LESSON 2 - WARDROBE FANTASY

   In the last exercise, you used both your imagination & your thinking ability to get in touch with some thoughts, feelings & impressions about 2 chosen places. Now we’re going to take imagination a step farther. In order for you to derive the greatest benefit from this exercise, it’s necessary that you become very comfortable with allowing your imagination to flow. We’re going to use a special type of fantasy, called reverie, to give you a chance to practice imagining. Before beginning this specific exercise, however, let’s take a brief look at what this form of fantasy is & how we can use it in our search for self-understanding.

   Throughout this course we will be striving to

maintain balance between thought & imagination,

between the conscious & the unconscious aspects of the

mind. The conscious mind is surely an important tool,

& we will be using it extensively to gather & analyze

past-life clues. But it is not all there, our genetic makeup; nor is it the only facet of the mind available

for use in our quest.

   Recall that it is the unconscious mind that is the

very storehouse of our memories or previous incarnations. As we work with these remembrances on

the conscious level, the unconscious is also stimulated into activity. Our problem here lies in getting this unconscious material to surface, where it can be recognized & used. Reverie is an important technique in enabling us to do this. Through it we make the images from our own unconscious more accessible to us, which can allow us to achieve insights quite different in nature from those we are likely to obtain through the use of analytical thought alone. But what exactly do we mean by reverie?

   The dictionary defines reverie most simply a daydreaming. Through this process of daytime fantasizing is familiar to all of us, it is easy for us to overlook its potential usefulness. The trouble with daydreams is that, for most of us, they tend to be undisciplined & lacking in direction. Thus they are not a particularly reliable vehicle for us to use if we have a specific goal that we would like to reach.

   In order to have any confidence that we can actually use our daydreams to achieve a definite purpose, we must guide them along a path we’d like to follow. This is the aim of the several reverie experiences that are part of this course: to give direction to our fantasies, so that we can enjoy & take advantage of the freedom of imagination they give us in a way that we’ve determined will be most useful. For our purposes, then, let’s define reverie a bit more narrowly than the dictionary does, use the term to mean a guided experience in imagining.

   To further clarify what reverie is, perhaps it would be helpful to look at a few things that it is not. Though there is a certain similarity between the unconscious images it can evoke & those that arise during nighttime dreams, reverie is not sleep. In reverie you will not lose consciousness or your awareness of conditions around you. You may become so relaxed that you fail to pay attention to your surroundings, but you will continue to be awake & be able to respond to anything that requires you to do so.

   Reverie is also not a form of hypnosis. It involves no submission of your mind to any outside influence; no lose of your ability to think independently. To be fruitful the experience must be based upon images from your unconscious mind, not ones imposed upon you by

some external source. You will not lose control of your thoughts, & you will be able to end the fantasy at any point that you wish.

   Now lets go over some of the ways in which you can

ensure that the reverie experience will be as beneficial to you as possible. Relaxation, both mental & physical, is the key to the whole process. First, relax your mind. As you embark upon your fantasy, lay aside the critical, analytical function of your mind. Give your conscious mind a rest, so that your unconscious can come to the fore & create for you a new reality from the wealth of material it holds. Leave behind the restrictions of your usual view of the world, & allow your reverie the freedom to present you with images beyond those your conscious mind habitually entertains.

   Next relax your body. Physical comfort & relaxation

is absolutely essential for the reverie experience to unfold. In preparations for these sessions, get yourself into a comfortable sitting or reclining position. Close your eyes, breathe slowly & deeply, & let any muscular tensions you may be feeling slip away from you. One technique that can help you do this is described toward the end of this section. Whatever method you choose, try to reach a point where you are able to forget your body & let your thoughts flow.

   As you reach into each reverie, you will be directed to see yourself in a specific setting. Remember - relax. Don’t work with your conscious mind to construct an image of the situation. Simply take the image that comes to you from your unconscious, accept it without logical criticism, & notice the details that appear before your mind’s eye. Don’t limit yourself to just the sights in your new surroundings; become conscious of the sounds, smells & touch sensations as well. Take note of as many of these details as you can, for they are important. It is by focusing on them that you will become able to immerse yourself so completely in your fantasy world.

   Seeing yourself in your reverie surroundings, as in

a movie, is a good beginning. But to realize the full

value of the experience, a different viewpoint is needed. Rather than just observing a mental image that includes a character you identify as yourself, try to become part of the scenario in your mind. That is, use your imagination to shift your perspective so that with your mind’s eye you are seeing the scene as if you were actually in it. Feel in your imaginary body the sensations of any movement or activity you picture

yourself doing. And, as completely as possible, adopt

the mental state you would have if you were actually

engaged in the fantasy activity. Think that thoughts

you would be feeling if you were performing the actions involved.

   At various points in some of our reveries you will be asked certain questions. Do not interrupt the experience to write down your responses. The questions will be repeated & there will be time to answer them on paper after the fantasy has reached its conclusion. These questions appear in the body of the reverie only to guide you to direct your attention toward certain details that will help you understand the significance of the fantasy as a whole. Merely take mental note of these details so that you can recall them once the reverie is over. The time to analyze & write about them will come later.

   Stay with each reverie as long as you can. Allow time for the experience to unfold at its own pace & reach its natural conclusion. Don’t worry about keeping to any specified time periods that may be suggested in the text; such recommended durations are meant as general guidelines only & should be adjusted to suit you & your involvement in each individual fantasy.

