WORLD DREAMS
by
Paco Mitchell, M.A.

(Presented online at the 2009 IASD PsiberDreaming Conference, 9/27/09 to 10/11/09, http://www.asdreams.org/psi2009/)


Introduction

There seems to be something in human nature that strives to see the possibilities of life from a higher vantage point. However anchored we may be to our rocky cradle on Earth, our efforts to achieve an elevated, even global, perspective, apparently began long ago. Archaic shamans “flew” at will through the heavens of inner space, or adorned themselves with feathers to swoop across the ground around the tribal fire. The Egyptians depicted the night sky as a goddess arched over the Earth, swallowing up the sun at sunset and giving birth to it again at dawn. Ancient Hindus imagined their yugas, or world ages, in terms of prodigiously astronomical numbers of years. And Eratosthenes, in a daring mathematical extrapolation, calculated the circumference of the Earth with remarkable accuracy while pacing the sands of Egypt.

Today, however, new developments are shaping our sense of perspective. We now have a photograph of the whole Earth, captured in a single frame -- a post card from space. Ever since the Apollo 8 spacecraft circled the moon, and the astronauts inside the little capsule took snapshots of the Earth as it rose above the lunar horizon, we have been imprinted with a cascade of images of the Earth in its wholeness and integrity.

But that was over forty years ago, and already the lunar explorations recede from our thoughts, as new marvels crowd their way into our distracted minds. As usual, our technological achievements outstrip the level of our psychological development, let alone the level of wisdom we bring to bear on our situation. For all the virtuosity of that 1968 “moon-shot” -- a triumph of invention – I suspect we have scarcely begun to integrate into our world-view the full implications of that photograph, in terms of a truly global perspective. Of course, “global” enterprises of one sort or another are increasingly evident, but by no means are they always felicitous.

If the Pentagon, for example, habitually thinks of new ways to project its influence into distant “theaters” around the globe, this is as much cause for alarm as for celebration. For we cannot assume in advance that massive extensions of military power will promote the general welfare of global citizens far and wide --notwithstanding noble proclamations affirming “freedom,” “democracy” and “security.”

Nor can we assume that when multi-national corporations think of innovative ways to increase profit margins through the use of global markets and supply networks, the outcome will automatically benefit all, equally. Executives and shareholders may cheer, but consumers may groan under non-stop marketing pitches and the glut of meaningless products.

In my opinion, we dare not leave the task of generating a true global vision to the same massive organizations that are plundering the planet to provide us with what we don’t need. What we do need is to generate from within ourselves the seed-elements of that encompassing vision for which the Earth and its creatures are crying out. Jung put it well in his 1960 letter to Herbert Read, referring to the future: “What is the Great Dream? It consists of many small dreams, and many acts of humility and submission to their hints.” And so we dreamers fish every night in the seas of our dreams, and occasionally we bring up a stunning catch.

World Dream #1: Max Zeller’s Temple Dream

The first “world dream” to reach my attention was reported by Max Zeller in the mid-70s. I read his fascinating account of the dream in Psychological Perspectives (1975). (Richard Russo, by the way, wisely included the same article in his 1987 volume of collected essays, Dreams Are Wiser Than Men.) In this dream, Zeller looks out over a landscape, and in every direction, as far as he can see, people are working on gigantic pillars rising from the foundations of an enormous temple. He too is working on a pillar. The process is in its beginning stages, but at least the foundation is in place. Implicit in the dream is the idea that, once the work is finished, the temple will encompass the entire globe.

Zeller told the dream to Jung, who responded by saying “That is the temple we all build on.” He said that people all over the world are working on the temple, “the new religion,” whose dimensions and final shape no one could really see yet. On the basis of his experience with dreams, Jung estimated it would take “about six hundred years” for the work to be completed and for the temple to become visible.

This exemplary dream sets the tone for what I want to discuss today. For I believe it provides a global overview of that which is taking place, but which is not yet visible in outward terms. To gain a perspective on such a profound “macrophase” process one must sound the visionary depths characteristic of dreams.

Zeller’s temple dream reveals an ongoing process that affects all of us, whether we know it or not. The dream “sees through” the superficial clamor and clutter of modern life and exposes deeper fundamentals: the archetypal shift in collective attitudes that is taking place.

Anyone paying attention knows that humanity is in the midst of a wrenching transition, and that the outcome is far from certain. To put it mildly, not all human activity leads in the direction revealed in Zeller’s dream. As if spellbound by the compelling momentum of our ponderous organizations, many people, like innocent rafters, paddle downstream with the current, toward a global Niagara.

I would rather resist the current, however irresistible it seems, and apply my strength in a different direction. Though I may not live to see the fruit of my efforts, I prefer to labor in the dark, knowing that I too am somehow participating in the largely hidden process announced by Max Zeller’s dream.

In this spirit, therefore, I offer two world dreams, out of several of my own. These dreams seem to resonate with the pulses of a planet laboring to give birth to new visions.

