Over there...

HI all,

As you may know I now am managing 2 blog sites, this one and AWAKENING CHOICE DREAMS which appears at my website of the same name. On the latter site I'll explore all things related to dreams and dreaming - how to, Dreaming 101, history and interesting facts on dreams as well as experiences at workshops as a participant and a teacher (as long as students are willing to share their experiences/dreams with my readers).

I figure dreamwork is best shared with a sold audience, though I can't imagine what it would be like not to be interested in dreams, I'm not out to convert anyone.

Having said that, I find it difficult to compartmentalize my life - I work at what I love and dreaming spills into everyday life for me so you will still get dream stuff here but most likely dreams will provide sources for creative writing - we'll see how this works. This site is about heart, soul and mind matters as I travel through the mind fields of life so it's kind of a mish-mash; like my mind.

I'll notify you when a post appears on the other site so you can pop over there if you are interested in dreams. So, please bear with me as I get the hang of working the 2 sites.

Click on the link to go over to AWAKENING CHOICE DREAMS for the latest post on how I work with Robert Moss' Lightning Dreamwork Process, especially if you are interested in working with your dreams or attending the dreamcircle this Wed night June 20 from 7 - 9 p.m. at AKASHA'S DEN in Oakville. I'd love to see you there!

Sweet Dreams,
Nance

IMPROVING DREAM RECALL-Dreamwork 101

The biggest challenge facing every beginning dream worker is remembering our dreams. How can we improve dream recall?

REALIZE THAT DREAMING IS A NATURAL ABILITY
First off realize that it is a skill that we naturally have. Notice how easily children recall dreams and engage in them. As we age we are told to let go of childish things, unfortunately most of us live in a culture which would include dreams and dreaming in this category. So, dreaming is a natural state, one that we all experience many times every night. Dream recall, also a natural ability, is honed and perfected with practice.

ASSIGN DREAM RECALL AND RECORDING SOME IMPORTANCE

What will you GAIN from remembering your dreams? What is your motivation? How will this practice benefit you? Increased creativity, problem solving, fine tuning intuition, exploring lucid dreams, travelling to different realities, time travelling (past, present, future of our present life), travelling into past and future lives, fun, healing, entertainment, future spiritual gain - developing mindful awareness and mind training to help in times of challenge and transition when emotions may be high, pain intense and as a preparation for the dying process, to explore the nature of "reality", mend the past, set a nightmare right and reclaim personal power, to resolve and release recurring dreams, a form of self-study... these are and have been just some of my motivating factors. What are yours?

MAKE DREAM WORK AND RECORDING THEM A HABIT: Realize that you will have to dedicate some time EVERY DAY to dream working. Make it a habit, like brushing your teeth. How much time do you want to allot to dream work?

PREPARE YOURSELF: Set your alarm clock to go off anywhere from 15 to 60 minutes before your normal arising (this means you may have to go to bed earlier). Find an alarm clock with a soft sound. If it is too loud or "alarming" you will be woken up too abruptly, as will your bedmate. You want to become gently aware that you are rousing from sleep. Place a pen and a journal within easy reach (mine is in a basket under my bed. I simply roll over and reach down and have accessed it with very little disturbance). Some people like to use a recording device but I find the act of writing accesses the subconscious mind most effectively.

BEFORE YOU GO TO SLEEP SET AN INTENTION that, "I will remember AND record my dreams upon awakening." Repeat it mentally as you set your alarm reminding yourself that the alarm is to trigger you to recall and record your dreams.

MORE ON INTENTION: Sometimes our motivation and intention needs to be more enticing and fun than just, "I will remember AND record my dreams upon awakening." Set yourself a fun assignment i.e. I'm going to explore and relax on a beautiful, sandy beach and get some sun or I'm going to meet that great guy/girl that I saw yesterday. Make it interesting, something to look forward to; an adventure. As you drift off imagine your chosen scenario. When you awaken check. Did you go to the beach or meet the guy? If yes, you may find it easy to ask your dream self to tell me (your waking self) all the details.

