A Dream

I Dreamed

by Chuang Tzu

I dreamed.

I do not know how long I dreamed, or what came before.

The dream was my world and I was content within it.

And as I dreamed, a man spoke to me and said:

Once I dreamed I was a butterfly.

I knew I was a butterfly and did not know I was a man.

Suddenly I awoke, and there I was, visibly a man.

I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly,

Or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming that I am a man.

I turned to ask the man what he meant by this,

But saw only my own reflection in a moonlit pool.

As I gazed upon the image, I was struck by how this man was me and yet not me.

While my hands were old and wizened, his were young and smooth.

While my skin was dark and rough, his was fair and soft.

Yet in his eyes I saw myself, or rather who I would be had I been born another.

Curious, I reached down to touch the shimmering surface.

It was then that I realized I was looking up through the pool

As he gazed down upon me from the world above.

Once again he spoke:

You are that which I would be but cannot.

You follow a path I dare not follow.

You live a life that I shall not lead, for I have chosen another.

You are one facet of my soul, among many.

Each with their own purpose, will, and spirit.

It is said that life is not a problem to be solved,

But a reality to be experienced.

This is truer for you than you know or can imagine.

With this, a cloud passed over the moon and the dream began to fade into darkness.

I am awakening.

Where the heart beats

Yesterday, right before I was going to sleep, laying in my bed, darkness in the room, eyes closed and soul opened, I wanted to honor the Goddess before entering the world of dreams and a poem was born in my mind:

                                                                                     

The deer has grown
passed from the arms of the mother

To the arms of the jungle

It is always a forest

Where the heart beats

When I woke up this morning it was clear what my hearts beats for. I had dreams of love and a city I left. The heart knows. I've also dreamt with sea crabs, they know what we hide.

Sometimes we all think it's complicated to honor our beliefs, to stay connected with our soul and the above.

Open your heart and share your words, you may not even remember them in the morning. But you were heard.



Beautiful illustration by Budi Satria Kwan
Deer photo found here