This dream centers on the scene of a natural beautiful deciduous forest. The scene alternates between being peaceful and quiet and being stormy and windy. Above this scene are two white plastic Clorox bottles. One of them says in large print 'Windy' and the other says 'Wendy'. This scene persisted through the night as if to get my attention of this 'play on words.' Then finally the words of the popular song of several decades ago began to play; Windy by The Association. The song is a playful tune about a seemingly seductive adoring female named Windy. Here are the lyrics:
Smiling at everybody she sees
Who's reaching out to capture a moment
Everyone knows it's Windy
And Windy has stormy eyes
That flash at the sound of lies
And Windy has wings to fly
Above the clouds, above the clouds
Who's tripping down the streets of the city
Smiling at everybody she sees
Who's reaching out to capture a moment Everyone knows it's Windy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijTqDohph2Y
REFLECTION: This is a sneaked-in anima dream. It is a very clever way to restate the 'collective unconscious' central goal of bringing harmony and unity of the 'opposites' of the present day human experience. The forest shows the high value placed on nature and matter. The common plastic bottles shows in contrast the value of wisely used human technology. The dream uses the clever 'play on words' of 'windy' and 'Wendy' to make its point. (All my life I have thought that the song name was spelled 'Wendy'. But looking it up I found it is 'Windy.' So the dream brought that mistake to my consciousness also.)The flashing from peaceful to stormy(windy) contrasts the essential opposite aspects of nature. It is not the peaceful 'wind' in nature that is sometimes harmful to humans but the unbridled raging destructive wind that is the evidence of some unharnessed rage in the Sacred, in God. It is the hurricane, earthquake and Tsunami that kill and uproot thousands of lives in one sudden swoop that reflects some immoral dark contradiction in the unbridled power of the Godhead. Set next to this is the peaceful quiet beauty of a green canopy looking over a flower strewn forest floor. This is the psalmist's God whose ' glory is present in the heavens and whose handiwork is seen in the firmament.' The dream shows the contrasts , the opposites, so clearly manifest in nature. These contrasts show that 'good and evil' co- exist in seeming equal fashion and cry out to be united is some kind of transcendent miracle of the Spirit.
The dream goes much further to show another harmony and unity anticipated and waiting to become
conscious; that of nature and Spirit, or matter and Spirit. Also implied is the union of 'male and female.' The dream image does this by using the words 'windy' and 'Windy'. Next to the bottle 'windy'(nature and matter and uncontrolled masculinity in its destructive power) is the one marked 'Windy'(Spirit and feminine) with its accompanying female song. This is so parallel to Jesus' esoteric discussion with Nicodemus in John 4. Here the Sacred is pictured as 'like the wind' that comes and goes as it wishes. I would add that sometimes that wind is sweet and soft and traditionally 'feminine-like' and other times an unrelenting devastating 'male-like' power that takes innocent human life indiscriminately without wincing, just like a terrorist.
The 'opposites' that must be united scream out in the tangled imagery of the 'Sacred as wind.' In the John 4 text Jesus describes such a union of Spirit and Matter or flesh as being 'born again, ' or another translation 'born from above'. The dream makes itself clearly understood to ones with 'ears to listen and eyes to see.' As always, spiritual truths can only be adequately expressed in symbol. Living symbol that effects one at an emotional visceral level, not primarily at the logical/rational level. All religion is necessarily rooted in the language of myth and symbol. It certainly cannot come first as the language of human words. Words are not themselves symbolic and seek to explain what can be 'understood' rationally. Living symbol is able to give one a 'whole' experience for it does not fully explain its content but points to something that is far more than what one rationally is able to understand, to something that has much meaning yet also remains mystery.(In our culture the 'cross' remains a living symbol to some in the way I have just described, but for many it has lost his symbolic religious power for people think it is something they very well understand. But just a little reflection would likely bring the realization that when you just let the image of the 'cross' stand before you and withhold your rational explanations, it may take on again its inherent symbolism. In doing so we'd find we would need to release our 'orthodox' notions of it for orthodoxy seeks to explain it and thus reduce its symbolic power.
What we moderns do need explained is the reality of symbolic language and how it is the path to our religious nature. No living symbol can ever be adequately grasped and contained in words, even as 'love and God' can't be. Both 'love' and 'God' are words that refer to fathomless realities in a psychological/spiritual sense. We sense, when we allow ourselves to accept the autonomous presence of symbol, that it must surely mean far more than we can begin to comprehend or ever 'wrap our mind around.' So we can never judge or be the masters of a living symbol. Jung grieved that Modern people have lost the art of experiencing symbol. When we think we do 'know' the symbol's meaning we have let ourselves kill another living symbol. This dream is an excellent example of fundamental reality of symbolic language. Dreams always speak the language of symbol. When any religious/spiritual message is reduced to human words, it quickly loses its spiritually transforming power, loses its capacity to touch the human heart at the deep places. That has historically been the role of how symbol affects human inner life but modern humans have tended to lose touch with this whole realm of experience. Our ancient forebears lived the life of symbol, thus had a more clear natural intuition of life's meaning(truly religious), even if they were not highly conscious of it. Modern people have a very urgent and new challenge to be in fuller touch with the living symbols of the Collective Unconscious.
