The Living Tree

This set of exercises is intended to make you more aware of the impact of dreams, the imagination and discernment of what is reality and what is illusory in nature. When we move deeper into our own inner worlds and explore the many and varied forms that thought  takes when fueled by the emotional and intuitive self we move closer towards mastery of making manifest the Divine beings we inherently are. Although imagination is usually easily stirred in most, refining and molding it into a useful tool takes practice and work. Similarly, being able to remember the pattern and content of our dreams and/or moving into a state of lucid dreaming is the key to unlocking the secretes of the subconscious  and unconscious mind.

Dream Time

Day dreams are often useful tools for strengthening the powers of visualization and attracting positive results into your life. Allow yourself  30-minutes of uninterrupted time. As you sit quietly, let your imagination flow as you contemplate a new job, a new way of doing something, a new activity or anything that you have stored away in your memory as simply wishful thinking.  Allow the situation to unfold and add as much detail as you wish. Try to engage all of your senses in this waking dream. After you have built these images up, consciously and with intent acknowledge that the imagery will be recalled when you wish. In as much detail as you have experienced.  Each time you revisit this scenario try to give more detail and clarity to the experience.

 Opening to The Intuitive Self

As you move through your day, take a few  minutes in the morning, at lunchtime and before bed to check in with your inner self.  Make note of your impressions of the day and the activities that filled it. What emotions were a recurrent theme throughout the day?  Were they justified and based on the reality of the situation, or were they reactions, rather than responses to what was happening? For your morning check in, you may wish to write down any information you remember about a dream. Or you may wish to imagine your day moving smoothly and you responding appropriately to whatever challenges or joys come in.  At lunch, you may wish to assess how the reality of your morning and  your imagined expectation were in support of or at odds with one another. Was this something you had control of? And, in the evening a scan of your day, how you moved through that day and what were high points and what you wish had been different is a useful tool for strengthening the ability of bringing into manifest reality the creative stuff of the imagination.

Observing Your Inner World

Reflection of Yourself

• Place a small table in front of a mirror, large enough to capture your reflection (at minimal your  face and upper shoulders ) and any object paced on the table. - Using an object you feel you are completely familiar with in detail and form, place it in on a table in front of you so its reflection and you are caught in the mirror.

• Allow yourself to move into a meditative state and gaze gently at the object’s reflection.  Note any changes, new detail, thoughts or perceptions you have about that object.  How has the mirrored reflection changed what you thought to be true of this object?

• Now, shift your focus to the image of yourself observing the object?  Note any thoughts or observations you have of yourself?

Journaling

The Waking Dream Journal

• Envision the abode of Yesod – the world of astral, dreams and imagination

• Record the varied way in which dreams effect your waking time.

• How has your imagination been a place of creative inspiration and when has it been the shadow dream of  delusion and half-truths?

• Now, rewrite your truths. Place them in a dream like scenario. When your story has been created close your eyes and allow that vision to fill your inner screen. Holding these images , open your eyes and see the world anew with your realities of truth present and strong within your being. Carry that with you throughout the day.

 Meditative Focus 

Meditation on the Magickal Image of Yesod

"A Beautiful Naked Man, Very Strong " 

Build in your mind’s eye the image represented  as completely as possible. Engage as many of your senses as possible to make this image as real as possible.  Now  see yourself standing off to the side observing this man; almost as if in a dream state. Take note of each sinew of muscle and the image of strength that is given by the build and form in front of you. Continue to simply stand as the observer, allowing whatever thoughts which to present themselves to you to create and tell the story of this beautiful man. 

When you have received all the information you  believe to be true about this man, move to the other side and take    another look in observation. Note any changes to what you believed to be true when you were only observing one side of the man.  Again, create a new story based on the information you have. 

Move to the back of the man and repeat the process again. And finally move directly in  front of the man.  Make mental note of what has changed and what has remained true for each of these perspectives of vision.  This is both the reality and illusion of Yesod.