“Life-Scripting Dreams:” Experiences that Change Lives
Have you ever had a dream that contained a message that spoke to the entire direction of your life? Integral Deep Listening calls such dreams, “Life-Scripting Dreams,” because of their ability to create a sense of destiny, predestination, divine will, or mission. But how do we know if we understand that life-scripting message correctly? What if we believe we have, but have not? What then? Presumably we then spend our life in pursuit of lofty purposes that we assume reflect divine purpose or our higher self when in fact it doesn’t. But how could we know? How can we check our assumptions about such powerful dreams and what they say about why we’re here and what we need to be doing?
What follows is an example of such a life-scripting dream, followed by a summary of what it said and what I made of those comments and recommendations. The entire original interview follows this summary.
The Dream: Extraterrestrials Offer Salvation
In the early 1970’s, when I was in my early twenties, I dreamed that I saw crowds of people on the move. Earth changes were about to make Earth uninhabitable; everyone was hearing directions in their own language, telling them where to go to board UFOs that would take them to safety on another world or worlds. I knew that if I left with them my evolution would continue on another planet, not Earth. I knew that if I stayed I would die but that my evolution would continue here. I chose to stay.
Associations
I woke up with a sense that this was a major life choice. For many years I understood it in terms of karma and reincarnation. I don’t any more. I have also taken that dream as a depiction of my long-term gratitude for my life, for my body, for the opportunities that being here represent to me and for me. It represents the priority of service over personal survival on a deep level. It is based on gratitude for the selfless support constantly given me by the planet and its life forms, and by countless people, most of whom are unnamed and unrecognized by me. Each of us represents the sum output of their lives, complete with the adversity, creativity, emotional and social upheaval, and great personal suffering that they experienced, unknown to us. There is no way that any of that can be properly understood or appreciated, but each of us can attempt to live our own lives in such a way that those who have gone before would respect.
However, all of that is my own interpretation, the perspective of psychological geocentrism at its present level of expression in me and as “me.” Although it has been some forty years since I had this dream, Integral Deep Listening assumes that anything can be used as a wake-up call, no matter how old it is or whether it originated with oneself or someone else. What might the Extraterrestrials who piloted the UFOs have to say today?
Life Issues
Integral Deep Listening interviews always begin by the statement of life issues in order to tie the recommendations in the interview back to the practical concerns that matter to us. In this case the life issues were improvement in regularity of meditation, more focus on writing, and expansion of consciousness.
Who the Extraterrestrials Say They Are and Why They Are Here
When the extraterrestrials were asked if they were a character in my dream they answered, “No, he is an element in our experience.” Notice how this answer immediately turns our assumptions about dreams and our experience on its head. It is saying, “Life isn’t all about you; your dreams aren’t all about you, either!” Next, the extraterrestrials were asked to say how the world looks from their perspective. They said, “We see people choosing how they are going to deal with death. We have come to assist those who don’t want to die. We are champion rescuers. We save people from themselves, from the consequences of their choices. That can be a good thing, or it can be a not so good thing. If everyone always had to face the full consequences of all their choices there would be no evolution; life is by nature highly forgiving, and we are a manifestation of that reality. We represent grace in relationship to the karma of these humans.”
Characteristics of Enlightenment Personified by the Extraterrestrials
We personify extraordinary choice; the awareness that humans are free to chart their own destiny; the awareness that each one has all the support they need in making whatever choice they desire. We score ourselves ten in confidence because we can do what we have come to do, ten in compassion because although we do not see ourselves as selfless, humans would view us as extraordinarily compassionate. We score ourselves ten in wisdom because we know how to transcend death; we can move others and ourselves out of limiting contexts and begin again in expanded ones. We score ourselves ten in acceptance because are fine with Joseph choosing to come with us or stay on Earth. We honor both choices. We do not have a preference, because it is not our decision. Life can use him in both places to become more aware of itself. We score ourselves ten in inner peace because getting stressed out is a form of personalization. We do not identify with our forms, only our work. We do not get stressed out. We score ourselves ten in witnessing because while there are limits to what contexts we can objectify and therefore witness, compared to humans we are definitely a ten in witnessing. By our own standards, we would give ourselves a five.”
