Archive for category: dreams

The Magic of Metaphysical Reading

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Metaphysical refers to what is natural but outside the ordinary realm of human perception. It’s about realities lying beyond empirical data usually picked up by our five senses. As a psychologist and writer of metaphysical thrillers, it’s magical to move into the realm of the unconscious mind. Images and feelings flow in creative, startling, and sometimes life-changing ways when I open my mind during therapy and writing.

As I opened my computer to write this brief essay this morning, I felt an inner prompting. I like short essays and slim volumes. They catch the inspired vibe without thinning out the spirit of the work. The inspiration I feel is a touch of magic from what William James, father of American psychology, called a great unseen realm that affects our daily lives. So, I’m touching the keys, writing, and letting word magic flow.

Word magic in essays or stories touches our imagination. The words, sentences, ideas and narratives are living things. They impart life. Before sleep, I read metaphysical fiction. It’s magic! It stimulates my soul, the reading encouraging my unconscious mind to roam freely. And, out pop unexpected characters and dramas, angels and demons, and catch-me-by-surprise psychic encounters. And, inevitably, there’s an embedded message.

Reading metaphysical fiction stimulates the mind, embedded imaginal messages downloaded from page to soul. You needn’t pick up a book on symbol or dream interpretation. The feeling of the story, whether in a dream or a piece of fiction, conveys all we need to know. Feelings are triggered, something in us shifts, and our minds are opened a little more. It is common for imaginations to shut down; rigidity, snarkiness, and emptiness are signs of a malnourished imagination. Images and symbols in dreams and stories are the soul medicine we need to reinvigorate and get us going again along our life path.

So, dipping into the magical realm of the unconscious mind when dreaming and reading can give us a life reboot. It’s why we feel better after a good night of sleeping and dreaming. And it’s why we can feel open and even excited about living in a world that lets us tap into the unconscious mind, the spiritual realm. And lastly—a little embedded thought—reading metaphysical stories is a waking dream that takes us deeper into the imagination, images and symbols that kindle magic and invigorate our soul.

Live Deeply . . . Read Daily!

 

Stories That Call Your Name and Heal Your Pain

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I’m a psychotherapist and can say for sure that stories heal you. They reach unconscious mindspaces and touch what needs to be released. It’s the pent-up stuff that makes us sick inside. And it’s releasing and working through the pent-up stuff that heals us.

That’s what therapy does. It touches and releases the pent-up stuff. Psychic jams are:

  • Down-in-the-dumps attitudes.
  • Edgy feelings that don’t go away.
  • Black despair that sinks you down and low.

So, remember, if any of the above apply to you, you’re up against a bonafide psychological brick wall or crisis. It’s where you are in your life story, and your mission is to find a way through.

It’s the way it happens in life. You get so down and out that big dreams or nightmares overtake your sleep. They’re trying to get through to you, getting you to face what needs to be faced. Then, to survive and thrive, you’ve gotta change things up.

So, dreams and crises are metaphysical realities. I set them loose in metaphysical thrillers. They plunge headlong into the spiritual world. C.G. Jung, pioneer of the deep unconscious mind, wrote there is no healing of the mind without opening to spirit. Well, after forty years of practicing depth psychotherapy, I tell you the old wizard of Zurich was absolutely correct!

Opening to spirit comes by listening to dreams, intuitions, and uncanny happenings. It starts the healing process. We feel the pain that comes from a backlog of pent-up conflicts. Reading helps you feel what the characters feel. It ends up helping you feel what you need to feel. And trust me, if you’re drawn to a book, there’s something in it for you. 

Metaphysical thrillers tap into the stuff of daily life. It’s popped out to dramatic proportions, so we get the point. Dreams, nightmares, and synchronous happenings do the same. The spirit world reaches into unconscious realms and touches what needs to be released. 

Stories are therapeutic. Stories are healing. Stories reach into deep unconscious mindspaces and touch what needs to be released. That is a plenty good reason to pick up a book you’re drawn to and enter a world of conflict, pain, psychic jams, and supernatural realities. It’ll help you begin a personal healing process that has long been calling your name.

Live Deeply . . . Read Daily!

The Uncanny and A Sense of Things

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Intuition is a sense of things, what Freud called the uncanny. A New York colleague said, “I always know it’s the uncanny at work when the hairs on the back of my head go up.” The uncanny is an unexpected and often irrational but meaningful happening. It gives us a sense of things.

