“Some of us think holding on makes us strong,
but sometimes it is letting go.”
– Herman Hesse
Today, I’m pleased to share a guest article by one of SoulfulLiving.com’s long-time columnists, Rob Ragozzine, Numerologist, radio host, and author of our column, What’s Your Number?
His article, “Let Your Dreams Show You How to Let Go” is creative and interesting and sure to inspire you to pay more attention to your dreams, get curious about them, and let them help guide you.
Enjoy ♥
“Let Your Dreams Show You How to Let Go”
By Rob Ragozzine
Dreams can often provide healing guidance to us when we need to let go of certain circumstances in our lives. And, although sometimes we feel like we need to hold on, once we let go of those things that are holding us back, new experiences can manifest and unfold, and we can move on with life.
As we approach 2014, we can look to our dreams for guidance around the choices that we want and need to make in the new year. What have you been yearning for, but putting off? What have you been delaying? It can be time to act. But, discernment is also important. Take time to make your choices, and then move on without regret.
Now, with choice and decisions in mind, suppose you’ve just experienced a difficult or frightening dream. You wake up distressed. Perhaps you are breathing fast, feeling anxious or tense. You might even get up and walk around, or turn on music or television. In order to get back to a sound sleep, you try to push aside your feelings and tell yourself that it was just a dream. Instead, you can try recording your dream before falling back to sleep, and later in the day or sometime soon, you can come back to what you’ve recorded and take a deeper look.
You can work with the “medicine” of your dream to help yourself, especially around choice. Your dream has the power to help you release or let go of unsupportive situations. Why not work with this beneficial guidance? All dreams, including those that are upsetting, can be helpful. But, you need to be curious and willing to explore the underlying meaning of your dreams.
Are you curious about the ways your dream is offering a way to mend or heal? Are you willing to take the steps the dream may be recommending? It’s easy to be confused about the dream and get stuck. But, you can move past this when you analyze your dream. Getting stuck within fear, doubt or confusion definitely isn’t helping you. Moving past the disturbing nature of the dream helps you to release, and find the medicine hidden within your dream. Start by connecting to the initial feeling you had when you woke up. Come up with a few key phrases that match the energy of how you feel.
You might say:
“I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck.”
“I feel like I’m drowning.”
“I feel lost and confused.”
“I feel like the rug has been pulled out from beneath me.”
“I’m behind the eight ball.”
“I’m between a rock and a hard place.”
Once you have a phrase connected with how you truly feel, meditate on that phrase. Feel into what it means for you. Ask for clarity around the hidden message. Do any memories come up associated with your phrase? Do events within the dream remind you of a particular outer life situation? Does your dream show where you’ve kept yourself stuck? Remember to have compassion for yourself in this process. This isn’t about bring blame or labeling yourself. It’s about discovering possibilities for change, healing and growth.
I recently had a dream in which I was living on a small island. It was just me and the land. Waves of high water came up and washed over me. In the dream, I stood there as the waves flowed over me. When I looked for a phrase to work with, I found “I’m in over my head.” I used my phrase to more deeply connect to my initial feelings of overwhelm and a sense of being lost. In my outer life, I was looking at starting up a few new projects, but I felt like I didn’t have time to do all the work that needed to be done. I wondered how I might release or reduce these feelings.
Oftentimes, the feeling itself is more important than the actual outer events. It means acknowledging your feelings rather than pushing them aside. But, you don’t have to wallow in them. For me, this means acknowledging that I do feel overwhelmed at times. And, that I have many choices.
As I looked more closely at the dream, I realized that although the water swept over me, I wasn’t overwhelmed by it. I noticed I was still standing where I started. Other waves came, but none of them dragged me away or pushed me down.
The action of the water was outside of my control, but I had more strength than I realized. I looked back at my outer life with this new perspective. It still felt overwhelming, but there are likely actions that I can take to help alleviate the distress that I feel, at least to some degree. Some of my choices can be about letting go. I see the process as being about recognizing the overwhelm, but also seeing that I will be okay. The overwhelm is still there, but with less direct power over my decisions and actions. In time it will fade. Also, I realize that I might not actually be called to do anything. The dream has me standing still. It’s more about accepting the waves.
What guidance and issues are your dreams bringing to you? How are they helping you to let go of the difficult situations or the past? What are you willing to let go of? Letting go often means that we begin to recognize where we’ve held ourselves back and begin to make new choices. What choices are waiting to be made in your life?
What are your dreams trying to bring into your life? How can your curiosity help you to let go of the situations that may be holding you back from the medicine your dream is bringing for you? For me, I feel that my dream is bringing me a message about the willingness to be patient and to recognize that life doesn’t have to be centered around struggle. I can feel overwhelmed, but I can also be in the moment and recognize my strength.
As we move toward 2014, pay attention to those areas of your life in which you feel held back or stuck. Look to your dreams for help and guidance. At first, the message you’re receiving may not be clear, but with patience and compassion you can unlock the wisdom within your dream. This wisdom can help you to move past your current constraints and allow a new experience to unfold for you.
Copyright 2013 Rob Ragozzine.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments on Rob’s article! Please scroll down and leave your comments below.
Wishing you a dreamy day!!
Soulfully,
Valerie
