The Prophetic Dream

Foreward

This dream turned out to be a metaphor for the next 37 (3+7=10=1 (leadership) years).

The Dream

I was at a party that seemed to be populated by ALL the people that I had known. It was a late afternoon cocktail party. The normal chit-chat, posturing and signifying were occurring. I got bored with it and went to the door to get some fresh air. The view from the door overlooked a view of a lake several miles off below through the woods.

As I took in the view, I observed a transport ship was unloading soldiers and their equipment. The soldiers had on the Nazi Wermacht uniforms. I turned back towards the room in alarm and tried to warn the people in the room. I was ignored because of my status and reputation of being 'beyond the bounds' of 'cool'. When NOONE listened I gave up my efforts and ran off into the surrounding woods to save myself.

I ran and ran. Soon after I began to hear the approach of vehicles coming up to the area of the lodge where I had been with the others. I could hear the engines going into idle, hear the shouting of orders, and the firing of weapons, and the screams that followed. There was silence... They must have killed or captured the people at that lodge. I kept running harder and as fast as I could.

Soon I heard the engines getting back into gear and getting louder as they seemed to be coming in my direction. I could then hear dogs barking. I kept running. My breathing getting more labored. The dogs caught up with me near this clearing. I was cornered on two sides. The dogs attacked. I fought with equal ferocity killing the dogs, and I ambushed their handlers. After my miraculous escape, I ran on deeper, and deeper into the woods.

At onepoint I turned off onto a trail that took me by another side of that aforementioned lake. I ran down close to the show and collapsed up against a tree as I took in the peacefulness of the lake.. As I caught my breath and regathered my wits, a biblical-looking man with a beard approached and told me, "Wait here. Someone will be here to take you across.'

The dream ended there.

The metaphors were this. The opening scene with me being bored to tears showed my disaffection with the social/cultural status quo , I seemed to be a participant. 'Getting some fresh air' equates to looking for alternative visions and thoughts. Seeing the disembarking of the 'Nazis' is seeing the forms of 'evil' forming and beginning their envelopment of my generation. My futility to get anyone to leave with me is as I stated the estranged, disaffected state with me and my contemporaries. My run into the 'deep woods' is my going off into the rhetorical wilderness of my (and most others) unknown. The capture and deaths by the soldiers at the lodge were the cultural and social degradation and degeneration overtaking those that I had known and the mortal consequences of that degradation, degeneration along with the statistical morbidity. The pursuit of the evil into the woods is the danger, vulnerability, and insecurity for my own efforts to avoid the fate that had occurred to those back in the lodge. My triumph over the dogs and their handlers is the uncanny grace that has spared me-the least likely candidate. the further running is the continuing challenges and need to go from what I had known as my former life. The coming to the lake was the oasis of a prospect in the midst of a hostile circumstance. The person was the affirming wisdom that I was on the right path but would need continuing patience.

This dream was and has been the outline of the relationships and challenges I've had between Jan 1972 and Sept 2009.