Author: Susan Schulte

Posted on

A Meaningful Symbolic Connection

For many years I have kept a journal in which I write my dreams and synchronicities I’ve noted, along with my thoughts about both. Not long ago I experienced a meaningful connection between a synchronistic experience and a dream I had a few weeks after that.

About a month ago, I needed to take my cat to the vet. I was the only person in the waiting room when a woman came into the clinic with her dog which was on a leash. It was a tall, healthy-looking, attractive dog, with a light brown coat. As soon as the dog saw me, it started barking and straining at its leash. I love animals and had never had a dog act that way toward me. In a few minutes my cat was returned to me in her carrier and we left the clinic. The way the dog acted caused me to wonder if there might be meaning in what had occurred. For just as dreams use images of people and animals to symbolize certain traits and to get our attention, so do experiences in outer reality.

One thing that came to mind is that dogs can symbolize giving direction, based on the fact that dogs use their sense of smell to track and find people, other animals, etc. So on one level the incident served to remind me of the importance of trying to discern and trying to follow my inner direction.

About three weeks after that happened I had this dream: I’m standing outside when I see a person walking a tall dog on a leash. The person and the dog are a ways off, I would guess at least 150 feet away. When the dog sees me, he comes running toward me, not in an aggressive way; more like he’s just interested in me as a person standing there. The dog runs fast and it turns out the leash can extend that far. I’m not afraid of him–I’m more intrigued to know why he’s running to me–but I am concerned he’s coming so fast he might knock me down. But the owner is able to cause the dog to slow down as he nears me, and when he’s beside me I pet him and scratch his neck which it is apparent he likes. I learn from the person that this dog is available for adoption. Although I like this dog, I can’t consider adding caring for a pet to my busy schedule right now. Another person walking a dog in the adoption program comes up to us and says that often people will get a large dog and then give the dog up when they realize how much care it needs and the cost of its food, and that is why there are so many large dogs for whom they’re trying to find homes.

As I was remembering and writing down this dream, I was struck by the fact that the dog in the dream looked exactly like the dog at the vet’s. It was also significant to me how differently the two dogs acted toward me, the one in outer reality clearly disliking me and the dog in the dream clearly liking me. I felt like the dream maker, by having the dog in the dream look identical to the dog who had barked at me, did that to bring to my attention the contrasting behavior of the two dogs.

Seeing this symbolism, I believe my hesitation in the dream to adopt the dog reflects the hesitation I sometimes have of listening to and following my inner voice. I believe the dream was emphasizing the importance of my making this dog a part of my life; that is, embracing direction from within. The dog chose me and now I needed to choose him, no matter what objections my ego raises.

For these reasons I decided to write a dream extension; that is, to add to the dream and change how it ended. Here’s what I wrote: Even though I have some concerns about adopting a dog right now, I believe I should adopt this dog. It chose me and there must be a reason for that, even though that reason is not clear yet. So I tell the person I will adopt this dog, and the dog snuggles its snout against my leg as if to let me know he’s happy with my decision.

I felt good after writing the dream extension. It was my way of saying to my inner voice that I’m sorry my ego gets in the way and that I am thankful for the synchronicity and the dream that were given to me. And also that I honor how my inner voice spoke to me through both.

Posted on

A Beautiful Art Form

I attended a professional dance performance today that I thoroughly enjoyed. There were three pieces, each a different theme and style of dance. The eight dancers had prepared well and displayed their high level of talent and skill. The dancers’ ability, along with the creative choreography, music, and costumes, made for a wonderful program.

Dance is one of my favorite art forms. I appreciate and respect the hard work and years of training the dancers have completed to be able to perform at the professional level, and I’m impressed by their ability. I think one reason dance appeals to me is because it is symbolic. Some dances portray a story, but many dances are more abstract and touch each audience member in a personal way. I am thankful for the many beautiful aspects of life, and dance is one of them.

Posted on

Dreams Reflect Inner Reality

One of several authors who have helped me to better understand Jungian concepts is psychotherapist Mary Ann Mattoon. In the introduction to her book Understanding Dreams, she writes that her principal objective for writing the book was to organize and clarify Carl Jung’s ideas to help people better understand and gain from his findings. It was quite an undertaking because Jung was a prolific writer, writing many volumes stretching over many years. The result of Dr. Mattoon’s work is an informative and insightful guide.

Dr. Mattoon writes: “Dreams express what the ego does not know or understand: inner reality, not as the dreamer would like it to be, but as it is.” When trying to discern what a dream might be saying to us about ourselves, it’s important to keep an open mind and to be receptive to hearing something that our egos might not want to hear. If we’re serious about learning from our dreams, this approach is essential. And I admit that there are times when I need to remind myself of this.

I recently had this dream that demonstrates this principle: I’m in the yard of my home and see some boys in the yard next door. I’ve seen them before; I think two are brothers who live in the neighboring house and the other two boys are their friends. The boys are loud and disruptive and come into my yard. I tell them to stay in their yard, that there’s no reason for them to come into mine. They don’t listen and run around yelling and laughing. I tell them if they don’t leave I’ll call the police, but this threat doesn’t have any effect on them and they’re still in my yard when the dream ends.

