I am a student of Ananda courses online for a few months now, lately I have been dreaming about situations and people from my past that didn't always turn out right, for about four or five nights now, during the dream and after I awake I feel the exact same sad emotions I felt when they happened physically, after repeating affirmations and realizing that I'm a divine creation the sadness goes away, I wouldn't want it to harm me by mentally soaking in distress all day, why is this happening?
—Joseph Cimino, America
Dear Joseph,
We are so glad to hear that you are taking the Ananda on-line courses.
It’s great that you intuitively knew just want to do to remedy the sadness you have felt after the “memory-dreams” (affirmations and realizing your divine nature).
This shows that your meditative practices are working well to increase your reliance on divine, intuitive guidance.
Because successful meditation involves an increase of energy and awareness, this often “stirs up” our emotions, which are just energy in motion. Also our subconscious memories or mental tendencies have a chance to surface — and one of the ways they “surface” is through our dreams.
This means that you are being purified by your meditations — an excellent thing to have happen! Meditation is meant to change every aspect of your life and this includes your habits, mental tendencies, emotions, old memories, and so on.
These things are stored inside of you (and of everyone) and are definitely in need of cleansing and removing forever.
Meditation also gives you the strength and courage to look at what needs looking at in yourself. Then you can get busy making the needed changes.
When memories surface and seem to make you sad, just recognize them as movements of consciousness and energy. You are stirring things up — this is good! Don’t judge or get down on yourself.
Look at your thoughts and feelings calmly, dispassionately, and then give then to God — then you will not be “harmed by mentally soaking in distress all day.”
Try some chanting, breathing, or affirmations (as you have done!) to get re-centered. But mainly know that something like this happens to everyone who meditates!
It is actually is a sign of spiritual progress — purification is happening! But also know that it will pass away with time and depth of continued meditation.