   If the reverie fulfills its purpose, at its conclusion you will find yourself feeling refreshed, relaxed & contented. More importantly, you will emerge from your experience with a new understanding of yourself, a greater awareness of how you have become the person that you are, & an expanded vision of the possibilities open to you in your present life.

   There is a problem inherent in using a book to

guide you through a reverie, however. In order to get

your directions from the printed page, you must use

your conscious mind to pick up the instructions that

are to follow, & this can be a serious distraction from the flow of images from the unconscious. If you try to proceed line by line - reading one line of directions, following it, reading another line, & so on - your fantasy experience will be continually interrupted. You may find it extremely hard to truly immerse yourself in it, for the most of us can’t shift gears, from the logical aspect of the mind to the imaginative & back again, that completely & effectively.

   It might be a bit of an improvement to read & try to remember a larger chunk of the material, follow it without referring back to the book, & then go on to the next chunk. At least this would cut down on the number of interruptions of your fantasy. But this seems like an awful lot of work to expect of the conscious mind, which is, after all, the part of us that’s supposed to be at rest during reverie. In adopting this technique we run the risk of forgetting one or more key phrases of the directions, thus affecting the completeness of our experience. And there is also the danger that in memorizing the instructions we might find ourselves consciously preprogramming our responses to them, which would limit the range & spontaneity of the images presented to us.

   While either the line-by-line or the large-chunk

method could be used in a pinch, there are a couple of

surperior alternatives available. One of these is to

call for help. If you have a trusted friend with whom

you would be willing to share your involvement in this

course, he or she can be asked to read the reverie material aloud while you yourself undergo the

experience. Your friend would thus become your guide,

while you would be free to lay your conscious mind

aside & concentrate upon the images that arise from

your unconscious.

   The other option is for you to prepare a cassette

tape recording of yourself reading the guidance

material for each fantasy. When it comes time for a

reverie, the only potentially distracting work you

will have to do is to turn the appropriate tape on at

the beginning of the session & turn it off at the end.

In between, you will be able to relax & let your

unconscious do its job without any intrusions from

your physical body or conscious mind.

   Regardless of which method you choose, do not

neglect to prepare for each reverie session. This

preparation consists mainly of mental & physical

relaxation. In order to help you with this, there are

given below two routines for relaxation, one for the

conscious mind & one for the body. These can be

incorporated at the beginning of the material for each

reverie experience. You can read them over yourself &

follow their suggestions before beginning your fantasy; you can have a friend read them to you aloud if he or she will be guiding you through the reverie; or you can record them on each tape of reverie material if you are using the cassette method of experiencing these exercises in imagination.

   One of the qualities that makes reverie such a valuable technique is that each such exercise in imagination can be repeated many times over, with each

repetition yielding different & useful results.

Wardrobe Fantasy - (Pause when suggested to do so.)

See yourself in the center of a very large, empty

room. It’s a pleasant, sunny room, filled with light.

(5 seconds.)

There is nothing in this room except a

large wardrobe closet. (5 seconds.)

See yourself walking over to the closet. (5 seconds.)

Reach for the handle. Slowly, you open the

doors. (5 seconds.)

Inside you see a rack full of closed garment bags. (5 seconds.)

Reach in & take one of the hanging bags out. (5 seconds.)

Open it up. (5 seconds.)

Inside, you find a costume - a complete outfit of

clothing. (5 seconds.)

As you slowly remove this garment or costume from the bag, examine it carefully. What is it? (10 seconds.)

What does it look like? (10 seconds.)

How does it feel in your hands? (10 seconds.)

Now put the outfit on. (5 seconds.)

As you put it on, you notice that it fits perfectly. How does it feel, now that you have it on? (10 seconds.) There’s a mirror behind you. Look at yourself in the mirror. (5 seconds.)

How do you look in this costume? (10 seconds.)

Is your appearance changed in any way? (10 seconds.) How do you feel about yourself in this attire? (10seconds.)

Does it bring out any particular attitudes or emotions in you? (10 seconds.)

And now, as you stand there, one more question:

Where are you going, or what are you going to do, now

that you are wearing this outfit? Take a few moments

to think about this.

EXERCISE - Once you’ve allowed your fantasy to reach its conclusion & given yourself some time for quiet reflection on the experience, answer the following

questions.

1) What did your costume or garment look like? Feel

free to draw a sketch of it or to describe it with words - whichever you prefer.

2) How did it feel in your hands as you removed it from the garment bag? How did it feel once you had it on?

3) How did you look when you were wearing this outfit?

Did your appearance differ in any way from the way you look now? In answering these questions, consider not just the clothing itself. Also make note of such

details as any jewlery you pictured yourself wearing

with it; any associated changes in your style of personal appearance, such as how you wore your hair or the length of your fingernails; & any changes in your body structure when you had this costume on.

4) Did wearing this outfit bring out any feelings about yourself? Did it evoke any particularly noteworthy attitudes or emotions? Do you recognize any of these as part of your current makeup?

5) Where were you going, or what were you doing or about to do, in this attire?

6) Do you associate this costume with any particular place, period of history, or group of people?

7) Did your experience leave you with any additional

thoughts or impressions that you’d like to make note

of?

Sincerely,

Laurasia