I was meditating. I was trying to reach out to someone. While meditating, I saw a circle of daggers behind the person. I was very close to the person and have lost them. The person just disappeared out of the blue and I was trying to find out why. The circle of daggers was rotating and there was blood on it. The handle was wrapped in red fabric. I saw it behind the person’s head, a little far away. I don’t know what it means.
—Ato, Bangladesh
Dear Ato,
Meditation, as Yogananda teaches it, is a process of becoming silent. In that state we become able, gradually, to perceive the presence of God, and our soul, which is a spark of God. In that process images can appear. It is important to discriminate where they come from.
1) They can come from superconsciousness. Superconscious visions are elevating, divine, transforming, brilliant, calm.
2) They can be of the conscious mind. Conscious “visions” are things we are consciously visualising, maybe a person or situation with which we are having to deal. It is a rational picture.
3) Or they are subconscious images. Subconscious visions are like a dream, often strange, confusing, not elevating, not pure, not holding brilliant colors, or true messages.
What you are describing sounds like a subconscious dream-vision. They are not a direction for us to go in meditation. Even during sleep, such normal dreams are not something to be really interested in. They hold no great meaning.
So in meditation, try not “to reach out to someone.” Just practice your technique and try to enter into silence. If you happen to see things that resemble a normal dream (daggers, blood, a handle with red fabric, or anything else), don’t give it any attention. Go back to your technique. Such images are a distraction, just like thoughts.
If you should have a superconscious experience or vision, that is entirely different. But these are on a different level altogether.
However, in order not to leave you dissatisfied with this answer, let me try to see what your “vision” might mean. If I had to analyse a dream (not a meditation!) with the elements you described in your question, I’d say: The “red fabric” around the handle of the knife might signify passion (red). The “circle of daggers” could mean that there is a danger in your life right now, or it is coming. You “reached out” for that person, so the danger comes from something familiar to you: that passion of yours. The “blood” means that it is dangerous for you. But the person suddenly disappeared, so don’t worry. That danger will disappear. But there is a implied warning: be careful with your passions, they are dangerous for your inner life.
But I offer this analysis as a true dilettante, being not at all a trained interpreter of dreams.
Joy to you,
Jayadev