THE ALARM CLOCK REMINDS YOU OF YOUR INTENTION not only to remember your dreams but to record them as well:

Many people open the door to dreams but don't do the follow through because of laziness it takes too much effort I'd rather go back to sleep for a few minutes more, or they hit the ground running as their mind gets flooded with other things that seem more important I've got to get going, got to do X and X and ..... 

Do not allow yourself to rush into your day! That's why you've set the alarm for an earlier time. Its ring or buzz is a reminder that you have set aside this 15, 30 or 60 minutes for dreamwork. It is also a signal to get your journal and pen which you placed within easy reach the night before.

USING THE ALARM CLOCK AS A TOOL TO DREAM RECALL AND RE-ENTRY - 3 different scenarios and the approaches I employ for each.
Note: Though I don't usually need 60 minutes for dream work I set aside that amount of time. 

1. The initial alarm goes off. I turn it off, grab my journal and pen and the dream virtually spills onto the page. I may or may not need to re-set the alarm clock to ring at the time I NEED to get up.

2. The initial alarm goes off. I grab my journal and pen. I know the dream is there but it's not willingly revealing itself to me. I leave my alarm on snooze (it goes off at 4 minute intervals) and draw it close to me so that if, during dream re-entry, I drift off I will be brought back to my intention to write my dreams. I have recaptured full dreams using this technique. They may have been from earlier that night or taken place during a 4 minute period (In dream time a lifetime can be lived in 4 minutes!) Once I'm well on my way to dream recording I effortlessly and without disturbance, re-set my clock for the time I NEED to be up. 

3. The initial alarm goes off. I grab my journal and pen. I sense nothing. I set my alarm for 15 minutes later and allow myself to go back to sleep "perhaps to dream". Upon awakening I either set my alarm for when I have to get up and begin recording what I've recalled or do the snooze technique. 

A NOTE REGARDING INTERRUPTING SLEEP - some people recommend setting the alarm to go off at specific intervals (timed to maximize contact with REM sleep) throughout the night to increase the likelihood of capturing a dream. Personally I don't like this interruption until the later hours of the morning when REM sleep is longer and more vivid, intervals between shorter, and the hypnogogic state (state between waking and sleeping; sleep and waking) more easily accessed. Recent research shows that our natural sleep cycle (and one that existed before the invention of the light bulb) is to sleep for about 6 hours, wake up for an hour or so and then go back to sleep for an hour or two more. This second sleep is rich in dream offerings and increases the likelihood of experiencing lucid dreams.

Others recommend recording a dream if it has woken you up during the night. Good advice! Either write in full, write a word, phrase or dream fragment that can serve as a doorway into fuller dream re-entry in the morning.

Still others, recommend drinking a glass of water before sleeping so that you will have to wake up to use the washroom in the middle of the night and perhaps recall a dream. As a Shiatsu Therapist I don't recommend this - it is unnatural, taxing to the bladder and kidneys and I believe, may be disturbing to the nervous system if done to excess. 

If you want to try the water technique, use it as a memory prompt. Have a glass of water by your bedside and drink a small sip before bed while repeating the suggestion, "I will remember and record my dreams upon awakening." Some people have found that upon awakening the act of drinking the water, even just reaching for the glass, triggers dream recall.

BODY POSITION DURING RECALL AND RECORDING:

Disturb yourself as little as possible. Lay in the position in which you awoke. If no dreams come or if you think there is more to be recovered, change into another sleep position and wait there. Record what comes. In changing positions I often gather more info and glean a new perspective from each position. I record with my free arm (it helps but isn't necessary to be ambidextrous).

WRITE IT DOWN:

The smallest, most insignificant "dreams" or waking thoughts can prove to be filled with information or be the vehicle to synchronic happenings during the day. If you've read any of my other entries on dreams, dream work, dream circle you know that dreaming constitutes more than just sleep dreams.

I GOT NOTHIN' - WRITE IT DOWN:

If you really have no dream to record WRITE DOWN, "No dreams recalled" this act, oddly enough, has spurred on many a dream recording.

What are you feeling, thinking, sensing? Write it down.

Tell yourself a story. Write it down.

DURING THE DAY:

Be open to the fact that your dream may spontaneously come to mind as you're engaged in daily activities. Take a moment to review, remember and write it down as soon as possible. 

