Dreams have long been lauded as sources of divination, and sadly, in more recent time, by some as detritus resulting from the human mind performing a ritual house cleaning. But for those who pay attention to our dreams, we intuitively know that there is a deeper meaning to dreams and dreaming and we understand the potential that our dreams have to offer. Deeply rooted cultural wisdom tells us that we must honor our dreams. I would go one step further and say that we must allow them to live and have an active role in our emotional, psychological, physical and spiritual well being as individuals, as a community and as a species.
Here are 6 canons of dreamwork that can help you better understand what dreams are and why paying attention to your dreams is important.
Canon 1: Dreams are both organic and inalienable. They are part of the over arching human morphology and are produced naturally, without artificial chemicals or stimulants. Human beings dreaming appears to be universal and true as far back as we can know. They are as natural as all other human functions, produced not as waste as some seem to believe, but as an organic alchemical agent which attempts to facilitate change and growth within the emotional, psychological, physical and/or spiritual body. As such, dreams are inalienable. They cannot be separated or taken from us and thus they deserve our attention. Once a dream is remembered and especially once you have worked with it, it forever holds a place in the psyche even if forgotten later. Some believe the plants and other animals dream too, indeed some would argue that the world itself, as a living organism, dreams. If true, could this not be where our eternal Archetypes and mythologies come from? The dream can be viewed as living and eternal and as such we can enter into a relationship with it, returning over and over again to a moment where we can re-experience what the dream has to offer as both a reminder and also to promote new growth and healing.
Canon 2: Every Dream Carries the Possibility for Growth and Healing. Dreams actively seek to bring about our emotional, psychic, physical and spiritual growth and healing. Often the dream may bring difficult emotional content relating to childhood or adult trauma, wounding, loss or other habitual patterns which block us in our efforts towards wholeness, healing and joy. The dream may mirror behaviors which are unconscious and will show us the possibilities of who we are as our innocent soul selves. This mirroring quality allows us to begin to accept ourselves more fully and to make choices for ourselves from our deeper intuitions rather than from our unconscious or trauma-driven reactions.
Canon 3: Every Dream Holds the Possibility for a Sacred Encounter. When we dream, our dreams often carry elements of the profane, or that which is mundane and of our daily outer world lives and thus perceived and known by us in some specific way. However, each dream also contains that which is sacred, or that which is set apart from us, an unknown or previously unexplored part of ourselves which, when encountered, may be revelatory. The dream landscape is littered with sacred artifacts in the form of images, symbols and metaphors which associate to memories, feelings, aspirations, and desires. When we meet a dream character, whether it is someone we know or someone we don’t know, an animal or other non-human entity, this is a wholly sacred encounter. Characters, creatures and other entities may be reflecting something of our shadow, a behavior which is blocking us or may be a powerful Archetype whose sole function in the dream is to guide, teach, support and love us unconditionally as we move deeper into our inner life to discover the hidden treasure within.
Canon 4: Dreams Convey Meaning with a Poetic Sensibility. Dreams do not speak in a language that can be understood in a rational way. They speak more as a poem, with imagery, symbols, metaphors and seek to invoke deep feelings which open our intuitive body. The messages may be a metaphor which speaks to a personal mythos or idea we hold about who we are, how we are living or what our future might hold. The metaphor may also carry the energy of the collective unconscious which holds true in a more universally accepted way. A symbol in the dream, as a sacred artifact, may have a very specific set of qualities and meaning for the dreamer, which evoke memories and feelings. The artifact may also be imbued with the collective wisdom associated with the symbol socially, culturally or universally. But ultimately the dream must be understood through the feelings they evoke and the activation of authenticity and intuition within. This is an ancient language that has evolved unique to human beings and which taps into the depths of the human experience in a humanistic way.
Canon 5: Dreams come from a Power Greater than Ourselves. Dreams come from a creative and universal source and as such should remain beyond our power to control. They are revelatory and unfolding in real time/dream time. Choices we make in dreams come from two sources: our deepest fears or our deepest intuition. When we attempt to place our egoic/waking world ideas of what we think something should be onto a dream, we are not in our deepest intuition. We are attempting to play God, believing we know what the message of the dream should be rather than accepting what it is as a sacred encounter and an opportunity to learn and grow. When we turn to face the lion in our dream, we face into our deepest fears from the place of our deepest intuition. This is particularly true when, in the dream, we are conscious in the moment of what we are doing. A primary teaching of the dream has to do with trust, namely trust in something greater than our own machinations if we are to grow in our understanding of who we are and why we are here. Our trust often begins in relationship to a dream mentor that we are working with, but ultimately we begin to trust the Archetypes who come to teach, guide and support us. We begin to learn what true faith feels like as something outside of us that we can rely on in daily living.
