Dreamwork teacher and author Jeremy Taylor would often say “All dreams come in the service of healing and wholeness.”

Yes, all dreams, even the ones we don’t remember.  Dreaming is a part of the healing process of the human body and psyche.  And when we do remember them and record them and work and play with them, we receive all the more benefit from them. And the more open-minded and open-hearted we are as we approach them, the deeper our understanding becomes.

And it is also true that the more we work with our dreams, the more we get to know the symbolic language of our dreaming process.  Every person’s “dream language” is somewhat different, although we also partake of universal archetypes whose meaning and purpose is shared in common among all of us in the human family.

Just as we feel the great power of the Shafiya when we participate in the healing ritual together,  so we come to appreciate and partake of the great power of dreamwork when we engage in it together in small groups. Part of the magic of this group dreamwork is that everyone in the group benefits to some degree from the wisdom gifted to not only the dreamer, but to the whole group.  Each of us, when sharing what a given dream brings up for us, begin by saying “If this were my dream…” or “In my version of this dream…”.  In this way we own our projections and responses to the dream without telling the dreamer what it means for them. Thus this work is respectful and co-creative and of benefit to all.

If you’re wanting to develop a stronger, deeper relationship with your dreams, it helps to set an intention to dream and remember, as you are going off to sleep.  You might say something like this, (out loud helps!): “I will have a dream (or use “dreams”) tonight, and when I wake up in the morning at x o’clock, I will remember my dream (or again, plural) and write it (them) down. When you write the dream, write it in the present tense so that each time you read it, it is happening again in that moment.  And also record how you felt in the dream, and how you felt when you woke up.  And then give your dream a title. (Examples: “A Trip to the Moon”, “The Purple Talking Lizard”)

So there are some brief ideas to help you access the healing power of your dreams.  Ya Shaffee Ya Kaffee, and Ya Fattah!

Azima Lila Forest