Have you ever had a dream of falling? Was it scary? Why do we scare ourselves in dreams? Why do we scare ourselves in this particular way? In this dream, the common theme of falling is transformed through its Integral Deep Listening interview into an opportunity to cultivate meditative consciousness.
I have jumped off an incredibly high place. I am falling, falling, falling down toward water below. Some women spot me and yell my name, saying, “Look! It’s Felix Brandt!” I let go as I fall and feel fearless and free, yet anxiously anticipating the surface. My eyes are closed. I want to put my hands up but they seem glued to my sides. I keep waiting to hit the water but I only continue to feel the rush of wind and to feel light, floating, suspended…The next thing I know I am up in the water, fine and feeling great.
Associations: I don’t remember many falling dreams. This one felt like I had to be at least a thousand feet up!
The dreamer chose to interview the air! It said, “I am hanging out here, minding my own business, being light and free. He is experiencing me mostly as wind, but that’s not my experience of myself. I am light and I am free. I am everywhere. I can’t die. I am not afraid of anything. I witness everything. I am completely aware and completely at peace. I personify spacious, clear, pure awareness and I don’t want to change. I like being me. However, I do have to take the perspective of the waking identity of this person all the time, in that he loses touch with me, and it gets rather old.”
“On a scale of zero to ten, I score myself a ten in confidence, acceptance, inner peace, and witnessing. I don’t know how to score myself in compassion, because I am not sure I know what that is. Is that something I’m supposed to feel about my relationships with others? I don’t have any feelings whatsoever about others. And I don’t know if I’m wise or not. I generally don’t think.”
If I scored tens in compassion and wisdom as well as the other four qualities I would be personal rather than impersonal. I would have qualities of engagement rather than extreme disengagement or detachment. These seem to contradict my nature, so I don’t want to change.
This dreamer can potentially score high in all six of these qualities in ways that I can not or do not. If he did, he would have no fear or anxiety; he would stay serene, light, and free.”
“If I lived his life for him I would be in the present moment always, because that is how I live. It is difficult for him to think and to do that too, because thinking splits everything into subject-object, past (intention) and present (thought). Still, that’s what I would do. If he wants to take his practice of waking up to the next level, I recommend he practice becoming me and looking out at his life from my perspective. I would have him focus on being, witnessing, and experience, like I do, whenever he wants to anchor himself in those three awarenesses.”
“I am here to help him wake up. He stays asleep by identifying with his thoughts, as if they were real. He needs to practice remembering that such identification with his thoughts is optional and then to become me.”
“He had this dream because he is trying to become me but only gets about half-way there.”
“In the dream he had no experience of hitting the water because that was not the focus of the dream. Besides, there is no death of consciousness itself in dreams; there was no physical body to actually hit the water.”
“What I heard myself say is that staying stuck in my waking perspective, even while I am dreaming, creates drama. None of that drama has any significance from perspectives that cannot die. I am working at having the option to become detached, witnessing, deathless perspectives whenever I want to. My fears and dramas keep me from floating and flying – staying serene, light, and free. Instead, they cause me to fall toward my fears and that wakes me up. If I remember to take the perspective of Air it will help me to not identify with my fears or dramas and not fall into my fears.”
This is not your typical interpretation of a falling dream! No doubt, you would get different responses if you interviewed your air or water from one of your own falling dreams. There are also other questions that Air could have been asked: Why was this different from the typical falling dream, in that the dreamer didn’t jar himself awake when he “hit,” but instead came up out of the water feeling great? Why are there women in the dream? Why can’t the dreamer raise his hands? Why don’t you try and then compare the results? Post your dream and comments here so that we can learn from your experience!
Here is the transcript of the interview:
What are three fundamental life issues that you are dealing with now in your life?
1. Taking my practice of waking up to the next level.
2. Doing a better job of following self-aspect recommendations.
3. Remembering to frame the moment in terms of the Three Outcomes: abundance, joy, and luminosity
Why do you think that you had this dream?