Canon 6: Every Dream is For You and an Opportunity to Reclaim Wisdom and Intuition. Each dream has an intended message for the dreamer, however, this message may be layered. There are numerous associations a dreamer may have with the elements contained within that dream. These associations can take us down many paths toward understanding of the dream. Sometimes, we will only reach one layer of understanding, other times we may make a connection to multiple layers of meaning and understanding for ourselves. Firstly, each dream is for the dreamer and the dreamer’s benefit. That others might benefit, our community or even the world, is a by-product of the dreamer finding the intended message of the dream that is just for them. While dreams often seem nonsensical, they actually make sense. But this “sense” must be incorporated into the emotional, psychological, spiritual and physical bodies of the dreamer. This embodiment is the message of the dream truly and deeply received. Ultimately, a dream makes sense to us once we receive its specific message for us. A dream message fully received become a portal into the reclamation of our wisdom and intuition and allows us to make better choices for ourselves and thus to carry a message of hope to others.
The doors to the world of the wild Self are few but precious. If you have a deep scar, that is a door, if you have an old, old story, that is a door. If you love the sky and the water so much you almost cannot bear it, that is a door. If you yearn for a deeper life, a full life, a sane life, that is a door.
― Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype
As a practicing Druid and active member of the Green Mountain Druid Order in Vermont, I am continually called towards deeper connection to the natural world and Gaia consciousness. To support the work of dreams, I explore the use of ritual, earth centered practices and other simple ways of connecting to the natural world. These practices help to facilitate a deeper understanding of how all the earth's creatures: plants, animals, landscapes, and elements...the whole of the cosmos moves and feels in us. Experiencing our felt connection to Gaia through the feelings of grief, joy, love, pain, longing, desire, passion and even anger brings healing to both ourselves and the earth as we begin to live a deeper life that includes intentional and direct encounters with nature, a more sustainable way of living on the earth, and earth centered spiritual and artistic ritual and practices.
Woman with Butterflies
Dream Journal, Laura Smith-Riva
I see the waters of the ocean. It is warm and the ocean is a soft green, the sand is a pale gold. I see the butterflies first as a small dark cloud and then as they get closer, I see their wings beating and their chaotic and erratic, yet strangely synchronized movements. They have captured my attention, and as soon as I am captivated then they come to me. I feel the jolt of fear in their immediate acknowledgment of me as they swirl in my direction. Then I feel them pass into my body. Two of them dissolve on my tongue. Their movement in my body is like feathers on my skin. They send me back. They lift me up. I have no time to say no or yes. I have no time for anything. Death by butterflies.
I have brought the butterflies into the world. I have been sketching images and the feeling of this dream for a couple of days, getting ready to paint it. I research the yellow monarch, looking at images of this beautiful creature, trying to translate the feeling of this dream to the canvas. I feel passions bloom. It does not matter if it is joy or sadness or grief or longing. It all moves me in a way I haven’t allowed in a long time. Does the chrysalis accept her transformation? I have no control over nature’s process. My anger, my reactions, my projections are useless here on this golden timeless beach with topaz waves lifting salty mist. Change must occur. The dream brings the true unbearable lightness of being that is Butterfly. Acceptance of my sweet butterfly is my symbol of faith.
Upcoming Events: (click on titles to see full informational flyer for each event!)
If registration is required on this site, you must take two steps, 1. complete the registration form, and 2. Pay via paypal or mail check per instructions on registration form.
Ongoing:
Natural Dreamwork Practitioner Traing program, Faculty Practitioner Case Consultation
Studio for Movement, Arts & Therapies, Faculty EXB Program
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Natural Dreamwork Group ------> Click to Register When: 26 MAR, 9, 23 APR, 7, 21 MAY, 11 JUN 2024 Where: Online Explore your dreams using natural dreaming techniques designed to bring you into the landscape of your dreams to enhance the experience and richness of the “feeling body”, revive the imagination and deepen or rejuvenate the spirit. |
Past Events:
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Natural Dreamwork Group ------> Click to Register When: 30 NOV, 14, 28 DEC 2021, 11, 25 JAN, 8 FEB2022 Where: Online Explore your dreams using natural dreaming techniques designed to bring you into the landscape of your dreams to enhance the experience and richness of the “feeling body”, revive the imagination and deepen or rejuvenate the spirit. |
Retreat: Dreamwork and the 12 Steps
Weekend retreat to explore how dreams can support 12 step recovery work. Stay tuned for more details.
