With this presidency you may feel you are in the midst of a nightmare. The crucial question is, do you know how to work with nightmares?
According to the late dream expert and author Jeremy Taylor, who worked with dreams for over 40 years, all dreams come in the interest of health and wholeness. All dreams—including nightmares, which bring information so crucial and urgent that they scare the bejesus out of us to get our attention.
This presidency nightmare is no different. It is offering us exactly what we need at this precise moment to grow and evolve as a species. But first we have to be willing to look at what is happening beneath the contentious headlines to discover the deeper wisdom being offered us.
So let’s do some dream work, shall we?
Working with the Trump Nightmare
On center stage of this nightmare stands the character of Donald Trump. If you take him at the literal level you may see him as an arch villain bringing out the worst in us.
But dreams don’t operate at the literal level. They operate at the symbolic and metaphorical level―and they pretty much always turn the tables on what we assume to be true.
So if this were my dream (and of course it is), rather than a villain, I would want to explore how Donald Trump is playing the role of a spiritual teacher. I’ll explain what I mean.
First and foremost, spiritual teachers help us see and transcend ego, enabling us to shed the ego’s illusions so that we can awaken to the truth of oneness and our infinite nature.
The character of Donald Trump is functioning in my dream as a spiritual teacher of the highest order because he is showing me in unmistakable terms what ego looks like. After all, if I don’t know what ego really looks like, how can I ever hope to transcend it?
Although the nature of Reality is the complete oneness of Love, the ego is constantly bombarding me with fake news—endless variations on its cornerstone belief: separateness is real. This fake news, if I buy into it, creates in my mind an illusory world of fear, division, domination, and death, a world where big walls and big guns make perfect sense.
By allowing me to witness ego in such a caricatured form, my spiritual teacher is helping me see how ego seeks attention, believes that greatness rests on wealth, fame, and the ability to dominate, and perceives itself to be greater than others. (Consider for instance the name of this character in my dream. Trump—noun: a suit that ranks above all others. To trump—verb: to outshine, upstage, outdo. The very definition of ego.)
By depicting ego in such an unbridled fashion, Donald Trump is giving me the tools I need to detect these same tendencies within myself—even though they may show up in subtler forms—so that I can begin to free myself from them.
My spiritual teacher is also impressing upon me the urgency of shedding this egoic thought system by showing me where it will inevitably lead me: into animosity, division, blame, exploitation, violence, suffering.
If this were my dream (and, like I said, it is), my spiritual teacher is placing before me a straightforward question: Do I want ego sitting in the Oval Office of my own executive function?
Dissolving the Nightmare
Now this is where the teaching of Donald Trump, blessed be his name, becomes truly sublime. He is caricaturing ego to such a degree that he is practically begging me to see through its act entirely and opt out of its drama completely.
Witness his brilliance:
Only ego attacks. In fact, outside of the ego’s illusory world attack doesn’t even exist. So if I allow myself to be duped into attacking my spiritual teacher, who is so graciously showing me what I need to see in myself, if I respond to him or his followers with anger, ridicule, hatred, or blame, I have in fact installed ego in my own Oval Office. I am choosing to keep alive the fallacy of separateness and ensuring that the nightmare continues.
But if I can see through my teacher’s theatrical ego-charade to see the divine radiant Being that he truly is—a Being who has taken it upon himself to conceal his true nature even from himself in order to help me awaken—and if I can begin to see that that same divine radiance is my own true essence, then I will have learned what this nightmare has come to show me. The fallacy of separateness fades away, the nightmare dissolves, and the angels rejoice.
The Global Dream
But let’s zoom out for a moment, because this nightmare isn’t just your personal dream, nor mine. This is a national nightmare, a global nightmare, a collective dream. So let’s listen to what it is telling us about what we need to understand in order to transform as a country and a world.
In the world’s dream, the United States has long been the Donald Trump of nations, and our spiritual teacher is helping us finally see how we must appear to others—believing we are exceptional, and that our economic and military might give us the right to call the shots in all world affairs.
