Meditation & Dreams

[deeptha_e 0]

Are dreams indicative of spiritual progress? It has been 4 days since I started meditating - I do it for 20 minutes everyday. Last night I had a strange dream - saw many dazzling colors, which I've never seen till date in reality - infact I dont even know the names of these colors, but all I know is, they were extremely beautiful. Also, I could listen to some strange music, cannot say it was Carnatic, nor any classical type, I could not even identify the instrument. It gave me goose bumps. I have been feeling extremely drowsy ever since I had this dream, all I want to do is go to sleep.

 

I dont know what this means, but it was an exquisite experience, extremely beautiful. Is this because of the meditation that I recently started?

[suchandra 1]

 

Are dreams indicative of spiritual progress? It has been 4 days since I started meditating - I do it for 20 minutes everyday. Last night I had a strange dream - saw many dazzling colors, which I've never seen till date in reality - infact I dont even know the names of these colors, but all I know is, they were extremely beautiful. Also, I could listen to some strange music, cannot say it was Carnatic, nor any classical type, I could not even identify the instrument. It gave me goose bumps. I have been feeling extremely drowsy ever since I had this dream, all I want to do is go to sleep.

 

I dont know what this means, but it was an exquisite experience, extremely beautiful. Is this because of the meditation that I recently started?

Nice post by Nava Gauranga Prabhu explaining his spiritual emergence.

http://nitaai.net/forums/viewtopic.php?pid=2509#p2509

 

"Dear Nava Gauranga Prabhu, did you also practiced some form of hatha or astanga yoga, or you refer in your post exclusively to Naam Bhakti Yoga?"

posted by Igor

 

posted 2008-02-01 21:16:44

 

Dear Igor thx for your question. I do not practice Hatha Yoga, Ashtanga or Pranayama (as such). Simply Naam Bhakti Yoga and Krsna consciousness.

 

There are several key things that awoke spontaneously over a period of time, and some even years before I deepened Naam Yoga. A deeper sense of Krsna consciousness arose in me purely by Naam. Srila BR Sridhara Dev Goswami has said, ''with higher vision we will see the environment as nurturing'. This has been my meditation for some years. Especially due to my background of chronic illness. But prior to my deeper practice of Krsna consciousness I had began to awaken to subtle phenomena dealing with prana and the subtle mind. http://www.spiritualemergence.org.au/

 

Initially this subtle phenomena was very disturbing but with Krsna consciousness and increasing awareness of love the so-called crisis awoke into a healthy emergence. Which is so fragile. Please see the above website. So infact the difference between psychotic states and healthy spiritual emergence and crisis is very fine. So it is very important for me to follow the process of Bhakti Yoga (please see my first response to Truth Seeker). Without Bhakti Yoga the awakening I have encountered would be very difficult. My organism seems to awaken rapidly, but love and being at ease has been the stable ground.

 

Bhakti Yoga is the king of yoga, as it deals with love in its purest refined form. A spiritual emergence also deals with ones unfoldment of love and states of developed awareness of the cosmos (the summum bonum).

 

Our organism is by nature made of love. And if there is some psychological block to this striving (emergence) of love the orgnanism may go through a crisis to unfold. Even Arjuna went through an existensial crisis.

 

The most difficult thing for me was awakening to subtle phenomena and some siddhis that were overwhelming. Such phenomena (crisis) is labeled illness in my western society (and not understood), and I was treated thus. But as I studied yoga and other cultures I began to realize my encounters were not illness. My ancestory on my mothers side is South American Indian. In this culture I would have been going through a shamanic journey. Western medical model in this area is sorely lacking, as it is also a reflection of the gross nature of materialism, a disconnection from nature (what is).

 

So Igor I do not practice pranayama as such, but am aware of many things that pranayama and hatha yoga may awaken.

 

What are my motivations for opening this discussion on Nitaai Yoga forum? Simply to document my encounters for future reference, and so that others on this spiritual emergence awakening may have some reference points. For example our friend 'truth seeker' may find some benefit from this discussion.

 

Igor my journey has been long and not easy. Infact the western medical model almost killed me with its medicine at one point. I developed a syndrome called 'neuro-leptic malignant syndrome' which kills one in four. The recovery from that was very hard. Also some of the side-effects such as anxiety developed more problems than the crisis itself. But I am not anti-western medicine like some. I feel people on either extreme are imbalanced to some degree. And their advice can do harm to the one in crisis. Those who have not experienced such a journey may not fully know the encounter.

 

Western medicine is very potent (hence its potential dangers). But in correct dosage and useage is very helpful for the westerner who may not be able to live a refined yogic lifestyle. We need balance actually, and joining of east, west, and indigenous culture in my humble opinion. As has been pointed out by Truth Seeker and Hadai Prabhu certain yogic practices also have their dangers. Spiritual emergence can be difficult for some.

 

But saying this Krsna is the giver of intelligence. Buddhi Yoga is non-different to Bhakti Yoga (Krsna consciousness). Buddhi was my saving grace. And Buddhi is a gift from God. Bhakti is a reciprocation of gifts and loving service. If seen with divine vision this world in which we live is saturated with bhakti and loving dealings. Love in its most subtlest forms is surely divine.

 

I hope my foolishness can be a blessing in some way to someone on the path to awakening love.

In service.....Nava.