In The Secret History of Dreaming, author Robert Moss states that Jesuit missionaries described how some Native American tribes would begin their day by meeting as a community to discuss important dreams had by members the night before. Members of the community accepted that dreams provided vital information that served as useful guidance for the community. Today, it seems that most people have forgotten that dreams serve as a valuable tool that provides understanding of ourselves and our relationship with the universe. As I have moved through my dream quest I have found myself wishing that I lived in a community of Iroquois like-minded people who I could talk to about the significance of my dreams. However, when I bring the subject up with most people I know I can see that people become uncomfortable and would prefer that I change the subject. I have realized that their attitudes reflect my own feelings prior to working through the dream quest exercise. Oh, what a difference four weeks make.
In his book, Moss shows how dreams have influenced people, and history, over time. Samuel Clemens, (Mark Twain), had a premonition of his brother Henry’s death in a dream. Like Samuel, I too, have had a premonition from one of my dreams. I dreamt that my mother was scared and crying because she was in an unsafe situation, and in the dream even though I was frustrated with her, I saved her from the dangerous situation. Within two weeks of having the dream, my mother told me that she felt very unsafe in her living conditions and I asked that I help her. As a result, I brought her to live with me for a few weeks until I could arrange for her to move to a safe, clean, assisted living facility.
I found the story of Wolfgang Pauli in Moss’ book fascinating. Moss describes Pauli as a brilliant, but conflicted man, who had trouble with women. Pauli used his dreams as a source of inspiration. In my past during a period of extreme internalized conflict I triggered poltergeists. I can believe that someone who is experiencing intense emotion can send out vibrations that break glassware such as Pauli. I felt sorry for him.
The Secret History of Dreaming caused me to look at the different ways that dreams can serve us. They can be the source of inspiration, offer us a warning or guidance as a premonition, and they can reveal the secrets of our souls and expose our truer selves.
My methodology for my dream quest began with the collection of dreams. I placed a dream journal and pen in the bed with me so that I could jot down my dreams when I would awake from one. I selected a pen that allows you to write upside down so I would have to struggle to make the ink come out. After a week of dream collecting I began the work of analyzing and deciphering them. Even though at times I became impatient and wanted to speed over steps I realized that each step built on the work of the previous step and it was best to follow the process. For the first few weeks I felt that I was struggling with the process because the results I was getting didn’t feel true to me. Finally, in about week three I had acquired enough knowledge about my own dream symbols to more fully interpret my dreams. The creation of a novel symbol opened the door and was an “aha moment” for me.
I began the dream quest believing that I was concerned about a particular personal situation, but by following my daily contract and recording and studying my dreams, I realized that I was thinking too narrowly and that my dreams were trying to reveal a much bigger picture to myself. I have had several insights along the way including the realization that dreams do present themselves in thematic clusters that relate to situations that I was experiencing. Also, it is extremely important to write down dreams as soon as possible. I don’t remember having, or even writing down, half of the dreams in my dream journal. This has proven to be an extremely useful tool to my understanding of my personal dream process. Finally, it was important for me to let go of any conclusions I had arrived at early in the process to make room for better interpretations and understandings that came later in the process.
The personal insight I have gained from my dream quest revolves around my transformation to my truer self, one that devotes energy in a more positive way rather than protecting my ego. Doing this is helping to break down barriers between me and others, however, old habits die hard and it will require continual practice.