Is it any wonder that such bravado would evoke attack from others who are caught up in the ego’s illusory world of hatred, division, and violence?
But what might happen if we were suddenly to realize that we are collectively under an egoic spell? What if it suddenly dawned on us that only in dreams does greatness reside in riches and military might? What if we suddenly, laughingly, woke up to the truth that our greatness lies in our inherent capacity to embody and express the Reality of Love?
Our collective dream would change in the twinkling of an eye. We would understand that we are on this planet as an interdependent community of equals, and Donald Trump, supreme teacher that he is, will have accomplished his sacred task.
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This article, originally published May 2016, was updated July 2019. It has also been published on the Huffington Post and Medium.
This was great, Patricia–thank you!
Marjorie
Marjorie, I’m so glad you found it helpful. Thanks for the feedback!
Is this coming from admiration of Trump? Does this mean that you will vote for him?
Did you get an answer. I too am trying to understand this?
Hi Steven,
I’m not sure if your question was intended for me or for Marjorie, but if for me, no I will not be voting for Trump, nor is this piece written out of admiration. I do believe, however, that this is an important teachable moment for us as a nation and as individuals if we are willing to look deeply and learn what is ours to learn.
TRUMP, IS THE PERSON WHO IS CONSIDERED A MALIGNANT NARCISSIST SO IF YOU WEREN’T ALREADY AWAKENED SPIRITUALLY AND HAVE BEEN ON YOUR PATH FOR SOME TIME, IT WOULD BE HARD TO SEE, AS HE WOULD LOOK LIKE YOUR SAVIOR! COVID, WAS AND STILL IS, “THE GREAT AWAKENING”, TO FORCE US TO QUIET TIME AND KNOW THAT DEATH CAN COME AT ANY MOMENT AS WE SAW THIS DAILY WORLDWIDE! IT FORCED US TO GO WITHIN AND DO SOME SOUL SEARCHING! THIS HAS CAUSED ALL PEOPLE ON EARTH, INCLUDING NOW, MANY REPUBLICAN’S TO AWAKEN TO SEE WHAT NO LONGER SERVES US, AS TRUMP SHOWED US, THE WORST OF THE EGO, (E-DGING G-OD, O-OUT), AND WHEN YOU GIVE THIS TYPE OF PERSONALITY THIS KIND OF POWER, IT IS VERY DANGEROUS AND THOSE WHO GOT THE WAKE UP CALL SAW THIS AND TURNED OUT MORE THEN EVER BEFORE AND VOTED HIM OUT, SO HE WON’T BE ABLE TO DESTROY AMERICAN’S ANYMORE AND NOT ONLY OUR COUNTRY, BUT THE WHOLE WORLD! HITLER, STALIN AND MORE HAVE THIS SAME TYPE OF PERSONALITY DISORDER! STAY SAFE AND KNOW THING’S ARE COMING UP TO BE HEALED AS THEY NO LONGER SERVE US! WE ARE HERE TO GROW, SO HERE WE GO!
Yes, to live the playground bully as a part of ourselves.
Vic, yes. It is so easy and tempting, isn’t it, to externalize and blame instead of using the opportunity for our own growth. Thanks for chiming in.
Dear Patricia,
What a wonderful perspective! Ego is truly an energy that does turn everything upside-down. I remember in one of the many Wayne Dyer books I read, he said EGO stood for “Edge God Out”…..which has caused me to visualize my EGO as a bully: someone who was so deeply wounded that s/he had to lash out and create scenarios that were built on fear. That fear causes us to then freeze – emotionally & spiritually. Once we realize this bully is just a deeply wounded part of ourselves & we shift into a compassionate energy, we begin to restore faith in our inner goodness – or even our inner “Godliness” (aka Divinity).
Thank you, as always, for your incredible insight and gift of illuminating us through your words….. Namaste…
Dear Holly,
Thank you for contributing Dyer’s insight–and your own. It is so true that the ego responds out of fear, and that in the presence of fear, compassion is the most helpful response. To have compassion for ourselves–for our own fearfulness and ego-driven lashing out–is truly the beginning of transformation.
