Susan Schulte – Page 28

September 19, 2017April 15, 2020

A Dream of Encouragement

I have written in some of my other posts about how my life has become more meaningful since I began recording my dreams and trying to be open to what they are telling me. I recently had a dream that I would like to share with you: I have learned that three people I know and work with all died yesterday. I and my coworkers are in shock. All three people were young adults, ages 32, 42, and 45, and none of them had been sick, so their passing away was not expected by anyone. We’ve learned too that each person died in his or her home, that there was no connection among them such as all dying from the same cause. My coworkers and I would be shocked and saddened by just one person dying so unexpectedly, but the shock and sadness are even stronger because three people we knew are suddenly gone.

An essential component of Jungian dream theory is that dreams communicate through symbols. The deaths and the people in my dream, for example, are symbolic of something; they are not a prediction of someone’s immanent death in outer reality. In trying to discern what this dream was telling me, I thought about my associations to the three people. Although they all have positive qualities, what stood out for me is that they all three share the tendency of being overly controlling and they are all stubborn. And in fact these are aspects of myself I’ve been trying to be more aware of and to change. I believe that the dream was telling me that there has been some positive inner change in me: the “death” of stubbornness and controlling tendencies.

This dream is an example of how the Self gets our attention through dreams in order to help us grow in conscousness. It uses as symbols something that in outer reality would cause shock and deep sadness. And by having three people die rather than one, the dream further emphasizes its message. This dream also shows how the dream symbols depict something that is sad in outer reality but that is positive in inner reality. Dying as a symbol of the demise of a negative aspect of a person’s personality is a positive thing. I realize, of course, that my tendencies to be overly controlling and to be stubborn are not totally gone. I’m human after all. But I do believe they have decreased and that my dream was given to me to tell me this. Such dreams provide encouragement to continue to try to make positive changes; they help me to realize the work involved in recording and paying attention to my dreams is definitely worthwhile.

September 7, 2017April 15, 2020

We Are Cared For

As I was walking from the bus to my work this morning, a sparrow flew down onto the sidewalk a little ways from me. When I see a sparrow I’m reminded of the verse in the Bible, Matthew 6:26, that speaks of the birds of the air that do not sow and reap but instead the Creator provides for them, and our Creator provides for us as human beings as well. Obviously that is not a direct quote from a certain translation of the Bible, but that’s the idea. And although that verse speaks of birds in general, not just sparrows, for me it’s the sparrow that reminds me of the idea expressed. I think this might be because sparrows are not showy birds: they’re small, not as colorful as many other birds are, there are many of them so they are not a rare species, and they live in many types of habitats, both in the countryside and in cities. Kind of like human beings. Most of us are not showy either: we lives our lives, do our work, try to fulfill our responsibilities, and hopefully have people who we love and who love us.

It helps me to be reminded that the Creator takes care of me, especially when I find myself worrying about something. I believe it’s important that I try to discern what the Creator wants me to do and that I make an effort to do whatever that is. As I have written in other posts, I have found that doing Jungian dreamwork is one way of discerning this. And in addition it’s important that I realize I’m never alone in those endeavors. And most importantly I must always remember that whatever I do accomplish is only possible because the Creator makes it possible.

August 18, 2017October 4, 2017

Special Moments

Recently I saw a complete rainbow. It has been many years since I’ve seen a full rainbow; from time to time I’ve seen partial ones which are pretty, but this rainbow was especially beautiful. I was on the bus returning home from work, almost to where I get off, and I just happened to look out the window on the other side of the bus and saw it. I wonder what made me look that way. Most of the ride I usually read and when I look out I tend to look out the window on the side of the bus where I’m sitting. But whatever impulse caused me to look the other way, I’m thankful for it.

