In this article I use the term "metaphysics" in the sense of using some kind of mental or spiritual technique to create a desired reality. The desired reality can be losing 10 pounds or finding our life mate. This metaphysical technique can include prayer, mental affirmations and treatments, and various rituals. The prayer, "Please, God" is a metaphysical technique. It goes on from there.

In my opinion, a powerful tool in manifesting one's reality is Dreamworking. Dreamworking is the conscious effort to utilize the unconscious forces of the heart, mind and spirit. It includes dream interpretation and techniques to induce lucid dreaming. There are many different forms of dreamworking and they're all valid. One's dreams are intensely personal, and the only possible barometer of a form of dreamworking, is whether it works for you. What follows is a list of possibilities that you can try.

Here are some examples of how metaphysics combined with dreamworking can be used:

• Discovering blocks to manifestation
• Inducing dreaming to strengthen motivation
• Acting Out manifestations

Increasing the power of our manifestations is generally considered to be a good thing in metaphysics. There is always the little "trip wire" in the works however, which is that we can only deal with what our conscious  mind knows.  We may consciously desire a particular outcome of something with, what we think, is everything in us. If the outcome isn'toccurring, there is only one reason for it. Although we may deny it, the truth is that is that there is something within us, which is reluctant to have that outcome occur. This is a proven metaphysical principle, which is easily rationalized away, because the practice of metaphysics is such a subjective experience.  We needn't rationalize however, if there is a way to overcome the apparent limitations of ordinary, waking consciousness.

Adding the power of our unconscious mind can give an additional boost to the process of manifesting our preferred reality. Frequently the real "heart" of the matter is in our deepest feelings, desires and instincts. It's  not unusual that these forces are more knowledgeable about our real needs and wants than our conscious mind is allowed to be. There can be innumerable reasons for this, most of them having to do with early conditioning. So many of the restrictions that we place on ourselves were relevant to a 5 year old child, but have nothing to do with who we are here and now. Getting more of that knowledge conscious can add another dimension of fulfillment to our lives, enriching them.

Sometimes, it's just trash in the unconscious, but that can be helpful as well. Let's say that you just cannot seem to manifest that new job.  Wouldn't it be helpful to realize that you would have to cross a railroad track in your commute and that you hate railroad noise because you heard it when you hurt your foot at age 3? That's the sort of thing that can throw a major monkey wrench into your plans, and you would have no idea why. The unconscious is a storehouse for everything; the good, the bad and the ridiculous. There are definitely pearls amongst the garbage though.

If we are working on a specific metaphysical treatment, prayer or ritual, our attention is clearly focused. Since many metaphysical activities rely upon repetition, those concepts embed themselves deeply in the mind.  That's what we want. The more deeply embedded the fulfillment of our metaphysical activity is, the easier it becomes for Universal Energy to move into alignment with it. Whether this is working or not, your mind is full of it. This focus inevitably shows up in dream content, as does anything that you pay a lot of attention to in your day. For this reason, it can be very helpful to interpret a dream in the context of the metaphysical activity you're working on.

In this dream for instance:

"You're walking down a crowded city sidewalk. Inexplicably, you keep having these rough encounters with others; you trip and bump into someone, somebody else steps on your toes, there's an elbow to your chin, you just can't seem to make it even a full city block without someone getting hurt. You finally retreat to the doorway of a small shop and huddle there, breathing hard. You're relieved to be out of all that chaos, yet wondering why it was so difficult. Are you always this clumsy? Are people always this rude?" You wake up.

What reality are you trying to manifest at this time? Let's look at two different interpretations for the same dream, but within the context of different people with different metaphysical goals. We'll call Joe's goal, "Getting Ahead in Life".  The dream clearly indicates that he feels some opposition to his progress. However the possibility exists that a lack of coordinated activity may be the cause of it. Was he trying to move against the flow? Is the dream trying to inform him that there is a better route to what he wants?

Jane's goal is "Preparing for a Committed Relationship". Evidently, Jane senses competition. There's a struggle involved as well. Would she have made it through the crowds with greater ease if a partner accompanied her? Is the dream telling her that she needs additional protection?

You can easily see that the interpretations would be quite different, but have the potential for enlightenment. Either Joe or Jane could have a clearer idea of their unconscious messages to the environment and what they were doing that was inhibiting gratification.

Inducing Dreaming to Strengthen Motivation for Fulfillment

Self-hypnosis for dreaming is a powerful technique. If you place yourself in a light trance as you're going to sleep, you can give yourself a suggestion to dream on a specific topic. Dreaming for enlightenment is an ancient tradition, used in many belief systems. Self-hypnosis or a purposefully generated trance state is also used in many mystic and shamanistic traditions.  The trance state is directed to practical use in dreamworking as well, providing an additional outlet for visions, omens
and signs.

For metaphysical purposes, you can work out the pros and cons of an important manifestation, like changing jobs. In the dream state, the entirety of the mind can be used to evaluate an important decision. This is also a beautiful method for strengthening your connection with the Divine. Working out any "spiritual communication blocks" in the dream state can bring about lasting gain.  Since most traditions rely upon a Higher Power of whatever definition, increasing your personal certainty of being "tuned in" can't help but be good. Something else that can be done is to induce lucid dreaming, wherein you know that you're dreaming during the dream. This is considered desirable in every dreamworking system I've heard of. The greater the frequency and quality of lucid dreaming you experience, the better off you are health-wise, in relaxation and metal clarity.

All of these techniques have been tested and most people take about three nights to get them to work. Depending on your personal inclinations, these or some variation on them, should certainly strengthen your inner motivation. This isn't the place for a treatise on self-hypnosis, but there are tons of books on the subject and probably many resources available on the net.

Acting Out Manifestations

An affirmative suggestion would be "I'm experiencing all the positive benefits of (my current metaphysical treatment) in my dreams tonight. I can feel, hear, taste, touch and smell all the activities of this new part of my life in my dreams tonight and I clearly remember all of it." This creates a situation known as "embodiment". To embody a metaphysical goal, you need to experience yourself within the goal, living it. Dreams are great for that. Lucid dreams pretty well guarantee manifestation.

This suggestion may also bring up unconscious barriers to the fulfillment of the manifestations. We may find ourselves living out a situation that is uncomfortable for us. Personally, I appreciate that, because then I can work out whether it's a valid objection to manifestation or not, and consciously work with it from there. Perhaps there's a modification required in my goal to make it completely fulfilling. This "rehearsal" provides an opportunity to work out potential "bugs" in the plan.

Most practicing metaphysicians (of any belief system), sometimes find it necessary to overcome inner inhibitions, obsolete beliefs or negative habit patterns. Additional tools that lead to the speedy resolution of these barriers to manifestation can be very helpful.

Just a suggestion, of course. 

©1999, Jeri Noble. Printed in the April-May 1999 Issue of the Conscious Creation Journal.  (Feel free to duplicate this article for personal use - please include this copyright notice.)   http://www.consciouscreation.com/