Recommendations
“If Joseph scored like we do in all six of these core qualities of enlightenment he would be balanced, stable open, expansive, and aware. If we were him we would focus more on making choices in the context of balancing those six core qualities. We agree with his emphasis on abundance, cosmic humor, and luminosity. Regarding more regular meditation, we exist in a continuous meditative consciousness, which basically means that we score high in all six core qualities and emphasize whichever ones support higher order integration in each different situation as it arises. We would recommend he continue to do the same, whether formally mediating or busy living his life. Regarding having more focus on writing, writing leaves a record, a path for others to consider and to use if they so decide. This is a major way human consciousness expands. We think it’s important in general, and also in his particular case, because he has important, practical, and useful things to say. Regarding expansion of consciousness, we support that as long as that does not mean changing state. We support expanding his present consciousness, whether awake or asleep and dreaming, not leaving it for “greener pastures.” It would be good for him to imagine that he is us when he wants to expand his consciousness; when he wants to feel supported in the importance, significance, autonomy, and freedom of his current choices.”
Why This Dream?
“We are in his life because we personify the abundant support of the universe as well as its acceptance, compassion, wisdom, inner peace, and confidence. Joseph had this dream to validate his knowingness that his sense of direction is valid, useful, and important.”
What I Heard Myself Say
What I heard the extraterrestrials tell me is that I can choose death and still choose an authentic life. In fact, the implication is that an authentic life only comes through being willing to choose death. I can apply this in many ways – to addictions, my self-image, my dependency upon relations, things, and money. If this experience were a wake-up call from my inner compass it would be telling me to have confidence in my life path. No one escapes death. How I choose to face it is one measure of how alive I am. I need to become the extraterrestrials when I want to expand my consciousness.
How to Make This Dream Your Own
My conclusions from this interview are no more legitimate than yours. In fact, they are less legitimate than yours because they do not represent your truth; that can only be found when you do your own interviews. Why not interview the extraterrestrials yourself and see what they have to say to you? Even though they are characters in “my” dream, they are also a part of your life dream to the extent that I represent parts of yourself. If you do such an interview the dream and the message of the extraterrestrials is no longer primarily mine; nor is it based on the opinions and assumptions your waking identity projects onto the dream and my account. Instead, by doing your own interview it first becomes yours, but on a deeper level than psychological geocentrism, because you are listening to something much deeper and broader than that. It also becomes ours, because our experience meets in that shared realm of emerging potentials.
Conducting Your Own Interviews
Integral Deep Listening invites you to choose one or more character from a life-scripting dream and interview it using the IDL dream interviewing protocol. Then compare what you are told with what you believe and come to your own best conclusions. If you still aren’t sure, follow the recommendations from the interview and see what happens. You should find that your sense of direction becomes clearer, more centered, more grounded, and as a result you will go forward in you life with more confidence and resolution.
Questions for you!
Have you ever had a life scripting dream? If you have, what was it?
You can interview a character in it by using the IDL dream interviewing protocol found here.
If you do such an interview, please share it with us! If you need help with the interview, please contact me at Joseph.Dillard@Gmail.Com
The Original Interview
What are three fundamental life issues that you are dealing with now in your life?
Motivating myself to meditate
More focus on writing
Expansion of consciousness
Extraterrestrials, are you a character in Joseph’s dream?
No, he is an element in our experience.
Extraterrestrials, look out at the world from your perspective and tell us what you see…
People choosing how they are going to deal with death.
Extraterrestrials, would you please tell me about yourself and what you are doing?
We have come to assist those who don’t want to die.
Extraterrestrials, what do you like most about yourself? What are your strengths?