In the story of The Unholy, I write, “The hairs on the back of Claire’s neck stood on end. She clenched her teeth in anticipation of something worse about to happen….. Involuntarily, Claire shook her head as though waking from a bad dream.” A sense of the uncanny alerted Claire to what lay ahead.

One night, after receiving a dinner invitation from someone I hadn’t seen in years, I had a nightmare of this person’s home. It stood along a deserted street, a chill going up my spine as I saw a gargoyle perched atop its roof. My instincts went on high alert, a warning.

Still, the house beckoned. The door to the old Victorian creaked open. Overriding the voice of my intuition, I stepped inside. Shadowy figures emerged from the walls. I had stumbled upon a nest of malevolent spirits. The air was rank, fear gripping tight.

A sliver of light appeared at the far end of the home. I sprinted toward the back screen door and broke into the light of day. Relief washed over me. I awakened in my bed, my heart pounding.

An uncanny dream, a nightmare, stopped me in my tracks. I did not accept the dinner invitation. The uncanny, as does a metaphysical story, opens the mind to unseen realms. It gives us a sense of unseen things and tells us all we need to know.

Live Deeply . . . Read Daily!

Enchanted Dreaming

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One morning, Clara told her therapist about her dream that she lived deep in the Santa Clara mountains. Her quiet life quickened her to the unseen realm, the colors of the landscape suddenly vibrant and enchanting.

The subtle lights of fireflies became faeries with whom she danced in the moonlight. And wise old sages appeared from within the recesses of caves she had never before seen or entered.

“Aren’t these the mountains where you live?” asked her kindly old therapist. Her wrinkled face bore a playful smile, her eyes twinkling with mischief. There was always a feeling of sincerity and soulfulness that emanated from her.

Clara felt her therapist was like the wise old sages in her dream. She listened to and spoke with hidden parts of Clara.

Suddenly, dark and chaotic feelings descended on Clara. Her mind opened as in a vision, a waking dream. Shadowy figures surrounded her. She was in the forest alone with these chaotic and unsettling forces.

Clara began to cry.

Her therapist asked, “Clara, what’s happening?”

Time passed before Clara began to speak. But before words came out, a shadow stood before her and touched her mouth. It would not let her speak. Deep fear took hold within Clara, tears drying, and her mind went blank.

The kindly therapist leaned forward. She knew, sensed the dark one. Then she spoke, her voice caring and understanding. “Clara, this heaviness and pain reflects your inner shadow, hidden pain, and turmoil. Let’s you and I stay with it . . . together.” After a moment, she asked, “What do you see now?”

Clara’s voice returned, and she described seeing herself in the enchanted forest. The trees whispered secrets, and the plants radiated healing energy.

She walked through the woods and discovered a glowing orb among the foliage. Upon touching it, a surge of energy flowed through her, awakening latent powers and energies.

The old therapist sat back in her chair, radiating a soft, subtle smile. She, too, felt the shift, the positive change. The consultation office atmosphere pulsated with energies of mystery and enchantment.

From then on, Clara’s dreams became a haven, awakening the power of enchanted dreaming.

Live Deeply . . . Read Daily!

Embracing the Archetypal Feminine in Storytelling and the Unconscious Mind

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Deep within the psyche lies an unexplored realm, an expanse where the archetypal feminine, imagination and the unconscious mind intertwine in storytelling. This is why stories nourish mind, soul, and the living out of daily life. We need a steady stream of stories to help us, little by little, become better human beings. The mysterious trio of the archetypal feminine, imagination, and stories weaves a tapestry of creativity, intuition, and wisdom. They offer insights into real-life experiences. They hold the key to unlocking our potential and shaping our future.

The archetypal feminine goes beyond gender concepts. It transcends boundaries to embody our potential for nurturing, compassion, and empathy. It represents the yin counterpart to yang – a creative force that balances out the assertive energies of masculinity. Embracing the feminine allows us to tap into our emotional intelligence, imaginative capacity, and human empathy as we seek harmony and balance.

Stories open and nourish our sensitivity to the archetypal feminine within. When imagination – that visionary force propelling humanity forward – is stimulated, we can draw inspiration from the feminine power of receptivity. We have a sense of involvement with what is happening to the protagonist, how it makes us feel, and how they deal with their challenges.

