Hints for Dreamers, Part Two

How was your week of dreaming? I had a few fragments that I scribbled down. In one dream I cared for a baby giraffe! The need to protect this creature was incredibly strong. I chased away predators and watched over her as she left the protection of the trees to explore a more open space. After reading up on giraffe behavior, I feel that the dream has to do with risk taking. I feel vulnerable, and yet, I know that I must "stick my neck out." I am awed by this animal's presence in my dream. Where did she come from? Her message is both timely and encouraging. I am comforted by my psyche's ability to inform me of where I am at in my life. Even if it takes a giraffe!

I have a few more things to share with you. These last tips are rooted in something a little less "ordinary." They are meant to help you move deeper into your dreaming.

                      Additional Tools for Dream Work

• Make a dream pillow! Certain herbs are associated with dreaming -mugwort, lavender, and lemon balm. They can be purchased loose at most health food stores and placed in a small pouch or cloth bag. (I like to combine lavender with mugwort). Place this under your pillow at night. 
• Drinking a small cup of mugwort tea before bed can stimulate dream activity as well. It seems especially effective in connection with the new or full moon. I will warn you it has an earthy quality to it!Sweeten it with some honey. (Women who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant should avoid ingesting mugwort. I have not found it to have any adverse effect on my blood sugars, but this is my personal experience, and not medical advice.)
• Try placing a special stone or crystal under your pillow. Traditional dream stones include amethyst, clear quartz, herkimer diamond, optical calcite, and jade. These can be found at a local gem shop or new age store. Experiment. Add one or more of these to your dream pillow. Be sure to note in your journal any shifts in your dream activity or recall as a result.
• Tarot, oracle cards, and runes can be used to help understand a dream. When the meaning seems particularly difficult to access, a short reading may provide insight into the emotional symbolism. If you are comfortable with these tools, don't hesitate to incorporate them into your personal dream kit! 

In many ancient cultures, dreams were viewed as both sacred and necessary. It was not uncommon for women to travel to sacred sites such as caves, tree groves, and mountains with the intention of dreaming the answer to illness or suffering. In our modern world, we are far removed from this approach to healing work, yet our minds still seek to solve the riddles, to push to the forefront of consciousness, messages from our body, emotions, and deepest soul. Dream incubation is the term given to purposeful dream queries. It gives a deeper sense of the power inherent in our dream life. I hope you will feel comfortable exploring this layer of dream work, knowing that it can help rebuild trust in yourself, even after years of chronic illness or pain. Is there an important question in your life? An issue that does not seem to resolve itself easily? Drink the sacred tea. Place a stone beneath your pillow. Ask for a healing answer to come in your dreams. Keep asking through an entire moon cycle if you must. But know that it will come. Know that your own dreams are indeed sacred and necessary.

Let us never forget the dance
or lose the song
or cease to dream
 - Alma Luz Villanueva

Hints for Dreamers, Part One

 When we honor our dreams, we empower ourselves.
         - John Perkins, The World Is As You Dream It

Over the last several years, I have found it more difficult to remember my dreams. A few trickle through when I wake up in the morning, but it is not consistent. This has not always been the case. I have for many years, counted on my dreams for insight into my waking life. I believe that our dreams are a powerful, often untapped tool for helping to process and better cope with illness, loss, creativity, and life changing decisions. They carry archetypal messages for our personal growth and evolution. Often times, the information they carry can bring resolution to a problem we didn't think possible. Actively working with our dreams, we can see patterns and guidance that can help to restore trust in ourselves.

Since I've been missing this Wise voice, it seems important that I work on restoring it. I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite ways for improving dream recall and utilizing their messages as a healing tool.

                                                    Hints for Improving Dream Recall

• Before going to sleep. tell yourself that you will remember your dreams. This is a simple and amazingly successful dream recall tool.
• Spend time in "meditation" before going to sleep. With all of the stimulus of our modern world, it is crucial to acknowledge the need for stillness. Quieting the mind and body are conducive to dreamwork.
• Keep a dream journal. Make sure it's within easy reach so that you can write your dreams down immediately upon waking. Even in the middle of the night! Do not count on being able to remember all the details later in the day. With each waking moment, you will recall less and less.
• Record the details in your journal even if they seem silly! Note how the dream made you "feel" (afraid, sad, helpless, powerful, happy, etc). It's also helpful to use present tense in your description of the dream. Include any first impressions you may have concerning the meaning.
• Be sure to date your entries. If you want to add an interesting way to see patterns in your dream life, note what phase the moon is in. If you are familiar with astrology, include the sign the moon was in at the time of your dream.
• For women who menstruate, it is helpful to record where you are in your cycle. Over time, this information should also provide some patterns in your dreams. For example, you may find certain animals make appearances right before you ovulate. Symbolic messengers of fertility could be in the form of rabbits, wolves and snakes. It can be an awing experience in the body-mind connection when you begin to see this kind of information coming through your dreams!
• If you are dealing with physical illness or pain in your waking life, be sure to pay attention to how your body feels when you wake up. Most of us with diabetes or hypoglycemia know that a nightmare can indicate low blood sugar. I ALWAYS test my blood sugar levels right away if I've had a nightmare! If possible keep track of these details in your journal as well.
• Title your dream. Note any outstanding objects, animals, people, places and words. Try to pinpoint a theme.
• Sometimes the relevance to what's happening in your waking life may be obvious, but if not, keep digging! Consult a dream dictionary or a symbols book. Remember though that this is an exercise in trusting your intuition, and the information in these books is a starting place, not an end point.
• Find a dream partner. Someone you can share your dreams with on a consistent basis. This will improve your dream memory and provide you with objective input. Often times, when telling the story of a dream aloud, we may inadvertently give clues to the meaning. A trusted listener will help capture those insights for us.
• Use your dreams as inspiration. Turn them into poems, songs, paintings, and collages. Whatever your creative outlet, it can be infused with your dream life!

Working with dreams is a passion of mine, which means I've compiled ALOT of information and experience on dream work over the years, so I will continue sharing in my next post. I may get a little more esoteric on you for that one! Happy dreaming!