If the ancient Greeks worried that dreams can be deceptive, what does it mean that all this time later we still have the same fear? Has anything changed in our relationship to dreams in all this time? And is there anything new we can learn about dreams and symbols from “Inception”?

One of the things that has changed markedly is our understanding of where dreams come from. To the Greeks, dreams were things they “saw,” messages and visions that originated somewhere outside of themselves that they were witness to while sleeping. Like Agamemnon, they worried about being deceived by human and supernatural dream intruders who might thrust their way onto the dream stage.

Today, we say that we “had” a dream, and believe that dreams come from within us, like a cough, a bad mood, or a stirring in our souls. We worry that dreams reveal something disturbed in our psychological makeup, or we try to explain them away by saying they are just random brain activity. “Inception’s” success as a thriller stems in part from turning the tables on our “scientific” understanding of dreams, and bringing back the more archaic fear of dream-meddling from without.

Lucid dream expert Robert Waggoner has an excellent article on what “Inception” got right about dreams, and it is a great place to start if you want to separate the film’s truth from fiction. I interviewed Robert on my radio show recently and we had a really good back-and-forth over the movie. I have a much more critical view of how the movie handled dreams, but the thing that bothers me the most is how easy it is to plant deceptions and false symbols in our waking minds every day–and how blind we are to it.

As Arianna Huffington pointed out recently, Sarah Palin’s “mama grizzly” ad is effective not because it makes any sense but because it resonates at the level of symbol and archetype. Of course, Palin is the idiot savant of this type of messaging, but the technique is used all the time by people who actually know what they’re talking about, and invoke those fearful symbols in order to blind us to what is really going on.

It should be an equation that every child learns by the 6th grade: if someone is making you afraid, that means there is something that they don’t want you to know, or to think about for yourself. It is as simple as that. Every mention of “death panels” or “the 9/11 mosque” should instantly trigger this response: “Wow, that is a loaded symbol, making me feel all sorts of different things. I wonder what the truth behind it is? Where can I go to get real information and decide for myself?”

To overcome our nightmares, we need to understand and confront the fear in the dream. Similarly, the only antidote to deceptions being planted in our waking minds is to not accept them at face value, not give in to the fear, but find out what lies behind it. If we can do that, then we will have truly moved beyond our archaic fears, toward a wisdom that the ancient Greeks could only dream of.

This article was originally published on the Huffington Post.

Last year I wrote an article here on “How to Start a Dream Group,” to respond to the many inquiries I get from people who want to explore their dreams with others. Given that my own dream group formed out of a book group 17 years ago, and that our dream group is still going strong while the book group folded soon after, maybe there is something to the author’s assertion.

If so, I think it says more about our overcrowded lives than about the declining popularity of books. Many people are too busy to read books, whereas dreaming doesn’t take any time out from our daily schedules; we simply have to remember them. And in dealing with your busy life, it is a very short hop from focusing on getting enough sleep to thinking more about the dreams you remember now that you are no longer sleep deprived.

It would also be wrong to characterize dream groups as anti-intellectual clubs. Most dream enthusiasts I know have homes filled with books, and they are likely to own several on dreams and symbols that they consult regularly. Dreamers are also writers, and the International Association for the Study of Dreams has links to countless dream blogs and research sites where participants discuss the latest studies of sleep and dreams.

Even if there is a trend toward forming dream groups rather than book groups, I don’t think book groups will disappear any time soon. Consider how much creativity is packed into our dreams, and how profoundly they have already influenced literature and movies. It is only a matter of time before the dreams you hear in today’s dream group become the next great novels, in which case how will you keep up without joining a book group?

This article was originally published in the Huffington Post.

What a treat, then, to find not one but two thoughtful posts on the subject recently by Dick Cavett, on his New York Times blog. In his first article, Cavett writes:

The question I can never find an answer to is the one that makes dreams so mysterious. When you watch a movie or read a story you don’t know what’s coming next. You’re surprised by what happens as it unfolds. You know that someone wrote the book or made the movie.

But who in hell is the author of the dream? How can it be anyone but you? But how can it be you if it’s all new to you, if you don’t know what’s coming? Do you write the dream, then hide it from yourself, forget it, and then “sit out front” and watch it? Everything in it is a surprise, pleasant or unpleasant. And, unlike a book or film, you can’t fast-forward to see how it comes out. So where does it come from? And who “wrote” it?

Cavett was talking specifically about anxiety dreams — where we find ourselves back in school after 50 years and wake up in a cold sweat because we hadn’t studied for the important test we were suddenly taking. (Would the question, “who wrote this?” even occur to us if we only had pleasant dreams?) But I think a more practical question to ask is, “Why, night after night, do I keep assuming I actually have to pass this blasted test?”

