More than a year ago I had a dream that bothered me to no end.
In this fateful dream, I became lucid. I usually have questions for my lucid dreams, but in this dream, I dropped down into a dungeon before I could ask anything.
I was not alone in the dungeon. There were people here: myself among fellow Afrikaans-speaking people. Groups of people were trying to organise themselves into what I thought were work divisions. I was still lucid here, but I wasn’t trying to influence the dream. I was simply being receptive to what the dream was showing me.
In the dream I could feel that something was horribly wrong in this place. This dungeon had an oppressive energy. People were scared. Something was wrong—but I could not figure out what it was.
A coloured man pointed me to a counter which was enclosed with bars. Here, I met a woman whose face I did not recognise but her name was a pseudonym. A little detail that I did not quite understand until much later.
This woman was supposed to allocate me to a task. I told her that I could teach various things like mathematics and such. She seemed very pleased about this. I then asked her, “But what exactly is going on here?” Shaking her head firmly, she replied: “We don’t talk about that.” Her tone spoke of fear and finality.
I woke up after that.
Interpretation
In the months that followed I grappled with the dream. I wrestled with it internally. I wondered whether the dream was trying to show me some future scenario. It frightened me to think that this was indeed the end point of some trajectory for Afrikaners (and in fact other minorities) in South Africa.
Truthfully, I wanted to ignore the dream, but in the months that followed, I saw that the dream was showing me a sort of inner reality. To be more specific: the inner reality of most Afrikaners, myself included. As Afrikaners we do not engage in difficult conversations. We avoid it. Often, we avoid it at all cost with enormously destructive consequences. We do not say what’s wrong for fear of being further criticised or condemned. Most of us want to explain away difficult truths. The woman behind the counter did not represent a particular person. She represented the cultural tendency to say: We don’t talk about this.
Last week, I was heartbroken to see farm murders being explained away again. I was saddened to see truth being obfuscated again. Atrocities should not be excused. Atrocities should not be explained away. It should be dealt with. You cannot deal with something if you keep it in the dark.
I thought long and hard about this post. There’s a huge energetic backlash when I write about political topics. Some people are angered. Others are hurt. But atrocities need to be brought to the light. Nothing heals in the dark. That’s a spiritual truth. I must follow my internal guidance on this. Certain things must be talked about—even if it’s difficult.
Internal Fortitude
It might very well be that certain South African politicians do not have the internal fortitude to do what is right. So what’s the solution then?
The solution is to focus on our own internal fortitude. Learn to have difficult conversations. Continuously bring awareness to destructive tendencies. Bring awareness to those things that are in the dark. Avoid all addictive patterns. Cultivate inner silence. Cultivate emotional awareness. Read more. Avoid being indoctrinated by nonsense media narratives.
I’ve been writing about these things for years because I truly believe that inner work can change things on a fundamental level.
We still live in a democracy. We have certain responsibilities.
Final thoughts
In light of all this I will be doing a series on inner work. This series will include topics on dreamwork, mindfulness and emotional work. My hope (as always) is to inspire change that is real and fundamental.
Finally, I also read Power vs Force (David Hawkins) over the weekend. I can recommend this to anyone who wants to understand why certain changes never occur. Why do we remain stuck in certain patterns? Why do some people move through life with ease and grace while others seem to be moving through molasses? Here’s a quote from the book:
“As is commonly observed, growth, both individual and collective can take place either slowly or suddenly. It is not limited by restraints, but by tendencies.”
If you made it this far: Thank you for your attention.