The Shared Dream, allowing different points of view

Birds herald spring in pond and woods nearby

Having the opportunity to share in a safe, relaxed setting offers unique perspectives on a dream given to us in the nightscape or in a waking vision. But first, before a different point of view can be seen or heard, we need to know where we stand – we need to ground ourselves prior to the dream telling. That is, it’s helpful to have an idea of our own closely held beliefs, to have an understanding of some of the emotions we attach to those thoughts, and importantly what is our energy in the present moment.

In dream circles we share dreams. Before we get started, though, we spend time with each other asking how we are doing. What is the energy you bring to the Circle. We don’t rush through this initial, essential step.

We breath as we settle into our seats, wiggle around until our bodies find a resting place. Our intentional breathing helps what we are carrying inside our bodies to feel acknowledged and comforted.

With a better appreciation of the energy that we’re currently holding, and where it’s settling in our bodies, our intuitive senses are heightened. Now we are better able to listen deeply to what is about to be shared.

By centering this way, we are more likely to discern if our own energy is speaking to us when we are listening, or if we are picking up something else entirely from the dreamer’s dream.

The Listener’s Point of View

The dreamer offers a dream by sharing their experience of the dreamscape, as we listeners carefully hold their story. Hopefully, if we’ve spent time grounding in the present moment, we recognize the spark of our own experience of the dream. With this perspective we understand that we are receiving our own version of the dream, not endeavoring to figure out or interpret any message for the dreamer.

Sharing reflections with the gathered Circle broadens our vision of what we are able to notice from the dream. Conceding to the energies in and around us the Dream Circle taps into a common wisdom that profoundly impacts the participants.

With this in mind, Dream Circles are wonderful opportunities for those who are having trouble remembering their own dreams. Because the dreamer is letting us borrow a dream that in turn impacts our inner wisdom.

The Dream’s Perspective

So far, we’ve talked about the dreamer’s experience (as they understand it) as well as our own experience when listening to a share dream. There is a third perspective. What if the dream itself has something to share…beyond our assumptions arising from the ego.

James Hillman, founder of Archetypal Psychology, says of dreams, “ As long as we approach the dream to exploit it for our consciousness, to gain information from it, we are turning its workings into the economics of work.” He goes on to say that “dreams are not messages to be decoded; they are experiences in their own right.” In this way his understanding of dream-work is that it’s a form of soul work. It’s more the work of creativity and the joy of the imagination than it belongs to the analytical.

Scholars of Hillman’s work describe his meaning to be that dreams are not just information to help translate waking life. Dreams present living images which carry their own emotional, symbolic, and archetypal significance. He says, “living images in dreams are thus soul-voices, guardians, and guides emerging from within, steering us like an inner guardian angel.”

What This Means For Dream Exploration

Dreams are a portal to deeper understanding. We may feel that it’s appropriate, indeed more helpful, to analyze our dreams to enrich our waking life. Or we may find it essential to approach dreams as an expression of the collective unconscious – again, to help us better understand what’s happening around us. Further, we may want to experience dreams as having an intelligence of their own. In this realm of dream exploration, we find ourselves a part of a dreamscape, not the central character but a part of a whole picture that is trying to emerge into knowing.

What’s Happening in April

Join the free monthly Dream Conversation – on Saturday, April 11 at 05:00 pm ET (US/Canada). For one hour each month I will offer thoughts on various dream topics. In April we’ll talk about…Exploring a challenging dream. I’ll suggest ideas on how to go deeper into your dream exploration and then I’ll open the zoom call to everyone for a conversation.

Click here for more information on dates and cost. Or, if you’re ready to register for the Dream Conversation click here.