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THE CAVE IN DREAMS AND SHAMANISM  

In my childhood, we lived next to a beautiful and completely untouched African Valley, called the Baakens River Valley. With a few friends we used to explore this Valley and eventually found a cave under a high overhang, close to the river. In fact, local rumour had helped us to identify the mouth, because there was a local rumour that the cave continued all the way to the sea - which was about 18 kilometres away. In order to enter the cave - one had to live flat on one's stomach, or back as preferred and slide into a narrow slit on the ground. The cave was known as Bat Cave - and was eventually sealed up with concrete. [I wonder why? In the interest of science it should be re-opened and explored properly.]

            This Cave, or something very similar to the actual childhood experience, then recurs in my dreams. In particular, one dream of many years ago, which I found a very chthonic psychic experience, even if it was only a dream. Later, when I first read about the Cave of Trophonius in Pausanias, I was convinced that this Oracle was the same experience as the dream.

            Even more recently, some very esoteric material surfaced on the Bat - as a symbol in Mayan shamanism, and in the 'Medicine Cards' of Jamie Sams. The Bat and the Cave are part of the symbolic code of shamanic initiations.

            Here follow some dreams over the past 20 years in which the theme of the CAVE appears.

July 9th. 1976 New York.

These deep realisations. 1) Lying on my bed (Riverside, New York) mid-afternoon, I suddenly remember a dream of last night - but perhaps more than a dream - a landmark in psychic vibrations. It is the situation where we/I, the Recording Entity - are in a room, cave, box of enclosed space - there is a Gate, Door; but it is guarded by something horrible - a spider, beast, monster. I would see this in terms of 'The Dweller on the Threshold' - Saturn, and in Alchemy - LEAD.

14th July. 1977

A time with a group of travelling players, masks, feathers (see Jung for group anima, et Al.). I dream of another cave with red iron-rich rocks and a terrible Goddess lives there, beneath her jewelled canopy. This experience of red is contrasted by a dream of snow white cabbage prepared by my grandmother. I dream of another cave with red iron-rich rock!

28th February. 1978

Green, almost manicured valleys, lawns, rather like Glastonbury Abbey - with ruins - possibly a cave, or such shape made from a ruined building. I approach a high energy Kali Shrine, which is a single column with a sort of radio transmitter thereon, beaming out a high frequency. Associations: lighthouse, lingam, pole, column, transmitter. K+A+L+I=7 = The Victory of Realisation. (See p. 100, The Bible and the Tarot, The Pillar of Isis.)

Drawing of Dream: June 21st.1978

A climb up a luxurious mountain slope - to find a cave - wherein a huge, glorious open stone phallus lies embedded amongst the moist ferns and stones and rotting humus. A deep blue stone phallus, it is about 5 feet, veined like marbled paper, and it has a pattern - i.e. the central streak is a clear lapis lazuli column of blue, to the left and right of this, milky, cloudy veins. Within this Yoni cave. Stepping back, I see deep beneath and behind the cave, a beautiful valley with a meandering river.

June 26th.1978

(On train en route to P.E.) Again, I am climbing up a steep mountain path - in front sits an ancient Sage, with snow white hair and staff and bright blue eyes and pink complexion. I climb to a ledge just above him and sit down on smooth shiny marble rock, rather like the lingam in the fern-cave.

  August 28th. 1978

Nat & Irene in a Valley - there are two caves - deep, round, tunnels. They are supposed to be volcanoes. One is wet, or in other words active - the other dry, or inactive (or vice versa). Above is a steep grassy hill. The dream is totally connected to what I dreamt the night before sleeping: DE Rola, Alchemy, p. 123: Two Alchemical procedures, The Humid Way, and the Dry Way - plus a secret Third Way - the Lightning Way. Later Phase: Hugh and Cheryl give me a beautiful Tibetan calendar for 1979.

29th Sept. 1978

A huge spider - with a body like a mountain tortoise. I dream of Andries - a deep, dark cave where I find a sarcophagus, and a statue of a dog.

January 29th. 1980

I am with my father in a seaside cave - the sea is rising and we are trapped. An ancient stone staircase at the back - I intuit a door encrusted therein - but the sea resides. Recall that the ocean represents my mother as in her State she threatens the two of us with her subconscious.

January 30th. 1980

Another underground grotto - in shingled yellow rock - silent and hot desert - there are Chaldean cuneiform-type carvings on the walls - the nymphs were there - Temple Goddesses - and they had devoured the King, or surrogate King.

Oct.11th. 1980

A crow like bird, cliffs, caves, greenery and an abstract threat. Fear of falling - Baakens krantzes. Deep forest beneath.

            29th June. 1991.Sat.

Left for Torino. Raining - Grey skies. Message received: go into CAVES, for gTerma Transmission.

28th May 1995.

            An incredible dream, which is too intense and I do not want to record it. I am in India, in the Himalayas or a high and extremely telluric mountain range - pointing out the telluric energy in certain power spots on the mountain cliffs, very rough textured rock. There is a room which has files and suitcases of Sister Palmo's and I ask if I can stay here - someone says NO! But later it seems to be alright - because I settle in and various people visit all bringing gifts and other activities. Then I walk - possibly across a river on a narrow stone bridge of ancient stone - I can see fairly modern houses in the distance - which are inhabited and built high up on the mountain slopes. Then I am in a cave, or an overhang of deep grey rock - there is a fire in a circle - a fire that has been maintained as a sacred power point for thousands of years. Then I confront a shadow - which becomes an animal - a rhinoceros - and I feel its pointed horn - and perhaps, there is a wish, now expressed and not in the dream, that I held the point of its horn at my heart.