This is not the first time this living Anima archetype as 'Windy' has been brought to my consciousness. I'm sure some years ago either in dream or daytime image this same song came and was associated with the Anima in my conscious mind. The image shows the endearing , playful , charming , even childlike aspect of the anima. She is a Spirit figure; a fairy like creature or nymph. She is that semi human/divine creature of the
psyche who seeks to bring the world of the 'collective unconscious' into human consciousness. She is not earthbound but has 'wings to fly above the clouds.' As we describe the anima and get in touch with her as a personality it is so important to remember that she is a part of the human psyche. I am moved to a deeply amazed and appreciative emotion to know that such a 'Windy is me.' She longs to be us. 'She R Us.' This is a quality of the human person that is available and seeking to become conscious in everyone. This is so different and so much more meaningful and empowering than literally believing in fairies and nymphs(and angels) in the physical world. These kinds of personalities are truly alive potentially in our inner psyche world. This is the difference in the experience of 'God being within' and 'God being out there'. This is like Paul's 'Christ liveth in me.' Carl Jung , as I've often described, stressed that this anima can become conscious in the male adult psyche and I have come to believe that she is equally part of the Sacred reality in the female psyche as well.
'Windy' is revisiting me here on my birthday (I'm writing this a 5AM on February 10.)in this sweet adoring way. She is full of cheer and brightness 'smiling at everybody she sees'. She is so alive, always fully 'capturing the moment'. She is 'life and life abundant.' She not only experiences and expresses a 'phileo and Eros love' for the individual but she loves the community. She 'so loves the world.' She is 'tripping down of the streets of her beloved city.'
But 'Windy' is no sweet pushover. She is not naive. She can create a real ruckus before you know it because this lively, giving creature also 'has stormy eyes' that 'flash at the sound of lies.' The anima is deadly serious about the importance of reality and 'truth'. She is one who is more than capable of 'tramping out the vintage where the grapes of wrath of stored'. When once the anima was teasing me I exasperatedly asked, 'Do you ever get serious?' Her answer was two very impressive images: one 'three crosses with skulls on top' and another 'a mushroom cloud' that filled the sky. This is an example of the wide range of how the anima presents herself to human consciousness in our day.
I think I know how she must view this time in our country where government seems incapable of, or unwilling , to serve the people. Where needed decisions to meet deep, threatening and growing needs regarding health care, education, planet pollution and fiscal responsibility are stalled by small minded would-be political heroes, bent on securing their own power and small visions at the expense of the serious needs of the citizenry. In many ways now 'as goes America so goes the world.' What is going on politically in America right now is extremely important. And anyone(s) who would be using such a moment to advance personal ideology or one sided ethnic or religious views will one day be seen as attempting to hold back the necessary changes of history by spinning half-truths. My guess is her ' stormy eyes are now flashing at the lies' that underlie such smallness. This same kind of emotion is stirred in the anima at all kinds of lies and half-truth that work against needed spiritual and psychological development in our day. It was surely this 'anima' Spirit that was active in Jesus of Nazareth the day he 'drove the money changers from the temple'. No one loves and pursues the fiery justice of the O.T. prophets like this unsuspecting anima, in this dream so innocently called 'Windy.'
This surely must be the most unexpected birthday card I will be receiving. Truly she has 'bended down and given me a rainbow.' I thank her. She is precious.