TALK ABOUT DREAMS with: your family and/or friends who are open to this material.

READ ABOUT DREAMS - reading about dreams increases the likelihood of recall.

JOIN A DREAM GROUP - learn from the wisdom and experience of others. Being in the company of other dreamers inspires us to becoming more skilled in the art of dream navigation. In dream groups/circles we explore the many facets of dreams and dream-related states. There is also plenty of time for Q&A.

CONSULT A DREAM WORKER WHO KNOWS THAT THE DREAMER, AKA THE AUTHOR OF THE DREAM, HAS THE ABILITY TO UNCOVER AND DISCERN ITS WISDOM, who will help you develop facility with dream work. Challenging dreams such as nightmares, night terrors are not suitable for most dream groups/circles and are best explored one-on-one in private consultation with a dream worker.

I host a dream group at my place every second Wednesday of the month and at various locations in the Oakville, Burlington area.
I do one-on-one dream consultations and lead dream circles for individual and corporate groups.

I know nothing

nance thacker © 2012

On Sunday March 25th I facilitated a dream circle at De La Sol Yoga Studios in Hamilton. Curiosity brought nine participants with varying levels of experience in dream work/play to the circle.

I am always excited to share the technique of shamanic lucid dreaming, a wonderful way of dipping into the wisdom of soul, heart and our subconscious. Where will the journey will lead us?

In dreams anything is possible! We can sprout wings and fly like eagles or grow gills and swim like fish. Or sometimes seeking home can take us on a wild taxi ride, zipping through unmarked streets that seem more like sheet metal chutes than roads. This was how one woman's dream began. After describing her dream to us she permitted us to present lines of inquiry beginning with, "If it were my dream I would want to know..." following the lightning dreamwork process originated by Robert Moss.

We went around the circle expressing what, in her dream, aroused our curiosity. What we would want to explore in more depth.

One woman began, "If it were my dream... I'm not going to do it this way. Instead I'm going to tell you what I usually do. When I think about roads, it usually means..." Sensing a premature analysis of symbology coming down the road I stop her there.

A symbol can have totally different meanings for different people; context refines meaning. It's not that we don't employ the analytical mind; we just ask it to take a back seat until the subconscious has had time to play, reveal its wisdom and communicate using its own language. The meaning of symbols can be ascertained through observing how the "symbol" expresses itself and impacts on our dream and waking life experiences.

The best approach to take is the Zen-like attitude of the "I don't know" mind or empty mind. We don't want to replay what we already know. We want to discover what we don't consciously know.

"Let's not make the dream fit established confines about what symbols mean. That will only take us down a well worn path and bog us down as we try to make the parts fit our pre-conceived notion of how things work. It will suck the life out of the dream. Rather than telling the dream what it is trying to say wouldn't it be much more fun and interesting to let the dream speak for itself? All of our answers are contained and much more easily found within the dream world not out here."

She paused as she took in the new possibilities.

"The best way to do this is to gather intentions for dream re-entry. What would you like to know about the dream itself? What questions do you have for the road, the taxi driver, the policeman, even the rocks and the trees? You can ask them directly, embody them or receive information telepathically. In dreams you can have a discussion with anything that occurs even events themselves. You can walk around the dream and take a different vantage point. You can, through your intention, dream the dream forward or backward. Why did you choose one way of acting instead of another? What would have happened had you taken a different action?"

Like the other members of the group, she was quick to catch on and revised her question. This took her into a totally delightful and surprising course of events when we, fuelled by our curiosity, carried on the beat of the drum, re-entered the dream.

My intention for re-entry was to find out what would happen if I took the path instead of lay on the grass as the dreamer had done in the original version. She was content on the grass though she did wonder herself what would have happened had she journeyed on.

The "dreamer's" original dream (to the best of my recollection) is in regular text. My questions, the answers I received and further dream details are in coloured italics. Here it is...

