Summary of the 18 Chapters

The Bhagavad Gita is an extraordinary articulation of the fundamental

truth of Vedanta, that for all of us, the true nature of the I, the self, is
wholeness. That means the formless and the world of form, God and
creation, awareness and what arises in awareness, everything and nothing. The Vedantic teaching is summarized in the
famous mahavakhya tat tvam asi, that you are. Infinite, unbounded
spaciousness, and all of creation moment by moment, is you! A simple
equation. A quite radical statement. It takes the Gita 18 chapters to unfold
this knowledge. The first six are about tvam, you, the student, the seeker
of knowledge, with Arjuna serving as the student. The second six are
about tat, the infinite splendor of the divinity and creation in its fullness.
The final six chapters are the equal sign, asi. The seeker is the sought.
That Arjuna is no different from Krishna. Krishna understands this from the
beginning, Arjuna understands at the end.
Chapters 1 6: Arjuna, the student, the seeker of wisdom
Chapter 1: Arjunas Despair
The story begins with the battle lines drawn between the armies of the
warring cousins, the Dhaartaraastras and the Paandavas. Arjuna is one of
the five sons of Pandu, the Pandavas and the good guys in the story. They
are upholding dharma, what is right in the way of ruling a kingdom, while
their cousins are using deceit and other forms of treachery to maintain
power. The Pandavas have done everything possible to negotiate fairly,
but the evil cousin Duryodhana still continued to hold the throne illegally.
It rightfully belonged to the Pandavas. To uphold dharma, war was
necesary.
But Arjuna, upon facing the reality of killing his cousins and family friends,
throws up his hands in despair. He has Krishna drive his chariot out into
the middle of the field between the two armies and he laments to Krishna
that he cannot go through with this. Arjuna represents all seekers. Even
Arjuna, raised as a prince, educated, renowned and accomplished is
subject to sorrow and confusion.
Verse 28 and 29: Arjuna said: Looking at these people, my own people
well stationed in battle position and desirous to fight, my limbs have lost

all their strength, my mouth has gone dry, my body is trembling, and the
hairs on my body are standing on end.
Chapter 2: Arjunas Enquiry
Krishna feels Arjunas pain and suffering, but calls him out for whimpering
like a child. Arjuna, taken aback by this, explains his dilemma more
concisely and finally asks Krishna to help him with this seemingly
unresolvable inner conflict. Sisyasteham, I am your student. In sutra 211 the Krishna begins his teaching and the Gita officially commences.
Chapter 2 is the most important of all, as it contains the essence of the
whole teaching. It begins with the immutability of aatmaa, which is
beyond birth and death. If one were to only master this, success would
arrive. From sutras 55 72, krishna describes stable wisdom, the living
embodiment of an awakened one, a wise one who knows the Truth of
wholeness. All the knowledge that is needed for enlightenment is
presented. Understanding the nature of desire is the key.
Verse 48: Remaining steadfast in yoga, oh! Dhanajaya, perform actions,
abandoning attachment, remaining the same to success and failure alike.
This evenness of mind is called yoga.
Chapter 3: On the Nature of Action (Karma)
Arjuna recognizes that he wants total freedom, moksha, enlightenment,
nothing less. And yet Krishna has told him to get off his ass and join the
battle. In India, there is a strong tradition of sunnyaasa, a life renunciating
worldly possessions and rsponsibilities to pursue knowledge. Sometimes
this comes after raising a family, but it can come at any time in ones life.
Arjuna tells Krishna that he wants to be a sunnyaasi to gain knowledge.
He definitely does not want to fight.
Krishna goes on to explain the nature of action or karma, and describes
what karma yoga is. Much of the Vedic tradition revolves around rituals
and pujas, ceremonial actions and prayers. Krishna explains that action
does not require a doer, that is a separate egoic self that thinks he or
she is acting. The belief in this separate self is the source of suffering,
leading to endless harmful actions in the world. The teaching returns to
studying the nature of desire.of likes and dislikes. Not to try to eliminate
them, which is just another desire, but to see them for what they are and
not be held prisoner by them.
Verse 5: Indeed no one ever exists for even a second without performing
action because everyone, being helpless, is made to perform action by
the gunas (tamas, rajas and sattva) born of prakriti.
Chapter 4: Karma Yoga: The Renunciation of Action Through
Knowledge
Krishna begins by explaining the history of the teaching, how it originated
with Isvara (Krishna) and has been handed down from teacher to student
over a multitude of generations. An avatar is the absolute divinity
manifesting in human body, like Krishna, who appears on the planet when
dharma has been disturbed to reawaken timeless knowlege. Krishna has
a human form, but is also timeless wisdom. Birth and death are just
transitory phenomena and as such he is beyond action. As we will see in
the last 6 chapters, this is the truth of all beings. We just dont know this.

