Making dream resolutions is not like this. Dream resolutions are not about what we want to do more of or less of during the day, they are about what we want to have happen in our dreams in the year to come. Right around New Year’s I take a couple days and read through my dream journals from the past year. I single out the things I did in my dreams that I am proud of, and things that I would have liked to do differently.

This is a type of dream re-scripting, so if you make them yourself just let them come out the way they are. My dream resolutions tend to come out like pronouncements, and I like making them into a Top 10 list. That is part of the fun for me. If you have dream resolutions of your own, please post them in the comments — I would love to read them!

Here are my New Year’s Dream Resolutions for 2010:

1. If you are held underground in a “DNA-resistant container,” get out immediately, maybe by turning into a tree and growing yourself out and away.

2. The lucid stream is glittering all the way down to the gravel, so go ahead and dip your fingers in.

3. Do not give your name when caught in someone else’s library — Google will find out and publicize it!

4. If you are pole-vaulting across the grass, don’t assume you will fail. Enjoy sailing through the air and you will make it just fine!

5. If you see a bunch of little kids wandering around backstage after a performance, bring them to the main hall so their parents can find them and bring them home.

6. Joking about how old you are getting probably isn’t the best opener at your high school reunion. On the other hand, you’ll learn a lot from the reactions you get.

7. Don’t just pass by the guy doing uninteresting things in a dream — he may be about to open the treasure drawer!

8. If a dead relative returns for 25 seconds to tell you your future, and it is everything you want, believe them.

9. Even if the others are hanging back, moving toward ground zero is the only way to get the footage that will really make a difference.

10. Just because you dream of restoring a beautiful theater into a thriving community hub doesn’t mean you should do that in waking life. But who knows? Pay attention, and see what opportunities come your way in waking, and in dreaming.

This article was originally published at the Blog o’ Gnosis.

Why do some people fear their dreams? I believe it is due to faulty notions of what dreams come to tell us. Here are four common fears:

1. For many people whose first exposure to dreams was through Freudian analysis, dreams are like psychological quicksand that threatens to suffocate them with negative meanings. Thanks to Freud, many people still believe that dreams mostly reveal perverse sexual longings and wish fulfillment fantasies.

2. Some self-help programs say that we should be in control of our lives and therefore if we suffer from mental or physical maladies it is our own fault. People with this outlook tend to distrust dreams, believing that they merely show a laundry list of behaviors and anxieties the dreamer must “fix.”

3. Many people experience psychic phenomena in their dreams, seeing future events and things taking place across great distance. Without a way to understand these dreams, people may feel responsible when events occur that they “saw” in their dreams, ignoring or blocking out their dreams because they don’t know how to answer the questions these powerful dreams raise.

4. Most deeply religious people I have met feel that dreams come from God, and are curious about the messages they might hold. But some fear that dreams may present scenes that test their faith or lead them astray. Not having a fuller understanding of the spiritual messages in dreams can cause observant people to fear their dreams.

When confronted with these deep-seated fears, I try to stress that the overwhelming purpose of dreams is to reveal to us our path in life, and to help us achieve greater wholeness. Dreams come from our unconscious, which contains everything in our being that we are not yet aware of. Jung called this unknown material our “shadow,” and it is the source of our creativity as well as our connection with the Divine. While dreams sometimes reveal uncomfortable truths, it is important to remember that dreams are paradoxical, and can mean the exact opposite of what we think when we first wake up.

Dreaming is a basic human function, and goes on throughout our lives whether we remember our nightly dreams or not. When we shut them out, we are inhibiting our natural ability to sense danger, find opportunity, and take part more fully in the mystery of life. We may never fully understand dreams, but even a small increase in our understanding can help us unlock some of their huge promise and potential.

This piece was originally published in the Huffington Post.

Last year I shared 10 great tips for having big winter dreams. But more important than having big dreams is knowing how to work with all the dreams we have. Here’s how to make every dream count, no matter how small.

