Accepting Peace

WHAT DREAMS MAY COME….

What dreams may come ... couple helps interpret overnight thoughts
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Jen McCoy / Daily Register
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Bob and Kathy Thompson of Portage help people discuss their dreams. They lead an interpretation group the third Friday of every month.
. For more information about dream interpretations or to join the group, contact Bob and Kathy Thompson at 608-617-4439 in Portage or Sheila Klicko at 608-356-5139 in Baraboo.
. By Jen McCoy, Daily Register
  .
The usual morning routine of coffee and a car ride are familiar, except when a quick glance down informs you that you are naked at work. For some reason, pants and a shirt were overlooked in the early hours and now a file folder is the only means of self-preservation. And oddly enough, co-workers do not seem to notice your most embarrassing situation.
. Your subconscious is trying to tell you something, according to Bob Thompson, so listen carefully.
. “Step No. 1 is to be willing to look at yourself,” said Thompson, 70, of Portage. “Most people believe that there is a spark of the divine within them, accessible through meditation, prayer or dream works.”
. For more than 10 years, Thompson has researched the intentions of dreams. He hosts a dream interpretation group at his home.
. Dream work is an inner guide speaking to us with healthy intentions of guidance, according to Thompson. Even dark dreams and nightmares occur for a reason.
. “Nightmares use scary imagery because that way they are hard to forget. They are extremely important,” Thompson said. “But they are a taboo subject because most people are unaware of their fears. There is always a positive interpretation of a dream because they come from the soul, and I believe that it is a loving presence and helpful no matter what the imagery is.”
. Dreams have fascinated Thompson since he was a child reading the Old Testament and focusing on the divine within and communicated through dreams. Later in life, Thompson was introduced to Native American interpretations of the Great Spirit and guides.
. In 1994, Thompson created and facilitated “The History of Dreams,” a class held once a week, for 10 weeks, at Madison Area Technical College. Materials that Thompson covered included dreams in the Old Testament, dreams surrounding the birth and life of Jesus Christ in the New Testament and those of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung.
. Popularity of the class bled into another class, “Dreams, Awareness and Wellness.” Material discussed included relationships between the physical body and mind, emotions, eternal soul and finances. Thompson then did dream presentations to libraries, civic groups and churches across the state.
. Students from the original MATC dream classes began meeting for dream interpretations, a gathering which has continued to today.
. Sheila Klicko is one of the original students of Thompson, and began her own dream group in her hometown of Baraboo.
. Klicko, 64, said that dream interpretation has changed her life significantly and that she even looks forward to the dream state.
. “I’ve had life-changing dreams where I have made a big change in my life based on a dream,” Klicko said. “Mentally, spiritually, emotionally — you learn a lot about yourself through dreams.”
. Many people have similar dreams — teeth falling out or arriving to work naked — but their relevances are as varied as the dreamers who have them, the experts said.
. “There are certain things that a lot of people dream about, but even though they are universal symbols they have different meaning,” Klicko said.
. Both groups have a confidence policy in which members agree not to discuss anyone’s dreams outside of the room. There is no fee and class sizes range from two to eight people. A safe environment where individuals feel free of judgment helps ease the mind, Thompson said.
. Word associations, paraphrasing and intuition are tools of assessing unconscious material in the group. For example, teeth falling out could be interpreted as the dreamer’s insecurity, according to Jeremy Taylor, founding member of the Association for the Study of Dreams.
. The significance of being naked in public could mean the dreamer has allowed more of their “authentic” self to show than ordinarily appropriate, Taylor said.
. Assisting Thompson in the dream group is his “reflection” —  his wife, Kathy.
. “People feel it’s really telling about who you really are deep down,” Kathy Thompson, 49, said. “There is some insecurity there, but more people are opening it In dream interpretation, you ask yourself to be guided through and use your intuition.”
. The Thompsons married in 2004, but Kathy Thompson said she knew her husband before she knew him in person. They met at an inner peace meeting.
. “I’ve always found inner peace by dreams — really looking close, our coming together has been and answer to a dream,” Kathy Thompson said “We are a reflection of each other.”
. “I had no idea of getting married,” Bob Thompson said. “But when I met Kathy it was a no-brainer.”
. The couple said the first step in dream interpretation is the willingness to be open. The next step is more literal.
. “What really works for most people is a pad and pen by the side of the bed,” Thompson said. “Write down your dream before you even get out of bed, before things get lost. People that do this often have the tendency to remember more.”
. The third step for interpreting dreams, Thompson said, is to believe what the dream is telling you — but not always literally.
. “Some people ask about death in dreams,” he said. “Look at the symbols on the surface. If I look at death in a dream, it means change, something is going to end and something is going to begin.”
. Lucid dreams, or the ability to be aware that one is dreaming and can direct the dream state, is not something that Thompson teaches, but he believes it is possible.
. “Carlos Castaneda (a Lucid dream author) says be aware of your hands at different times of the day, before a meal,” Thompson said. “Use your hands as a cue to remind you that you are in a dream. I don’t do lucid dreams myself, because if good comes from the dreams, then why change it?”
. Instead of trying to steer the direction of dreams, Kathy said, absorb and interpret what is there naturally.
. “Ask for intuition and inner guidance. My dreams show me how I can be the most helpful to myself and other people,” she said.
. Some individuals believe that answers to tough questions — relationships, career, religion — are in dreams.
. “It’s like having a counselor who knows everything about you, but uses a language that is initially hard to understand. But if I learn to deal with metaphor and intuition, then the answers will come to me,” Thompson said.
.