Contact me if your group would like to host a discussion about how to unlock the power of dreams to support recovery work.
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EcoDreaming ------> Click to Register When: October 7-8, 2017 Where: Dreamland, Worcester, VT A unique opportunity to weave the guidance of the dream and the earth’s wisdom as a path to healing the personal and ecological self within. Led by Laura Smith & Mary Kay Kasper. |
Online Dream Group through Depth Psychology Alliance - to register click here --> Register
When: Starts Tuesday, February 21, 2017 7:30 - 9 pm EST (4:30 - 6 pm PST), runs 5 weeks: 2/21, 3/7, 3/21, 4/4, 4/18.
Where: Online, virtual dreamgroup via zoom video platform & via private FaceBook group in between gatherings.
Come and explore your dreams using natural dreaming techniques designed to bring you into the landscape of your dreams to enhance the experience and richness of the “feeling body”, revive the imagination and deepen or rejuvenate the spirit. Free one-on-one after consutlation for all registered participants.
Dream Readings - Wellness Expo
When: 2017 & 2018, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Where: St. Johnsbury House, 1207 Main Street, St. Johnsbury, VT
30 minutes dream readings beginning at 1 p.m., to benefit the Good Living Senior Center. Come enjoy numerous healing and wellness practitioners at this wonderful annual event.
When: Thursday, December 1st - Saturday, December 3rd, 2016 (Dream Caravan on the 4th - see below)
Where: New Orleans, LA
Experiential embodiment of dreams through a gestalt style dream enactment in small group setting. Additional healing practioner's peer group pre-retreat. Click on the link above to register.
Bringing the Power of Dreams to 12 Step Recovery Work
Part of The Dream Caravan, 2016
When: Sunday, December 4th
Where: Arts Estuary Building, 1024 Elysian Fields Avenue, New Orleans, LA
Find out how dreams can support 12 step recovery work in this engaging 1 hour introductory workshop led by Laura Smith and Michelle MacNeil, Dreamwork Practitioners who work with dreams to help individuals find a personal connection to higher power and discover the deeper truths of what life in recovery can be.
Workshop: New Dreamers Workshop
When: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m., Saturday, December 3th, 2016
Where: New Orleans, LA
An interactive introduction to Natural Dreamwork with experienced dream teachers.
Conference: The Dream Caravan, 2016
When: Sunday, December 4th, 2016
Where: Arts Estuary Building, 1024 Elysian Fields Avenue, New Orleans, LA
This 2nd annual Dream Caravan is an opportunity to bring the collective wisdom of our retreat participants and dreamworkers into the New Orleans community. This diverse and vibrant event will continue the theme of Dreams as Sacred Encounter, focusing on the ways dreams can augment and support a vibrant spiritual practice. If you are interested in offering a workshop or other offering at the event, please get in touch!
The schedule will include time for evening exploration of New Orleans’ culture, food and music. Everyone who registers for the retreat is encouraged to attend the Dream Caravan and welcomed to attend for free.
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Dream Readings - Wellness Expo When: May 7th, 2016 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. Where: St. Johnsbury House, 1207 Main Street, St. Johnsbury, VT 20 minutes dream readings to benefit the Good Living Senior Center. |
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Workshop: Journey to the Dream When: May 15, 2016 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Where: Sacred Mountain Studio, Burlington, VT Explore the the shamanic journey as a technique to develop or deepen a practice of working with dreams. |
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Talk: Dreams, Exploring our Unconscious Inner World When: February 28, 2016 10:30 a.m. Where: First Universalist Parish of Derby Line, Derby, Vermont Guest talk on dreams as a direct connection to spirit. |
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Retreat: Dreaming into Essence When: February 27, 2016 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Where: Worcester Town Hall, Worcester, Vermont An intimate day long healing retreat bringing together the alchemical power of your Dreams and Essences of plants. |
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Retreat: New Orleans, LA When: November 4th - 8th, 2015 Where: New Orleans, LA Experiential embodiment of dreams through a gestalt style dream enactment in small group setting. Additional healing practioner's peer group pre-retreat. |
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Conference: The Dream Caravan, 2015 When: November 7th - 8th, 2015 Where: Arts Estuary Building, 1024 Elysian Fields Avenue, New Orleans, LA Dream focused workshops, presentations, ceremony and festivities! From the enviroment to body work, find out how dreams can interface with our world. |
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Workshop: Dreamwork and the 12 Steps When: November 8th, 2015 4 - p.m. Where: Arts Estuary Building, 1024 Elysian Fields Avenue, New Orleans, LA Bringing the power of dreams to 12 step recovery work. Contact me if your group would like to host a discussion about how to unlock the power of dreams to support recovery work. Artwork with permission: Gabriel Tamaya, Luminous Cartographer |
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Workshop: Journey to the Dream When: November 8th, 2015 1 - 2 p.m. Where: Arts Estuary Building, 1024 Elysian Fields Avenue, New Orleans, LA Explore the the shamanic journey as a technique to develop or deepen a practice of working with dreams. Artwork with permission: Sam Brown, Sam Brown Art and Design |
2nd Annual Smithers Dreamwork Retreat
When: September 25th - 27th, 2015
Where: Smithers, British Coumbia, Canada
Experiential embodiment of dreams through a gestalt style dream enactment in small group setting.