Writing metaphysical thrillers acts uniquely to open portals of the mind. It’s why some folks can’t read horror. It’s too much for them, too frightening, and that is to be respected. Knowing what stories draw us and which do not is part of listening to self and self-care. Then we’re better able to discover what stories can help us to transcend limitations and explore new possibilities. Storytelling that speaks to us kindles inspiration and gives birth to ideas that help shape our lives.

At the core of good storytelling lies a journey of self discovery. In The Unholy, Goddess of the Wild Thing, and Goddess of Everything, we confront primal fears, wounds that require healing, and the potential for transformation and evolution. It’s fascinating that my psyche was drawn to female protagonists. For over forty years, I’ve worked in depth psychotherapy with women and seen them through fears, rage, and horror.

Those who’ve hung in there and seen their way through dark times (understandably, not all have felt able) have inevitably emerged into an experience of feeling more empathic, integrated, and whole. It’s been the story of their life. And we touch a little of this magic when we delve into metaphysical stories that dramatize real-life horror, terrors, and the transformation and evolution that happen when courage trumps fear.

So, by embracing feminine archetypes in stories, heroic females who symbolize our courage to be empathic, loving, and real, we deepen our connections with self, others, and the world around us. Let yourself settle into a comfy chair, read a mysterious story and enter a world where intuition, magic, and love unlock powers latent in your imagination. By embracing the archetypal feminine in storytelling, you’ll find an openness and receptivity to magical energies and empowering feelings that will make a difference in how you dream, live, and love.

Live Deeply . . . Read Daily!

The Dreaming Poet

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Once upon a time, there was a poet named Maya who dreamed every night. She loved her dreams and felt they were friends and messengers. Every night Maya and her dreams looked forward to seeing each other and talking in the language of dreams.

Once in bed, Maya tucked under her covers and closed her eyes. As her body relaxed, she let her mind wander and enter into the world of her imagination. The descent into dreams came slowly, smoothly, and gradually. And one night, something magical happened.

As she drifted to sleep, Maya felt herself settling in a large meadow filled with wildflowers and green grass. It was twilight, the air still and calm. The earth held her like the strong and warm arms of a loving mother. She could see the beauty of the universe all around her, and she felt like she was a part of it.

As she sat amidst the wildflowers and grass, her soul drifted through the cosmos. Maya noticed the twinkling stars. Her thoughts quickened, and began to take on a life of their own. Her dream became more vivid, images of loving people, the beauty of nature, and the wonder of simple moments. She felt like she was living inside a poem, each line flowing effortlessly from her mind.

Through the night, Maya realized that her dream was not just a dream but a glimpse into something more. She saw things in a new way, in a new light. Everything was full of meaning. She knew she had entered a realm where poetry and dreaming were one.

When Maya woke up the next morning, she felt changed. She knew that her dreaming had opened up a new world for her and that she would never be the same. She spent the rest of her days writing, creating, and dreaming.

And although she never had that same dream again, she felt content and thrived in the realm of poetic dreaming, writing, and living.

Live Deeply . . . Read Daily!

Shadows Hiding

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Ever wonder about shadows? You know, over there in the corner, the dark nook in the room. From the corner of your eye, admit it, you thought you saw something. It was quick, not a glimmer, not a refraction of light. You know what it was, or at least you’ve wondered during mind-tired, end-of-the-day times when your defenses are down. There could be something there, something unknown, mysterious, and dark.

It’s just a shadow, you say. Or it’s your mind playing tricks. And then there are the times it’s so real it gives a chill, and you shake your head to be sure. And poof. . . there’s nothing there. You think. As a psychologist who works with the unconscious mind, I’ll tell you there is something there. It’s not a mental artifact. It’s not some loony-tunes concoction from too much booze, eye strain, or toxic stress build-up.

There’s even a clinical term for such shadows. They are autonomous spiritual energies. C.G. Jung called them psychoid realities. They have a life of their own and live in a world bigger than your conscious or personal unconscious mind. They live in the shadows. Feel the chill up your arms and the back of your neck as I tag them and tell you where they live? Freud could tell the presence of the uncanny by the chills up his spine.

So, where I’m going with this is that stories, and metaphysical horror specifically, tap into shadow realms. They shine a spotlight on the corners of the room where things are dim and hidden. It’s there that the shadowy energies reside. It’s there, in the basements and locked closets of your mind, that they also hang out. They’re anywhere, inner or outer, that holds deposits of charged emotion. It can be good, bad, loaded with high-octane creativity, or red-hot with buried trauma. The shadow realms are emotional hotspots.