Keeping in mind that, according to Jungian theory, the people who populate dreams usually reflect aspects of the dreamer, I need to accept that part of me, as shown by the boys’ behavior, is belligerent, self-centered, and disrespectful. Even though in outer reality I try to be respectful and helpful to others, it’s important that I accept that in “inner reality” that is not always the case. And the message of this dream resonates with me because I recognize that the wishes of my ego are not always in line with the direction given by the Self, to use Jung’s terminology, or by the Creator, to use spiritual terminology. Because my dream showed me that part of me who is insolent and egocentric, I can be watchful of those tendencies as I make choices about what I do each day.

Posted on

Thank You to Writers

I would like to thank all of the authors for writing the books that have enriched my life. Thank you for listening to that part of you who told you it’s time to begin to write. And for staying with it despite inevitable challenges. Reading books written by people knowledgeable about Jungian concepts has helped me to better understand myself and therefore to grow in consciousness. Many of these authors are psychotherapists who have assisted numerous clients, including helping their clients to discern the messages of their dreams and the possible meaning of synchronicities. With their clients’ permission, the authors have shared their clients’ experiences, and they often have written about their own experiences as well. My life has also been enriched by reading books about spiritual and religious topics. Spirituality and consciousness are directly related, and many of the books by certain Jungian authors are about that relationship.

I also enjoy reading well written novels. I make a point of saying “well written” because, sad to say, there is much that is published that is of poor quality and can be emotionally harmful to the reader. By reading well written novels, I have learned about human nature as the stories’ characters deal with life situations and display compassion, courage, perseverance, sacrifice, creativity, and strength of character. Some of the best written fiction is by authors who thoroughly research the eras and geographical settings of their stories, giving me a sense of what it might have been like to live in a different place and/or time, adding to my empathy for others.

In addition to being thankful to writers for enhancing my life experience, I also have a great regard for them. It takes courage to share their ideas and experiences. Through their writing, they open themselves up to possible criticism from people who disagree with the ideas they express. I’m thankful that their inner voices give to writers inspiration, creativity, and writing ability and, in addition, that essential virtue of courage.

Posted on

Working at Individuation

One of the primary concepts of Jungian psychology is individuation, the inner process where we grow in consciousness and become more whole. We grow in consciousness by integrating aspects of the unconscious that we learn from the symbols and stories of our dreams, from synchronicities, from unexpected occurrences, and from what we sense intuitively. As we become more individuated, we become more the persons we were created to be.

In his book Inner Work, Jungian psychotherapist and author Robert Johnson writes: “If we work at individuation, we begin to see the difference between the ideas and values that come out of our own selves and the social opinions that we absorb from the world around us. We can cease to be mere appendages of a society or a clique of people: We learn that we have our own values, our own ways of life, that proceed naturally out of our inborn natures.”

Although the notion of being our “own person” and being “an individual” is talked about as an ideal in our culture, there is much pressure to adapt and fit in rather than to be truly individual. The news media, advertising, and political groups have as their goal to influence how we think and act. With some exceptions, family, social, and religious groups too often focus on conforming to their definition of how we should be rather than promoting genuine individuality.

Because this is the case, it takes courage and persistence to try to listen to our inner voice–to listen to the Self, to use Jung’s terminology. It takes faith in the process and realization that when that faith waivers, we are always welcome to start again. Notice that Johnson writes “If we work at individuation . . . .” It is work. It is not the easy way. But it is definitely the meaningful way.

Posted on

Loneliness

In my work as a crisis line counselor, I have often heard from people who are lonely and who long to have a loving and committed relationship. Some have been in relationships that they needed to end, some have experienced the other person leaving them and are grieving not being with that person anymore, and some have always found it difficult to meet others and have never been in an exclusive relationship. Loneliness is painful.

It concerns me when people tell me the only thing that matters is to have someone in their lives so they aren’t lonely any more. It’s essential for everyone to find a sense of meaning as individuals. I would never say this totally takes away feelings of loneliness, definitely not, for I have empathy for lonely people. But it’s important not to depend on a relationship with someone to be the only thing that makes life meaningful. For this reason, it is often recommended that people who feel lonely explore interests and activities that they might enjoy, such as learning to play a musical instrument or starting an exercise program. Another possibility is to volunteer for a cause they care about. When people are feeling down, it can be difficult to find the motivation to do this, but many people have benefited by making such choices. And sometimes doing something a person cares about leads to meeting someone who has similar interests and values.

Growing in consciousness can also help people feel less lonely. Several of the authors whose books I have read about doing inner work have found this to be the case for their clients. It’s as if the various aspects of our psyches, such as our inner feminine and masculine, are in a sense companions to us. If it were an ideal world, I would wish for everyone to have someone who loves them dearly. Because it is not an ideal world, I wish for everyone to find meaning in their lives that, if it does not totally end their feelings of loneliness, at least diminishes those feelings. And adds significance and purpose to each day.

