Inta Bartasevica
DHY Paper for QU Level Three
340. and 350.
Dream Life and Development of Consciousness
People think of course, that the state of awakening in daytime is their true reality – because their mechanisms of perceptions/senses of the outer world are used to interact with the objective world. They can move physically, they can feel and they can think.
When a man sleeps, he can immerse in the dream world, or he can fall in a state of deep sleep without dreaming. In his dreams, again, a man “can” feel and think, and all this seems real. Undoubtedly, dreams are indications of some interior, inner subjective life of a man during the sleep. (EP II) This is an indication of some kind of astral and mental activity. Mind is that which has created the world around, and it is that that creates the world in the dream. While a man is identified with the world through his mind – either in the awakening state or in dream – he will perceive them real, or, his mind is unable to deny their reality. This is a part of man’s consciousness.
At the state of awakening the consciousness thread in a man normally is fixed and present. In the state of dream it becomes partially withdrawn. Depending on the plane upon which the consciousness has been drawn (extent of the withdrawal of the consciousness thread) – astral, mental, or higher, the source of the dream and consequently its quality could be determined. (The dream life, of course, depends also on men’s state of health and the quality of sleep.) There are different sources of dreams, which in their turn, reflect the man’s inner state and orientation. Therefore, to a certain extent, the type of dreams, their quality would be indications also of spiritual development of a man when treading the Path.
For the purpose of this Paper, in general, the spiritual Path could be divided into 3 main parts – up to and around the I Initiation, around the II Initiation and around the III Initiation, as these initiations denote a shift of consciousness from the physical and astral plane to the mental plane and higher.
The I Initiation (Birth of the Christ in the Heart) marks the stage of consciousness when a man has mastered the physical plane – he has overcome his appetites and has turned his attention to higher ideals, and often he has an interest in mystical things. He works with his character and purification. He is in the process of integration of the personality vehicles, which is a long and a painful one, as he is astrally polarized (his mind is largely kama-manasic). A man is selfish at this time, he is occupied mainly with attaining personal happiness. During this time he faces issues caused by different cleavages and problems of integration, characteristic to integration of the physical and astral vehicles. His objective is to strengthen the personality so that it can control the physical body, and – it should be taken into consideration, that the soul can start to express only through a somewhat integrated personality.
Nothing is strange in that that dreams of a man on this stage are reflections of wish life, as these kinds of issues constitute and fill his life. Energy is being transferred from the sacral to the throat chakra thus learning to control the sex impulses and to express different kind of creative activities. The heart centre becomes vivified, and his service on the physical plane is of a greater worth, however, recognition of group relationship is still missing, there is no true, unselfish desire to serve. A man is still revolving around his own self-importance, and he should gradually change his centre of activity from himself to the group centre. Relating service – the soul ray expresses in the field of service, showing the soul group, and makes to feel a necessity to serve; in this case a man cannot be aware of his soul group yet; this is a period of the so called “light fluctuation”. On the physical plane, a man on the probationary Path “runs from one teacher to another, according to inclination, opportunity and necessity”. (DINA, 716)
Taking the II Initiation (the Baptism) is mastering the astral plane, perfecting the mentality, so that by means of mind the emotions could be controlled, therefore this Initiation marks a transition in consciousness from the astral plane to the mental. The personality becomes stronger through integration of the three vehicles, and prepared for fusion with the soul, who starts to express, and a man learns to contact it, and to establish this contact. Thus integration of the personality proceeds, gradually involving fusion into the soul. Transmutation is a result of soul influence - the personality forces are transmuted or changed into energy by the aid of the soul who works through the mind. This is furthered by gradually attaining freedom from the astral illusions (glamours). As his heart chakra is opening, a man at first becomes sensitive to group vibrations – of the need of others for understanding, compassion, interest and help – as these are soul qualities, and later, when the contact with the soul is established, he becomes aware of his group of service, according to the soul ray – as the soul expression. Under the urge of the soul, a man may establish also his own group for service of some kind.
This period marks a difficult time while struggling between the pairs of opposites, created by man’s mind and thus presenting in his consciousness, until on a later stage he eventually learns to stand on the middle way.
In the dream life man’s consciousness thread could be withdrawn on the astral or higher astral planes, or mental plane, and in his dreams he can receive also guidance from his soul.
After the II Initiation a man intensifies his work on the mental plane, as the next objective for him is to learn to control his mental vehicle, to manipulate thought matter and to learn the creative thought building. Impersonality is achieved, as well as a relative freedom from the astral glamours. As a result of integration he is able to function freely on the lower planes, including the four lower subplanes of the mental plane. It has been said that “before the third initiation he must,—consciously or unconsciously,— be complete master of the four lower sub-planes in the three planes of the three worlds”. (IHS, 86)
At the III Initiation (Transfiguration) a man is engaged in mastering the three higher subplanes of the three lower planes, in order to attain domination over them. Only then the whole personality can be transfigured. Then the soul completely comes forth, and is not identified with the personality any more. How does it happen?