Read stories to nourish your mind, read stories to let go of stress, read stories to exorcise demons, and heal your fractured soul. Yup . . .. soul food, stress release, exorcisms, and healing are specialties of metaphysical horror. In Goddess of Everything, there’s a horrifying psychoid reality—thank you, C.G. Jung—hiding in the darkened corridors of a convent. In Goddess of the Wild Thing, the creepy crawlies fly up the spine and back of the neck as an old witch conjures black magic mojo to keep a man’s soul from his one true love.

The Unholy, my first award-winning metaphysical thriller, tears through the high desert of northern New Mexico (Aztlan in the story) with the evil antics of a possessed archbishop. Talk about a wolf in sheep’s clothing! This guy is a gospel-professing Dracula dressed in a man-of-the-cloth’s resplendent regalia. He’s a draconian wheeler-dealer of darkness. And, people flock his way, hang on his every word, kneel and kiss his bishop’s ring, and ever so slowly hand over their immortal souls. How’d he get away with it, you might ask? He did it by abiding in the shadows.

Come out, come out, wherever you are. That’s what we say to the shadows outside and inside our heads when we read metaphysical horror. Too scary, you say. Not scary enough, I counter. Better to face the shadows than be haunted by ghosts. Yeah. . . let’s get them out in the open for metaphysical playtime. Reading is playtime, settling time, healing time, and exorcism time.

So, hold not thyself back out of fear. Curl up into your favorite chair and dare to immerse yourself in the stories of The Unholy, Goddess of the Wild Thing, and Goddess of Everything. You’ll discover the surprises, shocks, and exorcisms you need to shake your mind loose of the shadows clogging your head with darkness and despair.

One last thing . . .. as you settle in and read, go deep into the words and characters. Let the story stream through your psychic veins. I’ll guarantee you’ll spot shadows hiding.

Live Deeply . . . Read Daily

Empathy and What’s Enough, What’s Too Much?

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Empathy ~ what’s enough? What’s too much? Ahh, what questions? Having healthy empathy gives us a sense of people and situations. So, empathy helps. But too much empathy hurts. It hurts us because we stay with bad people and dire situations. We feel sorry for them, and we think things will magically change. We feel too much. We become a psychic gusher of painful feelings carried for others and down-on-ourself attitudes “because things never change.” It’s too much feeling, too much empathy.
I love stories. Stories teach me so much. Thrillers always hit the psychic hot spot for me. They’re fast-paced, and if the story is horror-based (all good stories are), it really cuts to the bone. I’m unsettled and shocked, but my psychic senses are opened. As a psychologist, I help people open up. The human mind is nourished by openness to sensitivity and empathic feeling. The problems come with too little or too much emotion, empathy. Too little is denial. Too much renders us dysfunctional and codependent. Our life story becomes miserable depending on too little or too much empathy. Reading stories takes us into what people have gone through, learned from, or suffered and died from due to one sort or another of codependence.

In The Unholy, Claire’s life depends on being true to her feelings. It’s a truth-or-die situation. Goddess of the Wild Thing propels us into a world of suffering and possible redemption. What hangs in the balance is one woman coming to terms with what’s genuine love and what’s fake—no good! She must deal front-and-center with the fact that there are those who are no good and others . . .. Then in Goddess of Everything, there’s the whole thing of mother love gone bad. Face it when it happens or suffer and suffer and then suffer more, unless . . .. Truth to feelings, to self, to what others are about and not about. It’s empathy at its most fast-paced and finely tuned.

We feel the stories we read. They’re our stories. They’re about life’s ups and downs and feeling too much and feeling too little. They’re about boundaries and no boundaries and destruction threatening. Page-turning thrillers get us into a headspace of seeing what’s not enough and what’s too much, what’ll help and what’ll kill. It’s fantastic to read psychological thrillers! We can go through thrills on the page, empathize, get a little more real (boundaries), and better deal with life’s inevitable thrills.

Live Deeply . . . Ready Daily!

Return to Your Own Center

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We learn from healers, teachers, wise women, and men. Then we return to self to see, hear, feel, and live out the wisdom in our own way. Supernatural tales usher us into dark realms where wisdom must be sought and found. Life depends on it! Then wisdom must be lived out uniquely, from your own center.

