Dream Figures Can Be Your Friends

I just returned from participating in two dream workshops at the Pacifica Graduate Institute in Southern California. The seminars were incredibly intense and rewarding. In addition to using classical dream-work methods drawn from Freud and Jung, we learned the ancient art of “tending” the dream which involves visualizing dream animals and images as alive and speaking for themselves.

This is much like our Native American belief in the totem animals who give their strength, endurance and other qualities to the dreamer. When we can learn to speak and listen to these dream figures and experience them speaking and listening to us, they become our friends. Through this friendship our childlike wonder is restored and the world becomes magical once again.

As this approach to dream work is adopted, it becomes nearly impossible to view the Earth and her creatures as man’s possessions to be used and abused at will. As we come into relationship with these images, whether it be a tree, a rock or a bear, we come into relationship with all trees, all rocks and all bears. We then value them as partners on the planet. By honoring their presence in our dreams and in our lives, we discover how we can, in a collective way, shape the future attitudes of humankind and the destiny of our planet.

Dear Nancy: I am an MBA stuck in a low-paying, highpressure, dead-end job that I would love to quit. All my loved ones are advising me not to quit this job until I’ve found another. I’m so unhappy that getting out is all I think about. I read about dream incubation in one of your articles and I asked for a dream to give me advice. This is the dream I received - Anne.

My fiance and I are taking a boat trip on a nearby lake. The water is calm and it’s a beautiful sunny day. All of a sudden, the wind kicks up and a huge wave knocks the boat up into the air. We know that the boat is about to tip over. We embrace and say, “I love you and I’ll see you when this is all over.” The boat capsizes and I am underwater feeling as if I’m caught in an undertow. I struggle and when I come to the surface the water is calm again. I see a life raft and climb aboard. I see my fiance swimming toward me and he hasn’t even lost his baseball cap in the crash! He stops swimming and stands up to wade to me. I realize this whole thing has occurred in about four feet of water and I feel silly for being so frightened.

Dear Anne: I am so glad to see you using the dream “incubation” method as a tool to resolve problems in your life. You can mentally weigh the options and listen to your advisers, but when you ask your inner self for guidance and receive an answer that feels so clear and right, you know deeply the right course of action.

This dream seems to be telling you that quitting your job may cause quite an upheaval in your life. It may feel like you’re drowning, and since water can symbolize the emotions, the storm may be your fear around this issue. Your fears and questions, like “What will happen if I quit? Will our boat capsize? Will we die?” are answered when the storm is over and you find yourself in shallow water with a life raft available. Your fiance hasn’t even lost his hat, so you are both unscathed, with your relationship intact. You realize, in the dream, that your fears were out of proportion to the situation and you feel a little silly.

This dream seems to be such a positive message to guide you out of your uncomfortable situation. It also sounds like your marriage will be off to a good start with your fiance supporting you in this move. I wish you the best, Anne.

xxxx