When I got off the bus at the bus station a few minutes later, I quickly got to my car in the parking ramp and to the street, hoping to see the rainbow again. But it was no longer there. Rainbows are like that–fleeting. It reminded me of how life gives us special moments, unexpected surprises. Rainbows are one of the beauties of nature, and nature provides us with many special moments–a pretty sunrise, birds singing, a refreshing breeze. But nature is not the only source of special moments. They also come from people treating people with care and respect. A greeting with a smile, holding the door open for someone, being understanding when someone is struggling, being patient. Just as the rainbow was only there a few minutes and yet seeing it meant a lot to me, these and other acts of caring might just take a minute or two also and can make such a difference to both the beneficiary of the caring as well as to the giver.

July 30, 2017October 4, 2017

The Winter of Life

My elderly mother lives in an assisted living apartment a few miles from where I live. Both she and I are thankful that she didn’t need to leave her home until she was 94. We’re also thankful she has relatively good health for her age. I visit Mom several times a week. I do that because she tells me she enjoys my visits, because I love her, and because it is a priority for me to do what I can to help her have as nice a life as possible. I also believe it helps elderly people to have at least one person whose presence is consistent, a person they can count on.

My mother is well into the winter of life, and I am in the fall of life. When I visit her I see the other people who live on her floor, many of whom have come to recognize me, and we greet each other. Although Mom is the oldest, the others are also in the winter of their lives. Most of them have some degree of memory loss and most need to use walkers. I sometimes think about how 20 to 30 years ago they were the age I am now, they had careers or were homemakers, many had spouses and children, some had pets. Being their ages, they have all naturally experienced loss, including the passing away of a spouse and other loved ones. There have been other losses, too: loss of good health, mobility, clear thinking, decision-making, and independence.

Visiting my mother and seeing the other people where she lives reminds me to appreciate my life, to cherish my good health and the abilities I am blessed to have. It also reminds me to use my time well, to not take it for granted, and to make healthy choices, such as eating nutritious food and exercising to help me stay as healthy as I can be for as long as I can. Time goes by so quickly and the time will come when I will pass from the fall to the winter of life. I pray that I will do so with grace and acceptance of the changes that will come.

July 23, 2017October 4, 2017

Individuation

As I have said in other posts, working with a Jungian therapist and learning about Jungian psychology have added greatly to my life. One of the principle concepts of Jungian psychology is called individuation. Individuation is an inner process where a person grows in consciousness and becomes more whole. Unconscious content is brought to consciousness through dreams, intuition, and synchronicities (meaningful acausal events–see my posts titled “Synchronicities” and “Unlocking Gifts” where I write about synchronicities in more detail). Individuation is a lifelong process, never completed in this lifetime.

My life is more meaningful because I am more conscious than I used to be. And having grown in consciousness has helped me to better understand and empathize with other people. I don’t want to suggest by any means that I “have it all together.” As much as I value the ideas of growth and change, I, like most people, also have times when I resist it. I’m reminded of how C.S. Lewis in one of his many wonderful books, Mere Christianity, describes inner work. Lewis compares God’s making changes within people to a house being remodeled and enlarged: Walls are torn down and rooms are added, and we question why this is needed when we believe we would be perfectly content staying the little cottage we were before. Similarly, John A. Sanford, Jungian analyst, author, and presenter, in one of his presentations speaks about resistance to doing the work of individuation: “We like our job, our home, our car, we earn enough to keep up with inflation, mow our yard on Saturdays–we like our life as it is. We don’t want things to change.” There is a resistance to putting effort and energy toward doing something more than we are already doing.

And yet doing what is required to become more conscious adds meaning to a person’s life. Many people question their purpose. I hear this from callers quite often in my work as a crisis line counselor. Making the effort to try to follow one’s inner direction involves challenges, difficulty, and even suffering. But it also makes possible a sense of peace, even as one is going through a difficult period. And at times there is a feeling of joy that a person cannot “manufacture,” the kind of joy that is pure gift.

