Dear Aristocrates - I feel you are still under the influence of a powerful Paradigm.
There is an huge influence that millions of people are in the grip of in a way that controls them, imprisons them, and denies them their full potential. It is generally called the paradigm of the western mind. It could also be called the worldview or even the religion of most western people – religion because actually it is a belief system. However, if you asked most people in the streets of western cities about it they would not say they believed in what is being called a paradigm, they would insist it is reality.
The American Heritage Dictionary defines a paradigm as – “A set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them, especially in an intellectual discipline.”
Recently a feature about near death experiences appeared in New Scientist – (issue 2573 of 17 October 2006, page 48-50). It examined the subject and attempted to explain it all by brain chemicals or REM dreaming, still seen in the light of physical brain activities. To remain in this narrow paradigm (set of beliefs or theories), it left out any phenomena such as people who were apparently without any brain activity, and so completely unconscious, being able to report events at a distance from their seemingly dead body. This is typical of how this paradigm limits individuals within its grasp. It literally controls personal perceptions so that the subject actually sees the world, experiences it as reality, exactly as it dictates reality to be.
Richard Tarnas, in his book Cosmos and Psyche, says of this paradigm of the western mind, “As with all powerful myths, we have been, and many perhaps remain, largely unconscious of this historical paradigm’s hold on our collective imagination. It animates the vast majority of contemporary books and essays, editorial columns, book reviews, science articles, research papers, and television documentaries, as well as political, social, and economic policies, It is so familiar to us, so close to our perception, that in many respects it has become our common sense, the form and foundation of our self image as modern humans.”
So, to your dream. The tree represent what you have grown of yourself in this life. It shows you that yes you have done some work on yourself but it is still a 'small tree'. It doesn't matter, we are all small to start with, but the tre can be a sort of place that is a 'home' in your inner world - i.e a place that is your real entry into the larger life.
You climb it exploring it, your brother, that you have looked up to, is there. Remember this is a dream so your brother is not actually there but is a mental and emotional figure that always brings a feeling maybe of reaching up or going beyond what you feel you are.
You get to the top of the small tree and feel that what you have achieve will make people notice you and maybe admire you. It seems you actually want this. This is because you are still a small tree, still vulnerable, but when you have grown more and are the wonderful ancient tree you will not need anybody to lookup to or desire to be noticed. See
https://dreamhawk.com/interesting-people/ramana/ The young black man is yet another mental figure who represents or id you self more connected - it suggests one’s natural drives, urges, longings and emotions uncluttered by intricate social taboos. So what are you without your social paradox?
My mind immediately goes to a shaman that I've been following on and off for the past few years."That is an attempt to reach towards the greater growth by integrating your own inner guru/shaman. This constantly tries to tell you - "The Many Ways To A New Life, The Simple Secret of Them All Is, Open all of yourself to the unknown and invisible force that Creates You – Life. That means dropping all you present expectations, beliefs, and ideas – for you are allowing the Unknown to enter your life, for at present you obviously do not know who you are fully..
This change is not a state of mind you can create or develop. It is something beyond any change, outside of anything you can develop. After all, development suggests change.
The frustrating thing about finding this is that the harder one tries to grasp it, the further away from it one gets. The more effort one makes in trying to achieve it, the less one finds of it.
It is the ever present, self existent core of yourself that remains when all else drops away. So the question should not be can I develop the state of mind that is sometimes called enlightenment, but how can I realise this fundamental state?
A classic statement is, “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.” It can be seen as a warning, but it is given depth through the words of T. S Elliot:
I said to my soul, be still and wait without hope
For hope would be hope for the wrong thing; wait without love
For love would be love of the wrong thing; there is yet faith
But the faith and the love and the hope are all in the waiting.
Wait without thought, for you are not ready for thought:
So, the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing.