Dreams:
Dreamworking: Part 1
by Christopher Penczak
(Originally appearing in The Second Road)
Dreams are the stuff of legends and magic. They are windows to new and exciting realms. Dreams are not make believe, but other realms of consciousness. The realm of dreams is as real as the waking world, only different. Each serves an important role in spiritual development. Those who recognize the importance of the dream world can bring its lessons into their everyday life. Awareness of these different realms brings illumination in every part of your life. Those who use this sleep time wisely, for rejuvenation and growth, are dream workers.
The transition between waking and sleeping is like the transition between living and dying. Each is a shift in consciousness. Sleep is transitory, with a new rebirth each morning. For those who believe in reincarnation, death is also transitory, but takes a little longer to process. The way you enter the dream realm is the way you will enter the spirit world. Start your dream work by cultivating a friendly relationship to sleep.
I have always had a difficult relationship with sleep. When little, I would stay up worrying about my problems, my family and the world. I would worry about school, homework and friends. I used to believe I didn't sleep, because I didn't remember it. It's not uncommon. Many people never remember dreams, but everybody has them. We all enter REM sleep and dream. As I grew up, I stopped worrying, but I would think. Nothing important came up, only ideas, stories and visuals. I would plan ahead for my life, from three weeks to three years. I did not live in the moment. Only later did I realize that my ego didn't like sleep, because the ego usually stops during sleep. The ego sees sleep as a little death, and it rather remain alive and awake, so it kept me occupied with whatever interested me. Until I started to seriously do dream work, I let it. Now I realize there is a lot on the other side to entertain and educate me. Dream work isn't all work. It can be a lot of fun and a restful playtime.
Start with your nighttime rituals. How do you go to bed? What do you do in the hours before bed? These habits are important. If you watch TV, read or listen to loud music, you may be over stimulating your system. Sleep is more difficult. Try to do nothing stimulating an hour or so before you bed time. Listen to gentle, relaxing music. Write in your journal to release any stress from the day. Let it out with the pen. Meditate. Do light yoga or stretching exercises. Don't eat or drink any caffeine.
Keep a notebook and a pencil by the bed. The dream journal was the first step in my own nightly adventure. I would not prepare for bed very well, but I had paper and pencil ready in the morning to write out my nightly adventures. Pencils can work better than pens, since pens can stick and not flow right away. Some people use crayon since it flows the best. Find a tool comfortable for you.
When you awake, write down what you can remember of the dream. Sometimes a few phrases will bring it back to you, but write as much as you are capable in the twilight state between waking and sleeping. Sometimes a word will bring me back to the dream when I read it. Other times, I can read a paragraph and have no idea what I meant. The handwriting may be completely illegible. The more you practice, the better you will get.
Approach bedtime like a ritual. Say a simple intention or prayer, thanking the powers that be for the day. Ask for a pleasant night sleep and good day tomorrow. Program your dreams though intention. Start by telling yourself, "I will remember my dream upon waking," three times. Once you start remembering your dreams, program them with intentions. Ask for guidance with current problems. Your subconscious, or lower self, connects with your super conscious or highest self, to guide you and solve problems. Dreams are one way to bring this guidance into the physical. But the aid only helps if you remember it upon waking. Ask for the solution to your personality conflict at work. Ask for an idea for your term paper. Ask for clarity on how to deal with your family. All are valid questions. Programmed dreams to not have to be about a specific problem or crisis. They are fun too. Program your dreams to travel to Hawaii, the Moon or the center of the Earth. Fulfill your fantasies. Dreams are the ultimate virtual reality. Mystical traditions say what you are thinking of right before you fall asleep or die determines where you will end up.
Simple meditation techniques can be used to lull the over excited into sleep. Relax your body, starting at the top of your head. Imagine waves of relaxation flowing over your body, down to the toes. Count backwards to enter a deeper meditative state. I usually count from twelve to one, but on those insomniac nights, I have been known to start at one hundred.
The dream circle is another technique I learned, used to clear out the subconscious from the trials and tribulations of the waking day. While lying in bed, think of the last thing you did. Then go backward through your day, noting all your actions, conversations and thoughts throughout the day. Circle back to waking that morning. You will not remember everything or have it in exact order, but do your best before you fall asleep. Some people find this technique very helpful. Other people, like myself, get more restless. Experiment and find what works for you. If successful with the dream circle, your dreams will not be filled with things from your day, but go deeper.
The hardest part of dream work is the interpretation. Your subconscious wraps the experiences in it's own personal language. Dream experiences cannot be directly understood, so the subconscious uses symbols to get the message across. Symbols are something that stands for something else. Dream dictionaries are useful for some, but I think each dream needs to be interpreted on its own. Some symbols generally apply to many people, but every individual has a unique slant to the system of symbols. But discovering and understanding your own symbols, you start to explore your own consciousness. Discussing dreams with friends and family members, those who know you well, can help greatly. Look over your dream journal for the last few weeks and pick out patterns. Do you dream of primarily woman or men? Are you in control, having fun or on the run? One dream alone may not be significant, but it can mark a larger pattern. Dreams of falling can mean loss of control while dreams of flying is freedom. Freud said flying dreams are sexual. If so, then what do dreams about sex mean? Look for the meanings that resonate with you personally, because sometime a cigar is just a cigar.
