Lingering Gardens, Suzhou, China
~ photo courtesy of Steve Byrne
The dream is a little hidden door in the innermost and most secret recesses of the soul, opening into that cosmic night which was psyche long before there was any ego consciousness, and which will remain psyche no matter how far our ego-consciousness extends. For all ego-consciousness is isolated; because it separates and discriminates, it knows only particulars, and it sees only those that can be related to the ego. Its essence is limitation, even though it reach to the farthest nebulae among the stars. All consciousness separates; but in dreams we put on the likeness of that more universal, truer, more eternal man dwelling in the darkness of primordial night. There he is still the whole, and the whole is in him, indistinguishable from nature and bare of all egohood.
~ C.G.Jung,"The Meaning of Psychology for Modern Man" (1933). In CW 10: Civilization in Transition. P.304

The Approach

The purpose of dream work is to move toward a fuller understanding of the multi-dimensionality of the Whole self through experiential knowing. For any person who enters into exploration of the Self, the study of dreams is a readily accessible key to those portions of self that may have lain dormant for years. It is at once a doorway to understanding the past and a window for viewing the probabilities of future manifestation.

What we discover is that truly nothing lies dormant for long. Those portions of self which are pushed into unconsciousness (the 'shadow' of Jungian dream analysis) continually impinge upon life events in an attempt to be known. The resultant struggle with the conscious mind depletes the available energy for consciousness. The internal Trickster of unconscious content eventually entangles the unaware individual in an embarassement of folly or devolves into an outright negative manifestation.

The work of Carl Jung served as my entry into the study of dreams; I found it to be a solid foundation. I studied other methods, other teachers, and most importantly, began to record and study my own dreams. In the final analysis no book can teach you what your own dream work can reveal. My own personal exploration has extended over three decades.

Cursory examination and simplistic interpretation won't give you much of real value; and can in fact lead you far afield from the goal. We speak, and we think we are hearing the same language, and could reasonably expect to understand one another. In the experience of dreamers, symbols and images have such a variance of underlying nuance that no one except you could interpret your dreams beyond a superficial level.

Although Western culture tends to promote fear of self-exploration, I have yet to find anything so fearsome as that particular mind-set. Expanding our access to the deeper layers of the unconscious and developing the natural capacity for co-creative participation with the numinous aspects of our universal self is long overdue. At this particular juncture in humanity's development, I see it as a necessity for survival.

You are entering the realm where one's personal angels and demons are entertwined companions in the dance of life; where it is sometimes difficult to be certain who is who in the cast of characters. This is that mythic labyrinth where one must encounter the dark; for without it, there is no light. Growth and understanding come with patience, commitment, and the desire to experience a larger reality.