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Kuan Yin: Dreams & The

World of Dreams
by HOPE BRADFORD
As co-author of The Living Word of Kuan Yin: The Teachings and Prophecies of the
Goddess of Compassion and Mercy, I am often asked to explain some of the more challenging

spiritual precepts set forth by the highly-venerated deity of the Chinese Pantheon: Kuan Yin.

Perhaps the most thought-provoking Kuan Yin quote in the aforementioned work is:

“You’re at page ten but I understand the entire evolution,” remarks Kuan Yin. “In

reality, it’s already over. It’s a dream. Remember? You’re living a dream. It’s very complicated

to hold the dream and live the dream. You are learning the art of juggling the dream and the

world of dreams. No one really gets hurt.”

Since the dawn of time, mankind has pursued three primary questions. Who or, indeed,

what am I? Where am I? Where did I come from and where am I going, have defined the essence

of outward and inward questioning and observation, ritual and belief.

As a direct consequence of these three core questions, myriad beliefs and disciplines,

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Hope Bradford “Kuan Yin: Dreams & The World of Dreams”

having immense social and psychic ramifications have emerged. Each belief and its

consequential discipline can be considered a unique and creative artifact of mankind: group

perceptions defining humanities’ relationship with itself, nature and the infinite or God mind.

The source of the above is a vast, timeless repository of beliefs: the collective unconscious. This

is a group of diverse and colorful symbols wherein beliefs, creations, emotions and imagination

co-mingle.

Regardless of what subset of beliefs you adopt, existential complications and challenges

will most assuredly surface during the rigmarole of daily life. These complications and

challenges are a part of the complex process Kuan Yin describes as “juggling the dream and the

world of dreams”.

Throughout history, questioning and scrutiny of dreams has led to a variety of important,

even lifesaving discoveries. And while both spiritual and scientific approaches had once shared a

common faith in nature, these disciplines have nevertheless proceeded to evolve in their own

separate and unique ways.

Looking outward to nature for auspicious symbols and signs, the Ancients perceived and

were profoundly influenced by its fecundity and the consistency of the seasons. Striving to be at

one with nature, they emulated and exalted the earth and all of her creatures.

Observing the cunning and stealth of a hawk; desiring such amazing speed and agility

during one’s own search for food and fuel, one might yearn to make such qualities his own.

Coming upon a hawk feather, a hunter might consider it an excellent omen for the impending

hunt.

Riveted by a colorful gem glistening in the noonday sun, a passer by might also be

tempted to pluck such a stone from the ground. And because of its unique texture, color or shape,

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Hope Bradford “Kuan Yin: Dreams & The World of Dreams”

it might be assigned special healing powers or abilities. No longer a mere rock in the sand, it is

suddenly a magical amulet or talisman to be worn around one’s neck for good luck.

In such societies, essential tribal duties included maintaining a harmonious relationship

with and consequently supplication to those deities representative of the powerful forces of

nature. In fact whole cultures orbited around specific nature gods and goddesses. Conceived

from these seedling belief systems was the assumption that failing to please any important nature

diva likely meant disaster and devastation.

Practical observances that have been applicable throughout history: for instance,

understanding the precise waxing and waning of the moon and its effects upon the tides, seasonal

cycles and the habits and migrations of beast, fish and fowl also emerged as a part of these belief

systems. The birthing of children, fertility of soil, the availability of potable water and choosing

viable locales for the establishment of a community relied heavily upon these outward

observances and actions.

Considered just as important for survival, however, was reliance upon inner knowledge:

igniting intense scrutiny and discussion of the symbols and signs derived from daily visions and

nightly dreams. Indeed, among the tribal members there were those individuals believed to

possess exceptional healing powers as well as the gift of prophecy. Elevating such individuals,

other tribal members found themselves increasingly dependent upon an individual shaman’s

ability to relay and interpret prophetic dreams and visions. It was with great care and homage to

the animal and nature spirits; so to fully and accurately retrieve essential information for his

tribe, then, that the shaman entered his dreams.

