The Twilight Zone--Dreamwork

Jung said that the imaginal work that he documented in the Red Book was the basis for all of his academic and theoretical contributions that followed. Wow! Given that this chronicle of his active imaginations occupied him for only a couple of years, and he contributed prolifically over the next 40 years, that's a pretty clear directive on the importance of such inner work. I have seen over and over that the act of engaging with dreamscapes and dream images as if they are living creatures, distinct from our rational selves, brings about a shift for the better in the individual's sense of wellbeing. Of course, these images have something important to "say" to us: Otherwise, they would not have shown up at all. Even those images that spring from the collective, or the World's dreaming, would not have come through unless they had met with some resonance deep within the individual's psyche. As a dream worker, I consider myself a facilitator of these "conversations," and I have found that I don't have to tend all the figures that seem important, or take a dream through to some resolution--the simple act of guiding the dreamer into some form of relationship with even one figure is deeply touching and can be transformative. It's about making real and deliberate contact with a soul figure, even if the connection is brief and light.

Comments

Lynlee Lyckberg June 1, 2010 at 9:01am

Really love this forum and the exchanging of ideas, dreams, insights! Continuing on ones journey into relatively unknown territory via dreamwork is the most amazing and engaging endeavor we can take! Thank you, Dorene, for traveling on this path with me ,now! Blessings, Ari
Dorene Mahoney May 25, 2010 at 9:05am

Jung said that the imaginal work that he documented in the Red Book was the basis for all of his academic and theoretical contributions that followed. Wow! Given that this chronicle of his active imaginations occupied him for only a couple of years, and he contributed prolifically over the next 40 years, that's a pretty clear directive on the importance of such inner work. I have seen over and over that the act of engaging with dreamscapes and dream images as if they are living creatures, distinct from our rational selves, brings about a shift for the better in the individual's sense of wellbeing. Of course, these images have something important to "say" to us: Otherwise, they would not have shown up at all. Even those images that spring from the collective, or the World's dreaming, would not have come through unless they had met with some resonance deep within the individual's psyche. As a dream worker, I consider myself a facilitator of these "conversations," and I have found that I don't have to tend all the figures that seem important, or take a dream through to some resolution--the simple act of guiding the dreamer into some form of relationship with even one figure is deeply touching and can be transformative. It's about making real and deliberate contact with a soul figure, even if the connection is brief and light.
Dorene Mahoney May 23, 2010 at 10:14pm

Thanks, Bonnie--I LOVE dream work! It's pretty funny, because when I encountered forms of dream work over the years that involved applying fixed interpretations on dream images, I felt completely dumb . . . As a result, I turned to collage, which I considered "dreams made manifest." Engaging with collage images in Active Imagination opened up astonishing revelations and insights. Tending dream images in that way has completely turned me on to dream work.
Bonnie Bright May 23, 2010 at 10:05pm

Dorene! So glad you created this group. I'm looking forward to doing a session with you soon so you can use DreamTending on me. Thanks for your good work!
Julie Ann Perkins May 23, 2010 at 7:12pm

Good move, setting this up, Dorene!
I like the image, too. I was just reading an old dream when I got your invitation to join.... the fish are jumping, Julie

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The Twilight Zone--Dreamwork

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