Personality was strong, and now – it must “occultly” die – as a result of the conflict with the soul. This conflict is conditioned by the personality ray and the soul ray. It is the soul who imposes its techniques over the personality, the personality energy and the soul energy are thus “at war”, until the soul wins. “Death” occultly speaking is “a disruption and a removal of energy”, because “any process of elevation or of “raising up” automatically involves death.” (EP II, 549) Thus energy from the personality as a definite centre of force is being transferred to the soul as to a higher, yet another definite centre, and this actually is a big crisis for a man that can cause temporary health disturbances, even physical death.
The energy of the base of spine is transferred to the head centre. The functioning of the head centre enables a man to work successfully with dispelling of illusions by means of intuition. An illumined mind becomes the dominant factor after the III Initiation.
As the higher sensitivity has been gradually developed, a man at that time has established contact with higher realms, he receives guidance from his soul and his Master on the inner planes. All these aspects can take place also in the dream life.
What is more important - in relation with dreams, a man can bring in the power of the soul consciously – interacting through his dreams. This means that this “power then pours through the personality life, vehicles and consciousness, and thus cleanses and purifies all aspects of the lower nature.” (EP II, 499) This is the way how – “the mind can be reached and trained, and where the soul can consequently impress the brain, via the mind“. As it has been explained (and also further), this process of such an interaction as well takes place during the sleep time and through the dreams (5. Dreams that are evidence of the soul contact). This in its turn would help to establish the fact of the soul, of that “which persists and has continuity”. How the fact of the soul might be established by this? Firstly, understanding of the one persistent and continuing consciousness, which in fact is the soul, is the key. Secondly, all evidences of the soul life that becomes available to interact, is the fact, too.
For the purpose of this Paper different kinds of dreams have been grouped as based upon Esoteric Psychology II (498-511), taking into consideration their sources and the planes where they occur.
Dreams, in general, could be divided in several groups.
1. Dreams connected with different kinds of frustration (ambition, sex, love). These frustrations are indicative of inability of the soul to express, or to impose its wishes upon its instrument, the man.
The sources of such dreams are the wish life of the human race – ranging from the lower astral consciousness up to “idealistic schemes and the carefully thought-out paradises and cosmic orders of the higher types of aspirants”. It does not matter, whether such dreams are connected with frustrated sex or unfulfilled idealism, because on the basis there is selfish desire, either for individual or group betterment or welfare.
1) Dreams based on the brain activity.
- everyone who does not sleep well (the sleep quality is bad), will see dreams based upon brain activity; the consciousness thread in this case will not be withdrawn, and a man will remain identified with his body – rather a dim self-recognition than a real sleep. The same problems, pleasures and worries bothering a man during his waking time will be “transferred” to, and so recognized and interpreted in the dream world. Such dreams are not of psychological significance or any spiritual meaning.
2) Dreams connected with astral plane or emotional nature.
- There are dreams that are simply a recovery of the awakening life sights and sounds upon the astral plane – so, the consciousness thread is anchored on this plane when withdrawn from the body. In this case a man is participating in activities or he views people and performances. The sights and sounds a man sees largely depend on his wish life, and he will create thought in the dream forms according to his desires – good or bad ones. Here, however, is a possibility that a man can “catch” some thought forms from the astral plane (where they exist) that he finds attractive, and that embody the expression of the wish life of the race, - so they are not connected with the man himself (for ex., some unexpected longings, or horrors, etc.). This kind of dreams is characteristic to a man with his consciousness on the astral plane, with Atlantean consciousness.
- With the astral plane are connected also dreams with recollection of true activity that of the waking time. The day activities will be “transferred” to the astral plane and, if a man is able to impress his brain with knowledge of those activities, he will get solutions to be used on the physical plane after awakening. This would be a demonstration of integration of the astral and physical bodies, and in this case the mind and soul is also involved.
These dreams, however, may contain a good deal of glamours and illusions of erroneous identifications, perceptions of doings of others, etc. – that all will have an effect.
Therefore, it is important in this case to differentiate whether the dreamer is a world server upon the astral plane who fulfils duties related to other people in comparison to those individuals described above. In case the man is such a server, these dreams may indicate his spiritual status and the hierarchical relationship.
- dreams which are records of work done. It is said that these activities are carried on at night either in the borderland between the astral and physical plane, or on the wish-life of the race, or in the world of glamour of the astral plane, and that these activities are very real in nature - as if a man does them in daily life in waking consciousness. This kind of dream also is sourced on the astral plane, however, it shows a perfected alignment of the astral and physical bodies, and a developed continuity of consciousness to a certain extent.
3. Telepathic dreams relating other people.
Records of real events are telepathically communicated from one person to another (for ex., thinks powerfully). This has been registered in the addressed person’s mind, but due to inability to perceive the “signal”, it may be recovered only during the sleep. When a man awakes, he regards it as a completely his own experience. So, it turns out that there are many such dreams that actually are records of experiences of other people of which a man becomes aware, and which he appropriates to himself.
