Early Monastic Practices Reflected in Contemporary Dream Exploration
“See with the sight of imagination…” Ignatius of Loyola (SE 47)
St. Ignatius of Loyola was a 15th century mystic. He developed a spirituality and related practices that focused on using the imagination as well as our sensory capacities in order to understand deeper meanings of the divine.
When we speak of contemporary modalities for exploring dreams, terminology like “entering the imaginal” or “exploring the dreamscape” may seem novel to some or perhaps a bit edgy. I say this because a few years ago, someone said to me that my work with intuitive energy and dreams may not find a good home in Christian organizations, particularly the Catholic community. Surprised, I asked why this would be. Working with dreams is steeped in ancient history. Is the bible not filled with people who had visions or dreams which dramatically effected the current of their lives?
Furthermore, there are spiritual practices in Christian monastic traditions that reach back to the first centuries. These are rituals and beliefs that would have directly influenced St. Ignatius when he was putting his ideas together one thousand years later. During the early church time period, sages (both women and men) traveled from Alexandria to Constantinople espousing their understanding of the new religion’s teachings.
It’s also a time when women and men entered the safety and stillness of the desert to contemplate a different life. In places like Turkey, Syria, and Egypt desert mothers and desert fathers – Ammas and Abbas – developed ways of being, ways of praying, ways of living. One of the oldest desert monastic practices was eventually incorporated into the teachings of newly developing religious communities. This practice of contemplation became known as lectio divina or divine reading. The current resurgence of lectio divina is appearing in the form of poem divina, visio divina, or even dream divina.
Why does this matter
What got me started down this road? Yes, a graduate degree in spirituality and subsequent monastic experiences have previously introduced me to the practice of lectio divina and to Ignatian spirituality. But it was only after years of offering dream exploration to clients that I realized my methodology closely resembled the Ignatian contemplative process of “seeing with the imagination.”
What expanded my awareness further is the realization that my current work is also heavily influenced by female mystics such as St. Hildegard von Bingen. Not to mention the ancient Desert Ammas. Four hundred years before Ignatius’ time the multi-talented and creative manifestor Hildegard wrote about divine flow. She called it viriditas “living power of light” in all creation. Again, today, many of us speak about flow, energy flow, subtle energy, or what’s now known as the biofield.
“The Soul is the greening life force… The soul humidifies the body so it does not dry out, just like the rain which soaks into the earth.” — St. Hildegard of Bingen
When I researched the roots of various contemporary dream methodologies, I noticed very quickly it began to sound like descriptions of the feminine archetype. The creative nature of the dream exploration process speaks of intuition, wisdom, insight, and nurturing the sensual.
Embedded Spirituality in Dreamwork
Our ancestors knew the alchemy of changing the raw material of our night dreams and waking visions into precious substances. And, yes, the roots of dream exploration practices runs deep across many cultures.
I’d like to underscore that while St. Ignatius was decidedly Christian he was heavily influenced by the various cultural and religious societies that surrounded the region where he lived. The spirituality born out of the desert comes from the many…as I believe is true of the work I do today.
But what is it about Ignatian spirituality that is reflected in contemporary dream exploration?
In the modern evolution of Ignatian spirituality there’s a rhythm of four. With each reading of whatever sacred story is being shared (or contemplated), you are encouraged to engage the senses; noticing with your inner eye. “See with the imagination…”
How are you visualizing the story-scape?
What are the sights, the sounds, the aromas, the sensations of the narrative as you experienced it.
Meditatively embedding yourself in the story helps to bring it alive internally and externally. Imagine yourself as the observer, a bystander, or one of the characters. What are you experiencing?
Stories are meant to be heard multiple times. In this method it’s helpful to discover what or who you would meditatively dialog with about your experience.
In my process of Dream Circle we settle ourselves with breathing and the guided meditation of poetry. This helps to get us ready to enter the imaginal space of the dream. It also heightens our senses to deep listen.
The first telling of the dream we “just” listen. With eyes closed or lowered we relax our thinking minds in order to experience the dreamscape as it is, not as we think it is. This is also a good time to observe the Dream Self…who is the self in the dream that is experiencing the dream.
The second telling we listen with “heart mind.” With calm awareness we welcome the flow of the present moment. Here we notice our own sensory perceptions of the dream, including the energy in the dream. Are there any sounds that the dream is making for us? Is there a dream figure or object that stands out?
The third telling we practice looking again at the dream with our peripheral vision and notice what may be stepping forward now more clearly. Is there someone or something that we’d like to invite to join us? To stand with us as we experience the dream a third time, such as a soul companion.
This final step in the process we speak of the wisdom that we experienced in this dream story – for ourselves, not for the dreamer. What image emerged for us? What were one or two moments that we felt our hearts expand as we listened deeply? What came up as we interacted or dialogued with a companion figure or other entity in the dream?
It’s clear that working with dreams is a thread connecting us to our various ancestors. While we don’t strive to duplicate their spirituality which was formed from their own experiences, we do uphold a connection. We offer gratitude for them and for the truth that they brought into the world.
Finally, here’s a bit of wisdom that comes directly to us from nearly one thousand years ago and feels very appropriate for us today… ”Dare to declare who you are. It is not far from the shores of silence to the boundaries of speech. The path is not long, but the way is deep. You must not only walk there; you must be prepared to leap.” ― Hildegard von Bingen
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