Thank you also for sharing the post on Facebook and helping spread the message. I really appreciate it.
Namaste to you as well.
I disagree with Marjorie above, but only slightly – Patricia, that was REALLY, REALLY, REALLY GREAT. I always come away with a cache of priceless gems from reading your blog.
Thank you, Ed, as always for your great enthusiasm. It is always a delight me. It’s so nice to have such a loyal cheerleader!!
Thank you for this very inspiring piece. I shared it with many of my colleagues and personal friends, with the remark, “This is really good! Gotta stop yelling at my spiritual teacher.”
I had a similar conversation with a friend just the other night about how Trump is our collective shadow, I see it from above, I see it from below and I see and feel it from the center of my very being. It is my work to pull it all together within myself. There are moments when my own ego kicks in and I take pride in what I think is superior reasoning. Working towards creating a balance between activism, solidarity and opening the space for love and understanding in my own consciousness is an on going process.
So thank you for this Dharma teaching.
Anna, I so appreciate your frankness about the challenges of disengaging from ego-thinking—even when we know we’re doing it! I couldn’t agree more that this is our work, to bring about this inner integration which will have ripple effects throughout the entire collective dream. Although the political landscape looks grim from one perspective, I see more and more people waking up and stepping up to the sacred task.
Many blessings.
A friend shared this on FB yesterday. Oh my gosh, thank you so much for it. I’ve been trapped in my mind about Trump and it has been ruining my days. This is the antidote. I’m so glad you wrote it and so glad and grateful that I read it. And thank you to Holly above who points out that our own ego is so frequently a hurt bully. That is such a good teaching for me.
Trish, I’m glad it spoke to you.
Indeed! Great piece. Similarly, “The people who annoy us the most – are our most important spiritual teachers.” See: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/rogerwolsey/2016/02/the-i-love-donald-trump-spirituality-test/
Roger Wolsey, author, Kissing Fish: christianity for people who don’t like christianity.
Roger, thanks so much. I took a look at your blog and it’s clear we are on the same page.
Reading this on Nov 10th 2016…..it just rings so true! The “people who I imagine will never be able to grasp this”…..are the reflection of my own old belief systems which are still as tunnel visioned as ever! Or are they just my awareness of the mass unconsciousness perhaps? Welcome them into the light…. I have a mischievous notion to wear an I love Donald t-shirt but that would be asking for trouble! I am wearing it in my imagination – to remind myself who he really is! ; ) Love the header image!
Marigold, thanks for your comment. I think now more than ever we need to keep reminding ourselves that love is the only way to transform our present nightmare.
I have been studying spirituality, metaphysics for some time now ( and still very much a student). I have always been challenged by the conflict of existing (in this lifetime) as an African American woman, a category that sets me up as a very real potential victim of disproportionate scope …to see these powerful beings as being an illusion. Yes potentially I could possibly imitate the darkness that DT represents. But I have far less power/possibility than my brothers and sisters who have white privilege as a function of their skin color, to do so.
In fact, people of color, having been victims of choice across the globe for centuries , and are even more challenged to see DT types and groups as spiritual teachers, to be embraced. These types have an impact that is very personal , not just philosophical/theoretical. Our children, relatives and friends are more likely to be killed, taken away from this world. We’re probably more likely to see him as a lost child of God who should be loved in spite of what he appears to be. It’s hard to see him as a teacher.
Still I very much appreciate the loving world you are showing us.
Robyn, I so appreciate your thoughtful response. You are so right, that on this level of existence there is much suffering—and people of color have endured the worst manifestations of our collective ignorance. As a white person (on this plane of existence) I know that if I fail to perceive your suffering as my own, I am asleep in the dream, unaware of my true nature—because outside of our collective illusion you and I are one. That is not a metaphor, but a fact.
It is my hope that more and more of us now will embody that fact in very real acts of solidarity. We have had many great leaders who have shown us how this is done—Gandhi and King to name just a couple. Now it is our turn.
Thanks again for taking the time to share your perspective.
