Some Heart Imagery in Dreams: Wildfires of Anxiety & Soothing Water
How does this wildfire come to rage out of control? One stray spark... a forest of parched trees... a wild wind?
How can I douse the wildfire within me, that out-of-control spreading, that flaring of panic and anxiety?
Water, first. Then, perhaps, over time, better nourished, more moist and supple trees. Calming the wind. Or, creating shelter. Containing that fire as it fulfills its creative work: generating ashes, and Earth.
And how do I keep alive my campfire? A fire that gives light and warmth, that draws us together and builds connection, rather than a fire that destroys?
The spirit of the horse. There is my Heart, too. That wild, free, gorgeous galloping, together, over any terrain.
In Chinese Medicine, the Fire element and the Summer season are understood to resonate with the Heart. So do the color red, the horse, and the flourishing of fruits and flowers. The directional movement of Fire is up and out, a spreading or scattering. These images, when they arise in a dream, can invite us to tend to the Fire element within us, to our Heart networks.
The Heart is a center for connection, spirit, joy, laughter, and gratitude. It can be a place of the warmth, light, and togetherness of a campfire, or a place of the wild, escalating panic and anxiety of a wildfire. Just as Fire must be continually tended to keep it burning AND must be kept in balance so as not to spread destructively, so it is with our Hearts.
Water balances fire. It is the other end of the axis. It is something we can access in our bodies through self-acupressure on the Water channels. This is one reason that a point on the bottom of the foot called Kidney 1 (Yong Quan / Bubbling Spring) is so wonderfully soothing.
What do you notice when you look at these Heart images? Where do you feel them in your body? Come see me on facebook or Instagram and please do share your experiences.
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