unlock the meaning of your soul’s images
Working with the images I receive in dreams, journeys, visions or ‘real’ life is one of the most intriguing and meaningful parts of my soul journey.
Our soul speaks in images. Sometimes, we receive an image that feels significant, or that hangs around, wanting our attention. The same image might show up repeatedly.
A few years, ago, wherever I went, I saw elephants. The first one was of an elephant being pushed through an arch, during a shamanic journey I did as part of preparation for a vision quest. I saw elephants on cushions, an elephant door handle, elephants on TV.
Images are always trying to get our attention, but their meaning isn’t always obvious. And unless we pay attention, we might not see them at all. So the first step is to notice the images that are speaking to you. Write down your dreams, and scribble notes on any journeys, card readings or visualisations you do.
Recently, in a journey to the underworld, I received a very clear image of a golden anchor lying on the ground. It was only when I happened to read back through a notebook that I had received this exact image a few weeks earlier, in a dream. Notes are essential!
Once you’ve received an image, how do you work out what it’s trying to tell you?
One thing’s for sure: your mind will want to figure it out. I could have Googled ‘anchor dream meaning’, or a few years ago, ‘Elephant totem animal’, and try to relate what I found to my life. These ways aren’t wrong (and they are oh so very tempting...) Sometimes, they tell us exactly what we need to know. But they are very general. Often, the most powerful way to extract our own particular meaning from an image is to get up close and personal with it.
Here’s how I worked with my anchor image.
First, I brought the image back to mind. I recreated the scene from my underworld journey, taking a moment to welcome the anchor, and thank it for appearing to me.
I find anchors intriguing, both real ones and symbolic ones.
Next, I zoomed in to the detail. The anchor was pure, golden, shining. It didn’t look old or rusty. When I felt into the anchor’s energy, it felt otherworldly and special. I sensed that the anchor was offering me a spiritual gift. These impressions came not as a result of a logical thought process or an attempt to get answers, but while I was engaging with the image in an intuitive way.
Another thing I noticed was that the anchor wasn’t half buried in the sand. It was lying on a flat surface just next to me, making it easy for me for see. It was though there was an invitation to pick it up and engage with it. As I continued to resist the temptation to ‘rip off the wrapping’ and find some quick way to decode its meaning, I was coming more deeply into relationship with it, inviting it to open up and reveal itself more fully to me.
My next instinct was to use another technique I’ve learned for working with images, which was to become the image. You can do this either by inviting the energy of the image into your body, or you can move about as the image (for example, I could have chosen to go for a walk, not as Tara, but as the anchor.)
I sat on the sofa and invited the energy of the anchor to overtake me. In fully feeling its strong, clear energy, I realised that one of the gifts it was offering me was helping me feel the benefit of being tethered. Constantly exploring and always looking for what’s next have been themes in my life, and they’ve helped me to have a lot of adventures! But in the last few years, life has been calling me to be more rooted in one place, and more emotionally and spiritually committed to a particular path. (And at times, I’ve felt it’s even more fundamental than that: it’s about being more deeply committed to life itself.) I’ve appreciated this, but also grieved the loss of constant change.
As I continued to sit with the anchor, I felt the unexpected freedom that being rooted brings. I understood something in my body that I already knew in my mind: it’s only when we’re rooted and committed that we can know something deeply; otherwise, we skip along to the next shiny object. The anchor was showing me that I need to make peace with being rooted, in order to be really free. It’s when I’m tethered to the earth that I can really be aimed at something. And when I’m aimed at something, I can make an impact.
Here are some other ways to work with images:
Remember that your image might not have concrete answers for you. It could be that it’s offering you its energy. So embody your image, and see what it feels like.
Be the image. Go for a walk, dance or rest as your image.
Journal with your image. Ask it questions.
Instead of seeking answers from your image, offer it something. Ask your image: what can I do for you? See what comes.
Draw your image. Then, see if anything else wants to be on the page. What else appears?
Imagine a specific situation in your life. How would your image approach it?
What’s your experience of working with images? Get in touch.