World Dream #2: The Turbine Is Spinning Backwards

The first dream is deceptively simple. I dream that a jet turbine engine has been built into the walls of a house. The engine has been shut down, but the blades are still spinning. As I look closer, however, I see that the blades are spinning backwards. [End of dream.]

At first glance this might seem like a very modest “world dream,” and perhaps it is. But if we consider the image of a jet engine -- the very epitome of power, thrust and forward momentum – the dream assumes a greater magnitude. For the modern jet -- from whose intrusive effects there is no sanctuary on Earth -- is a perfect symbol of the power-complex of our modern scientific-industrial civilization. No one escapes it. In the dream, the jet engine is built into the walls of a private residence, as if to indicate how deeply it -- and what it symbolizes -- has penetrated our personal lives. And yet . . . the turbine blades are spinning backwards! This single, subtle detail seems to offer a grain of hope: that it may yet be possible for us, in our humble, daily lives, to turn off the great engine, to forego the thrill of its powerful thrust, and to begin unwinding what the machine of modern civilization has wrought – if only in our thoughts, reveries, attitudes and dreams. If we don’t start there, after all, we won’t really have changed anything, no matter how ardently we protest.

World Dream #3: The Marching Worshippers

In this dream a group of about a dozen people, led by a woman, march into my living room. As they march they are held in formation by curious panels, like the partitions of an egg carton, which both separate and join them at the same time. They are looking for a place to worship. They stop and look around the room. The woman leader, examining the oriental carpets on the floor, decides that this is an appropriate place for them to worship. They all kneel on a large carpet and begin praying simultaneously. However, each individual prayer is different from the others. What joins these worshippers is a common love, and the focus of that love is . . . “beauty.” Once they have completed their prayers they get up and walk around the room, examining the various artifacts and artworks on the walls. [End of dream.]

Let’s assume that this dream is its own interpretation, and simply re-state six of the manifest premises it offers: First, the marching worshippers are both separated and joined by partitions. Even though they form a group, the participants in this ritual devotion retain their individuality. This suggests a healthy, discriminating balance in the needs of the soul – for both singleness and communion. Second, the partitions resemble an egg carton. By extension, then, the worshippers themselves are like “eggs.” In other words, in their devotions they embody, and carry into the future, a fertile life-potential. Third, the leader is a “woman.” This indicates to me that, at least in this dream realm of ritual and worship, a different impulse is at work besides the still-prevalent masculine, patriarchal, hierarchical impulse toward power and domination. A different sensibility is shown at work on these deep levels. Fourth, the worshippers are joined together by a shared love. This amounts to saying that they are united by a common bond of Eros, the principle of relatedness. Considering the divisiveness of the historical phase now coming to an end, this is good news indeed. Fifth, what they share through the commonality of their Eros is a Love of Beauty. The coupling of Love and Beauty reiterates ancient cosmogonic principles that have suffered eclipse in recent centuries – and with devastating consequences – under the boot-heel of the power-principle. Sophia, Amor and Psyche, the Anima Mundi – these and other mythic realities begin to stir under the banner of our anonymous marching worshippers. With luck, these stirrings may herald a re-awakening. Sixth, and finally, the worshippers’ prayers occur simultaneously yet remain distinct. This reiterates the paradox of the “egg carton” partitions. Each person brings his or her own devotional attitude, practice and personal voice to the common ritual. In his book Psyche Speaks, Russell Lockhart describes precisely this phenomenon in relation to the symbolism of the Aquarian Age, the Water Bearer, in which individuals pour the waters of their experience into the common pool.

I take this dream as a comment on the archetypal forces gathering strength at the level of the deeper currents of libido, which move far beneath the storms raging on the surface of our runaway technological age. In my view, it anticipates developments to come, and shows something of their nature. For, to an increasing extent, people are withdrawing their interest and attention – their libido, their love – from the distractions of our confused culture. Marching Worshippers all over the world are practicing their humble rituals today, rituals created out of the darkness of their inner visions. Such visions inevitably prompt fundamental re-assessments of what really matters in life. The effect of this and related processes is to move us closer, collectively, to a reversal of the spinning turbine blades. We can only guess at the outcome of our great human experiment on Earth, or at least the coming portion of it. So much depends on how consciously aware people become. But meanwhile, let us each contribute what we can to the building of the vast temple that awaits us in the future, yet which is taking shape under our feet today.

Final Thoughts

In selecting examples of world dreams, I have deliberately chosen those in which the personal element is either de-emphasized or absent. This is not to say that world dreams cannot contain personal images. I have had many dreams in which an impersonal image of global import bore down on me in the most personal way. Those dreams, in effect, revealed to me elements of my own personal destiny. I think of this interplay between personal and impersonal factors in dreams as a kind of two-way directionality. It is reminiscent, perhaps, of Jacob’s dream of the ladder to heaven, where the angels were simultaneously ascending and descending. After all, a global dream image necessarily affects individuals at personal levels (the angels descending) and personal dream images point to wider and higher responsibilities in the world (the angels ascending). If we have one thing to learn from the globalizing trends of the day, it is that, ultimately, personal life cannot be separated from the life of the planet as a whole, and vice versa.