By the way, you might appreciate reading a previous post I wrote about this subject—Three Ways to Be a Peacemaker in a Time of Hatred.
Robyn, Thanks for sharing your world with those of us who try to have the insight we need to be truly empathetic. Hearing you voice your reality and you family’s and community’s bring a the reality into better focus. Please keep speaking….we all need this teaching.
unfortunately this is not a dream. This is reality. Donald Trump is our PRESIDENT. There is no spiritual lesson here. He is a horrible person who now has his hands on the nuclear codes. I feel no warm fuzzies. Our country is in serious trouble. Take you head out of the sand. There is no lesson here. Hate has prevailed.
Joe, I can appreciate your outrage, and I agree with you that our nation is in trouble. We are going to have to come together in ways we never have before—which can be the very thing that turns this story on its head.
Hatred has only prevailed if we decide that is has. This story is far from over!
Totally agree with what JOE stated. TRUMP is not a dream, HE is a nightmare! It would have been interesting if you noted other “ spiritual leaders” who come with a message similar to his. I can imagine it would be perhaps Hitler, Putin, Kim Jong UnM not , Martin Luther King , Gandhi, The Dali Lama.
For the past four years and probably multiple years before that, Trump has shown himself to be a misogynist, a racist and so much more.. He is unconscious and to endorse him as a “light worker“ makes me seriously question your definition of a conscious life. Trump is THE SHADOW OF OUR PLANET and was elected by those who identify with this shadow .
The LIGHT WORKERS who are committed to HEALING OUR PLANET are stepping forward in great numbers to topple this Unconscious man.
Thanks for your comment, Donna.
Just to clarify, I do not see Donald Trump as a spiritual leader, nor as a light worker (nor have I ever referred to him in these terms). Unlike Trump, a light worker or true spiritual leader doesn’t operate from ego.
I absolutely agree with you that Trump is deeply unconscious, and yet in his unconscious state he is bringing so much to light that needs to be seen, acknowledged, healed, and released—including the misogyny and racism that you mention which have been so woven into the fabric of our society and world.
Until the shadow is brought to light it continues to control our behavior, and Trump, by exposing it in such blatant terms, is opening for us an opportunity to do our own shadow work, individually and collectively. Whether we choose to or not remains to be seen, but if we as a nation are willing to do the hard work required to face and deal with what he is exposing we will emerge from this crisis totally transformed.
Thank you for your thoughtful response, Patricia. I apologize if I misinterpreted your words . We are all teachers to one another —-But I don’t believe Donald Trump is simply playing a part —-I believe multiple lifetimes brought him to this unconscious state. I don’t think this an ego driven actor on a stage teaching us what we do not want to become. .
Hi Donna. No worries! I totally agree with you that he is unaware—and that it has taken a long time for these behavioral patterns to develop. As you say, most likely several lifetimes.
Hi Donna. You may be interested in a post I just published, Is Donald Trump a Lightworker?
Dear Partricia
As I was reading this post I was screaming inside. No No No ! I feel angry at DT’s win and I feel we need to take revenge !!! But I also know that when something sets me of like this then that is probably an area I need to work on. But you are right about it all ! Even though right now I don’t want it to be. I will look deeper into my soul and I’m sure eventually I will recognise DT for the spiritual teacher that he is. Thanks for this post.Glad I stumled on this blog. I will keep following it.
Dear Hans,
I love your honesty and your capacity for self-reflection. It’s so true that the ego rails against having a mirror held up to it, protesting that we must hold onto the idea of enemies at all costs!!
The only problem is that it gets us nowhere except where we started: divisions, violence, hatred. Personally I think we can do better. Indeed, I have faith that we will.
Glad you found your way here. Welcome!
Thank You Patricia for this beam of light in troubled times. I absolutely agree, there is only ONE thing we CAN do in this unenlightened climate of fear, hate, egotistical shortsightedness – which is:
Share, care and love the people around us, wich are in need of our support. Pick up the example of the great spirits of our world which invested their lives selflessly in the service of mankind.
