I had my recurring dream again last night. For several years, I have gone to work at the daily newspaper, dreaming that the deadline for submitting copy was just minutes away and I had typed nothing about my story for the day.  Continue reading
Tag Archives: dreams
Reiki dream opens me to be ‘truth-telling’
Reiki, the universal life energy, opened me to one of the most vivid dreams of my life last night. And, as my Reiki teacher once told me, “Write down your dreams . . . There could be a message in store for you.”  Continue reading
Lucid dream opens a new world to explore
I dreamed a lucid dream for the first time in my life last night.
I’ve tried to experience a lucid dream– one where you tell yourself in the dream that you are dreaming — for more than five years after reading about dream interpretations by Carl G. Jung, the eminent psychiatrist who studied with Sigmund Freud. 
I tried dreaming following a Kabbalah teaching approach and then a Buddhist one. I set an intent so many times I got tired and fell asleep with nothing to show for my meager efforts except run-of-the-mill dreams mixed in with a few nightmares.
And then I found myself chanting in the dream. I chanted the sounds of each vowel very slowly and ended the chant with the sound of “OM.”
“Aa . . . Ee . . . Ii . . . Oo. . . Uu . . OM.” I stretched the sounds of each letter using a full exhalation of my breath.
Chanting in Your Dream can be very Lucid
I knew it was a lucid dream when I said to myself in the dream that I couldn’t wait to tell my teacher how I chanted in my dream
I’m dreaming this, and I plan to have a lot of fun!
My teacher is Natalie Bliss, who is instructing a small group on how to balance our Chakras. She introduced the chant last week, and I tried it while in the sauna alone two days ago. Last night, I repeated it in a dream, and I feel that a new world of dreams has finally opened to me.
What does it all mean? I believe that I can now control a part of my dreams. I can influence whatever is causing thoughts and images to appear from my subconscious. I can redirect bad things and make them less bad and, hopefully, transform them into something good someday.
That is what advanced Buddhist practitioners have tried to do while dreaming. They try to change or alter their karma. They help to create good merit while dreaming. It’s kind of like developing grace through prayers from a Christian, Jewish, or Muslim background.
Work Off Bad Karma While Dreaming at Night
Just think, you can work off some of your bad karma and obtain a blessing from the Creator with your eyes closed and body slumbering away at night!
Now let’s see if I can open myself to messages from above. Let me address my better angels and set an intent to create peace and love in the world.
Who knows? I might even see you in one of the dreams. Yours or mine.
We’ll play like little kids and give each other gifts and promise to always be friends in this world, as well as any others we find ourselves awakening in. And then we’ll do it again in our next lifetime or in heaven, depending on your point of view, or however you want your dreams to come true!
Journey Propels Me to the Lower World
Our Shamanic Journey to the Lower World
I couldn’t wait for the instructor to finish her directions for my latest journey to the lower world. As soon as I closed my eyes, I felt a presence come into my awareness. I could hear my Reiki teacher, Angie, talking in her special “guide’s” voice, and I knew that my good friend Melanie was as attentive as I was the first time this Shamanic guide talked me into seeing a new reality, a new world.
Melanie sat on the couch to my right. We had already shared our brief journeys into the Middle World, the one that exists now on this plane. We were joyous to discover we both pictured the bright, bold red cardinal as our favorite animal. On top of that, however, red foxes had approached us as spirit guides.
Melanie, who has had to struggle as a caregiver for her father, who passed away slightly more than a year ago, had only recently placed her grandmother into a nursing home when Melanie had struck bottom and sought help to save herself from drowning. Several of her father’s dearest friends interceded and rescued Melanie, ushering the grandmother into an emergency entrance of a nearby assisted living facility.
- (As some of you might be aware, I placed my spouse in a nursing home after struggling with “care-giver burnout.” in January of 2013, following a lengthy trial that started Sept. 15, 2006.)
Foxes Act as Guides in the Lower World
Melanie’s fox led her to a wolf, and took off, leaving the poor child without saying goodbye. On awakening from this journey, she felt grief occupying her Throat Chakra and parts of her psyche.
My fox was a “wanderer,” helping a vixen here, and a horse there, while never staying in one place too long before seeking some new adventure, some new mystical experience wherever his heart would take him.
But my visit to the Lower World was something I never expected, and it goes to show you that when you have “no expectations,” someone’s will that you’re placing your own will in does not disappoint you.
- (This is an excerpt from a forthcoming Contoveros book on Reiki to be published next year!)
Mystical Creature Appears Subconsciously
I didn’t mean to begin my journey as soon as my eyes closed. But a creature from a previous dream entered my consciousness. I had dreamed of this wonderful being some three years ago when writing down all of my dreams religiously over a 6-week period. In the dream, a figure much like the mythical “Puff the Magic Dragon” had visited me. But he appeared as no fictional character, but one our earth had seen hundreds of thousands of years ago.