July 8, 2017April 15, 2020

Perseverance

In my work as a crisis line counselor, I speak with callers of various ages and who have a variety of concerns. A concern that comes up frequently is struggles with addiction. Callers have reached the point where they know their addiction is hurting themselves and others and they want to stop–whether it be alcohol, other drugs, gambling, cutting, and/or other behaviors. It is very difficult to stop doing a behavior that has become addictive. But thankfully many people have succeeded in maintaining sobriety; there are many success stories. I respect people who work hard to stop their addictive behavior in order to make their lives and the lives of the people they love better. Knowing that others have succeeded can bring hope to those who are trying to stop.

It is generally difficult for a person to do this without the assistance of other people. There are 12-step programs for all types of addictions that help people stop the behavior and also provide ongoing support to decrease the chances of them starting again. For some people, doing individual work with a therapist is what helps most. Others have found the help they needed by attending a residential treatment program. No matter what type of assistance is provided, it is the person who has the addiction who does the difficult work of taking the steps toward sobriety; he or she perseveres.

Perseverance is a quality that is essential to living life well. Although in this post I’ve focused on the difficulties of addiction, perseverance is needed to deal with every type of challenge. Life naturally gives us challenges, and doing our best to make the right choices, to have courage as we follow through on those choices, and to accept the suffering that often accompanies doing the right thing all require perseverance. And when we’ve made it through that period of difficulty by doing what we knew was right, we will have grown as individuals.

June 24, 2017October 4, 2017

The Beauty of Nature

As I was driving this morning I noticed how pretty the sky was. It was medium blue and there were many large white cumulus clouds. What especially caught my eye were sun rays coming down through the clouds. It was similar to the image I’ve chosen to accompany this post. I often look at the sky and take pleasure in seeing its variations: some days there’s not a cloud in the sky; other times there are clouds of various sizes, shapes, and colors–the very white clouds such as those I saw today, gray rain-filled clouds, black storm clouds with lightning flashing in them, and clouds of different hues caused by the angle of the sun. And of course there are the beautiful sunrises and sunsets.

Having a connection to nature is often emphasized as being important to people’s well-being, and taking walks, spending time in parks, hiking, camping, etc. are encouraged. I stay busy with many commitments and am not “in nature” very often. I enjoy seeing the trees, bushes, and flowers in the yards in the area where I live, and also seeing the birds and rabbits and squirrels. In this way I’m able to take in those nearby aspects of nature. But noticing the beauty of the sky is probably my most consistent connection to nature. And I can see its beauty wherever I happen to be, whether I’m waiting for my bus on a busy street corner in the city or taking a walk in a park near my home.

For me, there’s something particularly special about sun rays. There’s a kind of majesty to them. When they appear, I think of the majesty and presence of the Creator, the One who created the beauty that I’m seeing. I also associate the presence of the Creator with the presence of hope. That was the inspiration for the name of my blog, Ever Present Hope. And that is also why my main blog image shows pretty sun rays.

June 24, 2017October 4, 2017

Treating Others with Respect

In my post titled “Acts of Kindness,” I wrote about people who I did not know going out of their way to be helpful to my elderly mother and me, and how special it is when people act in caring ways toward others. Recently I saw an example of an act of unkindness, so to speak. I ride a bus to and from work most days. I was on the bus when I heard a young man ask the driver if this bus would be going to a certain suburb. The driver answered “That’s what it says,” referring to the bus number and destination that appear on the front and side of the bus. The driver’s tone suggested the young man shouldn’t have needed to ask because the answer was obvious. Actually, the suburb isn’t listed; the name of the bus station is, and the bus station name doesn’t include the suburb name. But even if that wasn’t the case, was there any reason to respond in that way to the young man?

I’m happy to say that in my experience the majority of bus drivers answer questions in a courteous manner, demonstrating good customer service. And even though I can think of many actions that are more demeaning and cruel, sometimes those seemingly minor words or actions have a harsher effect than a person might think. The young man might have been riding the bus for the first time, English might be his second language, he might have gotten on a wrong bus once and wanted to be reassured that he was on the right bus–there are many reasons to ask that simple question of the bus driver.