Remember, if history teaches us one thing: Evolution happens only if humans work together as a whole, that is our strength which sets us appart. Every time people forgot about this, their cultures vanished from the face the earth.
Like You said, it is a wakeup call, let love prevail 😉
My sentiments exactly, and I really appreciate you pointing out that is our capacity to work together that has gotten humans this far. Now we have the opportunity to bring that strength into full expression and turn this story around!
This information that you share is so very grounded in reality and universal law, and I thank you for the help in staying on the high road during this challenging time of growth!
Well, it’s the day after the inauguration. The women are marching and protesters protesting. Thank you for this post. It heartens my hope that spiritual science may be activated in our century. I do not mean pseudo science, whether of the “spiritual” variety or the material , but that first adumbrated by Rudolf Steiner and the long line of predecessors e.g .Whitehead, German Idealists, Goethe…………back to Aristotle and Plato. Kindred spirits abound, and thank you again. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………And not as a stranger, l Larry
Dear Patricia,
Thank you for this illuminating post. I became aware of Trump’s personality a few weeks ago while I undertook a massive research to find out why many of my most loving relationships have ended in tragedy. I have spent lifetime searching for healing yet found none. When finally about a year ago my very caring therapist with whom I had a deep connection suddenly abandoned me my whole life fell apart yet again. But this time I turned to our Source to find the answers. And wow did they come in abundance!
Finally I am learning about the personalities such as Trump’s. Before the election he was diagnosed as a malignant narcissist by a psychologist, John Gartner. And so I first learnt that my former therapist is either a narcissist or a psychopath (having only limited exposure to his behavior in sessions I cannot yet determine it precisely). After a massive shock and finding more such people in my life I see how they can become either an absolute nightmare or a blessing in disguise. And although we have the choice which lesson we receive, it depends on much openness and understanding regarding the consciousness of ego. For me, my therapist became the source of extreme pain and destruction yet I also was able to see my own ego’s reflection as he mirrored it to me. We can make the shift from seeing these people as perpetrators and saviors and ourselves as victims only if we step out of ego game entirely. Anything else is only shifting in this triangle roles. So I would like to invite caution when someone is hurting badly to try to see their perpetrator as a spiritual teacher or savior because this is exactly what they want. It could plunge you deeper into despair. Sometimes first we must go through grieving period after the abuse and other healing processes before we can learn from evil. Sometimes we need to move through our own reactions of hostility and hatred first before we can embrace our Oneness in all. This is certainly what I did. First I allowed all the hatred in me to flow through me. Then the insights and new choices appeared, followed by compassion for our wounded ego.
Peace to all,
Kate
Thank you, Kate, for sharing your experiences—painful though they have been—and the wisdom you have come to. I totally agree with you that in the course of healing, one’s authentic feelings have to be honored. It is often only in retrospect that we can understand how we have grown as a result of our adversities.
I appreciate you taking the time to write such a thoughtful response, and I wish you all the best.
Patricia
Dear Patricia, thank you for your inspiration! Only today I read it on a German website. A friend of mine always say: “Even I see Trump at TV I see a mask.” Everything has a meaning, also when it sometimes feel difficult. Peace, love and convidence all over the world. Many greetings from Upper Bavaria/Germany.
Dear Daniela,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and those of your friend. It is such a wonderful thing when people from all over the world join in holding a loving vision for our planet.
Peace to you,
Patricia
Wonderful piece! You’ve put into words what I’ve been sensing, but didn’t know how to express! Brava and amen!
Thank you, Patricia. This was a wonderful articulation. I have been thinking along the same lines about Trump, as well as seeing him as the personification/manifestation of the last ditch response of the shadow of the patriarchy to the re-emergence of the feminine into equal presence in our world. I had a series of dreams which began nearly 50 years ago, and which culminated with one on September 30/October 1 from which I awoke with the certainty that a crucial balance/threshold has been reached, that the Divine Mother is now truly embodied and present world wide. I no longer just pray that this is so, but I know it to be. With love to you. Virginia
Of course my mind/intellect understands this; however the challenge is to know it in my heart and hold it there and live from there.