It’s almost as if anxiety dreams come to taunt us, not with how frail we are, but with how strong we could be if only we could remember it. Dreams are like a surreal Martha Stewart workshop: At any moment it could dawn on us, “Hey wait, this is a dream and anything can happen! Therefore, with this pencil eraser and a glue gun I just found in my back pocket, I’ll construct a space-time machine and jet to the Bahamas!”

It is helpful to look back at a dream and notice when it started to “go bad” — when a dream scene becomes a nightmare. In my experience, it is usually at the point when I assume that only waking life rules apply. If there’s a vampire I must smite it, but it will always come back to life because I am merely a puny human. If I am at the beach, I know at any moment a tidal wave will appear — and then, as if on cue, it does.

I think our anxiety response mechanism is triggered in these moments, and that response itself actually affects the content of the dream. In other words, it is not that dreams are written by some inner tormentor, but that normal dreams can progress in either positive or negative directions depending on whether we can overcome our anxiety state while we are dreaming.

This is a tall order, not easily accomplished, and not for the faint of heart. Then again, as Dick Cavett surely knows, neither is life.

This article was originally published on the Huffington Post.

Introducing The Dream Tribe, a members-only online community where you can get instant feedback on your dreams, connect with experts in many different kinds of dreamwork, and find your place in the worldwide clan of dreamers.

The brainchild of interfaith minister Amy Brucker, The Dream Tribe launched just days ago. At the center of the effort are what Amy calls the “Dream Team”—professionals who are experts in different aspects of dream research and interpretation. (Full disclosure: I am part of the Dream Team.)

Each of us make ourselves available to site members by participating in the online forums, offering discounts on classes and private sessions, and distributing exclusive content through the Dream Tribe site. As a members-only site, the only people reading and responding to your posts about dreams are those who are truly interested in the healing potential of dreams.

It is a great value for people who want to learn more about their dreams but don’t have access to a local dream group. Registration is open for a few more days, so I encourage you to check it out, and take advantage of Amy’s no-risk membership offer.

I will blog more about my experience as part of the Dream Team (this is an experiment for all of us, remember) but for now I want to welcome everyone in the worldwide network/clan/tribe/consortium/consulate of dreamers to our virtual tribe!

The first is by Dr. Kelly Bulkeley, former president of the International Association for the Study of Dreams, visiting scholar at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, and author of many worthy books on dreams. Dreaming in the World’s Religions: A Comparative History (2008, New York University Press) is a book that finally answers the basic question: how did people in ancient cultures view dreams?

I call this a basic question, because anyone who spends a significant amount of time working with their dreams inevitably wonders how it was done in the past. In your religion, in other religions; by your ancestors, by other people’s ancestors. Dreams call us to understand our place in the world, and Kelly’s book answers the call because it addresses the problem with both comprehensive scholarship and also a deep love and appreciation for dreams.

In the book’s first three chapters, Kelly covers Hinduism, the religions of China (mostly Confucianism and Taoism), and Buddhism. He then branches out to the Fertile Crescent (Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Judaism), the religions of Greece and Rome, then Christianity, and Islam. In the final three chapters, we learn about the religions of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. A whirlwind tour to be sure, but with Kelly’s flair for laying out a clear overview combined with meticulous attention to detail, one is left after each chapter with the feeling of having had an excellent introduction to a fascinating, and ever-changing subject.

This book is required reading for my class at Cherry Hill Seminary on using dreams in spiritual direction. It gives the student of Pagan religions a valuable sense of perspective, and the student of dreams a glimpse at the rich possibilities for dream interpretation and understanding in the continuing evolution of our dreaming minds. I highly recommend it.

The second book is not new at all, but is certainly new to us. Children’s Dreams: Notes from the Seminar Given in 1936–1940 (Princeton University Press, 2008) is the English translation (finally!) of a seminar conducted by Carl Jung with some of his more advanced pupils, and is the most accessible, understandable presentation of Jung’s dream theories  that I have ever read.

Here we have the master in action, explaining his theories and then showing in great detail how he applies them, using examples of his patients’ earliest remembered dreams. In the first chapter, Jung lays out all of his methods of dream interpretation, which is invaluable in itself but also helps focus the later chapters, as each dream analysis follows the steps first introduced here.

Each of the later chapters include his students (among them Marie-Louise Von Franz, Aniela Jaffe, and Jolande Jacobi) presenting a dream or dream series, then analyzing them using Jung’s rubric. Jung makes comments, clarifies ideas and answers his students’ questions. The conversational style highlights Jung’s skill as an educator, and reading it one has the sense of witnessing the development, there in that room, of the practice of analytical psychology. It is a fascinating and inspiring ride.

This beautiful English edition of Children’s Dreams was a project of the Philemon Foundation, which is dedicated to bringing into book form Jung’s unpublished works. The Philemon Foundation also facilitated the publication of Jung’sRed Book last year; they do beautiful work. Children’s Dreams will make you realize just how much of your ideas about dreams are from Jung, and at the same time will show you just how little of Jung you really understand. I find the combination exhilarating; I am sure you will too.

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

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.