Monday, 16 August 2021
The Dream Context
As of Day 219, I had claimed I would simplify my writing to help catch up-up. Of course, yesterday, Day 227, was not short – text wise. Today, then I will do better. My notes refer to a conversation with my husband and my thoughts on Osho’s interpretation of The Dream. Or at least what’s written in the book which accompanies his cards.
Notes:
- Mark thought that the activity on Day 212 responded to his saying I wasn’t fit enough for a seven-day walk in the outback (Larapinta Ranges). My response to that was, “Excuse me?!”
Hmmm, maybe I protest-eth a little too much! Okay, there was some truth to it, but the main and dominating reason was to exercise my ankle on more rugged terrain than the footpaths around the home.
- What are my thoughts on The Dream card text by Osho following yesterday’s Outcome?
Viewpoint Parameters
Before I begin on a “rant” which I could wind up agreeing with, in maybe one to twenty years, I’m going to set some disclaimers, parameters or simple justifications.
Firstly, for the most part, I sincerely enjoy Buddhism and some of its affiliated off-shoot religions. Osho, in particular, I’ve found has been more flexible with some views. Yet, at his core, he’s still following Buddhist religious principles. By the way, it’s wonderful. But like in Christianity, there’s a dichotomy between free will and things each religion sees as a foundational precept. I hold no judgement on this because “it is what it is”.
That said, I’m all for the free will angle (which is hard for me as I’m an authoritarian at heart, I think). Therefore, I’m pursuing my critique of The Dream, as it stands, from today’s perspective.
First, the pages I’m referring to:
The Interpretation
One of the things I occasionally enjoy is a paradox, and as Madonna sings in the song Like it or Not (Confessions on the Dance Floor – LyricFind), “Life is a paradox, and it doesn’t make much sense”. Osho’s The Dream card is also a paradox from where I sit.
On the one hand, we that humanity is a communal being, and we thrive in communities. Then, on the other hand, we have schools of thought encased in religion, saying that we focus on love relationships to avoid admitting we’re alone. Almost saying we should go it alone.
Oh, okay! I’m deliberately obtuse about the interpretation of The Dream the way Osho teaches it, and I’m sure he doesn’t mean we should go it alone. Who would open my jars or help with the housework?
Many people know they’re alone, but why does it mean we have to acknowledge it every minute of every day? Anyone who has listened to Billy Joel’s My Life (MusixMatch) and identified with the lyrics:
They will tell you you can't sleep alone in a strange place
Then they'll tell you you can't sleep with somebody else
Oh, but sooner or later, you sleep in your own space
Either way, it's okay; you wake up with yourself.
To me, this made perfect sense. You’re always alone, and even if you wake up with somebody next to you, you’re still alone.
Now, it’s essential to realise that being alone doesn’t mean you’re lonely.
Happiness on a Platter
What I do agree with is the line in The Dream where, “Nobody, whether it’s your current mate or some dreamed-of partner in the future, has any obligation to deliver your happiness on a platter – nor could they even if they wanted to”.
“Happiness is an inside job” is a line that I used a lot growing up, when I longed for that “dreamed-of partner” to make me happy (Dan McBride’s words from a cassette on “How to Develop a Successful Sales Strategy, Part A) rang through my mind. The phrase reminded me to listen to myself and make me happy first. My happiness and confidence in myself will then be able to help others be happy.
And for a long time, I’ve believed that two individuals are not halves of one another but should be two whole people who come together and work as a team, each lending their strengths to the relationship. Maybe, that’s a bit of the project manager in me coming to the fore, or is it the other way around?
Oh, dear! I’ve gotten carried away. I’m going to wrap it up there; there are more days to write. 🎉
Today's Cards
The Cards - The Dream Analysis
Carryover Cards
Two cards carried over from yesterday; Exhaustion moved from Future Energy to Distant Past, Silence moved from Others’ Views to Outcome.
Cross
It looks like Exhaustion moved quickly from Future Energy to Distant Past. But it has provided the foundation for today’s set of cards. Because I’m exhausted, Exhaustion has pushed me inward and caused Suppression in the Now.
The Outsider in the Goal position indicates that the withdrawal is voluntary. A Breakthrough from my view of The Dream can be challenging.
Past Lives is the period before I met my husband, and yesterday’s anniversary in the Recent Past brought it to mind.
Future Energy has the card of Intensity which is the raw power of an Australian bushfire 🔥. I can’t say how this relates to today’s reading, except it could reflect my passion that people can be in loving relationships and not use it to fight aloneness.
Base
Completion is my Feelings on the topic of Day 212 concerning my desire to go for a hilly walk. That’s done and dusted!
Others’ Views on today’s topic is that of Integration. Integration being able to work with the paradox, making a fusion between aloneness and unity.
I am desperately hoping that Healing is what I’m currently undergoing. If I’m not Healing, then I fear what is happening is something that will need Healing. Alas, my Hopes & Fears expressed.
The Outcome card is Silence, and the gaining of inner peace happens in releasing the suppressed.
References
- Osho, Osho Zen Tarot – The Transcendental Game of Zen, St Martin’s Press, ISBN 0-312-11733-7