Indeed, innate outer and inner connections between mankind and nature and mankind and

the collective unconscious have and will always remain at the core of spirituality. In many

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respects, however, contemporary society has abandoned these connections. In fact, nowadays,

dreams as forms of divination are often set aside. Thus, we rarely look to nature or our dreams

for answers. We might occasionally consult a psychic. Compared to the shaman’s profound

influence upon tribal members, a contemporary psychic reading is rarely taken as the final word.

Even more disheartening is our present-day subconscious fear of nature. Notably, we

refer to a storm as the “the wrath of nature”. Such routine vilification is often used to justify a

swift and arbitrary revenge: the ill-intended “conquest of nature”. Not only has this antagonistic

approach caused us to shirk our duty as caretakers of the earth, it has now led to a degree of

negligence many believe is responsible for severe weather patterns and imbalances of the earth’s

resources.

Because of this, our tenuous relationship with nature, Kuan Yin’s statement that we each

are jugglers of the dream (waking reality) and the world of dreams might better resonate with

past Paleolithic cultures rather than our own.

What does the Goddess mean when she refers to “the world of dreams”? To answer this

question, we must acknowledge the eminently identifiable pattern that has occurred over the past

few millenniums. With the advent of the Neolithic civilization, there has been a radical paradigm

shift towards dualism.

Steadily and relentlessly, like a rubber band gradually stretched to its limit, we’ve drifted

from our intuitive roots with nature to a sense of inner and outer alienation. For, moving away

from nature also implies a moving away from one’s own inner consciousness. This is because

archetypes and symbols emanating from humanity’s collective unconscious and the dreams

therein are also inherently part of nature and the universe. As humanity’s stories are intertwined

with the infinite, there can be no unholy unraveling, no lasting separation between mankind,

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nature and the universe.

Yet, we persist in telling ourselves the fiction that we’ve been cast adrift in some desolate

and lonely universe. Sometimes, we even tell ourselves that we are separate from the

God/Goddess force.

Why do we insist upon isolation: suffocating ourselves in separation and duality? In a

few words: the power afforded the ego in modern culture. Because of the validity granted to ego-

centered consciousness: there is blatant disregard and intolerance for the alternative trance and

dream states. Ego pushes its own “made-up stories”: fictionalized dualities assuming the

separation between humanity and nature and humanity and God.

However Kuan Yin implores us not to curse the ego. For it is ego that allows us to taste,

to experience this earth reality:

“We want to taste all these experiences. And the ego makes it possible. Don’t curse the

ego. So many scriptures curse the ego self. Instead, look at your life as about choices,

experiences and desire—and that you are already liberated. Don’t be afraid of desire. That is

why you’re here—to taste, live.”

Derived from the same aforementioned mindset, there has evolved the circular reasoning

that because good exists, so must evil.

However, Kuan Yin is emphatic:

“No individual can overcome the God force. There is a misinterpretation, then, that

Satan is as powerful as God, however limited energy cannot live on its own,” continues Kuan

Yin. “Every experience must exist and yet they (limiting forces) can never exist on their own.

Limited energy, then, is the experience of the absence of the God force. Therefore, there is no

need to fear it.”

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Explaining that the Buddha and Kuan Yin are like brother and sister, Kuan Yin teaches

that much of society’s woes are due to “the great divide”: the unfortunate and debilitating cycle

of defeated women and terrified men. According to Kuan Yin, denigration of women is yet

another consequence of dualistic perceptions.

Paralleling this corrosive belief in separation of the genders are, of course, other core

dualities. In fact, the lexicon is riddled with words and definitions originating from a

predominant cultural belief in dualism. However, it’s to be expected. Contradiction and duality

drive our present (and, according to Kuan Yin, relatively young) reality. Without it we would be

drowning in a sea of monotheism and stagnation.

To do its job, to fully allow us to taste, experience this medium of in time time and space,

ego must necessarily perceive a reality divided into day and night, humanity and nature, land and

sea, heavenward and earthbound, life and death, etc.

Yet, when we close our eyes, drawing deeply into our dreams, we understand that no

separation really exists--that all are inclusive in the One. And that only love is real. How can this

be? How can the ego be immersed in its own dualistic world, while the dream and trance minds

comprehend reality as a state of Oneness? Only adding to the conundrum, the five mind

periodicities present an incredibly complicated mind dynamic: each possessing its own peculiar

sensations and senses of time and space:

Kuan Yin’s compares one’s earthly incarnation to “falling into a well”. Stating that in

each lifetime, we become more skilled in “climbing out” through learning ingenuity and trust,

she illuminates that the mind periodicities are tools we possess to cope with the complexity of

our earth reality.

