was simply a moment of clarity where I knew that I must change or die.<br />
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When we hit bottom, finally admit we are powerless over alcohol and that our lives have become unmanageable, we hope for freedom from the mental obsession and physical compulsion to use or drink. We are small minded in that moment, for there is no way to understand the possibility of actually finding our soul again. We have no concept of our true potential and what is possible for us. We do not understand grace or how grace could enter our own lives. We must learn...sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. <br />
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Today I follow a spiritual path rooted in 12 step recovery work and tempered by the wisdom of my dreams. I understand and embrace gratitude for my alcoholism. Today I work with others and their dreams. With my clients who are in recovery, I share that special bond of the band of fellows that we are in our shared language and understanding of 12 step work as the foundation of all that we do.<br />
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The basic tenets of the 12 steps are steeped in a gnostic approach to spirituality, namely that we choose a God of our understanding and enter into a personal relationship with that God to maintain a daily reprieve from our alcohol-ISM. The truth is that all "AA's ", code word Spiritual Warrior!, become Bodhisattvas if they so choose.<br />
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A Bodhisattva is essentially one who journeys into herself to find the cause and acceptance of her suffering. Through this process, she learns humility, she learns compassion for herself, she makes her amends. She comes to terms with her past, neither regretting it nor wishing to close the door on it. Her difficulties are alchemized into love through the grace of God and a whole new set of values displaces her previous beliefs. In the huge upwelling of gratitude that comes from this experience, she wishes that all could be enlightened to this compassion and love, that all could find healing. She then actively chooses to return to the world and to carry this message of hope to others. This concept is the foundation of Step 12, "Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps (the journey inward), we sought to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs."<br />
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In these postings, I will share my experience of recovery and how the dreams have supported, challenged and opened me in unexpected ways. I will share guidance and tips as to how you can begin to bring the power of your dreams to support your recovery work. And I will offer insights and stories from my own dreams and recovery work.<br />
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<b>How is it then that our dreaming life can help us?</b><br />
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The dreams are like a lantern shining God's light into our darkest corners. They also illuminate our Divine potential as human beings with a purpose here on this earth now, today. Dreams will bring us repeatedly to the felt experience of acceptance of our powerlessness, showing us the subtler nuances of how our lives are unmanageable. Our Higher Power will come over and over in the guise of various Archetypes to provoke us, to teach us, and to guide us towards wholeness. We look to our dreams to more fully reveal our habitual patterns, the character defects which block us from our Higher Power, so that we may learn and understand that they are not our only choice. The dreams will support our 11th step work by providing us with the felt experience of our deep connection to Higher Power. They open us to our own Gnosis, the Promises, and a wisdom that is unique to each of us for carrying the message of our recovery and the hope for others. <br />
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Please subscribe to my blog, bookmark this page, or send me your email address to receive a link to these postings. I will be posting about every other week.<br />
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<u>Practicum</u>: Start writing down your dreams. Along with the dream narrative, make a note of what step you are currently working on and/or what character defect seems to be most troublesome in your life. If you have trouble remembering your dreams, check out my <a href="http://www.insearchofpuella.blogspot.com/2014/12/plumbing-deep-well-tips-for-dream-recall_25.html">Tips for Dream Recall</a>.<br />
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Check out my website if you would like to explore your dreams with me: <a href="http://www.archetypaldreamworks.com/">www.archetypaldreamworks.com</a>. Feel free to share comments or questions here. I will answer all who take the time to write.<br />
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To find all posts from The Recovery Chronicles simply enter "recovery chronicles" into the search bar on the right hand column of this blog.<br />