To be truly free one has to recognize that ones nature is free of all action,
unbounded by time and space. (See Yoga Sutras I-2 and I-3). Krishna now
goes into levels of reality. There is an empirical reality: the sun moon,
stars, birds, bees, flowers and trees etc. Then there is a subjective reality,
the projection we create in our mind from our experiences. But ultimately
both are expressions of wholeness, a single reality, Brahman. Of interest
to yogis, Krishna introduces the gunas, the three qualities of energy,
specifically here relating to the types of human minds. Again we see
parallels to Patanjali. Krishna explains to Arjuna that when acts in the
world from knowledge, from wisdom, one is free. One does not have to
drop out of the world to renounce the false self that believes it is acting.
Dont run off to the Himalayas! Stand up and live the life that is already
unfolding.
Verse 24: brahmaarpanam brahmahavirbrahmaagnau brahmanaa hutam
brahmaiva tena gantavyam brahmakarmasamaadhinaa
The means of offering is Brahman. The oblation is Brahman, offered by
Brahman, into the fire, which is Brahman. Brahman is indeed to be
reached by him who sees everything as Brahman.
Chapter 5: Renunciation: Sannyaasa-Yoga
Arjuna still has doubts. He still believes that renuniciation is the key to
liberation, moksha. Krishna has praised both karma yoga
and sannyaasa yoga, so Arjuna asks which is better? Both lead to
liberation but these paths present two very different life-styles. Krishna
explains that sannyaasa, although it may look like an easier, faster path,
is actually much more difficult, as there is a certain depth of
understanding needed before one can truly be a sannyaasi. It is not for
beginners. Karma yoga actually prepares one for sannyaasa, but it is not a
particular practice, like pranayama. It is your whole life, moment by
moment. You cannot spend every moment of your life doing pranayama!
In sutra 5-20 Krishna uses the term sthira-buddhi, one whose knowledge is
unshakable. Variations on the Sanskrit root stha, stable, steady, appear
all through the Gita and the Yoga Sutras. In sutra I-3, Patanjali saysTada
drashtuhu svarupe avasthanam, Then, ones self-knowledge, the
recognition of the true nature, the sva-rupe, of the Self, remains stable.
We find in the Gita an 18 chapter elaboration on this sutra. At the end of
chapter 5, Krishna introduces dhyana, meditation, as a way to develop
stability in the mind. This will be the topic of Chapter 6.
Verse 11: Giving up attachment, karma-yogis perform action purely
(without attachment) with the body, mind, intellect, and also by the
senses, for the purification of the mind.
Chapter 6: On Meditation (Dhyana)
In Patanjalis first chapter, he distinguishes between two types of
meditation (samadhi). The first is with a seed or form (sabija samadhi)
to to sustain the mind and weaken the tendencies of the mind to wander
into trouble some waters. The second is letting the mind rest in the
infinite, nirbija or seedless samadhi. This latter is the meditation Krishna
presents to Arjuna. It is resting in grace.
If liberation is giving up action, the sense that I am a doer, that requires
giving up the urge to follow desires. And you cant give those up unless

you know you are already whole, so how do you break the cycle? One
aspect of meditation is the process of noticing habits and tendencies that
disturb the peace of the mind. We have been hypnotized by our own
confusion and we have to de-hynotize ourselves. A disciplined approach
has to be undertaken to overcome the confusion. Krishna describe sitting
meditation, in a quiet, clean and uncluttered place, to purify the mind. He
again uses the terms sthira and sthitah, to indicate a sense of unwavering
steadiness. Thus the yogi becomes free from sorrow.
Verses 34 and 35: Arjuna says: As we all know, Krishna, the mind is
agitation, a strong, well rooted tyrant. I think of it as impossible to
control as the wind. Krishna replies No doubt, O mighty-armed (Arjuna),
the agitated mind is very difficult to control. But, oh son of Kunti, by
abhyaasa (practice) and vairagyam (objectivity), it is mastered.
See PYS I-12 (abhyassa vairagyabyam tan nirodhah)
Chapters 7 12: Parameshvara; Creator and Creation are One,

