shakey dreams

SHAKEY DREAMS

How You Can Act In Your Dreams

Shakespeare said “all the world’s a stage”, and Buddha Shakyamuni says all of life is like a dream. I’d like to suggest that you can use your dreams as a stage: On this stage you can have a dress-rehearsal of your next lifetime.

At this dress-rehearsal you don’t have to have an audience and critics. You can try out different lines and different methods of delivery, and you can run through the scenes as many times as you like. The cast and crew are at your beck and call, and even the heroes and villains can be made to do your bidding.

I had a nightmare several years ago; I was about to be devoured by a huge, menacing, hairy monster with fangs the size of my legs and a gaping mouth as large as my bedroom. The monster was leering over me, mouth opened to engulf me.

Just as I knew my life was about to end, the dream-set turned into a stage-set, my ‘camera’ zoomed out, and I suddenly beheld my tiny ‘self’ on the set beside a not-quite-so-tiny monster which was actually a marionette. The marionette was being controlled backstage by a huge fat jolly man sitting casually on a stool, wearing overalls and no shirt, laughing so hard that it seemed his scruffy beard was about to fall off.

As the scene zoomed out a little further, I saw another version of myself, this time in scale with the man in overalls, and I was also sitting on a stool, watching the puppet show and looking a bit dumbstruck (but very relieved). Around Shakey (the fat man) and myself were several empty stools, and the floor was littered with the bodies of monks and nuns who had collapsed from exhaustion.

When I awoke from the Dream, I realized that “Shakey” was Buddha Shakyamuni (and Shakespeare), appearing to show me the true nature of my experiences in life. The exhausted monks and nuns represented people who had thoroughly exhausted themselves by grasping at appearances (such as the appearance of how a person in robes should behave).

This Dream completely changed my life. Looking at the Dream showed me how everything we experience in life is not only not ‘real’, but Enlightened Beings also arrange it, for our best benefit (Enlightened Beings often defy our expectations of appearances).

In the Dream, unlike the monster, I was not a marionette being controlled by Shakey. I was free to choose my actions. Fortunately I chose to step back from the scene of menace and get a wider perspective of the situation. From there I could see that I was in no danger. Ever since that Dream I have had a clear understanding that all of my experiences are lessons. This knowledge offers powerful guidance for decision-making.

Please allow your dreams to show you how to act in life. This can happen in many ways. Enlightened Beings can give you very clear and obvious lessons like the dream about ‘Shakey’. This often happens when the lesson is needed urgently because your guides see you headed for a challenging situation or decision. When you receive these special dreams, please pay attention and question their possible meanings. Quite often, dreams can be interpreted in many ways, and each interpretation offers a lesson.

People commonly have dreams about playing roles that they are not accustomed to playing in ‘real’ life. These dreams take you out of your comfort zone and force you to think on your feet, so to speak. In your dream world you really can’t make mistakes, so try to remember that you have nothing to lose. Dreams are just rehearsals, and you can master your role, making it play out however you like, until you gain an understanding of what role you wish to play in the ‘real’ world.

As your roles in life continue to shift, your Dreams are at your disposal as tools you can use to work through your new positions. If you keep in mind that you’re using these tools while working with Enlightened Beings, you may feel inspired to look very closely at your dreams. Every detail you remember probably serves as a cue for you to find a lesson about how you can use your dreams to guide you through waking life.

(this post is an excerpt from my book “All About Enlightenment”)