Dreamwork

I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. 

Joel 2:28 restated in Acts 2:17

A dream that is not interpreted is a letter that is not read.

Talmud

Dreams come from the depth of the soul, a conversation with God and a means of divine revelation 

Clement I, Bishop of Alexandria, Egypt

We have forgotten the age-old fact that God speaks chiefly through dreams and visions.  

Carl Jung

Dreams, visions, and interpretations are part of every culture on earth. Dream research brings together many different disciplines, science, medicine, psychology, philosophy, religion, and anthropology to name just a few. 

The Bible records dreams in both the Hebrew (Old Testament) and Greek New Testament. Early Christian leaders believed dreams were an important vehicle for divine revelation. This continued through to the Reformation, when church leaders became more suspicious of dreams and discussion of dreams dropped from Christian writing and reflection. 

Sigmund Freud’s book “Interpretation of Dreams” put dreams back on the map, especially for psychiatry and psychology, but also consigned them to repression, particularly around sexuality. Carl Jung took up dreams and expanded understanding as a communication from the unconscious, created by the Dreammaker (who he associates with God) for healing. In this, Jung stands firmly within Jewish and Christian traditions.

In the early 1950s, researchers at the University of Chicago discovered and named the phenomenon of rapid eye movement (REM) during sleep and determined it was associated with dreams. Dreams were first limited to humans but quickly extended to mammals. Many dog owners have watched their dogs in the midst of dreams. Development of MRI and other tools for “real-time” brain research has found evidence of dream states in birds, fish, lizards, and even insects!!  

My studies for spiritual direction have included basic dreamwork with both individuals and groups. Beginning this Sunday, I will be sharing some of what I have learned through a multi-session course on Dreamwork. I am not an expert, but a fellow traveler on this journey. The course will look at some of the history around dreams, explore dreams in the Bible, and offer tools for working with our own dreams to better understand ourselves and listen more deeply to God.

All are welcome.

Nancy+