"In sleep what are you, in sleep,
in the ebb of the tide:
a body dormant, a thing breathing,
or a soul afloat?
What are you in sleep
in the small watch of the night
but a ray of life gathering forces,
the secret retreat of light."
___Ross Nichols, "The Cosmic Shape"
While we may not have a strong sense of what our soul does in its mysterious circuit of the night, most of us value the coming of darkness as a time of quiet, of winding down from the day's activities, of restoring ourselves in the cavern of sleep. For those who remember some of their dreams, there is the added pleasure of sharing in the adventures of the soul. Sometimes these are only a recapitulation of the day's activities; other times they are strange revelation whose meanings we can only guess at. And very occasionally, we find a treasury of meaning so overwhelming as to make us conscious of the soul's capacity.
The circuits of the soul during sleep enter into a timelessness in which our past and future are inextricably mixed, in which we meet the dead, encounter the expected, and fly and dance and swim through the elements that we normally do not move within. Whether or not the daytime consciousness has a spiritual framework or dedication, the night wandering soul encounters spiritual allies and experiences inspirational truths. Within the compass of sleep and night, the soul explores the unseen universe with skillful knowledge, leaving the body as a secret retreat of the light that will emerge at dawning. But it is in the night that the light shines brightest and can be perceived.
"Live the next twenty-four hours with awareness of the interconnectedness of night and day, soul and body."
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]
No comments:
Post a Comment