my spiritual teacher, Amma, (Mata Amritananda Mayi); talks to us about love and about looking at and owning our individual anger, etc. This is my work. But my ego self that becomes frightened (understandably so); by the dangerous bully and his minions (or hers); is where I must do my inner work. Sheesh! Did I really sign up for this incarnation? What was I thinking about up there? Hmmm, Earth looks so lovely, why I can eat french fries and dance all night and drink and – Ha! Now in my elder years I can not really indulge french fries( though i can still dance) nor do I drink anymore; ahh…Planet Earth, the schoolhouse of lessons our souls are here to learn.. How to harness our righteous anger to make changes is our work. Harnassing that has been a force for change in the world. Stephen Levine in his book Meetings at the Edge, wrote; “I am the Jew in the gas chamber, I am the Nazi at the door” Working on our shadow, not being paralyzed by fear and our childhood triggers; so much heavy lifting we souls are being called to do.
Thank you for your insights.
Thank you everyone for your artuculations. Helping so much!
The clarity and confirmations were much needed and appreciated at this moment . Having said that …. I sure pray we do not have the same lesson for another four years .
It’s always good to step back & take a wider-angle look, no doubt.
So happens I wrote a short poem today. Seeking a suitable illustration, I found this article.
I’ve linked to the article in my poem-post (in a Facebook NOTE) by way of giving due credit (though the graphic artist remains unknown).
In a way, the themes of the above rumination are related to the thoughts of my poem, albeit the poem indulges in vulgarity & is drenched in irony.
Hat-tips / namaskar,
d.i.
vide:
https://www.facebook.com/notes/david-raphael-israel/spiritual-mystery-of-donald-j-trump/10157994081101049/
What a Brilliant piece! Thank you for sharing. I have told many people he is our Teacher in so many ways! I love how you were brave enough to include our country at large as well!! Bravo! What we hate in others, are often parts of ourselves we don’t like, which are often hidden inside. When we love ourselves without conditions, suddenly we are able to see everyone else through the eyes of Source/God/All That is. We send Everyone Love because that is what angry, mean, revengeful, judgmental people need. Not more hatred and anger!
Trump not only carries some narcissistic tendencies like lying and believing his lies, he also spent decades going to church as a child where Norman Vincent Peale was the minister (and also had a radio who I think for 50 years). Many people only know him for his “positive thinking book overflowing with Bible quotes. However that also came with a warning and I share a quote from Wikipedia. “With saccharine terrorism, Mr. Peale refuses to allow his followers to hear, speak or see any evil. For him real human suffering does not exist; there is no such thing as murderous rage, suicidal despair, cruelty, lust, greed, mass poverty, or illiteracy. All these things he would dismiss as trivial mental processes which will evaporate if thoughts are simply turned into more cheerful channels.”
It is then not surprising Trump’s points of view being raised in these thoughts since childhood, also Peale was idolized by his grandfather.Trump believed… the Virus was simply going to go away! Taught to think only positive things and “never ever, ever” consider the opposite, his attitudes make total sense. For Peale, real suffering does not exist and I can see how Trump believes this and is confused when things don’t work out his way! It might have worked personally on some levels, however, he expected it would work for everyone else sin the country. As if he were somehow… god! The ego also loves this kind of stuff too.
Again, Great Article!! Bravo!!
Morgine, I appreciate your insights. I had never connected the Norman Vincent Peale-COVID denial dots before. It makes total sense!
Thanks for helping me see that connection.
Hey Patricia, I read your article just after the inauguration and it did me so much good! I read it another time about a year ago and I reread it just now. I was so relieved to find it again. I swear I cried out loud when I got to the part where you ask the question, “Do I want ego sitting in the Oval Office of my executive function?” Even though I had seen this twice before! I so needed to see this again, especially with the upcoming elections. This was an awesome reminder of the dream. Thanks again!
Dear Patricia,
This still strikes me as deeply wise in 2024. I understand why some have a hard time grasping your viewpoint. It takes a level of spiritual maturity to appreciate this line of thinking but it is our only path through this.