Into the Southern Light

I had a dream last night that I was invited to walk to Machu Pichu. It was one of those intense dreams that seem to last all night, intense, clear, thoughtfull. Most of the dream was about a teacher, a man who was leading the hike and helping me prepare. But during the dream we made it all the way to the "jumping off" point, a beautiful, sun-washed overlook at the edge of an immense canyon where a great highway emerged from the rain forest. The juxtaposition of nature, the natural world, and technology, the highway filled with cars, was striking.
     "After the first day," my teacher/guide told me, "the transformation is amazing."

Dreams are interesting things. In our world of knowledge, science and understanding we aren't at all clear about their purpose. But with all the different interpretations a few things are clear. For example, when a dream is vivid and remains in our awareness upon waking, we should pay attention to it. Similarly, we should understand that immediately upon awakening the message of the dream begins to be rewoven in the fabric of conscious thought, which is very different. It is almost like two people talking: one tells a story in a very strange language, and the other retells the story in the language of the day. The best we can hope for is to nail down the general meaning and to act on it. So, without bothering you with the puzzle of an explanation, here's what I know...

     Peru is south and for me South represents the life of the heart--which is interesting because dreams seem to speak and live in the language of the heart telling us what's important emotionally. Saint Francis describes his conversion as "showing a heart filled with mercy" to the world. That suggests to me that an important part of his journey was learning to live from the heart, to follow the heart's lead. Or better yet, to go with love and since Jesus describes God as being love the circle of conversion is intact.
     Yet in my own life the one direction I have never been fond of walking is to the South. I prefer the North, the land of the mind, of consciousness and linear thought. The South is jungle to me, tangled and rich, a place where I need a guide, the place I must walk in the company of others. When it comes to matters of the heart, I'm not the brightest bulb in the box.
     But just last night, before I went to sleep, I told Jesus again (and every saint or angel who would listen) that what I wanted was real conversion; I want to give everything to him and learn obedience... and whatever else I need. So to dream immediately of a journey south into the jungle of my heart certainly suggests a reply...
     The other important part of this dream was to find myself, just before walking over the edge of that cliff, in the company of an old spiritual guide, a woman who has led me and shared with me every major spiritual movement of my life, since I began the journey. She is a whole story in her own right and the fact that I am even speaking of her suggests a significant moment. If I stopped right here, dug a hole and erected a milestone, it could not be more meaningful, or permanent. The journey I am about to begin will be a permanent change to love.

     So you are here, April 22, 2010. We are about to walk into a green, vibrant world. There is a mountain ahead, the biggest one I know. Everything we need, we will carry in our pockets. As we go, I'll introduce you to my companions. We'll travel by day and tell stories at night and watch as the stars overhead slowly change. Its a new day for me. I'm done living in the shadowlands...