I'm seeking home. I'm on a wild taxi ride, zipping through unmarked streets that seem more like sheet metal chutes than roads. My amiable, competent, reassuring, though seemingly misguided Middle Eastern cab driver takes me instead to a restaurant at the end of his line. He joins up with family here and I'm offered a meal and an invitation to the party that is in progress.
Q - Why were there no road signs? Why did you bring me here without asking for directions to where I wanted to go?
A - This is the route I always take. I shuttle people here on this direct line so there is no need for signs. You wanted to go home; this is the way. You can stay if you like. My day is done and I'll do the route again tomorrow as I always do and bring more people here. Now it's time for me to enjoy my home and celebrate the end of a day with my family and friends.
Realization - Due to work that I've done, I've been expedited to this place. And though the party looks fun and inviting...
I decline his offer as I'm curious about where I am and I want to see if anyone knows how I can get home.  I wander off into the street where a number of people are clustered around an imposing, authoritative police man in the garb of a motorcycle traffic cop. (Whereas in the "dreamer's" dream she saw a phone booth and tried to call someone without success, the phone booth doesn't appear in my version.) The officer is in control, answering their questions and giving each of them directions (by drawing routes and making notes on the road maps they hold before him) to help them along their way. I look beyond the group and see an overgrown path winding its way to the top of a hill.
Q - Where does this lead? I wonder to myself. 
A - The policeman glances up at just that moment. Noticing that I have seen the path, he waves me on giving me passage. I recognize that he is not only a traffic cop but a gatekeeper. Had others noticed the path they too would have been given permission to move on but instead they are being directed back to where they came. They won't be shuttled back but instead must find their own transportation — the way back is difficult and different for each of them.

Somewhere along the way in the original dream, the dreamer lay down in the beautiful lush grass.
My dream however, continues on...
I walk past the group wending my way through the dense overgrowth of lush greenery and long grasses following the barely detectible worn-thin, dirt path under my feet and emerge in a country setting atop the hill. The landscape is verdant and bursting with colour. An ocean-fresh, crisp, clean breeze caresses my cheeks. There is a classic, pristine farmhouse and barn at the end of a long driveway. I inhale long and deep; exhale with a sigh of relief. I know that all the potential I feel in this place will extend into my waking life. I feel free. I am HOME.


I turn to look to the vista beyond the cliffs towards the ocean. A translucent, luminous yin/yang symbol floats in the sky - one half overflows with green leaves, vines and flowers; the other is made of ice-cold brushed steel, nuts and bolts. Each half contains a dot of the other within. 
Q - What does this mean? 
A - The next part of my life (the green) is informed by all that has come before (the nuts and bolts). There is no conflict no need to reject any part of myself. In fact each informs the other and always has (the dot of the opposite in each). I need the balance of both.


I return refreshed and inspired and we begin to share our dreams. The "dreamer" is the last to tell the story of her re-entry. Experiences and images not contained in the original dream are echoed in many of our dream stories. Different courses of inquiry led to different actions and new realizations. Each dream has specific relevance to its "tracker" because the initial dream has become their own. Yet their versions may also prove to contain useful insight for the "dreamer"; only she will know if this is so.

Thanks to the "dreamer" for this rich and magical dream!

No dreams recalled

"No dreams recalled" is one of the most common statements you'll find at the beginning of my dream journal entries. What's odd is that it's usually followed by a dream entry.

On those mornings I typically wake up without a dream in memory. Note that I don't say, "No dreams last night" or "No dreams to record". The statement "No dreams recalled" acknowledges that I do have dreams I just haven't recalled or remembered them. Fact is that we all dream. We all dream every night.

Though I'm reluctant to write that I haven't captured a dream, something nags me to do so. Maybe it's because writing in my journal when I wake up has become a habit and though I'm generally not a person of habit this ritual is the exception. Maybe it's because the dream is just waiting under the surface and some small part of me feels its presence. Maybe it's because I've made a commitment to my dreams, promising that I'd pay attention to them, so that even recording their lack is paying attention.

Whatever the reason, the fact is that 9 times out of 10 once I've finished declaring my lack of awareness they come spilling onto the page. And as I "feel" it/them out with pen in hand I'm instantly transported back into the feeling of the dream(s) complete with all the details that I need.

