Once There Was a Dream
Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Atherton Drenth, author of the new Intuitive Dance.
Many years ago, I had a dream where I was aware that I was sleeping yet dreaming at the same time. It felt surreal, vivid, and intriguing all at the time. I had never experienced a dream like this before. I remember walking through a forest and coming across a large stone fountain. In the center of the fountain was a statue of a large old tree with water streaming out from its roots. I was surprised to realize that the tree was alive and birds were feasting on the berries they found growing on its branches. As I followed the path around the fountain watching and listening to the chirping of birds, I caught the smell of incense that was deeply familiar. It reminded me of my mother, who had recently passed away. My heart swelled with longing to be with her again, sitting on the chair in her studio watching her paint, drinking green tea ,and smelling the sandalwood incense she always burned. I would listen to the swishing sounds her brush made as she applied paint to the canvas. I remember watching her, fascinated as still life images in front of her appeared on the blank canvas. I felt comfortable and safe there.
Hopeful that I was going to meet her in my dream, I rushed along the path and came across a bamboo hut. I opened the door in anticipation of finding her there. Instead, as I entered, I was surprised to find only an empty chess board laid out on a table in the middle of the room. Two stools sat on either side of the table, empty, waiting as if someone was about to start a game. There were pots of sandalwood incense burning in the four corners of the room.
At the far end of the room I saw a large wooden chest. Curious, I walked over and opened it. Inside I found four small carved stone statues: a gorilla, an ox, a hawk, and a statue of an old man who looked Asian. I took the statues out and placed them on the table. As I examined each piece it would come to life and start to move around. Startled and mesmerized, I watched them move around on the table top. The old man, however, grew larger and larger until he was standing beside the table. He looked to be about 5 feet tall and he had a long, pencil-thin mustache that drooped down on either side of his chin that almost touched his robe. His robe was made of yellow silk and was embroidered with red dragons flying through magical forests of green and purple. He held a long clay pipe in his hand. He stood there, looking at me with such love and peace in his eyes. I felt I knew him. He smiled and said, “I will guide you.”
A year later I was encouraged to attend a channeling class. I had no idea what to expect but it was there, in that class, that meaning of my waking dream came true.
Our thanks to Atherton for her guest post! For more from Atherton Drenth, read her article, “Stress, Anxiety, and the Ego.”