Brahman
Chapter 7: Jaana Vijaana Yoga (The complete knowledge of
Brahman)
Here jaana signifies an indirect knowledge, as differentiated from direct
knowledge, vijnana, implying that Krishna is revealing the truth of himself,
not some other kind of truth. It is immediate, absolute, no questions left,
no doubts lingering. Krishna tells Arjuna that this knowledge is rare in the
world. Very few seek it at this level, and of the ones who do, still fewer
come to full realization. This is said not to scare Arjuna, but to intrigue
him.
Krishan introduces the term prakrti but uses the term in a slightly different
way from Patanjali. Krishna calls the manifest universe apara prakrti, the
world of form, the elements etc. Para prakrti is the unchanging source or
primordial cause of the apara prakrti. In the Yoga Sutras, Purusha is the
unchanging unmanifest para prakrti but, as the sutras are primarily
dualistic, is said to be separate from prakrti in moksha. In Vedanta, there
is wholeness, not duality.
Next comes the nature of causation; how the universe comes into being.
Krishna says I am the cause of the entire creation and its ultimate
dissolution. This takes some explanation, teasing apart the unchanging
from the transient forms that come and go, and yet seeing that they are
not different or separate, but just different orders of reality. Krishna
recognizes that is is easy to get lost in the world of form, maya, and lose

the unchanging infinite source, and offers devotion as a way to find the
divine in the ordinary.
Verse 1: Sri Bhagavan said: O Paartha, please listen to the way in which
you will know me totally, without any doubt, by taking to yoga, with a
mind committed to Me and having surrendered to Me.
Chapter 8 Askara Brahma Yoga (Limitless Brahman)
At the end of chapter 7 Krishna introduces the word Brahman and
describes how a wise man, even at the time of death, recognizes ultimate
truth. Arjuna begins chapter 8 by asking about Brahman and what
happens at death. Krishna returns to contemplation on Parameshvara and
adds the chanting OM to realize Brahman. A discussion of the nature the
celestial realms (lokas) and cosmic time scales (yugas), and the cycles of
birth and death help Arjuna distinguish between the world of change and
the unchanging Brahman. Death does not grantmoksha, only knowledge
can do that. Prayers and rituals alone cannot grant moksha, even though
they are desirable. Brahma-vidyaa, direct knowledge of Brahman alone
brings freedom. This chapter is compared to theUpanishads, whose
subject matter is also Brahma-vidyaa.
Verse 8: O! Partha, reflecting as he was taught, with a mind endowed with
the practice of yoga, with a mind that does not stray to anything else, he
reaches the limitless, self-effulgent person. (Purusha)
Chapter 9: The King of all Knowledge, The King of Secrets
In the previous chapter, Krishna mentions the brahma lokha, but wants to
clarify that getting to heaven is not moksha. Only through knowledge,
Brahma-Vidya, which Krishna has been unfolding since chapter 2 is this
possible. But there is many ways to become confused or lost, in the world
of time and space, of body, mind, ritual and desire. The knowledge is said
to be secret because even if you hear the teachings, it is rarely
understood. Also, it is not arrived at by the normal means of acquiring
knowledge, like perception or inference. But with total commitment,
compassion, faith, grace and devotion, success is near. A mature mind is
needed for spiritual knowledge and these virtues, when cultivated, lead to
maturity.
Verse 14: Those who are always appreciating Me, and amking the
neccessary efforts, whose commitment is firm and who remain
surrendered to Me with devotion, who are always united to ME (with a
prayerful heart) seek Me.
Chapter 10: The Glories of Bhaagavan
Everything is Bhagavan, the Divinity, and the name used for Krishna
throughout the Gita. Bhagavan means one who has bhaga, the six aspects
of fullness, or the six absolute virtues. They are all riches, all strength, all
fame, all beauty, all knowledge, and all renunciation. All pursuits are
ultimately the pursuit of Bhagavan, atmaa, Brahman. Bhagavan is not
only all forms, all manifestations, all creation, but also the source, the
creator, who remains unmoved, aham sthitah, amidst the impermanence.
Verse 19: Well now, O! Best of the Kurus, Arjuna. I will tell you My divine
glories in keeping with their importance; because there is no end to a
detailed description of My glories.