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<a href="http://www.insearchofpuella.blogspot.com/2015/01/archetypal-dreamwork-and-12-steps_21.html" target="_blank">Link to The Recovery Chronicles #01...the next post.</a><br />
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In fellowship on the Road of Happy Destiny,<br />
Laura SmithLaura Smith-Rivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563181578141381991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7809414718622257413.post-27867699424118618042014-12-25T20:01:00.002-05:002015-02-16T22:09:43.503-05:00Plumbing the Deep Well - Tips for Dream Recall"I don't remember my dreams", is a woe often expressed by folks who would like to open to the possibilities offered in working with dreams. It is also expressed by those who are already working with their dreams when they hit that inevitable "dry spell".<br />
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We all dream. Remembering our dreams takes presence, lightheartedness, and tenderness.<br />
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<u>Basic tips for dream recall:</u><br />
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1. Never judge yourself over a perceived lack of dreaming or your ability to recall dreams. The resulting frustration further hinders our ability to recall. It is important to hold your dream recall with tenderness. Laying in bed before falling asleep, express your desire to be in relationship with your dreams. Set an intention to remember your dreams. You may want to meditate on your current dreamwork practice/homework, recalling certain moments of current dreams you are working with. You can also try reading material that inspires you or material which contains teachings that are important to you. Recently, I began reading from The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying...this has prompted the recall of many dreams.<br />
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2. How we wake up is critical. Avoid using an alarm clock, or find an alarm clock that awakens you gently. There are some out there that use the sound of ocean waves or rain. I use often the <a href="http://www.now-zen.com/Digital_Zen_Alarm_Clock.html" target="_blank">Zen Clock</a> which has a progressive alarm. Waking up naturally to your own body's rhythm is best. Over time, if you choose, you can train yourself to wake up without an alarm.<br />
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3. Upon awakening, it is important to stay present with the dream. Repeat it in your mind several times if you can. The dream is quickly lost back down the deep well by a mind that jumps into the day ahead of the body. Even if you remember only a snippet of a dream, hold on to it in the way described above by repeating it several times in your mind. A snippet can be a scene or tableau, an image, character, or feeling (emotional or physical in the body).<br />
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4. Keep your dream journal near the bed. I use my iphone notepad. Whatever works for you. But write down everything you remember from the dream. Try not to interpret, judge, or shrug off the dream. All dreams carry meaning and snippets can often be quite powerful in their simplicity! No dream is a “bad” dream.<br />
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5. Keeping our dreams ever present is a practice. And, remember, we all have seeming “dry spells”. But my experience has shown me that what I think is a dry spell is a cluster of snippets, images and feelings which have moved my work forward in profound ways.<br />
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<b>Some additional observations and insights into working with dream recall:
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~ I have noticed that going to bed earlier and waking up earlier naturally improves my dream recall.<br />
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~ I have noticed that if I disengage from electronic devices at least 30 minutes before going to sleep, this improves my dream recall.</div>
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~ I have noticed that if I wake up during the night that I will often remember a dream upon awakening. If I don't take a moment to write it down, I may not remember it even if I think I will.</div>
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~ Sometimes, I will write a dream down, go back to sleep and then the next day when I read the dream, I can't recall it even though it is written down. It's ok...keep it in the mix, it has meaning...even the fact that it can't be recalled despite your notes is information.</div>
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~ Increased stress in my world-side life distracts me from my spiritual life. This affects my dream recall. Even when we think we are not dreaming, it's not true...we are! We simply are overly distracted by our world-side lives. Take some time to slow down, check in with your dreamwork practice/homework more frequently. Incorporate mindfulness practice such as meditation or yoga into your life.</div>
