Last night I dreamed of a tiger
Video storytelling included
Welcome Reader,
Thank you for being here! This week I’ve been diving into teachings from Carl Jung, a key founder of psychology and one of the most influential psychiatrists of all time. Jung believed that the collective unconscious is expressed through universal archetypes. Archetypes are signs, symbols, or patterns of thinking and/or behaving that are inherited from our ancestors.
He believed that our psyches have 3 spheres of consciousness - the conscious (mind/ego), the personal unconscious (our dream state) and the collective unconscious (ancesteral memories).
I realized that I’ve been digging my way to my personal unconsciousness and seeking understanding of the collective unconsciousness for years. Unbeknownst to me, it could be the reason why I felt compelled to leave Silicon Valley during the pandemic as I leaned into the practices of meditation, writing, and connecting to nature from a shamanistic perspective. I began to realize how trapped we all are, living in our consciousness, our egos for survival, to provide for our families with the constant distractions of our attention for the latest device or any other material thing. The raging disparities among communities and social classes exposed pushed me to seek further. I began to feel this energetically in my body, like my ego was layers of marble needing to be chipped away more and more. The energy of Silicon Valley no longer served the truth of who I was or who I was becoming. Thankfully, my family agreed to make the move to the healing of the desert.
Not to say our egos don’t matter! The ego gets us through the day, keeps us safe from harm and helps us make rational decisions, sometimes. When we have that feeling of watching life pass us by, or the days become blurred, it’s a clear sign we need to connect back to ourselves. We are the authority of ourselves and we forget that because society is telling us who to be and what to do constantly. Life opens up for us when we stop, get quiet and we connect to our unconscious. It’s what our dreams are made of when we sleep when we rest in deep meditation, when we feel the music being played, when we feel the air and crunch of leaves when we hike in nature, it’s a cozy safe place to reside.
Consider this - we haven’t been our truest selves, our very essence of who we really are since we were small. Naturally, our personalities are formed and shaped by our families, experiences and world around us at a very young age. Our subconscious reminds us of who we really are and perhaps that’s why I love sharing my dreams with my family in the mornings, to make sense of them as erratic and obscure as they are, it’s fascinating! Often times, they say, how much longer is this dream?! I’m grateful I remember them at all.
My Dad loves sharing his dreams as well and I enjoy listening with my full presence, maybe there’s a hidden meaning in there that will explain my weirdness! Perhaps this was passed down in our collective unconscious. Maybe his mother liked to share her dreams as well and it goes back many generations. When we remember our ancestors’ stories baked into our DNA, it helps us to feel connected to the bigger picture of life. Whether you know it or not, the lands, cultures and birth families shape who we are from our eyes, to our smiles to the stride in our step. Epigenetic research also reveals that memories, good and bad are also passed down.
Our collective unconscious contributes to who we are as an individual and how we show up in the world. It gives us a sense of belonging when we realize we are part of history. A remembering of who we really are and where we come from. This unconscious collective connects us more than our blood lines, it’s embedded into our collective history overlapping with one another. I believe it goes back to the times of the genocide of the Indians, to the slavery of Africans, to the Civil War if we can trace our ancestors back to America or where ever we are from. It all overlaps, our ancestors were there playing their part. And yet we are so divided because of our egos of individualism forgetting that we are all in this together, we all belong to one another.
As I continue to excavate my own truth of who I am and how I fit into this world I am led by inner most heart, by my children and how I serve them to be the best versions of their truest selves. The only way I can do that is by healing and growing myself.
This brings me to the story of how a tiger showed up in my dream. Here’s a video to tell you that story:
All these parts of us should not be dismissed as we excavate the layers of marble exteriors we have formed to protect, to push away, to mask our true essence of who we really are. When we are vulnerable, we make others feel safe to do so as well.
I am reminded by this dream not to deny my own truth of who I am. I’m reminded there’s no need to people please nor to engage in anything that is self-abandonment. I am whole. I fearlessly walk through darkness to remember my light.
Our deepest wounds are not problems to be solved, but sources of creativity, vitality and resilience.
I urge you to find your special strength in your sensitivity, to see the beauty in sentimental moments, to have the courage to keep going and understand and nurture that heart of yours. Sensitivity is a gift, honor it, cherish it, love it.
Be well warrior - keep fighting - keep loving - keep finding your truth.
with love -
Durga
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upcoming happenings
Next Thursday - Spiritual Parenting Group - You don’t have to be familiar with Ram Dass to attend. It is a safe, welcoming container for those curious seekers.
I will be an upcoming guest this July on the podcast - “That’s Life I Swear” - More info on that in the coming weeks.
Check out my new website to read other writings and to join a class:
