The Lower World

Ariadne's Book of Dreams : A Dictionary of Ancient and Contemporary Symbols
by Ariadne Green

CHAPTER 1

The Lower World is the deepest dimension of our soul. It contains nature's secrets, the primordial power that is instinctual to our nature. The Lower World contains the imprints of every thought and idea planted and cultivated by humans throughout our history. These thoughts have germinated into public dreams, or what we call mythology. Within each cell of our bodies this mythic legacy exists, ready to be tapped by the dreaming process. Mining the gold of our dreams brings the wealth and wisdom of the ages and nature's mysteries to the light of the conscious mind.

The Lower World is rooted in the natural world. It is the terrain of a primordial reality in which the power of the earth, its elements, and its kingdoms may be encountered so that their wisdom and power can be brought forward into life.

For the shaman who travels deep into the Lower World, it is a sacred journey of initiation. Traditionally, shamans make their descent into the Lower World to retrieve their power through a potent dream or through an altered state of consciousness. They may enter the earth's body through an opening such as a cave, a hollow tree, or a deep pool to descend and die a mythic death so that they may be reborn in some way. The visions from their subterranean journeys are brought back to the tribal culture to be reenacted through sacred rites and seasonal ceremonies.

Some Native American cultures such as the Pueblo and Hopi, ancestors of the Anasazi of the southwestern United States, still use structures called kivas that replicate the portal into the Lower World. Kivas are circular chambers made of earth and limestone that are entered by descending a ladder. Once there, the initiate is prepared through prayer and ceremony to obtain the mythic knowledge of his culture. Through secret teachings by tribal elders and through his own visions, the initiate ascends, transformed and empowered to inspire and renew the faith of his community.

Modern psychology uses the term collective unconscious to describe the Lower World, where powerful archetypes dance with the elements of nature and still influence our personalities today.

According to Carl Jung, the father of analytical psychology, archetypes, or patterns of energy that influence the human personality and emerge spontaneously in dream material, are carried within the vast collective unconscious. These archetypes, what Jung calls mythological motifs, point to a mythic life we live, perhaps without knowing it. The qualities and dynamic tensions expressed by these archetypes are set in bold letters, demanding attention within the text of the subconscious. They summon us to transform ourselves by acknowledging their power, embracing their positive qualities, and resolving the conflicts they act out. We accomplish this through a process called creative dreaming.

Copyright © 2001 Ariadne Green and Skylight Press

About the Author

In Ariadne's Book of Dreams she brings meaning to the everyday symbols which we often witness without understanding. She is authoring a complementary book to the first, which will teach the reader how to view life as a dream more directly through practice. She views dream work and shamanism as the clearest and most direct way of tapping into the wealth of wisdom and healing potential within the subconscious. She holds the vision of transforming culture through dream work and shamanism.