According to David Gordon, author of The Mindful Dreamer, you can use the following “markers for the phases of the journey”—both in your daily life and in your dreams.
You will recognize that you are in the stage of the Calling when your energy fades and diminishes. This is the stage of autumn, when our awareness of what needs to change is limited. At the same time, our resistance to change is so strong that it does not bend even after yet another life challenge points to the fact that something must change. Emotionally, life feels empty, pointless, and devoid of meaning. Typical dreams at this stage are nightmares that focus our attention on the changes we need to make in our views and values. If there are prophetic dreams, they give us a glimpse of what our life might look like if we were to open ourselves to change.
The next stage is the stage of the Journey, which corresponds to the season of winter. During this stage, the prevailing feelings are blockage, stagnation, depletion and suffocation, confusion and despair. At the same time, however, hope begins to appear, because even if reluctantly, we are now more open and receptive to change.
This is also the stage of the “dark night of the soul,” and the hour before dawn is the darkest. Even so, a hope for the near end of the suffering begins to emerge. Typical dreams of this phase show our continuing resistance to change and our insufficient resolve, but they also encourage our willingness to surrender by confronting us with the dramas of our lives and showing us that we must both accept our helplessness and realize that everything depends on us.
We know that we are entering the stage of spring, or Enlightenment, when more light begins to enter our lives and we sense the energy of healing and inner blossoming. Our attitude toward change has changed; we are now fully open to it and welcome it. We have understood that the suffering we have gone through has been worth it. The emotional markers of this period are insight, a sense of liberation, and a surge of new strength. The dreams of this period are a source of inspiration for change through images of Guides and Allies. They carry a sense of joy, expanded awareness, compassion, forgiveness, and living in the present.
Summer arrives in our lives when we enter the stage of Return and our energy becomes purposeful, concentrated, and focused. Our attitude toward change is characterized by conviction in the new values and their embodiment in everyday life, as well as by the ability to support processes of change in others. Emotionally, we feel strong, decisive, and confident in our own strength. Our dreams show us ourselves as guides and healers and support us in sharing what we have learned with others.
With this sharing, I want to support your journey toward yourself and to remind you that every season has its own value. We cannot go straight to summer.
Kameliya Hadzhiyska
Mindful Dreaming: A Practical Guide for Emotional Healing Through Transformative Mythic Journeys