1. Remember your dreams and write them down. Even if you only remember a word or name, color or feeling, write it down. Dream recall increases the more we practice it.
2. Go for what makes you happy in dreams. Some traditions insist that to be happy in waking life you must pursue pleasure in your dreams. Being successful in 2010 means being bold, so start by doing what you want in dreams even if it’s something you would never do in waking life. It’s just a dream–go for it!
3. Don’t run from conflict in your dreams. This may take some practice, but you’ve got all year, right? If there’s a dragon chasing you at night, coach yourself to turn and face it. Likewise with intruders, thieves, and other scoundrels. You will soon find it easier to overcome obstacles of all kinds during the day. Seriously, it works!
4. Keep tabs on your health. If you are sick or injured in a dream, don’t freak out, but do heed the warning. Dreams usually work on the symbolic level, but sometimes they have direct, concrete advice for us. Always check out a health concern in a dream, it could be the best move you ever make.
5. Pay attention when things go bad. Notice what happens just before a good dream starts becoming an anxiety-ridden nightmare. Do you hesitate out of fear? Is there a misunderstanding that sets things off the rails? Are you listening to someone with the wrong information? Figure out what the glitch is, and start overcoming it in waking life.
6. Look for dream allies and treat them well. Dreams are full of unforeseen turns of fortune, if we know what to look for. Just as in fairy tales, if someone offers you something in a dream be gracious and thank them. It may look strange, but looks can be deceiving, and we never want to turn down what could be a golden opportunity.
7. Always go for the highest good. If you have a choice of two actions to take in a dream, and one of them benefits you alone whereas the other benefits you and several others, take the second choice. Start now to shift those self-centered patterns in the dream world, and you may find that others are more willing to help you achieve your goals on waking as well.

We all have to sleep and dream, no matter how desperate, ambitious, or energetic we are. The good news is, our dreaming minds are perfectly capable of helping us with our waking goals–when we act in accordance with our values and stick with it in spite of the setbacks that inevitably occur. In a year where money is scarce and every advantage counts, who can afford to discount their dreams?

This article was originally published in the Huffington Post.

Dreams have played an important role in Pagan traditions historically, as a reliable means of direct communication with the Gods, ancestors, and nature spirits, for healing, prophecy, and intercession. Our use of dreams today is heavily influenced by Jung and other modern thinkers, as well as traditional and shamanic ideas about dreams. This course highlights some of the ways human cultures have viewed and interpreted their dreams, and used them in a ritual or sacred context. The class treats dreams as a modern source of divination and spiritual direction. Using written sources, their own dream material, and an interactive class dream group, students will develop a framework for using dreams in spiritual mentoring, and identify approaches to dreams that make the most sense for contemporary Pagan ministry. Students will be expected to participate in regular discussion forums, as well as submit periodic reflective writing.

I have taught versions of this class in workshop format at a Jesuit seminary and interfaith settings, and look forward to working with other seminaries to create a similar class based on their own spiritual dream traditions. That is the wonderful thing about working with dreams: you don’t have to be Hindu or Catholic, Pagan or Muslim, Buddhist, Lutheran, or Shinto to be able to benefit from them. Everybody dreams, and our dreams always have something to say about our spiritual practice, our relationship to the Divine, and how to lead a good life.

For those of who are interested but can’t commit to a semester-long program, I will be leading a workshop on the same topic at Pantheacon in San Jose next year. Monday February 15 at 11 am is the stated workshop time, but that is of course subject to change. I will also be on the East Coast in the Spring—schedule to be posted sometime soon—and may be able to teach it there, too.

It will be a busy year of travel for me, and if you are interested in hosting a workshop or book signing in your area, now is the time to get it on the schedule! Call my office at 707-875-3225 or fill out a comment, and I will get back to you right after the New Year.

There are several ways you can use this value: Use all three yourself, or buy two sessions for yourself and give the third to a friend. You can also combine two of the hours and invite another person to share a longer session of dreamwork. I can even work out special group rates based on the holiday discount.

This offer is good through New Year’s Eve 2009, so act now! Gift certificates are available, and make a great gift along with a copy of What To Do When Dreams Go Bad: A Practical Guide to Nightmares. Happy Holidays!