VOW TO YOURSELF…

This writing is a highlighting of one paragraph, (on page 17), from Tom and Linda Carpenter’s book: Dialogue On Awakening.
. The sentences from this one paragraph will be written one at a time, in upper case, or all capital letters.
. My commentary, will be written in lower case letters, following each sentence.
. I have found it helpful, and more meaningful, to visualize Jesus, speaking these words to me, just as he did to the Carpenters.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
NOW, FOR YOU TO BRING YOURSELF, TO A POINT OF RECOGNITION, OF THE TRUTH OF WHICH I SPEAK,VOW TO YOURSELF THAT YOU WILL DO NOTHING, WHICH DOES NOT BRING YOU PEACE.
. THIS WILL BE A PROCESS THAT WILL BE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT FOR YOU TO BEGIN, BECAUSE WHAT I AM SUGGESTING TO YOU IS THE STEP, THAT YOU HAVE REFUSED TO TAKE THESE MANY YEARS.
. YET, THAT IS THE ONE WHICH WILL BRING YOU INTO THE ULTIMATE RECOGNITION, OF WHO YOU REALLY ARE.
. IN YOU VOW TO DO NOTHING THAT DOES NOT BRING YOU PEACE, YOU WIL BE FORCED TO VERY CLOSELY SCRUTINIZE,THE CHOICES YOU HAVE MADE, WHICH HAVE NOT BROUGHT YOU PEACE.
. AND IT WILL BE IN THIS SCRUTINY, THAT YOU WILL COME TO UNDERSTAND. WHY YOU HAVE DEVELOPED SUCH A SENSE OF LOW ESTEEM FOR YOURSELF.
. YOU WILL DISCOVER ALL OF THE RATIONALIZATIONS, WHICH YOU HAVE USED IN THE PAST, AND THEY WILL BE A GREAT TEMPTATION TO CONTINUE.
. BUTYOU WILL, IN FACT, BE SEPARATING THE WHEAT FROM THE CHAFF IN YOUR MIND, AND IT WILL BE THIS PROCESS THAT ULTIMATELY BRINGS YOU THE CLARITY, OF THE LOVING CHOICES WHICH, WILL PUT YOU IN TOUCH WITH YOUR SELF.

“WHAT’S NEW, BOB?”