I don’t remember many falling dreams. This one felt like I had to be at least a thousand feet up!
If it were playing at a theater, what name would be on the marquee?
Free Fall
These are the characters in the dream…
The sky, the air, the water, the woman calling my name, her friend(s)
If one character had something especially important to tell you, which would it be?
The air
Now remember how as a child you liked to pretend you were a teacher or a doctor? It’s easy and fun for you to imagine that you are the shape that took form from your color and answer some questions I ask, saying the first thing that comes to your mind. If you wait too long to answer, that’s not the character answering – that’s YOU trying to figure out the right thing to say!
Air, would you please tell me about yourself and what you are doing?
I am hanging out here, minding my own business, being light and free. He is experiencing me mostly as wind, but that’s not my experience of myself.
What do you like most about yourself? What are your strengths?
As I said, I am light and I am free. I am everywhere. I can’t die. I am not afraid of anything. I witness everything. I am completely aware and completely at peace.
What do you dislike most about yourself? Do you have weaknesses? What are they?
Weaknesses? What are those?
(Character), you are in this person’s life experience, correct? They created you, right?_____ (Character), what aspect of this person do you represent or most closely personify?
Spacious clear, pure awareness.
(Character,) if you could be anywhere you wanted to be and take any form you desired, would you change? If so, how?
No. I like being me. However I do have to take the perspective of the waking identity of this person all the time, in that he loses touch with me, and it gets rather old.
(Continue, answering as the transformed object, if it chose to change.)
(Character), how would you score yourself 0-10, in confidence, compassion, wisdom, acceptance, peace of mind, and witnessing? Why?
Confidence:10
Compassion: ? I am not sure I know what that is. Is that something I’m supposed to feel about my relationships with others? I don’t have any feelings whatsoever about others.
Wisdom: ? I don’t know if I’m wise or not. I generally don’t think.
Acceptance: 10
Inner Peace: 10
Witnessing: 10
(Character,) if you scored tens in all six of these qualities, would you be different? If so, how?
I would be personal rather than impersonal. I would have qualities of engagement rather than extreme disengagement or detachment. These seem to contradict my beingness.
How would the life of the person who created you be different if he/she naturally scored high in all six of these qualities all the time?
He can potentially do this in ways that I can not or do not. He would have no fear or anxiety; he would stay serene, light, and free.
If you could live the life of the person who created you for him, how would you live it differently?
I would be in the present moment always, because that is how I live. It is difficult for him to think and to do that too, because thinking splits everything into subject-object, past (intention) and present (thought). Still, that’s what I would do.
If you could live this person’s waking life for him today, would you handle his three life issues differently? If so, how?
1. Taking my practice of waking up to the next level: I would have him be me.
2. Doing a better job of following self-aspect recommendations: The same.
Remembering to frame the moment in terms of the Three Outcomes: abundance, joy, and luminosity: I wouldn’t think about these.
What three life issues would you focus on if you were in charge of his/her life?
1. Being.
2. Witnessing.
3. Experiencing.
In what life situations would it be most beneficial for this person to imagine that they are you and act as you would?
Whenever he wants to anchor himself in those three awarenesses.
Why do you think that you are in this person’s life?
To help him wake up.
How is this person most likely to ignore what you are saying to them?
Identifying with his thoughts, as if they were real.
What would you recommend that they do about that?
Remember that such identification is optional and then to become me.
I think this person had this dream because
he is trying to become me but only gets about half-way there.
I think this dream event happened or (some character) was in the dream because…
There was no experience of hitting the water because that was not the focus of the dream. Besides, there is no death of consciousness itself ; there was no body to experience hitting the water.
What have you heard yourself say?
Staying stuck in my waking perspective, even while I am dreaming, creates drama. None of that drama has any significance from this part of myself that cannot die. I am working at having the option to become that part of myself whenever I want to.