Chapter 11: The Vision of the Cosmic Form

At the end of Chapter 10, Krishna states that Pervading the entire
universe with one pada (foot), I remain. Arjuna wants to see Krishna
(Ishvara) as the entire Universe. Of course Arjuna wants a magic trick, or
at least he thinks he does. Seeing the cosmic form requires knowledge, as
it not available to the physical eyes, except in a highly limited sense.
Krishna gives Arjuna a special eye so that he may see the fullness of
Bhagavan. Arjunas hair stands on end as he sees into infinity, endless
forms, blazing suns, countless arms, mouths, devas, devils, saints and
saddhus, heaven and hell. All the warriors. including Arjunas allies and
enemies are seen being consumed. Ishvara is not only the creator but the
destroyer of all as well. Arjuna expresses his fear as well as awe. He offers
his salutations, his apologies for not seeing. And, he asks, please return
to your original form. Krishna returns to his human form and Arjuna
relaxes a bit. In the final verse, Krishna again articulates the path of karma
yoga to Arjuna.
Verse 55: Among all people, the one who does all action for My sake, for
whom I am paramount, who is devoted to Me, free from attachment and
free from enmity comes to Me, Arjuna.
Chapter 12: Bhakti Devotion
The word bhakti comes from the root bhaj meaning service. Dedicated
action to Ishvara, who is in the form of dharma is called bhakti. The
question arises because Arjuna is still confused about the difference
between sannyaasa and karma. He wants knowledge, but is called to
duty, to go to war to defend the dharma of the citizens. He still thinks
sannyaasa is superior as a means of self knowledge. Krishna explains that
it is the attitude with which one goes about hsi daiy activities that leads to
self knowledge. This attitude is devotion or bhakti.
Verses 8 and 9: In Me alone you may place the mind; into Me you will
make the intellect enter. Thereafter there is no doubt that you will abide
in Me alone. Then (if) you are not able to absorb your mind steadily in Me,
then through the practice of yoga may you reach Me Arjuna. See Patanjali
Yoga Sutras, I-3.

Chapters 13 18: The Jiva is Ishvara

Chapter 13: The Nature of the Knower and the Known
What is the nature of purusha and prakriti, the knower and the known?
Other terms that carry the same meaniing have been used and Arjuna has
some confusion, so he also asks about the kshetra (prakriti),
kshetraja and jeya (both purusha) and jana (the means of knowing.
We find a very similar discussion in the Yoga Sutras, but Krisha begins by
discussing kshetra and kshetraja because those words do not have the
connotations imposed upon purusha and prakriti by the Sankhyas. Krishna
also discusses jaana, especially in relationship to the values and
attitudes of a mind that is mature and ready for knowledge (brahmavidya).
Verse 12: What is to be known, that I will tell clearly, knowing, which one
gains deathlessness, that Brahman, which, it s said, has no beginning, is
limitless, neither existent (as an object) nor non-existent.
Chapter 14: The Division of the Three Gunas
What are the gunas? How do they bind one ? How can one be released
from them. As is Patanjalis Yoga Sutras, the understanding the nature of
the gunas is fundamental in liberation. Krishna describes the coming into
being of creation, the known universe, the birth of prakrti and the gunas.
Vedanta however does not consider prakrti, the material cause, the
substance, to be separate or independent from Purusha, the unchanging
source. In Vedanta, the word Brahman describes the eternal unchanging
presence who, in the form of maya, appears as Ishvara, the totality of
creation in all of its dynamism and wisdom. Gunas appear and disappear.
Brahman alone remains. Atman is Brahman. The Jiva is Brahman. This is
Brahma vidya, seeing the Truth of Self.
Verse 9: O! Bhaarata, sattva binds in the form of pleasure, rajas in the
form of action. But tamas, covering knowledge, binds indeed in the form
of apathy.
Chapter 15: Everything is the Self (Sarvaatmaa)
This a short chapter, only 20 slokas. Included are the tree of samsara, the
nature of the jiva, (the individual being), the subtle body and
reincarnation, the need for maturity, the all illuminating light, perishable
and the imperishable. Detachment is listed as the key to seeing through
the delusion of samsara, that the I is limited and inadequate.
Verse 15: And I have entered the hearts of all. From Me (have come)
memory, knowledge, and forgetfulness. I am alone the one to be known
by all the Vedas and I alone am the author of the Vedaanta and the
knower of the Vedas.
Chapter 16: Favorable and Unfavorable Dispositions
What is the mind set that naturally moves one toward spiritual enquiry,
and what is the opposite mind set? Indian literature is full of stories of
battles between the devas (angels) and asuras (devils), representing the
inner conflict in the human mind between good and evil. In chapter 16
Krishna uses devas and asuras to high-lite qualities to aspire to and
qualities to avoid. Spiritual wealth, the wealth of the devas, accumulates
as one nurtures certain values and these values need to be understood,