. Dear friends,. I am moved to share this with you because of what I have been experiencing during the past week. . I now feel like a 71 year old chicken, who reached maturity, and then died. . Instantly, upon death, I was reincarnated as a tiny baby chicken, still inside its egg shell. . Being inside the egg shell was not a new experience for me, because, I had been inside an egg shell before, when I grew up to be the 71 year old chicken, that died. . But, being inside the egg shell, this time, was not the same experience. . The reason that it was different is that I now remembered everything I did during the 71 years. . But, I was no longer living in that world of 71 years. . I was an embryonic little chicken, sheltered in my egg shell, waiting for the appropriate time to peck through the shell and enter the outside world. . The only thing I could do in my egg shell was, move, just a tiny bit. . And think. . My world was now inside the shell. . And so, not having anything to do, I went to places inside my inner self, while I was still inside the egg shell. . And, it was in the quietness, of my little chicken mind, that The Great Chicken, communicated, with me. . Well, I tell you, that after those inner experiences, with The Great Chicken, I, was a changed little chickie. . And I could scarcely wait for the time to peck out of my shell, and enter the world, I had known for so long. . But, I knew that I would be seeing it differently. . I would now see it, with eyes opened wide, by The Great Chicken. . I can’t wait to peck out. . And see what kind of chicken I will be. .::::::::::::::::::: Well, dear friends, this all began when a buddy of mine in Florida, sent me an e-mail, of three words, “What’s new Bob?” . I delayed answering, because I didn’t know what to say. . .And so, his three word question, kept percolating in my mind. . Today I thought I would share a few sentences with him, just to answer his question. . When I sat down at this keyboard, I had no clue as to how well the coffee had percolated. . It was really done. . As I quickly found out when I began typing. . The letter to my buddy, is attached below. . If you read it all, you will get a clue as why I feel like I am a 71 year old chicken, waiting to peck out, into the world. ::::::::::::::::::. Hi Jonathan, . Thanks, for the update in your e-mail address. . And I am also grateful, for your question, of, “What’s new, Bob?” . The newest thing is, that I have been feeling a “kind of restlesness,” a sort of little “uneasiness,” that has been fairly consistent for a while. . Perhaps it has always been there, and I am only, now, noticing it, because there is less clutter in my mind. . Less clutter, is, continually finding spaces where I am not focused on anything, but just feeling grateful, and willing to look at whatever comes to my mind. . These “mindless meanderings and meditations,” have resulted in my continuing to experience, more often, than ever before, feelings of Gratefulness, Awe, and Peace. . None-the-less, those “Internal Nudges” of “taking another look at myself,” seemed to keep bleeding through, into my “awake life.” . Perhaps it is the persistence of this “feeling” that has nudged me to ask, MYSELF, the question, “Well, how, now, shall I live my life?” . At this point I’m reminded of what a wise old buddy told a fellow politician, “If you don’t want to hear my answer, don’t ask me! the question!” . Or, as In this case, maybe be careful of what I ask God for?   . What if the answer told me, to do something very, very drastic? . (which it did) . Something that would change my daily routines, and my daily life, tremendously? . Because, I asked the question, and was willing to listen, I was answered. . And the answer? . “DO A WATER FAST.” . Water fast? . That, is an answer to, “How, now, shall I live my life?” . Well, well, well. . So, I went to the internet, through MSN, and punched in “fasting.” . The answer was…....over 3,100,000 entries! . Acting on guest, Carol T’s suggestion, I went to ask.com and punched in “fasting,” and found different categories of fasting, for example, religious fasting, health fasting, etc., each with many entries. . And I began reading. . And reading.   . Lots of it, common sense, interesting, and some, even fascinating. . Then I got out a big notebook, all full of big blank pages, (just waiting to be filled). . And began drinking water. . Only water.   . And writing. . That was a week ago. . What has happened during that week? . It would take a book to try to explain, everything. . But, briefly, my notebook is filling with collected data about blood pressure readings, pulse, times taken, dramatic and consistent, weight loss, activities between and before testings, feelings, energy, discomforts, and summarizing large chunks of information, into brief bits of data, that I can compare to data fromprevious fasting days, and thus discover the potential beginnings of trends, as well as accurate documenting, of the trends themselves. . All of which influence, my constantly adjusting, NOW. . Inasmuch as I settled into a routine of taking my blood pressure, and pulse readings, every awake hour, I felt encouraged to discontinue my blood pressure and rapid heart rate medications. . The idea being, that I would probably have some warning, if something life-threatening was happening, for example, if there were, suddenly, some severely elevated readings. . It also gave me the opportunity to scribe my thoughts, feelings, and diversity of accumulated data, on an hourly basis, during the past week. . Everything that I have shared with you in this letter, is really, all, “kind of an introduction.” . A multi-faceted unfolding of ME, has begun, that is still unfolding. . And I suspect, that it may continue. . And Continue, Eternally. . Robert Frost’s world famous lines come to mind. . “And I, I took the road less traveled by, and that, has made all the difference.” . Differences in body, mind, heart, and soul. . Differences in my Whole Being. . I know, that I am now traveling that less traveled road, and I also know, with certainty, that it is, right now, making all the difference. . When I mentally skim through my 71 years (on March 16th!), of life, I know that I have lived many, many, lifetimes in this one existence. . Those lifetimes, are now, all thoughts in my mind. . But my Now, is not in the past, except when I think about it (which always, temporarily, takes me out of my Now). . Anything I think, or have thought, is only a thought, and, a thought can be changed. . As Kathy and I often sing, “Its only a thought, and a thought can be changed, can be changed.” . And so I have come to believe, that changing one’s thinking, is truly a Personal Transformation, a Marvellous Miracle. . During the past week of challenges, insights, and unfoldings, one of the Quiet Thoughts that has periodically surfaced is, “You know, Bob, if you can do “this”, you can do anything!” . And, because I now am doing “this,” I now believe, with certaintly, that I can do, anything. . I also know, that this letter, is also part of my unfolding. . As is my sharing it with you. . My greatest blessing, during the past week, is to have lived the kaleidescope of thoughts, feelings, and activities, with the most peaceful person, that I have ever met. . The support, from my wife, Kathryn Claire Thompson, has been an endless treasury, for me to draw from. . In closing, please remember, that all of this is only an introduction to “now.” . The fast continues. . The journey continues. .   Tomorrow is Day Eight. . And for some reason…...............I end this with tears. .::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::. P.S.Well, Jonathan,Thank-you, for the question.   Thank-you, very much! . warmly and peacefully,Bob Thompsonp.s.s  
I can’t wait to get out of the shell. 

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About Rev. Bob Thompson

Most recent entries

• WHAT DREAMS MAY COME….
• VOW TO YOURSELF…
• “WHAT’S NEW, BOB?”
• SWINGING, FROM A STAR.
• A TRIBAL GATHERING
• I Am Adam, Meeting Eve, Again.
• THE SONG OF SILENCE
• AND, AFTER THE “HOOTING, BOB?”
• A WEEKEND OF HOOTING
• I HEARD THE OWL CALL MY NAME
• BOB’S TEN: FROM THE BIRDS
• THE TEN OWL COMMANDMENTS
• A WISE OLD OWL
• VACATIONING, ETERNALLY.
• A VACATION IN THE HERE-NOW

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