In our ignorance it is easy to misinterpret the meaning of trees. For example, in an early dream I passed by a tree so loosely rooted that the trunk shifted when I touched it and I was afraid it would fall over. Another dream around the same time featured a flimsy willow tree whose roots were so soggy from the nearby swamp that it, too, was in danger of falling and dying.
We are ready to leave the seductive world of dreamy irresponsibility. The dark night is upon us and if we cannot wake up and become good mothers to ourselves, each other, and our planet, we will have no new awareness to contribute to the evolving consciousness which alone can birth a new dawn.
The tree has meant many things to many people throughout history, but the theme that runs through them all is humanity’s psycho-spiritual journey from ignorance to consciousness. With roots that reach deep into the earth, arms that reach up to heaven, and trunks that connect the space in between, trees mediate between heaven and earth, thus symbolizing the whole of the manifest world in both its sacred and mundane aspects.
The amazing change in Egypt’s government has happened because of a massive evolutionary change in our collective awareness. The young, the subjugated, the impoverished, the disenfranchised everywhere are discovering that each of us has a voice that deserves to be heard, and that when we speak our truths with passion, courage and love we can improve the quality of our lives without violence.
I’ve been trying to understand myself for most of my adult life. I first became aware of this idiosyncracy in college. One day I was in the library browsing through the psychology section and came upon a book about personality types. I was as thrilled as if I had discovered a treasure map. Or the key to the weathered door of a mysterious hidden garden. Or the holy grail!
Becoming conscious of the factors which prevent us from living with balance, loving with abandon, and being sovereigns over our own authentic lives is our soul’s true destiny and the goal of inner work. But it takes a long time to understand this, and even longer to accomplish it.
We Westerners have made unprecedented progress in our attitudes toward gender over the past fifty years and we’d like to believe we’ve overcome the old stereotypes and double standards. Some of us have, but we all know that prejudice against women and feminine qualities is still with us — even if kept mostly undercover.
It’s difficult to explain the connection between psychological awareness and creativity without psychological jargon getting in the way. Maybe I should start by sharing a dream.
A new American conscience has been emerging for some time now. For my generation it began in the 60’s with President Kennedy who worked with Sargent Shriver to develop the Peace Corps because he dreamed of eliminating poverty and creating world peace. It hasn’t happened yet, but many lives have been changed for the better.
Dream themes associated with our King address rules, crimes, morality, authority, order, leadership, and individuation. Two King dreams are especially auspicious. An old King dying to make way for a new one says we’ve outgrown our childish dependence on outer authorities and are assuming our personal authority. A wedding between a King and Queen suggests the conscious integration of our inner opposites.
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