Dreaming, Symbols and Metaphors- What does it all mean?
Have you ever pondered over a dream, trying to make sense of an abstract idea or experience and just can’t make sense of it?
Dreams have always fascinated me. I often remember my dreams and have done so since I was quite young. In my book Success is Simply Spiritual I described a period of two years where I made a special effort to train myself to recall dreaming on waking as often as possible, and then journal my dreams whenever I could remember them. Those two years were a rich ground of learning about my intuition, my internal language, aspects of my personality that I tried to ignore, and how to decipher the often cryptic information downloaded from my unconscious world. That’s was in the late Nineties and I’m still learning and totally fascinated with dreaming: when sleeping or awake.
I have always been inspired by reading about dreams as discussed in ancient philosophies, shamanism, different cultural perspectives, as well as my professional studies of counselling and psychotherapy including Gestalt Therapy dream work and Process Oriented Psychology. I am struck by so many different possibilities about what dreams might mean, and how the application of meaning might be different from dream to dream. Some dreams could be a simple consolidation of experiences; perhaps a precognitive experience or premonition; possibly a signal of personality aspects disowned and trying to speak out; maybe unspoken desires wanting to be acknowledged, or some other form of message needing to be expressed. The possibilities are endless.
I have noticed that often ideas about the meaning of dreams can become stifled when a particular paradigm is applied. I wonder how we can place strict boundaries of theory on something that is beyond our ability to know for certain. My experience is that there are many ways to approach dreamwork. I have found that multiple layers of meaning can most definitely be explored and validated in one dream. Simple meaning can also be elicited and deemed practical.
Over the years I have noted down dreams and found them to be incredibly helpful when interpreted by myself as I developed an understanding that only I could elicit. It is my dream, from my unconscious mind; therefore it made sense to me that I am the best person to uncover meaning for me. I will often look at universally accepted symbolism, seek feedback from friends or a therapist, and then look at my own feelings, thoughts, and psychological connections as I process a dream and its meaning. I go through periods where dreams are remembered more easily and more regularly. I imagine that’s probably true for most of us. What do you think about the times you notice dreaming (remembering dreams) is more prolific? Do you encounter recurring dreams, or dreams with obvious recurring themes, or dreams that have different themes but occur in the same place each time? Does it make you wonder why?
I recently had a dream about a strange little possum that I wrote down upon waking. I was instantly struck by some of the abstract and impossible qualities of the dream. As I wrote about my dream the seemingly random appearance of people in the dream, the specific activities and actions of the dream, all that I could remember, meaning began to unfold. Over the next couple of days I could identify themes with current life experiences, albeit presenting in abstract form. As I processed my interpretation of the dream I began to gain insight and form ideas about how to approach the real life experiences I related to the dream. The insight proved to be invaluable.
As time went on I worked consciously with the information, rather than the dream itself, allowing myself too be open to new insight. Then about 10 days later I had a really exciting and interesting day that some of you may have seen shared on Facebook. The day involved rescuing a baby possum. To capture the essence, I realised through meditation the next day after possum rescue, and through the days leading up to this moment, that the events that unfolded on possum rescue day mirrored my dream in exquisite and not so abstract detail. Since then so many pieces of information have come together in many ways. I hope to share examples in the new Dreamwork group of the many different layers of information related to noticing and exploring this original dream. Simply by working with the dream consciously I was guided in practical ways that are continuing to unfold.
One aspect that unfolded is how much I get out of the way I work with dreams. I feel compelled to share the information and teach you the possibilities of dreamwork. My hope is to share with you a plethora of ways to work with your dreams, encountered either when sleeping, meditating, or awake. Through a Dreamwork group you can be guided to see the simple, or more complex unfolding of your own wisdom to use the information in practical ways. Working in a group you’ll have the opportunity to notice how differently people perceive, dreams, symbols, and metaphors. Dreamwork can allow you the opportunity to work with your physical, emotional, intuitive and sensitive nature with awareness, kindness, and compassion.
We all dream. No matter what your spiritual, philosophical, or cultural background, Dreamwork can be an interesting way of connecting with yourself and your world more fully. If you are interested in learning more about Dreamwork and the current group offerings click here for more information, or contact Jen.