This has me realizing how quick we are to declare that we don't dream. In fact a few years ago, when I manned a "TALK TO A DREAMWORKER" booth at a local New Age shop for their Wellness Fare, the people that recounted the most incredible dreams were the ones who'd walk by me dismissively declaring, "I don't dream." or "I don't remember my dreams." Sure enough somehow they'd sheepishly make their way back to my table and sit across from me.

"I don't remember my dreams but..." they'd lean in closer, look this way and that to make sure no one else was listening and in a whisper continue, "there was this ONE dream..." As if testing the waters, a fragment of a dream would be revealed. When they realized that they were talking to a non-judgemental, genuinely interested and receptive audience, with a sense of relief the dream would unfold in great detail. Often these individuals had a long history of dream experiences which for some reason got stashed away but remained just under the surface waiting to reveal their stories and their wisdom.

Our culture has lost connection to dreaming. As a result we as individuals suffer as does our culture.
We lose:

• our natural ability to heal body, mind and spirit in an easy manner
• contact with creative resources and innovative ideas
• experiential knowing that death is a natural part of life
• a "movie" night out in which we are the creator, director and star in far flung adventures

and so much more...

So, if you have problems with dream recall. Don't be embarrassed, just write down "no dreams recalled". Sometimes we just need to coax them out into our mind and onto the page.

And for more help with recall and all things dreaming...
come join me at our monthly Dreamcircle (for further info click on: workshops, dream workshops, monthly dreamcircle) at Akasha's Den Wed night Feb 15 from 7 - 9pm and learn more about dreams and dreaming. Join us in bringing the dreaming back. Novice and experienced dreamers welcome. No personal information needs to be shared. Come ready to share a dream or just to take in the healing energy of the dreamcircle.

DREAM CIRCLE come & play

I'm very excited to be leading another DREAM CIRCLE at AKASHA'S DEN in Oakville on Wed. June 1st at 7pm.

If I had any doubts that we are all connected they were blown away during last month's Circle. After a brief discussion on dreams in general, the DREAMER shared her dream and answered questions directly related to it. As we listened our imaginations carried us to the portal of dream re-entry. Then, carried on the beat of the drum, participants became trackers and, along with the dreamer, re-entered the dream in search of answers to questions it had inspired. After emerging from her dream, we recorded and then shared our dreams of hers.

On this particular night, the light shone bright on the dreamer's journey as imagery, pathways travelled and themes, repeated themselves in the dreams of the trackers. After the spin-off dreams were shared the Dreamer talked about the backstory which fuelled that particular dream. Unlike psychotherapeutic, analytical methods of dreamwork, for this approach, it is not desirable for the trackers to know the context of the dream before their journey for we want to travel into the subconscious mind unfettered by the logical, orderly, limits of the conscious mind. We are not trying to "figure" anything out nor seeking to "interpret" the dream. Through dream re-entry we actually journey into a shared state of being and emerge with wisdom and insight that is fresh and alive.

The DREAMER as author and muse is the expert on the dreams s/he receives from their own journey and that of the trackers. Meanwhile the trackers in re-dreaming benefit from the wisdom that emerges from this shared experience.

I was first introduced to this wonderfully, shamanic, modern approach to dreamwork through the books of  Robert Moss. For years I played with his method and a few summers back I had the good fortune to participate in workshops lead by long-time student of his, Ruth Lewis.

In my one-on-one sessions I build upon the Moss' Lightning Dreamwork process: utilizing hypnosis techniques to enhance dream recall; drawing from years of refined study with Swami Radha, Richard Reeves and Victoria dream groups; exploring symbology and mythology as a student of art and art history at MacMaster University.

My life has been strongly influenced by my dreams. They have inspired/driven many of my major life decisions. They add a spice to life. Their presence assures me that there is something more going on underneath the surface of my life adding a depth, richness and magical quality to this earthly experience.

In dreaming I am waking up to the fullness of life.

So, fellow intrepid dreamers (novice or experienced) come join us for the DREAM CIRCLE on June 1st at 7pm at AKASHA'S DEN in Oakville and experience it for yourself.

You may be interested in these other entries about Dreams.
DREAMS AS ALLIES
THE MEANING OF LIFE
NOT NOT KNOT