My totem for this latest journey was none other than “Little Foot,” the long-neck dinosaur, also known as a Brontosaurus as well as an Apatosaurus. He took me swimming and diving in the ocean as I held onto him and rode him bareback. In my dream, I clung to this, the largest of all the prehistoric animals, as he made his way into the water and then out of it, somehow climbing into the air as if he could fly.
Dinosaur in Dream Becomes Best Friend
We became airborne for just a short time before submerging again and splashing in the refreshing water, giggling and laughing as the best of friends, man and beast, kids at heart.
There was no time for surface contacts, however. As Angie continued to softly speak to me and Mel, I plunged into the water. It was a clear, fresh, and bubbling area of water. My dinosaur friend was fully in charge. I knew not where we were headed, but felt I was on another adventure.
Down and down, we went, my eyes wide open and hair wildly drifting from one side to the other as we would twist and turn around the sea structures and sea animals, none of which lingered for long in our sights. We passed coral and rock formations and hundreds of different colored fish, all seemingly aware of our visit to their part of the world.
Domed City Made of Gold Beckons to Me
Too soon, we slowed as the dinosaur pulled up straight, ending what seemed like hours of descent. There, just below me, was a domed city. It was all in gold. It sparkled and shone in the air that was trapped inside this huge globe-like, clear structure. Our view was unobstructed. I saw streets and pavements, as well as houses of various sizes, shapes, and widths.
But there were no people. The city seemed to have been there for the longest of times, existing long before civilization as we know it came into being. It had an air of wisdom and knowledge about it, as if the basic rocks, wood, stones, and trees were alive and full of answers to anyone who could pose the right question to them.
I wanted to enter. So did my traveling companion. But no sooner had we come into the presence of this magnificent city, we knew it was time to go.
I don’t remember much after this. A walrus with long tusks came into our vision. “Goo-goo-achoo,” I felt like singing to him in the language of the Beatles. He, too, was wise. Maybe he was the doorman or watchman at the entrance to the “globed city” beneath the sea.
Walrus Guides Me to a Pool of Sharks
He guided us away from the city and upwards toward the waterway above. Soon, he too left us on our own. But not for long, we were then joined by a group of professional sharks. I felt they were more professional than I thought it. They were of the lawyer class of sharks. Very efficient, very logical, and very uncaring for anything but their targeted prey.
I enjoyed their company and just as we were about to swap war stories of courtroom intrigue and shenanigans, I heard drumming in the far distance. The thumping drew my attention, and it pulled me away from the sharks, the water, and my good friend the dinosaur. I re-entered the land of “Now. “Upon describing my vision, Angie said I had journeyed to the Lost City of Atlantis, the magical land spoken of by Plato, the Greek philosopher who always dealt with facts, never fiction.
Was he calling me to the city? Were my father’s ancestors somehow interceding with the powers of Poseidon to gain me entrance to this wonder or wonders? Who knows. Maybe more will follow in my next Shamanic Journey.
The Willie Dream — he’ll always return
I had a dream with a wonderful happy ending just a few minutes ago. It woke me, and I made a cup of coffee, brushed my teeth, and began writing while the memory was still fresh on my mind.
I dreamed about my dog named Willie.
I was walking with him, as well as my old office mate from the Defender Association of Philadelphia, when Willie broke away from us, crossed the street, and joined in a chase of something that a pack of dogs was following at the Philadelphia Art Museum. You know, the one that Rocky Balboa ran up the steps before raising both arms in victory motion in the movie.
I called to him several times, but he was too busy enjoying the chase as I saw him run up one hill and down the other. Boy, was he having fun.
Whistling does Little to Curb a Dog’s Fun
But I knew there could be trouble with any traffic should he decide to cross the street or follow the dogs should they chase after the prey they were seeking. I whistled my special whistle but got nada in return.
I couldn’t wait. My office mate and I had to catch a bus. I guess we were going to work near City Hall in downtown Philadelphia.
In any case, we had gotten on a bus, and I immediately felt pangs of guilt. I also saw Willie running with the dogs in the distance, and I waited until I got the bus driver’s attention and asked him to please stop.
My office mate chided me.
“You never had a dog,” I said to her. “You never experienced true love,” I added, not really knowing what I meant by that, but feeling it kind of meant something like “unconditional love,” the type I got from my dog, Willie.
Second Dream of Wilie Galloping Around
This was not the first dream I had of him. He appears regularly in my dreams. He’s never on a leash and always seems to be having a great time.
This time, however, I felt I couldn’t rest without “getting him back.”
I got off the bus and somehow got transported to the back of an open dump truck that belonged to one of my brothers, Johnny. There were a few items in the bed of the truck, including a rifle, which I grabbed before leaving on my quest to get Willie.
