Threading Dream Metaphors into Life

Katharine Donovan Kane
Jun 21
3 min read

Beams of sun after rainstorm. — Morning After Rainstorm

As a woman somewhere in mid-life, personal and family upheavals may have you feeling physically exhausted and cut off from your intuition and creativity. It may be time to reduce the overwhelm and restore balance and wellbeing.

Threading, suturing, and weaving are all metaphors for how we knit together our inner spirit with our unique expression. Patanjali’s sutras implore us to listen to dreams as a way to tap into our inner wisdom. “Inquiry into dreams and sleep and our experience during or around these states can help to clarify.” (1.38)

How do YOUR dreams appear? Are you a person who remembers their night dreams. And, if you answered no, don’t stop there.

Are you a person who has waking dreams or visions. You may receive insights and intuitive sensations from your body. Maybe you get lost in meditative moments while walking in nature or taking photos or other creative works of art. Are you like me and stare at the ocean only to “wake up” suddenly when hearing a crash of a wave to realize that you were experiencing wonderment?

All of this, yes, all of this qualifies as dreams. It may be I didn’t mention the way that YOU connect with the ground of your being. So, what is it? What is your way of dreaming into being?

Here’s the thing. Even more important than how we dream is appreciating our type of dreaming. We need to hold fast to our dreams when and however they come!

Hold Fast to Dreams

Langston Hughes agrees that holding on to our dreams and metaphors which life has presented to us is essential. His poem Dreams implores us to…

Hold fast to dreams

For if dreams die

Life is a broken-winged bird

That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams

For when dreams go

Life is a barren field

Frozen with snow.

You can clarify and build deeper trust and connection to your insights by exploring your dreams in a safe, caring way.

Dream exploration may bring up a vulnerability. Dreamwork can be a welcomed curiosity, but for some it may expose a fear of some kind. Even with initial interest there can be hesitation due to time constraints, fear of group dynamics, or misgivings about your own style of dreaming.

It's very easy to imagine ourselves standing at the cusp of joining. Your heart is pounding as you step into a Dream Circle unsure if you dare share your dreams. Remember though, as the group opens up, you will feel a wave of belonging and realize that it’s the right place to be.

One Circle participant relayed to me that, “Initially I worried about having the confidence to contribute my dreams in Circle. Instead, I felt supported by a loving, intelligent, and creative community.”

Dreams Passing into Reality

Anaïs Nin tells us, “Dreams pass into the reality of action. From the actions stems the dream again; and this interdependence produces the highest form of living.”

She goes on to say, “it takes courage to push yourself to places you have never been before... to test your limits... to break through barriers.”

It’s a risk to search out our shadows. That is why my process of dream exploration is like a meditation – calmly building the intuitive subtle body. We don’t get lost analyzing with our thinking mind. Instead, we listen to others and then let the dream resonate with our own experiences. The process prepares your body, mind and spirit to illuminate your insights and trust your inner knowledge.

Patanjali specifically encourages the exploration of dreams as key to learning more about yourself. And a critical barometer to understanding messages from the dreamscape is what you’re experiencing in the body.

Calming Exploration

Dream exploration individually or in Dream Circles can be life changing, awe-inspiring and brings synchronicities into focus. It’s all about learning to understand the dream’s language of metaphor and symbol and how this might inform your current life.

My process is a safe, calming experience. With dream exploration, especially in small group Circles, you learn to trust by watching others build their own self confidence. It’s like a soul’s homecoming.

I say all the time… deepen your wisdom with dreams. It’s my mantra. Your inner wisdom appears as colorful weaving threads given to you in the dreamscape. Exploring dreams is all about observing these messages and then integrating them into life’s tapestry.

Reconnect to your inner alchemy. Your dreams are worth it. You are worth it. Join us.