We are champion rescuers. We save people from themselves, from the consequences of their choices. That can be a good thing, or it can be a not so good thing. If everyone always had to face the full consequences of all their choices there would be no evolution; life is by nature highly forgiving, and we are a manifestation of that reality.
Extraterrestrials, what do you dislike most about yourself? Do you have weaknesses? What are they?
None to speak of. We represent grace in relationship to the karma of these humans.
Extraterrestrials, what aspect of Joseph do you represent or most closely personify?
Extraordinary choice; the awareness that he is free to chart his own destiny; the awareness that he has all the support he needs in making whatever choices he desires.
Extraterrestrials, if you could be anywhere you wanted to be and take any form you desired, would you change? If so, how?
No.
Extraterrestrials, how would you score yourself 0-10, in each of the following six qualities: confidence, compassion, wisdom, acceptance, inner peace, and witnessing? Why?
Confidence, 0-10. Why? 10 We can do what we have come to do.
Compassion, 0-10. Why? ? We do not see ourselves as selfless but humans would view us as extraordinarily compassionate.
Wisdom, 0-10. Why? 10 We know how to transcend death; we can move others and ourselves out of limiting contexts and begin again in expanded ones.
Acceptance, 0-10. Why? 10 We are fine with Joseph choosing to come or stay. We honor both choices. We do not have a preference, because it is not our decision. Life can use him in both places to become more aware of itself.
Inner Peace, 0-10. Why? 10 Getting stressed out is a form of personalization. We do not identify with our forms, only our work. We do not get stressed out.
Witnessing, 0-10. Why? 10 While there are limits to what contexts we can objectify and therefore witness, compared to humans we are definitely a ten in witnessing. By our own standards, we would give ourselves a five.
Extraterrestrials, if you scored tens in all six of these qualities, would you be different? If so, how?
No different.
Extraterrestrials, how would Joseph’s life be different if he naturally scored like you do in all six of these qualities all the time?
Balanced. Stable. Open. Expansive. Aware.
Extraterrestrials, if you could live Joseph’s life for him, how would you live it differently?
We would focus more on making choices in the context of balancing those six core qualities. We agree with his emphasis on abundance, cosmic humor, and luminosity.
Extraterrestrials, if you could live Joseph’s waking life for him today, would you handle Joseph’s three life issues differently? If so, how?
Motivating myself to meditate: We are in a meditative consciousness, which basically means that we score high in all six core qualities and emphasize whichever ones support higher order integration in each different situation as it arises. We would recommend he continue to do the same, whether formally mediating or busy living his life.
More focus on writing: Writing leaves a record, a path for others to consider and to use if they so decide. This is a major way human consciousness expands. We think it’s important in general, and also in his particular case, because he has important, practical, and useful things to say.
Expansion of consciousness: Yes, as long as that does not mean changing state. We support expanding his present consciousness, whether awake or asleep and dreaming, not leaving it for “greener pastures.”
Extraterrestrials, what life issues would you focus on if you were in charge of Joseph’s life?
His are good.
Extraterrestrials, in what life situations would it be most beneficial for Joseph to imagine that he is you and act as you would?
When he wants to expand his consciousness; when he wants to feel supported in the importance, significance, autonomy, and freedom of his current choices.
Extraterrestrials, why do you think that you are in Joseph’s life?
To personify the abundant support of the universe as well as its acceptance, compassion, wisdom, inner peace, and confidence.
Extraterrestrials, why do you think Joseph had this dream?
To validate his knowingness that his sense of direction is valid, useful, and important.
What have you heard yourself say?
I can choose death and still choose an authentic life. In fact, for me an authentic life only comes through being willing to choose death. I can apply this in many ways – to addictions, my self-image, my dependency upon relations, things, and money.
If this experience were a wake-up call from your inner compass, what do you think it would be saying to you?
Have confidence in your course. No one escapes death. How you choose to face it is one measure of how alive you are.
Look back over the interview and list the specific recommendations that were made:
Become the extraterrestrials when I want to expand my consciousness.
