Just finished the Bede biography, and two things jumped out. First of all, after his death, many people had dreams of him coming to them to give help and guidance. This reminds me of the Gospels, where Jesus made several appearances after his death, although not in dreams - so much so that he actually ate, and, as everyone knows, ghosts either can't or won't eat. And as everyone knows, dreams played a huge role in the dramas of the Old and New Testaments - and in the Old, it often seemed as if the people could often not tell the difference between dream and reality. That is a different tangent that I don't want to take here, that is, when exactly it came to pass that the wall between reality and dream became so opaque, but it does have something to do with my thoughts about the dream - ghost - coincidence issues that I've been rambling about. To put it concisely, it seems to me that we are simply not conscious of everything that goes on within our minds, never mind reality.
To start with, the ghost dreams that I mentioned had a special feel - a sense of some immanence, of some wisdom external to my concept of self. I will not say that it doesn't matter if the ghosts were real or not - obviously on one level it does or we wouldn't be thinking about it - but what does matter, and needs no more proof than inner conviction, is that I was connecting with a different aspect of being that was specific to me. In this light, the distinction between real ghosts and "only" dream ghosts is of little importance; what is important is that something greater than my normal self was communicating with me without any conscious effort. The same can be said of the "coincidences" that led to my parent's reunion and to my connecting to a woman who would become my wife. In both instances, an outside force was directed (and in the case of the Venezuela letter, one that could be corroborated by others) to produce a miracle - that is, to alter quotidian reality by something metaphysical. Both this and special dreams show us that something is working in our lives beyond cause and effect or chance. And I repeat from last entries: ALL of us have had these kinds of dreams or experiences. ALL of us are thus subject to miracles, even though we might deny it. Perhaps we don't have prophesy given us, or a vision of Our Lady, or a twirling rainbow sun, but we all have experiences of an 'other' force, something beyond our normal selves or daily grind, that affects us, sometimes significantly.
Now, some would say that dreams are only dreams, and that these coincidences were chance occurrences, but this is a belief based on prejudice rather than reason. We cannot calculate the chances of something like the case I mentioned happening, but we have other instances of like phenomena that are subject to calculation. For instance, those dreams of people far away (or experiences of ghosts) where a death is foretold, or a specific sickness is communicated, or a location of an important paper is revealed. One of the best books I have recording such things and interpreting them, is Edgar Mitchel's "Psychic Exploration." The facts are clear. We live in a universe where there is (or are) a power (or powers) greater than ourselves - and it affects us directly, sometimes crucially. There is another force "out there" beyond ourselves that cares enough to be involved in each and everyone's life. I will add that it is probable that this force is active at all times, and effective far more often than we are aware. This, again, is where meditation and the quiet voice come in. To make your mind clear, like a waking dream, opens one up to this force. And to be thus opened is to better understand each of our Tao, one's Way.
To start with, the ghost dreams that I mentioned had a special feel - a sense of some immanence, of some wisdom external to my concept of self. I will not say that it doesn't matter if the ghosts were real or not - obviously on one level it does or we wouldn't be thinking about it - but what does matter, and needs no more proof than inner conviction, is that I was connecting with a different aspect of being that was specific to me. In this light, the distinction between real ghosts and "only" dream ghosts is of little importance; what is important is that something greater than my normal self was communicating with me without any conscious effort. The same can be said of the "coincidences" that led to my parent's reunion and to my connecting to a woman who would become my wife. In both instances, an outside force was directed (and in the case of the Venezuela letter, one that could be corroborated by others) to produce a miracle - that is, to alter quotidian reality by something metaphysical. Both this and special dreams show us that something is working in our lives beyond cause and effect or chance. And I repeat from last entries: ALL of us have had these kinds of dreams or experiences. ALL of us are thus subject to miracles, even though we might deny it. Perhaps we don't have prophesy given us, or a vision of Our Lady, or a twirling rainbow sun, but we all have experiences of an 'other' force, something beyond our normal selves or daily grind, that affects us, sometimes significantly.
Now, some would say that dreams are only dreams, and that these coincidences were chance occurrences, but this is a belief based on prejudice rather than reason. We cannot calculate the chances of something like the case I mentioned happening, but we have other instances of like phenomena that are subject to calculation. For instance, those dreams of people far away (or experiences of ghosts) where a death is foretold, or a specific sickness is communicated, or a location of an important paper is revealed. One of the best books I have recording such things and interpreting them, is Edgar Mitchel's "Psychic Exploration." The facts are clear. We live in a universe where there is (or are) a power (or powers) greater than ourselves - and it affects us directly, sometimes crucially. There is another force "out there" beyond ourselves that cares enough to be involved in each and everyone's life. I will add that it is probable that this force is active at all times, and effective far more often than we are aware. This, again, is where meditation and the quiet voice come in. To make your mind clear, like a waking dream, opens one up to this force. And to be thus opened is to better understand each of our Tao, one's Way.
The other thing: I cannot get away from it: the Apocalypse. Bede became absolutely convinced that the world structure that has come to be is headed for collapse - not in some distant future, but imminently. The reason for this was a loss of a part of the self in modernity - a part he called "the feminine" or the non-discursive intuitive (it is exactly what is connected to in meditation). He also saw that the world was becoming more open to this "feminine" and yet - it was destined for collapse, although he was sure it would rise again from the ashes into something better, something that was holy. I know what he means, and I know why there seems to be a contradiction, and it came to me while listening as the TV played a Star Trek: Next Generation episode in the other room. The evil Romulans were involved, and of course, 'Romulan' comes from 'Roman' - in this case, a people using logic to control the universe (rather than their cousins the Vulcans, who subdued their egos to a simple pursuit of scientific knowledge). What was funny, coming from the other room, was that the human Star Trekers sounded exactly like the Romulans with their precise techno-speak and military-style discipline. All that differed was the intent.
Here's what I say: intent isn't enough. "Logic", that is, the "masculine" dependence on rational thinking, is power, whether for good purposes or evil. In the sense we are talking about here, it is leading to evil, for the material feminine - real life women - are more and more gravitating to power, that is, to rational-based positions. The intention of many had been to empower women, but this has instead resulted in the greater empowerment of the masculine. Thus the contradiction with Bede; and thus the slump to apocalypse. But what he understood was that the consciousness of this deficiency is now with us. Thus we have greater awareness of our deficit and with that, the great opportunity to make things right once the current trend fails. I have read of collapsed empires and total revolution before, and the ruin it brings before chaos finally settles makes me hope that we can get a grip before it really does collapse.
FK
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