I used to have this recurring dream where I’d be trying to escape from being caught by someone or something. In these dreams, I’d sometimes be running to get away from “bad guys” and other times I might be flying to escape evil creatures!
Regardless of my method of movement and my antagonist, I’d always be just barely out of the reach of my pursuer. And while I never knew in any of these dreams what I was trying to avoid or why I was trying to get away, I always knew that it would be bad to get caught… and each time, I would narrowly escape just before I woke up!
I often wondered what that meant? Why the recurring theme? Perhaps you have had similar experiences with recurring dreams and wondered why they come up for you again and again.
What’s interesting is that while we may not think twice to inquire about and look for the meaning of our dreams, we are often oblivious to the recurring experiences in our wakeful state! Have you ever heard yourself or someone else say things like…
- “Why do I always fall for the same kind of guy/girl?”
- “Why does that always happen to me?”
- “It never fails…. XYZ happens again and again.”
Or maybe you fall into the same kind of arguments with the same kind of people… or you find yourself in similar social or professional predicaments over and over? Just like the recurring dream that may have a meaning, these recurring life experiences act as our teachers. And while repeating experiences don’t always have to be negative or challenging, when it comes to learning a valuable lesson, they often are.
First of all, we must recognize that certain types of experiences are actually repeating in our lives. Unfortunately, we are often oblivious to that fact. But without awareness, nothing can be changed.
Then, we must allow ourselves to question and reflect on our own role in the experience by asking ourselves, “What could I be putting out there to attract this circumstance, this predicament, this type of relationship, etc. over and over again?” Certainly, this type of self-questioning and reflection require us to be honest with ourselves if we truly want to understand and know the lesson behind the experience.
One of my favorite examples of this ‘life concept’ is the movie “Groundhog Day”. If you’re not familiar with it, the gist of the story is that Bill Murray’s character wakes up to relive the same day (Groundhog Day… hence the title!) over and over again until he learns what he’s supposed to learn, makes changes in his behavior and thus changes his life for the better.
So next time you catch yourself thinking “here we go again!”, I invite you remember “Groundhog Day”. And if you truly want stop that particular cycle of experience, take time to pursue your own internal inquiry. As well-known Buddhist teacher and author, Pema Chodron, says… “Nothing ever goes away until it teaches us what we need to know.”
Cheers to learning life lessons and having lots of new and original life experiences! 🙂