4. Dreams being of a mental nature.
The source of these dreams is on the mental plane, and a certain extent of mind control is necessary in order to record them in the waking consciousness. Therefore the soul is increasingly being contacted and the contact established.
These dreams are characteristic to the stage of disciples and initiates.
There are 3 kinds of such dreams.
- based on contact with the world of thought forms, which all are of human origin and a part of the Great Illusion,
- dreams that are geometrical in nature, containing symbols, forms or patterns which are blue prints of the archetypes determining the evolutionary process. They themselves could be symbols of the man’s unfolding consciousness as well,
- symbolic presentations of teaching received during sleep in the Hall of Learning on the highest level on the astral plane and in the Hall of Wisdom on the mental plane.
5. Dreams that are evidence of the soul contact.
These dreams are a part of experience of people having made a definite soul contact and being in the process of establishing a close link with the world of souls.
The source of such dreams is the soul realm, and the phenomena, happenings, ideas and the life and knowledge of these realms are being registered with increasing accuracy in the mind. The mind in its turn “transfers” them to the brain.
Such kinds of dreams are several.
- dreams – dramatizations. This is of the soul symbolically giving instructions of warning or command – to its instrument, a man, on the physical plane. Only a man himself having knowledge of himself can interpret this kind of dreams,
- dreams concerned with group work. This is how the soul trains or fits its vehicle – the lower man – for group activity. It is interesting that the group work at this time is carried on in the world of soul life and experience, and the soul knowledge and purposes are also involved. A man can register and regard as a dream his work in the Master’s group - in spite of its reality.
- dreams – records of instructions. This is a teaching given by the Master to His accepted disciple – to the man’s soul. What is needed – to learn to direct these instructions correctly from mind to brain, and to interpret them accurately. The mind should be held steady in the light, as the soul impresses these instructions on mind. The brain should be quiescent, as the mind formulates these instructions into thought forms that are thrown down into the brain that is ready to receive.
- dreams connected with the world plan or higher. This kind of dream is possible only if there is a direct line from the soul to the brain, and indicates a high stage of evolutionary advancement (except of persons mentally unbalanced and insane that also have similar condition). This dream is also a kind of teaching, communicated to trained disciples, and can be regarded as inspired utterance or a dream with deep significance.
Seeing any kind of a dream alone cannot be an evidence of some or other stage of man’s consciousness for certain, as there are elapses and regressions on the spiritual development, and that is normal. Health condition and physical environment can also play a role. Any person, for example, being ill or under severe stress, being therefore unable to sleep well, will experience dreams based on brain activity. Or, a person being overwhelmed by strong emotions at some moment in his/her life, will see dreams of pure astral character.
Just the same, at some particular moments in his life a man can experience some kind of phenomena in his dreams, for a moment contacting more higher realms than he can grasp, seeing some special symbols or dreams. However, in this case these could be also thought forms on the mental plane, or some kind of telepathic information that brain recovers during the sleep.
This is also one of the ways how a Master works with His disciple – through dream experience, symbolic teaching, etc, according to the stage of development of the disciple and ability to receive higher impressions.
Such contact through dreams occurs also at earlier stages, and the difference is how a disciple perceives and interprets those signs and symbols - on emotional or mental level. (DINA I, 733)
The “use” of dreams.
People since ancient times have had interest in dream world – not only for interpretation of dreams, but also to “use” them with different aims and motives.
Quite widespread in many exoteric and esoteric schools is trying to apply methods of “getting into” the dream analysis in order to attain a particular control of the dream, for ex., to change consciously its content, direction, etc.
Other schools through the dream life try to penetrate into the reincarnational past of a man. However, in this way “a man can come face to face with very ancient emotions – and what is more important - not only with his own, but through this emotional past „he can tap or tune in on the astral life of the race”. In this relation, it is dangerous to evoke the dreams (as this sometimes is used a method), bringing to the surface of man’s consciousness forgotten episodes and his dream life – in this way the “emergence of racial evil” can be produced that could be beyond the man's present capacity to handle. This is why the doors to the past lives should be left shut until they can be more safely opened.” (EP II, 498)
A specific method is the so called “lucid dreaming” that deals with manipulation of consciousness between that of the dream and that of the awakening state, on the basis of the fact that it is one consciousness.
Whether to make efforts to recover dreams, if the sleep is deep and dreamless – this is an issue the Master DK warns that this can safely be done only on the later stages upon the Path. If done earlier, it can produce a kind of continuity of consciousness that can only make emotional problems to those of daily living upon the physical plane. (498)
Another thing to consider in the case of evoking the dream life is that the brain cells get no rest, and a man experiences any consequences of sleeplessness. (498)
Reference material:
Study materials provided for the courses 240, 340 and 350, and the relevant pages from A. Bailey books,
Advisor: Jeremy Condick.