not just mindlessly followed. Krishna lists 26 of these in the opening

verses, some to be repeated again in chapter 17. Then Krishna lists the
qualities of someone born to the wealth of the asuras. These include
hypocrisy with reference to dharma, pride, harshness, the tendency to
demand respect and pretensiousness. He lists desire, anger and greed as
the trinity to give up. He then explains how behaviors arise out of these
qualities and how to cultivate the positive ones by following the teachings
of the Vedas, the shastra.
Verse 22: A man who is free from these three gates to darkness, Arjuna,
follows what is good for himself. Because of that he reaches the highest
end.
Chapter 17: Three-Fold Sraddhaa
From chapter 16, Arjuna wants to know why people are drawn to behave
the way they do. Krishna use the term shraddhaa to help
explain. Shraddhaa is more than faith, but includes an element of
devotion, of dharma, or prayer. It does not translate easily into English,
but it is the key word in chapter 17. The three-fold element refers to
tamas, rajas, and sattva, in respect to the human mind. What is
the shraddhaa of one with a tamasictemperment? a rajasic temperment,
a sattvic temperment? What types of foods do they eat? What types of
rituals do they perform? These questions and more Krishna answers
Arjuna who asks about the performance of Vedic rituals. He wants to know
if they are part of the yoga-shastra, the path of awakening. Krishna goes
on the explain the moral and ethical imperatives of devotion, like
the yamas and niyamas of the Sutras. Included are ahimsa (nonviolence), sauca (cleanliness), straightforwardness
(aarjava), brahmacharya (restraint in all actions) vaktapas (wise use of
words), manahprasaadah (mental cheerfulness, like citta prasaadah in PYS
I-33), maunum (not talking unnecessarily), dana (generosity). Finally
Krishna explains om tat sat, the three fold expression of Brahman.
Verse 16: Mental cheerfulness, cheerfulness in expression, absence of
pressure to talk, mastery over the mind, clean intent this (these
together) is called mental discipline.
Chapter 18: On Moksha and Sannyaasa

This is the longest chapter, 78 verses and Krishnas teaching ends with a
restatement of the first teaching verse. Giving up all karmas, take refuge
in Me alone. I will release you from all karma; do not grieve. Patanjalis
Yoga Sutras also give Ishvara Pranidhana, surrender to Ishvara, the
Divinity , a mojor role on overcoming the impediments to drashtuh

svarupe avasthanam, resting in the True Nature of the Self, the

definition of yoga in PYS I-3. Essentially this chapter summarizes all the
major teachings in the Vedas.
The Fundamental teachings of the Gita involve karma, sannyaasa and
moksha. The path of karma, or karma yoga, is being in the world,
accomplishing what needs to be accomplished, keeping with dharma,
performed with bhakti (devotion), not to acquire results, but for
liberation, moksha. Sannyaasa is living a life outside of the normal worldly
demands, solely in pursuit of knowledge to attain moksha. As Krishna
repeats again and again, both are valid pursuits for gaining liberation,
enlightenment, freedom from suffering, or however else we might
describe knowledge of the True Self. Another way of describing the
teaching is two-fold; brahma-vidyaa andyoga-shaastra. Brahma-vidya is
direct knowledge of the Self, atman is Brahman. Yoga-shastra refers to the
preparatory practices and actions that prepare the seeker for Brahmavidya.
Verse 73: Arjuna said: By your grace, (my) delusion is gone; and I have
gained recognition (of myself). Acyuta (Krishna), I remain as one from
whom all doubts have gone. I will do what you say.

