The night was long, and I could not get to sleep. My overactive mind just would not shut down. As a trained hypnotist this was particularly frustrating. I knew how to induce a trance and guide attention to a wonderful deep sleep. Tonight, nothing worked until I tried Carl Jung’s active imagination method.
Using active imagination, I allowed my subconscious to present whatever images and words it wanted to without judgement. After a torrid of images and words flew by, the phrase “Landscape of broken dreams” stayed with me. Since what you resist will persist, I decided to ponder what it was trying to tell me.
I saw a vista of vehicles and buildings needing major repairs. There were also images of human bones scattered about. I realized the images were symbols of lost causes, unfulfilled dreams, and unanswered prayers. Feeling compelled, I wrote a poem and uploaded it to Poetry Soup. After that I fell deeply asleep. I thought that was the end of it, but I was wrong.
The next day, I felt The Land of Broken Dreams poem was very gloomy. Most of my other poems had an optimistic tone. In trying to avoid another sleepless night, I applied active imagination throughout the day. This time I was drawn to the image of an unfinished poem called A Miracle has Occurred. I quickly finished the poem and uploaded it to Poetry Soup. I awoke the next day with an overriding feeling the poems were two parts of one message.
I came to realize the Landscape of Broken Dreams poem was driven by my despair in supporting my wife through her serious health issues. Despite devoting years of energy, finances, and prayers her health has not improved. The hoped for miracle has not happened. The second poem had a different message for me.
The poem invited me to consider our place in the cosmos where we can experience the Creator’s everyday miracles. This means as important as our personal concerns are, we do need to occasionally step back and show a sense of wonder and gratitude to the Divine.
I will continue to do everything I can to help my wife through her health crisis. At the same time, I need to acknowledge and be thankful to God’s infinite wisdom and mercy. Dreams are fulfilled and prayers are answered every day. Sometimes we are just not looking in the right places.
One of the advantages in being a member of Poetry Soup is to read the work of some truly amazing poets. I know I do not do it nearly enough. I wish I could craft poems half as good as some of the other members. There are times though that my limited poetic creations do help me find expression, clarity, and a better mental outlook. And for this I am indeed grateful.