Treating others as one would like to be treated is a concept that occurs in some form in nearly every religious and ethical tradition. I believe treating others as we would like to be treated is a goal we should all strive for.

June 5, 2017April 15, 2020

Dreams Add to Consciousness

In my blog titled “A Special Dream,” I shared a dream that gave me reassurance that things were well in my inner life even though at the time I was feeling down and limited in my outer, day-to-day life. That dream helped me to feel better and to get more on track with what mattered in my life. I’d like to share another dream with you. I had this dream at a time when at a conscious level I was feeling like things were going quite well.
Here is the dream: I am a teenager and have a sister who is a little older and who disagrees with everything I say and makes a point of getting in the way of my being able to carry out my ideas. Knowing this, I haven’t shared ideas with her for a long time and I have avoided her in general because she’s so hateful, but somehow she still always finds a way to block me from moving forward. I feel frustrated with her interference and her seeming power over me and I don’t know what to do to get away from her.
This dream is an example of how our dreams bring unconscious content to consciousness. On a conscious, ego level, I felt as though things were going along pretty well. This dream revealed to me, however, that a part of my psyche, my negative feminine aspect, was causing major problems. The positive feminine aspect of myself who wants to grow and move forward in life is being held back by the negative feminine. In Jungian terms, this negative aspect is my shadow. This dream reminded me that, even though I thought things were going pretty well, it needed to be brought to
my awareness that that wasn’t so. There’s a part of my psyche who doesn’t want me to be creative, to grow, to change in a positive way–and the dream was pointing that out. I was able to use this information and made time to do some writing that I had been putting off; I hadn’t been making it a priority and I believe my dream was telling me I needed to. I think there’s a good possibility the dream was given to me to help me not only to make writing more of a prioriety and to stop making excuses for not having enough time to write, but also for other reasons that were not
readily discernable by me. It often happens that after some time has passed, I realize a dream might also have been referring to another area of development that is needed. That’s why it’s so important to think of dreams as giving us information about what is happening at the time we have the dream and also to keep the dream in mind in the days and weeks that follow.

May 31, 2017April 15, 2020

A Special Dream

In my blog titled “Dreams” I wrote about how I have become familiar with many aspects of Jungian theory, including Carl Jung’s ideas about dreams. And about how recording and trying to learn from my dreams has added greatly to my life. Rather than approaching dreams with the idea of “interpreting” them, it’s better to ask yourself “What might this dream be trying to tell me about myself?” Among other things, dreams can provide direction and give assistance during difficult or confusing times. As one writer whose writing I admire said “Dreams are our friends.” Dreams provide a window to the unconscious by bringing to consciousness aspects of ourselves of which we need to become aware.

I’d like to share with you a dream I had some time ago that helps to show how dreams add to our conscious awareness. I had been feeling kind of down and lacking in direction. Then I had this dream: I go in the basement and am surprised to see a bunch of cats living there–at least 20 adult cats. At first I’m concerned, thinking the basement isn’t a good place for cats, they need to have sunlight and room to run. And since I did not know they were there, I wonder how they have obtained fresh water and sufficient food and I worry they will be sick. But I see that is not the case–they are healthy, their fur is clean and glossy, and they’re purring with contentment. And they all seem to enjoy each others’ company.

Two things cats can symbolize in dreams are health and the feminine. Therefore, I found this dream to be reasurring; in a way it was telling me that even though I had been feeling down on a conscious level, within my unconscious there were positive things happening. Being in touch with the feminine aspect of myself which the cats symbolized reminded me of qualities such as gentleness and nurturing. The basement in a dream often symbolizes the unconscious, so having all those healthy, purring cats in the basement in the dream provided me with reassurance that things were well in my inner life. And I did feel better outwardly because of the reassurance the dream gave me through its symbols.