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Related Links
Yoga in the Gita
Essential Verses of the Gita
Sthita Prajna (Stable Wisdom)
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RECENT POSTS

Notes From Boston, May 2016

Posted on May 27, 2016

Yoga, the Fluid Body and the Dream World.

Basic things you should know and be noticing/practicing/exploring so they

become integrated and intuitive. We are linking our deepening work in asana
and breath with the shamanic/soul/dream practices. You have many lives to
work on these so be patient! You are responsible for this life, so be diligent.
Yoga 1: meditation practice resting in the ever-present stillness. Any
moment, every moment, any breath, every breath. Being in Nature is helpful.
Yoga 2: Stay awake! There are many layers and levels to discover and
explore. Living in unconscious habit inhibits creative openings.
Yoga 3: Fully inhabit the divine form of your human body. (See following
suggestions (and previous blogs)). We use yoga, but any heart centered
somatic practice will do.

Structure 1: Know your basic anatomy and

alignment principles. Start from here and then feel your way along.
Structure 2: Key references in structure for chakras:
1st: K1 (kidney 1 in chinese medicine) in feet, center of perineum, tip of
coccyx, legs

2nd: Sacrum, SI joints, Sacral canal

3rd: kidneys, liver, crura of the diaphragm, spleen, stomach, T 9, 10,11,12
4th: point behind the heart,
5th: throat, thyroid, vocal cords, base of pharynx, soft palate
6th: inner ears, top of sinuses, 3rd ventricle
7th: your open crown
Come up with your own personal inner map.
Structure 3: Anatomy Trains Deep Front Line (see Kinesiology 2)
Kinesiology 1: Know the three basic axes of movement through the hips:
Mammalian flexion/extension, ie forward and backbends; fish body or lateral
flexion/extension ie trikonasana and friends; rotational/spiralic, ie twisting.
Kinesiology 2: Knit and stabilize your core. Use navel as primary reference
and link to arms and legs. (see embryology section below.) Glutes and
hamstrings must be toned and firing to integrate legs to core. See bridge
pose below.
Kinesiology 3: Integrate arms into core through dog pose and variations into
inversions.
Kinesiology 4: Differentiate anterior/posterior spine and ascending and
descending currents with Bhoga blocks or another rounded support in bridge
pose and variations.
Kinesiology 5: Find the fulcrum(s) of your action, (aka continental divide)
Energy Lines and Fields on the mat.
1. Radial expanding and condensing (hoberman sphere). this is first fractal in

the energy
world.
2. Feel the line as opposite radians moving to and from a center.
3. Feel that integration of 1 and 2 create a dynamic spiral field with
pulsations.
Energetic fields in Life:
1. Relational Fields: Personal: Emotional fields, Physiological fields,
embryological fields (see below) psychological fields, Spirit fields, Soul Fields
(seeDream Work below)

2. Relational Fields: Human: partners, family, friends,

coworkers, people you encounter during the day, Sangha fields, all of
humanity. (Note: Some of the most articulate and spiritually profound work on
relational fields is being done by Austrian teacher Thoman Huebl.)
3. Relational Fields Nature: Pets, other animals, plants, geography
(mountains, rivers, ocean, forests etc.
4. Gravity as a Cosmic Field
Embryology 101:
1. Explore navel with imaginal umbilicus and placenta. trace the energy and

feel the fields.

2. Find and explore the first emergence of the mesoderm as the fascial plane
in the body dividing front from back.
3. Feel the fluidity of your being before the bones emerge. Be oceanic.
Channel your inner squid. Dissolve boundaries and merge with the cosmic
ocean.

More poses to use for explorations:

Bridge pose and variations:

The Bhoga block, seen below, is much more effective than the traditional
rectangular block shown above.

Spirals:
This can be done facing sideways to the wall as
well. Find the ascending and descending spirals as a balance of flexion and
extension. In seated twists, balance both clockwise and counter-clockwise
directions, no matter what direction the outer body is taking. Ask each chakra
which way it wants to go. Feel the spirals as waves moving through the fluid
body so there is no effort involved. You may be surprised at what happens.