I had no idea where the bus driver had left me off at. It was somewhere in Philly, but I wasn’t familiar with South Philadelphia and none of the places I saw seemed as if they belonged. Hey, this was a dream, after all!
Blog Post here will Appear in Book Form
(Note: This is an excerpt from a book entitled; “Contoveros Sings the Brewerytown Blues” scheduled for publication in late 2015 or early 2016)
I began walking a straight line in the direction back to the art museum. In order to do that, I had to walk into and through houses and offices. I’d say hello and pretend that I worked at the places I breezed through. I had taken no notice of the rifle I was carrying, and neither had anyone else.
Too soon, I found my way blocked. I then climbed a roof hoping to get over one of the buildings, but couldn’t get any further, and I was forced to retreat to where I had just climbed from. All I kept thinking was what someone would say to the police upon seeing my little Greek butt.
“Man on a roof with a rifle.”
Search for Willie Continues Indoors
The next thing I knew, I was inside a factory laboratory. Two men were walking in the same direction away from me, and I called out to them. The one fellow turned out to be a really Good Samaritan, agreeing to take me to his house and help me on my search for Willie.
Oh, by the way. Before I had left the bus, the bus driver pulled out a sheet and began writing answers to questions he posed to me about Willie, should someone with SEPTA, the regional transit company. I told him the dog would eat about anything and, yes, he was partial to biscuits!
My newly found friend and I were joined by a few others in his house, and we made our way out. We had to pass through one of two gates to get to the street. One gate had been guarded by a fellow who was looking the other way when we departed, safely reaching the street and the avenue outside the compound.
Small Critter makes a Beeline Towards Me
Once there, we had been walking up the street for a few minutes when one of the members of our group started to shout and point. I had no idea what he was referring to until I noticed a small black and white critter come racing in our direction, making a beeline right towards me.
Willie had found me. He was never lost. Neither was I.
And of course, we lived happily ever after!
————–
“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.“
— Josh Billings
Getting High With A Little Help From . . .
I got High Again.
I didn’t know how much I needed a “fix” until my head slumped on my chest and I “awoke” to a restful, calm, and peaceful world I had been away from for what seemed a lifetime. I felt.
But please don’t judge me. Don’t look upon me as weak or needy. I have tried so hard to be the strong, silent type who could weather any storm alone: self-reliant and dependent on no one except myself to get through the most difficult of life’s situations. Yet, each time I overcame what felt like one disaster after another, I knew deep inside I could not succeed on my own. I needed help from a Source I’d subconsciously tapped into to get me through each ordeal.
Craving for the ‘Elixir of Life’ Quick-Fix
I now admit I couldn’t have done it without getting high while no one was looking. I’ve become addicted. In recent days, months, and years, I needed more and more of what I call the “elixir of life.” I’d crave the equanimity it would offer me as a serotonin chemical would enter into my bloodstream, my consciousness, my very essence.
I don’t care what others might say about my habit anymore. I need a crutch to get through my day, and I’m only realizing now how much I struggle when I fail to take a hit. The earlier in the day, I can get it, the better. I need that something extra to assure me all is well, that all will be well, no matter what failings, shortcomings, or simple ignorance I bring to daily life.
I am dependent on this “Source” to take me away from my worries, my concerns, my feelings of, I don’t know, call it an emptiness of sorts that so hard to describe, let alone, understand.
Search for a Place to be Alone Within & Without
When the need calls to me, I look for a place where I can be alone. I get into a comfortable posture, a familiar one that offers a tingling sensation of anticipation. I am going to escape, I tell myself, as I settle into a chair or on a pillow, exposing my vulnerability to forces outside and inside myself.
I open one hand to the heavens above, ready to accept whatever peace may soon come my way. My other hand rests downward, touching the solid earth that grounds me. The arm and exposed hand facing skyward await the blissful infusion the drug will eventually provide.
I Close my Eyes.
My mind is racing like steaming locomotion, a runaway train minus a conductor at the controls. I can’t truly let go and open myself while my thoughts are zigzagging from one place to another. The thoughts fly from the past to the future. (They never seem to come to rest in the present!) Each carries unwanted baggage. I can’t rid myself of these thoughts. They come unbidden, unneeded. They impede my plans to escape the battlefield I’m maneuvering through.
I Stop Fighting.
Stop swinging at unseen opponents, hoping a knockout punch will somehow save you, Michael J. Give in, take the fix. Admit that you can no longer live without it.
And, That’s it.
Surrender.
Acquiesce to the Power Greater than Yourself. Feel warmth slowly spread through your body, easing the tightness in your neck and your shoulders, the parts so tense and coiled they feel like a jack-in-the-box ready to spring out. You need only breathe and allow the source to seep into you, to wash over you, to elevate your mind and your spirit.
Contoveros 