Who's peeking out from under a stairway
Calling a name that's lighter than air
Who's bending down to give me a rainbow
Everyone knows it's Windy
Who's tripping down the streets of the cityCalling a name that's lighter than air
Who's bending down to give me a rainbow
Everyone knows it's Windy
Smiling at everybody she sees
Who's reaching out to capture a moment
Everyone knows it's Windy
And Windy has stormy eyes
That flash at the sound of lies
And Windy has wings to fly
Above the clouds, above the clouds
Who's tripping down the streets of the city
Smiling at everybody she sees
Who's reaching out to capture a moment Everyone knows it's Windy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijTqDohph2Y
 |
| Exuberant Anima, Like 'Windy" |
The dream goes much further to show another harmony and unity anticipated and waiting to become
 |
| The Spirit Wind Is 'Unseen.' |
 |
| The Diabolical 'Mother Nature' |
The 'opposites' that must be united scream out in the tangled imagery of the 'Sacred as wind.' In the John 4 text Jesus describes such a union of Spirit and Matter or flesh as being 'born again, ' or another translation 'born from above'. The dream makes itself clearly understood to ones with 'ears to listen and eyes to see.' As always, spiritual truths can only be adequately expressed in symbol. Living symbol that effects one at an emotional visceral level, not primarily at the logical/rational level. All religion is necessarily rooted in the language of myth and symbol. It certainly cannot come first as the language of human words. Words are not themselves symbolic and seek to explain what can be 'understood' rationally. Living symbol is able to give one a 'whole' experience for it does not fully explain its content but points to something that is far more than what one rationally is able to understand, to something that has much meaning yet also remains mystery.(In our culture the 'cross' remains a living symbol to some in the way I have just described, but for many it has lost his symbolic religious power for people think it is something they very well understand. But just a little reflection would likely bring the realization that when you just let the image of the 'cross' stand before you and withhold your rational explanations, it may take on again its inherent symbolism. In doing so we'd find we would need to release our 'orthodox' notions of it for orthodoxy seeks to explain it and thus reduce its symbolic power.
What we moderns do need explained is the reality of symbolic language and how it is the path to our religious nature. No living symbol can ever be adequately grasped and contained in words, even as 'love and God' can't be. Both 'love' and 'God' are words that refer to fathomless realities in a psychological/spiritual sense. We sense, when we allow ourselves to accept the autonomous presence of symbol, that it must surely mean far more than we can begin to comprehend or ever 'wrap our mind around.' So we can never judge or be the masters of a living symbol. Jung grieved that Modern people have lost the art of experiencing symbol. When we think we do 'know' the symbol's meaning we have let ourselves kill another living symbol. This dream is an excellent example of fundamental reality of symbolic language. Dreams always speak the language of symbol. When any religious/spiritual message is reduced to human words, it quickly loses its spiritually transforming power, loses its capacity to touch the human heart at the deep places. That has historically been the role of how symbol affects human inner life but modern humans have tended to lose touch with this whole realm of experience. Our ancient forebears lived the life of symbol, thus had a more clear natural intuition of life's meaning(truly religious), even if they were not highly conscious of it. Modern people have a very urgent and new challenge to be in fuller touch with the living symbols of the Collective Unconscious.
This is not the first time this living Anima archetype as 'Windy' has been brought to my consciousness. I'm sure some years ago either in dream or daytime image this same song came and was associated with the Anima in my conscious mind. The image shows the endearing , playful , charming , even childlike aspect of the anima. She is a Spirit figure; a fairy like creature or nymph. She is that semi human/divine creature of the
 |
| A Garden Fairy |
'Windy' is revisiting me here on my birthday (I'm writing this a 5AM on February 10.)in this sweet adoring way. She is full of cheer and brightness 'smiling at everybody she sees'. She is so alive, always fully 'capturing the moment'. She is 'life and life abundant.' She not only experiences and expresses a 'phileo and Eros love' for the individual but she loves the community. She 'so loves the world.' She is 'tripping down of the streets of her beloved city.'
 |
| The Timeless And Cross Culture 'Lady Justice' |
But 'Windy' is no sweet pushover. She is not naive. She can create a real ruckus before you know it because this lively, giving creature also 'has stormy eyes' that 'flash at the sound of lies.' The anima is deadly serious about the importance of reality and 'truth'. She is one who is more than capable of 'tramping out the vintage where the grapes of wrath of stored'. When once the anima was teasing me I exasperatedly asked, 'Do you ever get serious?' Her answer was two very impressive images: one 'three crosses with skulls on top' and another 'a mushroom cloud' that filled the sky. This is an example of the wide range of how the anima presents herself to human consciousness in our day.
I think I know how she must view this time in our country where government seems incapable of, or unwilling , to serve the people. Where needed decisions to meet deep, threatening and growing needs regarding health care, education, planet pollution and fiscal responsibility are stalled by small minded would-be political heroes, bent on securing their own power and small visions at the expense of the serious needs of the citizenry. In many ways now 'as goes America so goes the world.' What is going on politically in America right now is extremely important. And anyone(s) who would be using such a moment to advance personal ideology or one sided ethnic or religious views will one day be seen as attempting to hold back the necessary changes of history by spinning half-truths. My guess is her ' stormy eyes are now flashing at the lies' that underlie such smallness. This same kind of emotion is stirred in the anima at all kinds of lies and half-truth that work against needed spiritual and psychological development in our day. It was surely this 'anima' Spirit that was active in Jesus of Nazareth the day he 'drove the money changers from the temple'. No one loves and pursues the fiery justice of the O.T. prophets like this unsuspecting anima, in this dream so innocently called 'Windy.'
This surely must be the most unexpected birthday card I will be receiving. Truly she has 'bended down and given me a rainbow.' I thank her. She is precious.
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