Savasana: This is our entry point into the

Imaginal World, aka Dream time. Find the state between waking and sleep
and hover there. Beginners either fall asleep, or get lost in thought. Savasana
is a bardo state, in between waking and deep sleep. If can learn to remain
here, we can begin our explorations in the Imaginal world. This is active
dreaming, which is quite different from lucid dreaming, or the dreaming we
do after falling asleep.
Active Dream Explorations: In my on-line studies with Robert Moss, we are

developing
an architecture of dream travel which includes
suggestions and imagery that allow the deep imagination to emerge and
grow. Deep imagination is the source of all creativity and in our
journeying/active dreaming, we hope to unite our personal imagination with
the cosmic imagination, the imagination that births the universe. In our work,
we create structures, find portals and negotiate with gate-keepers as part of
our imaginal journeying. It takes practice to work at this level and the more
time we spend here, the easier and more familiar it becomes.
A word about the inner skeptic. We love our inner skeptic, as it plays an
important role in helping us discriminate and differentiate the layers and
meanings of our experiences. However, the skeptic should not be allow to
interfere in the journeying, but rather surrender the floor to the imaginal, and
at the end of the journey, be available for commentary. Many beginners
struggle to open to the active dream world because their skeptic makes too
much noise!
In Boston we explored two scenarios I have discovered in my course with
Robert:
Visiting the Library
Lying in a comfortable position, relaxing muscles, bones and breath, drop into
savasana and let the mind deepen and widen. Visualize a library. It can be
one you have visited in your life, current, from childhood or college, or you
can make one up. But see the building. Notice its architecture, materials,
windows, and plantings. Take your time, relax and observe. When you revisit
the library on future journeys, there will be some familiar sites and you can
stabilize some of the basic structures.

Now see the door, observe it, open it

and walk into the library. Look a round a bit. How many rooms are there? How
large are they? What color are the walls? Where are the windows? When you
find the front desk, you want to ask for a special book, your book, the book
that has the story of your life. Once you are familiar with the layout you can
go right up to the front desk. The librarian may know immediately where to
send you, or may have to look it up. Walk through the library until you find
the room with your book. Remember, this is the dream world, so sudden
transformations, things appearing and disappearing, one library morphing
into a totally different one are all part of the process. It is a very fluid layer of
reality.
To find your book, you may have wander around a bit, or climb up or levitate
to a top shelf to find it, or it may already be out on a table, but when you do
find it, bring to a place where you can open it to a random page and see what
is there for you to read. This may be the beginning of another layer of the
dream where you are transported somewhere, or where you call in some help
to translate or make sense of what your book is saying. Stay in the story for
as long as possible. When you return to waking consciousness, take some
notes, draw pictures, reinforce the imagery. Record in your dream journal.
Visiting the Post Office
Lying in a comfortable position, relaxing muscles, bones and breath, drop into
savasana and let the mind deepen and widen. Visualize a Post Office. It can
be one form your home town, from a big city any where in the world, or one
from your imagination. But see the building. What lets you know it is a Post
Office? Notice its architecture, materials, windows, and plantings. Take your
time, relax and observe. When you revisit the Post Office on future journeys,
there will be some familiar sites and you can stabilize some

of
the basic structures.
Like the library, walk in the door and go up to the counter. You will ask for
your undelivered dreams. Many dreams get sent back because they were
unable to be delivered, so you may be giving a huge bin full of undelivered
dreams. Take the bin to a place where you can sit and relax and pick one to
open. If it is junk mail, put it aside and open another, until something of
interest shows up. This begins the second stage where the now delivered

dream takes you on another journey. Follow and enjoy for as long as possible.
When you return to waking consciousness, take notes, draw pictures, recall
the imagery. Record in your dream journal.
In future blogs, as we build the Dream time practices, I will go into more
detail how to interpret our experiences. But, first and foremost, the imagery
and symbolism of your dreams is unique to you, and only you can truly
interpret what they are saying. This is not to say that guidance for one with
experience cannot be extremely helpful. It can. And there are many
archetypal images and symbols that are relatively universal. But the dream
world is uniquely yours. Trust you own intuitions, and be patient.