"Buffalo Dreams" by Kim+

[Kim+]

“Buffalo Thunder” Dream 06.18.10

Though I keep a MNM (middle of the night meditation) practice, on this particular night I did not get up to meditate as I felt I need to just sleep. It seems that my mind is now used to shifting into a deeper state at this hour though ... and this dream came. I’m currently working again as the Head Cook of A.R.E.’s camp in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia -- a very rural, rustic setting. This dream proved to be the initial "experience" in a series of dreams, experiences and synchronizadies that have been unfolding for me this summer.

1. Share the dream and feelings:
I’m having a regular (non-lucid) dream (which I do not recall). Near the end of this non-lucid section, I’m in the dining hall of camp. (I’m actually at camp for the summer.) I and several fellow staff members go outside to the portion of open lawn/meadow that is at the end of the dining hall (I think this is the west end) and pitch three tents. I am in one of these tents by myself. The ground begins to tremble and I hear a sound like thunder, though I recognize that it is an “earth-sound” rather than from the sky. With this I begin to gradually become lucid. I see that no one else notices the earth quaking or the sound. I look far into the distance down the valley and to my amazement I see a herd of extremely large buffalo stampeding down the valley toward us. I know that it is inevitable that these large, powerful creatures will come charging into camp and that we are immediately in their path. Still no one see them but me. I try to speak up to warn my friend and fellow staff. No one is listening and my voice is so timid and withheld that it is easy to ignore. I feel a vague sense of paralysis; it is very difficult to move or to speak. In my mildly lucid state I struggle to “speak up” but find it difficult. At this point, I become fully lucid as I recognize that the dream is presenting me with a “growing edge” of mine, that is, to have helpful or accurate perceptions that I find very challenging to communicate or share. At this point, full of powerful emotions I wake up …. But there’s more …

As I lay fully awake in my cabin … I continued to hear a low, rumbling noise AND the cabin is shaking! I keep asking myself if I am awake or not. I move around in bed, adjust the covers, reach for the alarm clock, and feel my glasses where I had carelessly left them under my pillow. Everything seems to verify that I am awake in my cabin. But it is shaking as if there is a train going by just outside. I ask in prayer, “what is this?” Then I hear a subtle voice say, “You’re on a fault-line”. Without words, deeply within myself I inquired further. A distinct inner voice responds, “…approaching a folk in the road”. As I lay in the dark, eventually the rumble from a distance and shaking of the cabin stops, and I just lay in the dark reflecting.

Until I prayed, I literally thought there was something physical happening, that perhaps we were experiencing a minor earth quake. But in my quiet reflection, I realized that (true to my personal history) I was having yet another transpersonal encounter with the Creative Forces that love and lead me.

In terms of feelings … fear, wonder, urgency, straining to understand, a sense of deep inner connection

2. Formulate the Theme:
Someone sees powerful beings and danger approaching, but is not able to communicate this to others. Someone sees a major event approaching, is deeply affected, but cannot get others to hear her.

3. Highlight and Troubleshoot the Dreamer’s Response:
I show a high degree of awareness and caring, and though my intention is to connect with others, my fear keeps me from effective action or communication. Hopefully as I continue to heal – internally and in my life and relationships – this will be reflected in more effective action/communication in my dreams.

4. Analyze the Imagery:
I discovered via on-line research that the buffalo is actually traditionally a very positive symbol of abundance to Native Americans. I’ve been praying for abundance and “economic healing” for literally decades. My husband and I and our family live nearly at poverty level (though help from my parents “saves” us again and again). So this symbol of abundance … is perplexing, though intriguing. Also, drawing a buffalo rune in a class with Mark Thurston became a very poignant turning point for me last year (long story, won’t go there … but clearly this is personally significant to me). The earth trembling, etc. suggest possible “earth-changes”. The theme of “seeing what’s coming” is a reoccurring theme for me … I’ve often either intuited or been giving direct messages about the future that have been accurate. I only rarely share this, and when I do … I’m generally ignored or undervalued. I’ve come to accept this as the way things are for me. I think this dream and waking experience are probably a personal “heads up” again. What it means for me is a call to prayer and recommitting to my ideals … A call to get “clear and solid”. I’m not sure of what to think about the camp related images.

5. Apply the Dream:
This powerful dream is so new that I’ll need some time to reflect on and process it before I can clearly articulate an application. At the moment, I feel it is a “warning”, a call to awakening, as well as giving me an opportunity to examine more thoroughly a couple of re-occurring themes for me – my “growing edge”.


Just brief "footnote" regarding my "Buffalo Dream" and experience ... this proved to be the beginning of a series of dreams, experiences and synchronicities. The next night I drifted back and forth between dreaming, being hypnopompic and awake while all the while I could clearly hear very joyous Native American music (singing, drumming, etc.) -- in the same manner that I've noticed current community activities echoing off the ridges of this valley. The day after this, one of the cooks I work with and supervise came into the kitchen in the A.M. with buffalo teeth (actual) earrings on. A few days after this I was in a local Good Will and a buffalo figurine was clearly "in my path". I've also experienced subtle versions of the cabin shaking again while only mildly hypnogogic. Plus in the process of sharing all this with folks here at camp I've discovered two individuals significant in my summer experience that claim "buffalo" as their personal totem. It's all very intriguing and perplexing to me ... K+

[gssparrow]

Hi Kim,

What a powerful dream! I can relate to the "earth shaking" nature of the dream, and feel that it is both propitious and disturbing, probably because we are so rarely able to handle the energies awakened, at least initially. Whether it is a warning of something truly dangerous, or "just" an indication that you may not be able to handle it, it's still upsetting. Since the buffalo is so clearly a sacred animal in the native American tradition, I feel that your deeper self has done you a favor by cloaking the imminent change in a sacred form, so that you can at least celebrate its source, if not its immediate effects. The dream has a lot of phenomena, from sleep paralysis, to lucidity, to a false awakening, to the awakening of the kundalini. I think the key is going with it as much as you can. I feel that they are "friends," but not willing to stop their progress just because of your fear. I just did a talk about this very thing at IASD. I will post the audio just as soon as I get it in the mail.

Keep us apprised of your progress. Great work on the FSM, by the way, even though I might go with the second dream theme instead of the first, so as to avoid the assumption of true danger. "Everything new is dangerous to the ego." That just popped in.

I envy you in your natural setting. The ARE camp is a piece of paradise. I'm sure you're doing great work there. -- scott