In 2010 I had two dreams in quick succession that have helped give me a perspective on the decade we are in that is fast coming to a close. I am not sure if this decade is from Jan 1, 2011 – Dec 31, 2020 or Jan 1, 2010 – Dec 31, 2019 so don’t want to apply the dreams strictly from this date to that date, but with only just over 6 more months until we hit the beginning of 2020 a rehearsal might be timely.
I have written about the dream where there was the raising of the institutional façades, the exposure of the inner workings, and the failure of the body of Christ to effectively engage with the shifts that could and should take place at that time. That dream indicated that the season we are in is to respond to the call to be engaged, not to revert to the familiar and by so doing simply strengthen the status quo of power and inequality.
The dream that partnered with that one was very simple but put the understanding of the former dream in a time setting. It involved me going out of a back door of a house that had a garden in it. It was a spacious garden and in it there was a see-saw central to that garden. I looked up to the sunny blue sky that had only a few small clouds in it. The number 20 and the number 10 appeared, and began to fall slowly down. The 20 dropped on the left side of the see-saw, the 10 on the right. 20 being ‘heavier’ than 10 meant that the left side of the see-saw was down to the ground. I looked up and the number 20 and the number 11 appeared. The process repeated, with 20 and 12, 20 and 13 etc. Each time a number came down the see-saw would move, there would be a jolt, but would always settle with the left side down. I watched the process unfold until the final scene was when 20 and 20 appeared. When they landed the see-saw moved from the left side down to being level. The ‘weights’ were even.
When I had the dream back in 2010 I thought the decade would unfold to the place where everything was going to be reversed, but as the years have unfolded I have realised the obvious. The dream did not end with a reversal but a level ‘playing field’.
When the field is not level obtaining a change is not easy, it is like pushing something up hill. The momentum needed to get it going, the difficulty to take a rest, the default of it rolling back down again… You get the picture.
I am not suggesting that Jan 1, 2020 everything changes, but as 2020 unfolds we should be expecting an increasing number of situations where through engagement we can see a shift. The two dreams do seem to be related as they came within a few nights of each other, and so I anticipate an increase in the next months of the exposure of what lies behind the public face of the institutions that have shaped the public space.
Greater exposure by itself will not achieve too much, but eyes to see what is being exposed and an understanding of what is being seen will be necessary. Those two aspects will need to increase to make an engagement, either directly or enabling those gifted to engage, effective. A level playing field, a balanced see-saw will make change so much easier and within reach.
These next months can be months of getting ready, being re-positioned not simply to enter a new decade but to be aligned for a the fresh opportunities and possibilities.
I have been reminding myself of this dream as it seems very timely right now… so I hope it also resonates beyond my personal setting.
Thanks for reminding me of this Martin…
Gives me more hope.
Jane
Yes, it resonates in a number of ways; and being pondered, including the detail which, as far as I am aware, you didn’t share 10 years ago. Thanks for all of it!
Hi Dieter. Not been so public on this one for whatever reason, but it has been coming back to me these past weeks with some real set-backs and also moves forward for us here in Spain. The see-saw seems to be moving, but the status quo is so strong. I refer also to Ann’s comment below where there is shift but so contested.
I hope. I continue to hope. And yes, on a personal level it resonates and with the rise of so many taking on the climate emergency it resonates too. I think that is why so much seems so awful right now – there is a continued stripping away of all the facades, all that covers up the awfulness with the appearance of niceness and normality. Not sure where we will all end up, or what we will all be doing but I believe we are literally at a tipping point.
I have feared we would just keep going the same direction, that those who push authoritarian, even fascistic governance, as well as actually promote climate and bio destruction would win (though to win they and all of us lose). But what gave me hope this spring was a 16 year old girl from Sweden who rose from nowhere to scold political leadership for leaving her and her generation without hope. Go Greta! We actually followed her Twitter account in my course in Applied Ecology for planning students last term.
I have long waited for young people to really step out and demand better. May it continue. Combine the youth with the elders who support them and we will tip the balance. I read recently that it requires only 3.5% of a population demanding change to make it happen. So lets get on with it. Time to pile on and even things up.
Yes Ann – there is a stirring. Even today I read the push to ‘re-wild’ a good percentage of the UK for climate reasons. A level playing field would be great!