Posted on

Dreams Speak through Symbols

It has been very helpful to me to have learned that dreams give us essential information about ourselves. I say “very helpful” but “life-changing” is more accurate. It was almost 30 years ago that I began meeting with a Jungian psychotherapist, became acquainted with Carl Jung’s theories, and began reading books to augment what I was learning in therapy. Dreams, through their symbols and stories, provide us with information from the unconscious, self-knowledge that becomes integrated with our conscious personalities, making us more aware and more whole persons.

As is true of books and articles about all topics, some are much better than others. As I’ve said in other posts, Jungian psychotherapist John Sanford’s books are excellent. Another Jungian psychotherapist and author whose writing I respect is Robert A. Johnson. Like Sanford, Johnson effectively writes about Jungian ideas, as well as his own and other people’s experiences with dream work. Here’s an excerpt from Johnson’s book Inner Work: “For every symbol in a dream the unconscious is ready to provide the associations that explain the symbol’s meaning. The unconscious contains within itself the references for every symbol that it generates; therefore the symbolic language of the unconscious can be decoded. Our task begins with waking up to the associations that spontaneously flow out of us in response to symbols.”

I recently remembered two dreams that occurred within one day of each other and a friend of mine appeared in both dreams. After recording the dreams in my journal, I thought of my associations to my friend, including what I consider to be her positive qualities and also those aspects of her personality that don’t appeal to me. After doing that, I felt like I understood what the dreams might be telling me about myself. The dream image of my friend was not about her; rather, the dream used her image to symbolically represent certain aspects of my personality that the dream wanted to bring to my attention.

As I said earlier, I worked with a Jungian therapist. I think it can be difficult for a person to do dream work without the assistance, at least initially, of a therapist who has expertise in this area. I highly recommend doing this. It is life-changing.

Posted on

Sharing the Gift of Time

My mother is 99 years old and thankfully was able to live in her home until she was 94, living there by herself eight years after my father passed away. Since then she has lived in an assisted living apartment. The transition from living independently to living in an assisted living facility or nursing home is usually difficult for people, understandably so. They miss the familiarity of their home, friends, and routine, and find themselves in entirely different surroundings, with people they don’t know. The transition was difficult for my mother but, I’m happy to say, she is generally content now.

Whenever I see that someone new has moved onto Mom’s floor, I say a prayer for that person. The reason each person needs to be there is unique to him or her—sometimes there are cognitive changes, sometimes physical limitations, and sometimes both. But no matter what the reason for needing to move there, I doubt that it’s an easy life change.

I recently heard someone who is in her 70s and whose mother is in her 90s complaining about the time it takes to visit her mother and do tasks for her, such as taking care of her finances and purchasing items her mother needs. One of the reasons the person gave was that she herself is getting older and it might not be long before she will need someone to take care of her. She resented that helping her mother resulted in less time being available to do things she would rather do.

If I have a long life and need to live in assisted living someday, I hope there will be people who want to visit me and to assist me with those things I can no longer do on my own. I spend time with my mother because I love her, but also to follow the teaching of “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (Luke 6:31). This maxim applies to many situations. If our inner direction is to do certain things we would rather not do, try not to focus on the inconvenience. A life of only ease and comfort is not a meaningful life.

Posted on

Our Need for Mercy

A prayer I learned about many years ago is called “the Jesus Prayer.” It’s just a few words: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” I’ve read that it is likely the Jesus Prayer originated from the fifth century monastic traditions of the Desert Fathers and Desert Mothers in Egypt. There are variations, including “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me” and “Lord Jesus, have mercy.” Or simply “Jesus Mercy.” From time to time throughout the day, I’ll silently pray the Jesus Prayer.

It’s important that we remember our need for mercy. It matters very much that we try every day to follow what we discern to be direction from our inner voice. But no matter how well we do in those efforts, we always need the Creator’s help and mercy. None of us is perfect and, despite our efforts, we will make mistakes sometimes. And when we do succeed in living honestly and ethically, it is because the Creator makes that possible.

Another time I pray the Jesus prayer is when I do a relaxation breathing technique. When I’m feeling stress, I slowly inhale, expanding my abdomen, and then slowly exhale, contracting my abdomen, saying “Jesus” as I breathe in and “Mercy” as I breathe out, doing this three or four times. The breathing has a calming effect, and saying the Jesus Prayer adds to the calm I experience.

Posted on

The Gift of Faith

I recently read this quote by Martin Luther King, Jr.: “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” What a perfect definition.

Having faith helps us to live according to what seems morally right to us. Living in this way can be challenging, especially when other people are unaccepting and even critical of choices we make. That can be especially hurtful when those people are people we care about, such as family members and friends. It takes courage to live according to our values and to resist societal pressure to conform rather than to be the unique person we were created to be. Dr. King was certainly an example of someone who lived courageously and who embraced his calling.

Faith is a gift from the Creator and therefore it is not something we can cause to happen. However, I believe we can and we need to “prepare the soil” to be more ready to receive the gift of faith. Some of the ways we can do this are by trying our best to do what seems morally right, to be nonjudgmental and treat others with respect, to be thankful for our blessings, and to devote time to prayer. In these and other ways, we can be more ready to take the next steps along our individual paths.