One of the things that has always captivated me about dreams is how incredibly subjective they are. There’s truly very little we can say for “sure” about dreams, simply because the dreaming state and dream experience is so specific to each person. And anyone who has ever tried to draw a picture or write or talk about their dream experience knows how difficult they are to capture–even as we use the words to describe the dream, we know that they aren’t quite “right” (i.e., it was my cousin’s house, but not her house, it was her dog, but not her dog, etc.,).
The deeply personal and internal nature of dreams themselves makes them challenging to teach and write about. At the start of most classes or workshops that I hold, I feel compelled to remind people that whatever I can offer, if it doesn’t resonate with their own dreaming experience, then they should feel free to ignore me completely.
All that said, as a human and a philosopher at heart, I have not been able to resist developing my own principles that guide me as I venture into my own dreams and the dreams of others. On a very basic level, these principles make it possible for me to do my work. I believe and trust in them for pragmatic reasons: I have witnessed that when abide by them, astounding, gorgeous, and truly miraculous things happen. I am not certain by any means that they are true in some ultimate way, but merely that they have been incredibly useful for me, and so I wish to share them, with the hope that they are useful for you as well.
1) No one will ever understand a dream better than the dreamer.
This is the first principle, and perhaps the most obvious. After all, no one has actually had the dream except the dreamer—no one will ever be able to access the purity of wisdom that comes from a particular dream as fully as the dreamer themselves. This is the most important thing I want to impart to people—that they are empowered, simply because they dream, to discover the specific truths that are waiting for them through close relationship with their own dream worlds.
2) Dreams shine light on the aspects of our consciousness that our ego has worked to resist, deny, or avoid.
As stated above, in dreamwork, the dreamer possesses the kingdom. But sometimes, we have lost the key to the gate. That is why we often awaken feeling confused, disoriented–on the outside looking in. And this is why hundreds of thousands of people google “What does x in a dream mean?” every single day. We awaken with a deep knowing that our dream has a message for us, and yet we feel its meaning is just out of reach. Why? Because of the specific defenses and mental traps the ego has developed to avoid certain realities the dream wishes to reveal. When we openly acknowledge that our dreams often point towards our shadow, we begin the process of letting the new understanding in. In a way, this principle comes into conflict with the first—individuals are both the total expert on their own dreams, and could be at times the person least likely to understand what their dream means. This contradiction is in itself fruitful to hold, as it again empowers dreamers to determine for themselves the kind of support they need to harvest the deep wisdom that is always available from their dreams.
3) All dreams are created equal and should be treated as such.
This is perhaps the most controversial of the principles I follow, at least I have read and heard other dream teachers specifically disagreeing with this principle. It’s understandable–all of us have had a wide range of dream experiences, and there is no denying that some are more affecting and memorable than others. And yet, I have found it is vital to my own dreamwork that I do not rate, discount, or judge one dream as better/more important/more powerful than any other. The risk is too great—when we begin to rank or categorize our dreams, we risk missing out on the hidden depths contained in the ones we mark “unimportant”. I do my work with the belief that each and every dream is a sacred gift from source, arriving at its ideal time to the ideal person, regardless of its form. When we give each dream that comes an equal level of attention and respect, we learn to appreciate the vast diversity and unique nature of each one, and become more attentive, powerful dreamers because of it.
4) All dreams arise with an intention to heal, transform, inspire, and/or precipitate growth.
This principle is the most personal to me. Simply because, I feel so deeply how needed healing, transformation, inspiration and growth is needed by humanity at this time. When I trust that dreams have this potential, I have seen truly life-changing results–for myself and so many others. So, I continue to trust, and dreams continue to reveal themselves as the jaw-dropping medicine that they truly are. Dreams are a long-disparaged and forgotten aspect of the human experience. I feel completely certain will be a vital tool to assist with the process of conscious evolution and transformation humanity needs in order to survive on this earth in the generations to come. To me, the most powerful way to start is by trusting that this is possible. And so, this is what I do.
As always, I love to hear from you and receive your feedback. What is your understanding of dreams? How did you come to this understanding? Hearing from dreamers truly makes me day, so don’t hesitate.
