And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way. (Matthew 2:11-12)
The first dream in the gospel of Matthew (Ch.1:18-25) reminds us that the Holy Spirit is present in this manifestation of the living Word that is about to be born through Mary. This second dream here reminds us that those wise men, that are devoted to the learning and worshipping of the Word, need to avoid Herod and return to their home country a different way than the way they arrived.
We can see a parallel in these two dreams to our engagement with the Word. The very first thing, as with the first dream, is that we need to remind ourselves that as we approach the Text we are seeking to listen to the Holy Spirit that communicates the Lord to us. The second thing, as with the second dream, is that we need to remind ourselves that the Text is always describing the thinking and feeling patterns that exists within us. We shall call these patterns states. Reading the Text in this way though is not the initial direction we arrive to it from because when first read, we see and hear a story that is about people in far off lands and distant times, describing their relationship with God, holy men and Jesus. So, to read the Text in terms of states that exists within us we must ask ourselves the question – How is this describing states IN ME?
So to be like the wise men that turn away from Herod and return a different way, to assist us with this change of direction, we are using a very simple but effective tool called the In Me tool. This works by placing the words in me next to people, places, objects and descriptions of time so that it reads as variations and changes of states, like different personalities, landscapes, objects and movements in time within our psychological experiences.
Using the In Me Tool
We have used the In Me tool with this passage from Matthew 2 so that you can get an idea of how it might work.
IN MY DREAM…
Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they THE WISE ME IN ME should not return to Herod IN ME, they departed for their own country IN ME another way. (2:11-12)
As you can see, there are no hard and fast rules on how to use this. Sometimes it is helpful to also add in phrases like MY when ‘your’ is used or ME when ‘you’ is used.
Here are two dreams for you to have an opportunity to work with this tool. One is from Sacred Scripture and the other from the doctrines for Spiritual Christianity. We have also offered examples of how to start with each of them.
Genesis 28:10-16
Now Jacob … he lay down in that place to sleep. Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also, your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”
Your turn now … finish working with the rest of the passage yourself.
Now Jacob IN ME … he lay down in that place to sleep. Then he dreamed, IN MY DREAM behold a ladder was set upon the earth IN ME … and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also, your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”
Reflections
- How did you find working with the In Me tool for this dream?
- Was it easy to apply and why?
- How did adding In Me change the sense of the dream for you?
- What new insights did this offer?
Arcana Coelestia 1977
I was put to sleep and dreamed that a ship laden with all kinds of delicious and savory things to eat had arrived. The cargo was not in sight but rather was hidden. On the deck stood two armed guards, and a third man besides, who was captain of the vessel. The ship was pulling into a kind of covered dock.
Your turn …Finish applying the In Me tool to this.
IN MY DREAM I was put to sleep and dreamed that a ship IN ME laden with all kinds of delicious and savory things to eat had arrived IN ME …The cargo was not in sight but rather was hidden. On the deck stood two armed guards, and a third man besides, who was captain of the vessel. The ship was pulling into a kind of covered dock.
Reflections
- How did you find working with the In Me tool for this dream?
- Was it easier to apply this tool with this dream compared to the dream of Jacob’s and why do you think this might be?
- How did adding In Me change the sense of the dream for you?
- What new insights did this offer?
Your Own Dream
Now it’s time to have a go at using this tool with one of your own dreams. Although one of your own dreams is of course not the Text, our dreams are still a wonderful opportunity to work with the idea that all material world images can be seen in the light of what the Word teaches us about spiritual realities that exists within our psychological experiences. It can be a recent dream or a dream you had a while ago. If you genuinely can’t recall any then you could ask someone else to share their dream for you to work with. However, this exercise is going to be more meaningful to your personal process if you can use one of you own so perhaps give it a few days to sit with this idea and see if one comes to memory or arrives during the night. You will be using this dream in the next two modules so take your time waiting for one if need be.
Write down the dream first and then write it again adding ‘in me’
IN MY DREAM …
Reflections
- How did you find working with the In Me tool for your own dream?
- What was your experience using the In Me tool with your dream compared to the other two?
- How did adding In Me change the sense of the dream for you?
- What new insights did this offer to you about your dream and its meaning?
- What questions are you left with?
Further Reading
I have been further informed that the men of the Most Ancient Church had most delightful dreams, and also visions, and that it was insinuated into them at the same time what they signified. Hence their paradisal representations, and many other things. The objects of the external senses therefore, which are earthly and worldly, were nothing to them; nor had they any perception of delight in them, but only in what they signified and represented; and therefore when they looked at earthly objects they did not think about them at all, but only about the things which they signified and represented, which were most delightful to them; for they were such things as are in heaven, from which they see the Lord Himself. (Arcana Coelestia 1122)
Moreover the dreams which flow in through heaven from the Lord, never appear otherwise than according to representatives. He therefore who does not know what this or that thing in nature represents, and especially he who is quite unaware that anything is representative, cannot but believe that these representatives are merely comparisons, such as everyone uses in common speech. They indeed are comparisons, but such as correspond, and are therefore actually presented to view in the world of spirits, when the angels in an interior heaven are conversing about the spiritual and celestial things of the Lord’s kingdom. (In regard to dreams, see above, n. 1122, 1975, 1977, 1979-1981) (Arcana Coelestia 5155 [3])
Except there be interior sight, no eye can ever see. The sight of the eye exists from interior sight, and for this reason after the death of the body man sees equally as well and even better than when he lived in the body-not indeed worldly and corporeal things, but those of the other life. Those who were blind in the life of the body, see in the other life as well as those who had keen vision. So too when man sleeps, he sees in his dreams as clearly as when awake. (Arcana Coelestia 994{4})
By genuine visions are meant visions or sights of such things in the other life as have real existence, and are nothing but actual things that can be seen by the eyes of the spirit and not by the eyes of the body, and that appear to a man when his interior sight is opened by the Lord (that is, the sight which his spirit has), and into which he comes when, separated from the body, he passes into the other life; for a man is a spirit clothed with a body. Such were the visions of the prophets. When this sight is opened, then those things which have actual existence with spirits are seen in clearer day than that of noon in this world, not only the representatives, but also the spirits themselves, together with a perception of who they are, also what they are, where they are, whence they come, whither they are going; also of what affection, what persuasion, nay of what faith they are (n. 1388, 1394), all confirmed by living speech, exactly as if it were human speech, and this free from all fallacy. (Arcana Coelestia 1970)
Extra Exploration
There are plenty of other places in the Word that are dream-like in nature in that they don’t obey the laws of time, space and matter. Some are dreams, and some are visions. Here are two that you might like to have a go at using the In Me tool with also.
Judges 16: 27-30 (Samson bringing down the temple)
Now the temple was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines were there–about three thousand men and women on the roof watching while Samson performed. Then Samson called to the Lord, saying, “O Lord God, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!” And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars which supported the temple, and he braced himself against them, one on his right and the other on his left.
Then Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” And he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life.
2 Kings 2: 7-16 (Elijah being raised into heaven)
And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood facing them at a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan. Now Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water; and it was divided this way and that, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground. And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?” Elisha said, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.” So he said, You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.” Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” So he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces. He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan. Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and said, “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over. Now when the sons of the prophets who were from Jericho saw him, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him, and bowed to the ground before him. Then they said to him, “Look now, there are fifty strong men with your servants. Please let them go and search for your master, lest perhaps the Spirit of the Lord has taken him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley.” And he said, “You shall not send anyone.”