When reading novels, our deep imagination takes hold. It moves us beyond our conscious mind. As a psychologist/writer, I sense the emotional currents and psychic images in the stories I write. As in Goddess of the Wild Thing, the characters come in vivid images, dreams, and intuitive flashes. They pop forward to the front of my imagination and whisper: This is me, write about me, I’ll guide you.

In metaphysical stories, the characters have a message. The message is for you and me. It’s one of the dark paths and light in the distance. We have to go to the course, and the way can be fraught with troubles. But there’s a payoff — not guaranteed, but definitely there for the soul who stays the course and does not give up.

Those who make it often turn to a teacher, a spiritual guide. Without a person who listens, understands, and can pass on the light, we often can’t find our way, our light. Things are too bleak and too dark to get along without help. The story of Goddess of the Wild Thing starts with the light going out on love. There’s no love, been no love, and the hope for love is shaky. This dramatic tale of one women’s spiritual journey to discover love is, at times, despairing. No hope in sight.

A healer, visionary, and guide, arrives on the scene to offer light. But then, darkness senses potential and wants to destroy it. Something terrible happens! Eve has to go deep within and call upon all she has learned from her spiritual guide. The healer then comes in quiet whispers, visions, and dreams. Eve has learned and knows she has to move on and put the light the teacher imparts and has imparted into action. She must now go her own way and face the horror ahead.

Only by returning to centerpoint — the soulplace her spiritual guide opened with her — does she stand a chance to deal with wickedness that seeks to destroy love. It’s a story like yours and mine. We’re caught unawares by dark forces. Centerpoint . . . it’s there. Go into it. Listen to your intuition, spontaneous images that impart wisdom, and dreams that speak to what cannot be seen with everyday eyes.

We learn from our teachers, guides, wisdom stories of deep forces and human potential for life and love. Then, we must act, go our way, follow our own path, and live out our own story with all its horrors, triumphs, and potential for life and love.

Live Deeply . . . Read Daily

 

Start Now and What You Need Will Come

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“As long as you can start, you are all right. The juice will come,” wrote Ernest Hemingway. And, as in writing, so in life. Get started, and the juice will come. In Goddess of Everything, I wrote from the image. It presented itself to my mind then the fire spread to my belly! Readers have noted surprise, shock, triggering, and ultimately satisfaction from the read. Although there may be twists and turns, we lean into vital instincts, it typically leads to a satisfying ending point. So, when the impulse is there, I go with it, and the energy builds from there. From experience, it’s a fine thing to start things up and trust that the juice will come, making for a good follow-through and a good ending.

As a psychologist and writer, I’m always in the learning mode with the conscious and unconscious mind. It’s an attitude I nourish. It’s there first thing in the morning, a sense of wanting to see and follow through with what I see. It comes in intuitive images and instincts that rise to consciousness and give me the beginning of a scene or words to say to a patient. At the start of Goddess of Everything, we’re into a funeral, the pull into the realm of death and mystery unmistakable. It was rough for me to begin a novel with this eerie scene. But, the image from my unconscious that rose at the beginning of the book guided me to go there. So I did. Turns out, readers were immediately drawn in, and the story flew onward from there. So, as you can see, whether it’s a dream that comes to mind the night before writing, or an image in the morning, or a strong feeling as I open my laptop to write, it’s a starting point for me to jump into the page and take off. We begin with what comes to us, usually just a little bit, and then off we go into helpful insights that lead to living out our story.

As you’re coming to see, while writing, doing therapy, and living, I do my best to flow with feelings, images, and dreams. They are the starting points, a little something to trust and go with. Try an experiment today. Trust your strong feelings, the ones that stay with you about a person or situation. Trust the image that comes to mind or what you dreamt about what’s going on. You’ll find that your intuition gives you enough go with, and once you start, the rest will come.

Let’s do our best to nourish trusting strong feelings, spontaneous mental images, and dreams. We can start now to listen a little more sensitively to feelings, intuitions, and your initial impression of what your dream from the night before is telling you. Go with it, and you’ll find that the rest will come. It’s a big step to trust, so lean into it. And, as Hemingway said, the juice will come.

Live Deeply . . . Read Daily

Paul DeBlassie III, Ph.D.

Paul DeBlassie III, Ph.D., is a psychologist and award-winning writer living in his native New Mexico, crafting visionary thrillers energized with trickster mischief and natural magic.

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