Awaken Your Dreams: A Practical Way for Bringing the Wisdom of Dreams into your Life
The Talmud says; A dream not interpreted is like a letter not read.
Here is an interesting practice to connect to the wisdom of your dreams. Do you have a nagging question? Or are you looking to set a new year’s intention? Or do you have deep philosophical, spiritual or ethical questions? Or do you simply wish to connect with wisdom beyond the egoic forces of liking/disliking? Here is a practice adapted from Stephen Aizenstat, Ph.D.
Go to sleep with the question in your heart & ask the dreaming for help. For example, its a New Year what is the cosmic alignment of this life, this year? Or should I sell my art online? Can be BIG visionary questions or small specific questions. I like to fall asleep with my awareness in the heart-center.
When you wake in the morning write down whatever you remember from the dream. You can draw the images or record yourself speaking about the dream as well. Even if it is just a fragment or an image or a feeling in the body or emotional tone. Write it down. Don’t try to figure anything out yet.
Read, listen to, or witness what you have recorded. Notice what resonates with you, write down words / associations that come to mind as you reflect on what you recorded. Free-write, think word collage or abstract poetry.
Make a poem, song, painting, dance from the free-write. Let this foray into the imaginal instinctual knowing, be the basis for wisdom. How does it correspond to your initial inquiry? What is the dream telling you? Asking of you? Giving you?
An Example of A Word Collage Free-Write
Here is my New Year’s poem collected from two dreams on the stormy night of January 2nd. My question was asking for guidance about my approach to the coming year, I was asking for myself and for our world.
Climb into the well
It may seem dark, and unwelcoming
It is a underground tunnel
A healing vessel
This is an underworld journey
There will be dismemberment
Parts of you must be let go
In order to be reformed
Anew
There will be people there to tend your wounds
Its Ok to be afraid to look
You can’t see it anyway
This is a different kind of knowing
Have confidence, the resources you need will be there
Climb into the dark vessel of the unknown
There will be a circle of women gathered
Have some tea
Beware: some may undervalue your work
Don’t listen to them
Befriend the outcasts, ally the tricksters
Call on the scrub jay
For laughter and fierce compassion
You are learning to include
To carry and to receive help
You will learn to be wounded
And to continue
On
In
the
dark