Emphasizing that one cannot truly decipher the five mind ranges without also

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acknowledging the soul, Kuan Yin (in one sweeping proclamation) bridges civilization’s most

central and baffling duality: the empirical (observable measurable phenomenon) versus the

spiritual, that the human spectrum of consciousness cannot be characterized as primarily one or

the other:

Humans have at least five EEG (mind) periodicity ranges: characteristic wavelength

bands expressing unique mental states. They are (in order of frequencies) delta, (coma), theta,

(dreams) alpha, (trance), beta, (waking) and gamma, (super-consciousness). However, this

discussion is about the soul.”

So here we wait anxiously in our in time reality: the tattered remains, the gaping wounds

of this great tearing asunder: ego’s inclination towards isolation! But who or what shall we wait

for to save us from this void?

Most rush outward, oblivious to their own inner resources. They become reliant upon a

mirage, seeking one thrill or another. It is this very need to fill the void that drives our consumer-

oriented society: a culture of instant gratification. What contented soul requires constant retail

therapy?

Ego’s external odyssey often morphs into all-out escapism. Without the counterbalancing

forces of trance and dreams, such escapism can breech all acceptable boundaries. As Kuan Yin

explains:

“Your American abundance takes you further and further from your soul. There are

places [on the earth] where one can feel closer to and rejuvenate one’s spirit. While Americans

have acquired many material things, they’ve lost something in the area of spirituality.”

Exacerbating this paradoxical cultural Rubik’s cube are the “not enough”, “better than”

and “survival of the fittest” beliefs. These three beliefs, insists Kuan Yin, are the origins of war

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and all other suffering upon the earth.

When Kuan Yin appeared in Lena’s trances, she didn’t arrive with an owner’s manual or

translation. Like a spontaneous and incredibly wise child, she just is. Doing her own thing, she is

the “action figure”, the dynamic embodiment of her empathetic and powerful message. Insisting

that it is upon each of us to unravel the meaning of her kaleidoscopic shape shifting, many of her

shape shifts are reminiscent of dreams: archetypical forms reminding us of the constant shifts

and learning opportunities of a “realistic life”. Ultimately, Kuan Yin wants us to know that “God

comes in many forms and with many teachings”.

Her transformations show how we are all “individuals playing out adventures from his or

her beliefs”.

Through her profound parables and shape shifting, Kuan Yin tells the story of the earth;

how each of us is a divine and powerful being. We are accustomed to validating only egos in

time perspective and events. What must be comprehended, however, is that physical events

spring from our inner out of time electromagnetic blueprints reflecting one’s psychic intent.

When scrutinized, one’s “world of dreams” appears to be antithetical to what Kuan Yin

refers to as “the dream”, this waking reality we miraculously return to each successive day. Far

from the in time and dualistic world one is accustomed to, the world of dreams appears as a non-

in time conglomeration of thoughts, actions and desires. In dreams, one moves from sequential,

predictable in time and space into an illogical complexity apparently requiring some kind of

informed navigational expertise.

The unconscious mind was considered by the Freudian School to be the dumping ground

of the human psyche. The more favorable Jungian School elevates the unconscious into the

collective unconscious: that totality of humanities religious, spiritual and mythological symbols

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and ancient experiences. Dreams in Jungian theory are considered messengers from the

collective unconscious.

Some prefer to interpret their dream stories only in symbolic or metaphorical terms.

Others regard the dream world as some vast repository: a staid medium where there can be no

interaction.

If this is so, why then, while traversing this alternative realm, has there always been the

potential for sudden and intense emotional responses? Just the appearance of a particular

archetypical symbol in a dream can spontaneously trigger deep and powerful feelings and

memories.

Kuan Yin’s discourses infer that in the dream world, beliefs and their accompanying

emotions are acted out on a nightly basis. As these arenas exist outside of time and space in some

boundless universe, one’s core beliefs can be re-played as often and in as many ways as one can,

well, dream. The end products might be regarded as inconsequential. However, nothing could be

farther from the truth. Whether expansive or limiting, one’s dreams reveal beliefs responsible for

waking reality.

