From: Eve Norton <a7a70912@telus.net>
http://educate-yourself.org/cn/morningdream08jan04.shtml
Jan. 8, 2004

Dear friends:

This morning I dreamed I was at a rock concert. They gave out free chocolate, carved in a pattern: British Lions rampant at either end, and in the middle the Tree of Knowledge, with Adam and Eve. They also gave out books. Mine was a large law book. At first I thought it was a Bible. The symbolism in this is quite evident, but how to interpret?

What is a British Lion rampant?

A traditonal symbol of royalty, power and control.

What is the Tree of Knowledge when it's at home?

A tree whose fruit Adam and Eve were forbidden by God to eat. Eve disobeyed the injunction and ate the fruit. Then she got Adam to taste it. And then was revealed the knowledge of the difference between Good and Evil. What is the connection between this story and the British Lions? The lions were enclosing the myth, like book ends. And therefore they could be seen to support it in some way, or contain it. The knowledge of good and evil may be important, in order to manage the politics of politics. If people were prelapsarian, there could be no British Lion rampant, because it would be lying down with the lamb (innocence) in peace and harmony. The Royal Lion, by contrast, is a symbol of war, colonialism, centrism, etc., who knows what all.

What is chocolate?

Something you consume. The myth is for mass consumption. They gave it out at the rock concert (bread and circuses) which was a free concert (cf. free Sars concert in Toronto, featuring Sir Mick, knighted by the Queen), The images were extremely beautifully carved: very artistic. How beauty and
talent and art is co-opted by propaganda. And giving out free books symbolizes propaganda. Spreading a message. The law book is what they gave out for free. "You may do this, you may not do that." e.g. marijuana smoking makes a criminal out of me, because the law book says it is illegal. So literarcy and intelligance are also put into harness. Read the weighty tome, so that you may know your limits.

In the dream, my reaction to the gifts was not positive. I did not eat the chocolate, I did not want to read the book. Then the phone rang and I woke up. In essence I think the dream may have been telling me that culture itself, from beginning to end is a means to subjugate man/woman/human. And as a Canadian, and therefore a (post)colonial, the British Lion is one of the symbolic totems ingested with mother's milk, along with the ideas of good and evil, which manifest on one level as arbitrary law imposed by the (unseen) controllers.

And that there is no good and evil. It's all a myth, a story on the level of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Nevetheless we are taught to discriminate
constantly, and remain busy sorting our experiences and perceptions into piles: "this is good" "this is not-good." Jesus said not to do it. (At least I think he did: "Judge not . . .") So maybe part of the message of the dream is that the energy we use for discrimination could be freed up for other activities. Who are we to judge? Not. Because our faculties of judgement are created by, and conditioned into us thoroughly and pervasively by, those who are not our well-wishers. Possibly not even fellow humans.

Eve Norton

(from message # 6958 , Educate-yourself.org Discussion forum)