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~ I have a trick I sometimes use that works when a dream goes back down. I imagine a deep, dark well at the bottom of which are my lost dreams and I dive down in with the intention of finding the dream. I allow myself to swim and then sink. Sometimes this works. A visual re-entry point back into the subconscious can help.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://henrikaau.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxw4gEeBH4y0FarTujTfkASYQWFP-ah2Fzt2eBG7t1MUm-FeSsWwfmHZ13BVI5J1sOpZBGv4O4ZZQbo2W4skFUELFajY26gyGJKfQhIcVDJjWNhi2vN7te6NnVLid6ILi3L-qHoOKdXdE/s1600/Henrik+Aarrestad+Uldalen.jpg" height="400" width="325" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://henrikaau.com/" target="_blank">Artist: </a><a href="http://henrikaau.com/" target="_blank">Henrik Aarrestad Uldalen</a></span></td></tr>
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Laura Smith-Rivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563181578141381991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7809414718622257413.post-59891180342322538992014-12-21T18:11:00.005-05:002023-12-21T10:30:04.599-05:00The Inner Solstice<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGBxPA0CdNjPBkLpQiMcNV6xzSpj-spQibf79vmE6mnhGOXPxyidvIKTyadu4S6PcYVytq0vNrHdMoTEHJYaEJH4ue1KYN-tD3449_QJkfipyBQFv4dREU1t9NeKq1jeNpvyMfgVCXIjAzROv5I2PSRY17mVHMLA6NiEIgUl5rPuF2wcEPi4E99dEh_m0/s900/bigstock-Winter-Landscape-50504114-2187316627.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGBxPA0CdNjPBkLpQiMcNV6xzSpj-spQibf79vmE6mnhGOXPxyidvIKTyadu4S6PcYVytq0vNrHdMoTEHJYaEJH4ue1KYN-tD3449_QJkfipyBQFv4dREU1t9NeKq1jeNpvyMfgVCXIjAzROv5I2PSRY17mVHMLA6NiEIgUl5rPuF2wcEPi4E99dEh_m0/s320/bigstock-Winter-Landscape-50504114-2187316627.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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When I think of the Winter Solstice, I think of the ever present cycle of life giving way to death giving way to life. It is the breath, the fullness and the release, like the ocean rising and falling with the pull of the moon. There are many mythologies associated with the solstice that go back to the ancients. Most carry a message of hope for the return of the light.<br />
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And what of our inner solstice? How do we experience the return of our own light? When our day wanes dark and the night reigns, do we feel the gathering of hope? Do we feel a quickening in our veins as we approach that moment when the sun stands still? A pause in the great cosmic breath is perhaps a place for reflection before we begin the arc to fullness once again.<br />
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There are very real lessons in the mythologies and traditions of the solstice. It has to do with faith, acceptance and humility. Do we believe in that darkest moment that the light will return? Even in our highest moment, do we understand that darkness will reign once again? How can we allow space for the inevitable return of darkness without giving way to hopelessness? And how can we step with joy and humility into the fullness of our returning light? <br />
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As someone who has worked with others both in addiction recovery and through dreamwork, the mythology of the great cycle of life is encountered over and over as we face into each issue. Faith, acceptance and humility can't be found in idolatry or temples or the greatest teacher, but must be found within. And, it is not a singular event but one which we must continually return to. It is a process of becoming balanced, surrendering over and over to the great cycle.<br />
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When we live in the bated breath of anticipation of life and also learn to honor the embrace of darkness, we can find our own discernment within the rhythm of living.<br />
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Here is a winter solstice dream from my dream journal, that may be important to feel into during this current time: <br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Dream: I see doves peeling out of the earth from a mass grave that is around a huge old oak tree. As each dove peels free from the dirt, it rises up into the sunlit sky, first one, then twos and then small groups.</i></blockquote>
Blessings to you during this darkest and longest night..as you rest in the belly of the divine mother...may you find faith in the return of the light.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjykI7lCji4sKqVDWYxEPRgU87YQ1cxSY7ESjsf94DHlTPaKijJUDHpGdZj-jNpHKDNmhFLdrk-5MO-Mnsn0lGjuGEGFjevhOCRcYFcp53njXiCF_67AoDF0blWzTES_gbRxo4l3NSsU2k/s1600/spirit-rising.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjykI7lCji4sKqVDWYxEPRgU87YQ1cxSY7ESjsf94DHlTPaKijJUDHpGdZj-jNpHKDNmhFLdrk-5MO-Mnsn0lGjuGEGFjevhOCRcYFcp53njXiCF_67AoDF0blWzTES_gbRxo4l3NSsU2k/s1600/spirit-rising.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marinapetro.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">"Spirit Rising" by Marina Petro</a></td></tr>
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<br />Laura Smith-Rivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563181578141381991noreply@blogger.com0