Guest Blogger Tami Cartwright - Dreams

 

Dreams: Have we neglected the single most valuable resource for combating the problems of our times?

 

The notion that we must “be the change we want to see in the world” (Ghandi) has been said a thousand times, in a thousand ways over a thousand years. This is a hard concept to grasp in a world where we are accustomed to blaming something or someone for the things that happen in our life. If we believe we are responsible for change, then why do we continue to expect governments, corporations, or others to solve our life’s problems? At the roots of the statement “we must be the change we want to see in the world” we can derive the meaning that we need to work on our own crap. When we work on ourselves, it impacts the people in our lives through our sphere of influence; and this ripples outward in the world. When we work on ourselves, we clear the clutter and can contribute from our highest potential. When enough people work on themselves, this has a compounding effect which creates cultural and societal changes. Of course, the opposite is true as well.

 

Psychologists nearly unanimously agree that our unconscious is driving us unknowingly and is at the root of many of our life’s problematic actions and behaviours. Consciousness is everything that we are aware of; and the unconscious is everything that we are unaware of. Swiss psychologist Carl Jung is a world-renowned teacher of the unconscious. One analogy describing his views about how powerful the unconscious is that of an iceberg, where 90% is below the surface of the ocean (unconscious) and 10% above (conscious). If 90% of what’s driving our actions and behaviours is unconscious, doesn’t this seem like an astounding opportunity?

 

This is where dreams come in. Science has proven that everyone dreams, every night, but there is little scientific understanding as to why. Jung worked with dreams extensively in his form of psychoanalytic therapy and he isn’t alone. Many well-respected psychologists including Freud saw dreams as a key information source for advancing our well-being. Dreams come from the unconscious. They are a dialogue between the ego and the Self, using both a symbolic language; which has meaning on both a personal and collective level.

The Self is referring to that inner guide/wise person, which some might call the soul or other’s might even see it as god or the god-self (sorry, to use the “g” word). One has to believe in such things to follow this line of reasoning. But what are the options? You either have an outstanding inner resource that is part of you that can help you solve your own life’s dilemmas, or someone else outside of you is responsible to fix you and the problems in your life? I’ll take the former, more empowering option any day.

 

So, if dreams are a powerful resource what can we do about it? Start paying attention to your dreams and giving them life. Work with them, learn to understand their meaning, and begin following the guidance they offer. Find a dream group that resonates with you and work together with others. The Wisdom of Your Dreams by Jeremy Taylor is an excellent book for learning how to interpret your dreams. Sign up for an online course in symbolic dream analysis: www.dreamelixir.ca

 

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Tami Denice is a long time dream worker, mesa carrier of the Peruvian Q’ero tradition, Holotropic Breathwork facilitator apprentice, and Jungian analysand.