Describing dreams as one’s “escape hatch” from a difficult reality; Kuan Yin elucidates

how dreams provide a doorway to infinite universes so to realize one’s spiritual skills:

“Understanding the possibilities of the present! It’s a skill useful for discovering the

divine,” states Kuan Yin. “You slip into the universe, while living in this dream, this present.

Your escape hatch is right here.”

According to Kuan Yin, children are also learning from their dreams. A child (while

dreaming), may additionally be involved in healing other lifetimes:

“When your son is asleep his dreams are about his karma. Sleeping and dreaming are also

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times for karmic healing.”

Discussing the critical role of dreams as doorways for those passing on to other worlds,

Kuan Yin explained:

“The [recently passed] spirits will try to find and connect with family members. He (the

soldier) connected with you in your dreams. This is one of your gifts, to help those passing over

to connect with loved ones, to complete the process [of closure].”

Because of the natural malleability of dreams, there is an opportunity for manipulation

and experimentation, and sometimes, healing: In a dream, I quite unexpectedly encountered

Kuan Yin. Instructing that I could heal whatever malady might presently ail me by “fine-tuning”

the color and tone of my silver umbilical cord, she pointed to a segment of my own sacred cord.

Far from the healthy color I’d expected, to my astonishment it looked dark and withered.

Kuan Yin then assured me that incorporating positive visualizations of a silver umbilical

cord would have a beneficial effect on my entire body. Together in the dream we were able to

visualize my umbilical cord as a healthy silvery tone. I awoke from this very informative dream

feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.

Tonight, in your dreams, when you awaken to another world that you have created, you

can consider that existence as an important extension of waking reality, right then and in the

moment. In this way you give yourself the permission and power to reinforce or restructure other

aspects of yourself.

Whether awake or dreaming, then, beliefs are the doorways through which one walks,

creating new waking experiences, dreams and other parallel realities. These converge to define

ones life, reaching beyond the flatness of separation and the distant chill of alienation.

Interestingly, certain spiritual disciplines teach conscious dreaming: schooling the

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conscious mind in the art of directing the dream. Antithetical to a passive approach to dreams

and the creation of ones reality, this skill is an essential component for anyone intent on being at

the helm of his or her life.

Defining humans as “jugglers of the dream and the world of dreams”, Kuan Yin echoes

that exact sentiment: that each night it is our responsibility to understand and direct our own

dreamscape. From her dazzling array of shape shifting and inspiring parables; a clear message

emerges: that in this, our self-created dream, we have the opportunity to “spiritualize matter”, to

manifest the most divine life imaginable. It can therefore be assumed that the creation of reality

is deliberate, not accidental: a consequence of focused intent.

Nearing the end of the authoring of The Living Word of Kuan Yin, I experienced many

dreams I suspected were strongly influenced by Kuan Yin. A most cryptic dream depicted me

climbing a massive, nearly perpendicular mountain. Grateful that when reaching out to grasp

each protruding rock, it held firm, I navigated that treacherous incline with great caution until

finally reaching the top. Upon reflection, I now understand how each jagged nugget represented

a Kuan Yin precept. The dream became my metaphor showing how one can surely place one’s

faith in the Kuan Yin teachings. Holding fast, withstanding the test of time, the Kuan Yin

scriptures will not be shattered into bits nor will they crumble to dust in the face of disaster.

© 2007 Hope Bradford CHT. All Rights Reserved.

The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal.

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HOPE BRADFORD

Prior to establishing her practice in Transpersonal

Hypnosis, Ms Bradford graduated from the University of

California in Women’s Studies and Fine Art. It was, therefore,

after receiving her BA that she discovered a deep and abiding

interest in the mind and the paranormal. Even though she had

facilitated hundreds of trance regressions over the twenty years

of her practice she was not prepared for the phenomenon that changed her life: witnessing the

channeled teachings of the ancient Asian deity Kuan Yin. Agreeing to transcribe each of the

twenty-eight sessions, she then recorded them in this manuscript form.

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Also by HOPE BRADFORD

The Living Word Of Kuan Yin: The Teachings & Prophecies of The Goddess of Compassion & Mercy

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