In the early hours of the morning of the 7th of January of this year, I dreamt a peculiar dream. I was in a small cabin where a group of elders were gathered. They were telling me that I had something to do, although I didn't understand what exactly. When I asked why I had to do this unknown thing they answered " Because the earth loves you."

It's at this point that a man appeared and I knew deep down that this was Death itself. He calmly pointed to a black funeral urn in a dusty corner of the cabin and said to me " You still haven't buried your stepfathers ashes." ( My stepfather died of cancer 6 years ago) and urged me to do so. I agreed. But before he left he said something very perplexing to me " You have two years left..." I woke up from the dream after he said this. I was very upset upon awakening.

In the morning I decided to consult the I Ching for insight into this dream. I got Hexagram 4 " Youthful Folly" with lines 1 and 3 changing which produce hexagram 26 " The Taming Power of the Great". I'm not quite sure how to interpret the hexagrams I got. Any insight would be appreciated.

Hmmm my impression is of the learned being, representing death in the dream, being hexagram 26 instructing the youth in hexagram 4 not to buy into all the false idols we are given to worship in our lives.(4.3)

I too have had a recent vision, a kind of half waking dream of death and also found it disturbing. I've not yet asked Yi about it, so I sympathise.

You don't have to take that '2 years' literally of course....it wouldn't be very helpful but OTOH awareness, proper awareness of the reality of our own death can be very helpful. It's true and it lends perspective. We can get caught up in our personalities, our bodies.....and they are all throwaway in the end aren't they.

So I do get the impression of the reading as an instruction, an imparting of knowledge. The 4.1 suggests this is something you need to learn that's why you are being exposed to it. It's a kind of wake up call.

The yang change pattern is 36 you come to this through a sense of being wounded, hurt diminished. That is how many would feel if faced with their own death in a dream perhaps. The yin change pattern is hexagram 6, conflict....need to accept reality as it, to meet it as it is. Maybe some part of your higher self is showing you an awareness of death as a way of instruction in order to gain perspective on your life priorities.


Awareness of death certainly impacts on how one sees one's priorities.

BTW there is discussion going on here about dreams in Hilary's Blog which may interest you

http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/friends/showthread.php?17956-What-to-do-with-dreams-(from-the-blog)

oh and here is the other blog post on dreaming

http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/frie...Dreams-rain-dance-of-the-soul-(from-the-blog)

What a magical dream!

My first thought: You got 2 years to bury the ashes and get your act together.

Hex 4 says you are blind/ignorant about something and you need to learn the lesson.
Wilhelm, line 1:
Youth in its inexperience is inclined at first to take everything carelessly and playfully. It must be shown the seriousness of life. A certain measure of taking oneself in hand, brought about by strict discipline, is a good thing. He who plays with life never amounts to anything.

It is a wake-up call for you, 'more work less play'.

line 3: don't be shallow and greedy, get rid of some bad habits/relationships.
If you recently started dating someone, be more careful.

Transitional hexagram is 41(Decrease), with line 41.3 → 26.
Wilhelm: 3. If three people travel together, thus they will decrease by one person. If one person journeys alone, he finds a companion.

Maybe your attachment to your dad is preventing you from allowing your soul-mate to enter your life (lose one man, and you will find companion).

Internal hexagrams are 24.2.4 → 54(Inferior position, Marrying maiden)
Daniels:
2. Correct yourself before matters proceed. Good fortune.
4. Friends may help, but you need to advance alone.

Again, get your act together, and loose the company (habits, people .. thoughts).

Hex 26 I think says that you are capable of more, greater things, and also to look at your past actions/mistakes. Earth loves you (The whole universe does), and wants you to wake-up and do the deed

And the 2 year period was to give more importance to the message, here's koan about it.

Three Days More

Suiwo, the disciple of Hakuin, was a good teacher. During one summer seclusion period, a pupil came to him from a southern island of Japan. Suiwo gave him the problem: "Hear the sound of one hand."

The pupil remained three years but could not pass this test. One night the pupil came in tears to Suiwo. "I must return south in shame and embarrassment," he said, "for I cannot solve my problem."

"Wait one week more and meditate constantly," advised Suiwo. Still no enlightenment came to the pupil. "Try for another week," said Suiwo. The pupil obeyed, but in vain.
"Still another week." Yet this was of no avail.

In despair the student begged to be released, but Suiwo requested another meditation of five days. They were without result. Then he said: "Meditate for three days longer, then if you fail to attain enlightenment, you had better kill yourself."

On the second day the pupil was enlightened.

Insight into this dream?
4.1.3 > 26

You have apparently been remiss in making a proper disposal of your stepfather's ashes. They are acting as a memento mori for you, and are leading you to thoughts of your own mortality. Stop putting it off. Find a permanent disposal for the ashes during this season of death. 26 is the storage of seed (vitality) for the benefit of the living. In feng shui, the dead help the living. A proper disposal of your stepfather's ashes will have a beneficial influence on you.

Pocossin: My stepfathers ashes were buried shortly after his funeral.

have no idea what the dream is about but both the content and hex are about past (hex 26 and the old debt-maybe-to finish something) and future (h4 and the future deadline)

from 4>26 maybe something needs to be done, something that is connected with past but for some reasons you feel not equipped to do it( 4.1) . The elders is a nice image of 26 and the reading feels like saying you have what you need so don't let trivial things distract you (4.3)?

maybe Death's figure is about the metaphor of something needs to die in order the new will evolve, like the new river-path that hasn't start to flow from the spring. The "closure" of your step-father funeral process maybe its a personal closure ?

Boots1323 said:

Pocossin: My stepfathers ashes were buried shortly after his funeral.

Click to expand...

If your stepfather's ashes were buried, why in the dream did you tell Death that you would bury them? There appears to be some sort of unfinished business. Do you feel remiss in not visiting the grave? Did your stepfather leave papers, pictures, books or other goods that will be lost if you do not take steps to conserve them? The "two years" do not necessarily refer to your own mortality but perhaps to a window of opportunity for you.

This may or may not help, but I thought I would give it a try. There are great books on dream meanings and research, so I'll go over the meanings according to that research and then include what the Iching says and hopefully something will stand out for you and make some sense.

Father in dreams represents- relying on your morals rather than your instincts.

Ashes- failed relationships or failed business endeavor. (Disappointment, regret)

Death relating to your stepfather- what quality did your stepfather have that stands out? If you have this quality you may need to let it go as its holding you back. If you don't have this quality perhaps its a quality you need to help you go further.

Color black- shame and sorrow is possible in your future but its not inescapable fate. You have freedom of choice.

Cabin- being happy with simplicity, sacrificing material comfort for your own sincere feelings or renouncing short term happiness for long term gains.

Now Iching (26)- restricting what is too much for balance.

(4)- theres something you need to learn.

Line (1)- either don't do wrong in the first place or begin disciplining yourself/situation.

Line 3- do what you know is right, not what others say you should, but whatever you have strong feelings about being right for you.

Put all of that together with "you have two years left"... (if that even has real meaning or literal meaning at all). Sounds like there is some task you need to be focused on or are focused on. Something you have put off? Something holding you back? That's if this dream was meant to have meaning. Sometimes our dreams are just a mixture of life events, mixed with a television program we watched, or conversations we had recently, and our mind is doing the work of clearing out all of that unnecessary clutter.

Blue_Angel