I was reading something in a book yesterday about how you can hold on to really great moments in your memory by having a touch stone for the experience. One of the examples was a man on a mountain climb who stops near the top and rests. He notices the cold air, the sound of the wind, the smell of the wild flowers. He sees the panorama that is spread out below him. He picks up a small rock and is drawn to smell it. “…its strong musty odor triggers a flood of ancient memories. I get a sense of how long it must have rested in this place, the eons it has been here.†He uses that small rock now as a touch stone that takes him back to that time and place. Those words triggered a new line of thought in me. It made me wonder if we all have ancient (ancestral) memories underneath the memories we carry in this lifetime. If we do, can we access them? Is there already something there before we build our experiences on top of them?
I have a very specific memory from childhood. It is summer and I’m with my two younger brothers. We’re exploring some woods on the other side of the cow pasture on my Grandfather’s dairy farm. We come across a small stream that has a shallow clear pool of water. We decide to take off our shoes and wade. The water was surprisingly warm and so clear. The place was so magical that I often wonder if that memory is real. I’ve never asked my brothers if they remember it. Every time I’m dreaming and see clear water I become aware that I am dreaming. It’s almost a portal to lucid dreaming for me. Now I just have to figure out how to stay there, once I realize I’m dreaming. I guess my question is what is it about that place and time that resonated so deeply? What pre-sets our subconscious to respond to one type of experience over another? Is it past life associations or something from the blood line that carries down through the generations?
So many questions, so few answers. I hope you are enjoying your St. Patrick’s Day in style. I am well rested today and glad to be back.
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