Dreamworking, Part 2
by Christopher Penczak
In Dream Work, Part 1, we discussed how to prepare for dream work, simple training techniques and interpretation. You can talk endlessly about the subject, but until you start recording your own dream and work with the medium, you will never understand it. Once you gain comfort with the more traditional tools, you can look to the more magical world of dreams.
Certain objects work well with our dreams. Herbal teas can help you unwind and easily enter the dream state, especially when they are prepared with the intention to bring magical dreams. Chamomile is a gentle sleep tea. Valerian brings deep sleep, acting as a sedative. Skullcap stimulates the actual dreaming state and memory. Try each or combinations of the herbs an hour or two before bed. Lavender oil applied to the temples is soothing. Mugwort oil brings magical dreams too.
Create a sacred altar space where you keep your dream journal, on a nightstand, or even under your bed. Herkimer diamonds, tiny double terminated quartz crystals, aid in astral projection and dream journeys. Dream catchers from the Native American tradition are popular. These web like nets are hung above the bed to catch bad dreams, granting you only pleasant dreams.
In the Voodoo traditions, dream bowls were kept under the bed. Fill a glass or crystal bowl with water. Pour a few drops of brandy or anisette in it and keep under the bed. Clear out anything under the bed. If you keep old pictures, letters, drawings or anything else you are literally burying in your subconscious, remove it from the bed. Keep only the bowl there. When you have trouble sleeping, add valerian root directly to the spirit bowl. If you have a bad dream, pour the water down the sink or toilet. Change the water every few weeks. Protection symbols are also popular near the bed. Crosses, pentagrams, stars of David and runes lend their protective properties to you while in the dream state.
Dreams are not only contact from your highest aspect, but magical realities. When you are in magical realities, past, present and future are just vague concepts. The potential futures are revealed to some through prophetic dreams. South American shamans call them "Big Dreams" since the dreamer knows they are different from ordinary dreams. There is a strong message.
These big dreams usually forewarn of some tragedy. I know a woman whose deceased relatives visit her in dreams to tell her about the next person in the family who will die. Some things are unavoidable, but most bad dream like this, of accidents, injuries and arguments can be prevented. The knowledge is a definite aid, but taking a cue from the shamans again, you can act things out on a smaller scale. Play pretend, and act out the accident, as best as your remember. This diffuses the energy from actually manifesting as a physical accident. My family has done this many times to banish premonitions of car accidents. The view you can change your future is empowering, rather than adopting a fatalistic attitude. We all are responsible for our own reality.
Lucid dreaming is the act of being conscious while in a dream state. You do not physically wake up, but mentally you awake and realize you are in a dream. Usually something jars you in the dream to remember it is only a dream. Once in a lucid state, you can control your dream more effectively. Reality will obey your whim and the dream will take a direction you want. If you have a nightmare, the ability to lucid dream comes in quite handy. You can turn your deepest fears into happy little bunnies and start a petting zoo with them. Lucid dreaming is only bound by your imagination. To attain a lucid dream, start with the intention. Pick something odd you would never usually dream about, like a purple tree. Tell yourself you will see it, in this case a purple tree, and when you do, you will remember this is a dream. Once you remember, you will keep control of the dream.
From my experience, there tends to be two types of dreams, dreams tending to be in your own private universe, your own subconscious, and dreams venturing out into the collective play ground where many people meet. Those private dreams might be no more than our own private perception of them. They can be confusing because they are rich with personal symbolism.
Journeying dreams have a different quality. You are having an exchange with another being. It can be someone you know physically, or a spirit. This shared dream space can be the astral plane, the collective unconscious or any other non-physical group reality. Aboriginal holy men work with the Dreamtime, another name for this collective space. Journey dreams are akin to the shamanic journey of medicine men and trances of witches. If your intention is to program your dream to go on a journey, visualize a doorway before you fall asleep. This door is the gate of dreams, opening up to this same space. Visualize yourself stepping through the gate. This will bring your journey dreams. You may be having them already.
Journey dreams can bring you together with other people you know. If in a coven or spiritual group, pick a night to dream together. Before going to sleep, everyone should program their dreams to meet up with each other in this shared space. The next day, compare notes on your dream and see how many common themes come up. If one person is a good lucid dreamer, he or she can lead the dream and create a story for the group. Astral temples are created as a common ground and place of power for the group. Such a group of closely connected people, or family members can each dream chapters in the same story, doing serial dreaming. Dream journeys can bring you together with spirit guides and allies. I have had many dreams where I write down "we" and "us" but do not remember who I was with. I think I was with my spirit allies. I remember bits and pieces of classrooms and tours of magical worlds. I think they are giving me a fun, nightly education when needed.
The world of dreams is exciting, filled with wonder, lessons and inspiration. Since we spend a good portion of our lives in the dream state, learn to enjoy it. Learn to claim dream time as your own personal time and bring those experiences back with you.