When: July 10th - 12th, 2015
Where: Circle Farm Farm, Calais, Vermont
Archetypal Dreamwork, Reclaim Your Inner Wisdom
Evening Presentation
When: June 24th, 2015 6 - 8 p.m.
Studio One Arts Center, Oakland, CA
When: June 25th - 27th, 2015
Where: Russian River, Guernville, CA
Bring in Your Dreams, Evening Presentation
When: 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m., June 28th, 2015
Where: Tibetan Gallery & Studio, Sebastapol, CA
Living Your Dream Series: In Your Own Words
(SEE SIGN UP SHEET BELOW)
Saturday, February 21, 2015 2 - 4 p.m. EST
On-line Webinar
Led by Laura Smith & Kezia Kamenetz
Cost: $45.00
In this workshop, we’ll take steps to develop our own unique voice and uncover our personal language to step fully into our calling. From the place of our personal dreamwork, workshop participants will have an opportunity to craft the words that will convey who they are and what they offer. The exercises will be loosely formatted so that you can use them to develop an artist bio or an “about me” page for a website or blog, work on your unique way of answering “what is archetypal dreamwork?”, and/or create the language for a workshop, event or other activity that you would would like to offer.
Journeying to the Dream: Archetypal Dreamwork & the Shamanic Journey
(SEE SIGN UP SHEET BELOW)
A One-Day Workshop
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Williston, VT
Led by Laura Smith & Julie Soquet
The focus of this one day workshop will be to cultivate and deepen connection to your inner spirit guides. This will happen through the embodiment of the dream via a dream enactment process and through the sacred process of the shamanic journey. You will leave with tools to gain a fuller understanding of how to enter your dreams in new ways and how to open to the support available within your inner landscape. No prior experience is necessary. Participants will be asked to document 2-3 dreams prior to the workshop.
Time: 9:30 – 5:00
Cost: $100-125 sliding scale
Registration: Workshop fee due by February 22nd, 2015. Pay by Paypal (link above) or send check made payable to Laura Smith, 345 Currier Road, Danville, VT 05828
To bring: lunch, blindfold, notebook/journal, pen, water bottle, 2-3 dreams.
Provided are: Tea, coffee, snacks, blankets, and pillows will be available.
Location: 528 Essex Rd, Suite 205, Williston
"I don't remember my dreams", is a woe often expressed by folks who would like to open to the possibilities offered in working with dreams. It is also expressed by those who are already working with their dreams when they hit that inevitable "dry spell".
We all dream. Remembering our dreams takes presence, lightheartedness, and tenderness.
Plumbing the Deep Well: Basic Tips for Dream Recall:
1. Never judge yourself over a perceived lack of dreaming or your ability to recall dreams. The resulting frustration further hinders our ability to recall. It is important to hold your dream recall with tenderness. Laying in bed before falling asleep, express your desire to be in relationship with your dreams. Set an intention to remember your dreams. You may want to meditate on your current dreamwork practice/homework, recalling certain moments of current dreams you are working with. You can also try reading material that inspires you or material which contains teachings that are important to you. Recently, I began reading from The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying...this has prompted the recall of many dreams.
2. How we wake up is critical. Avoid using an alarm clock, or find an alarm clock that awakens you gently. There are some out there that use the sound of ocean waves or rain. I use often the Zen Clock which has a progressive alarm. Waking up naturally to your own body's rhythm is best. Over time, if you choose, you can train yourself to wake up without an alarm.
3. Upon awakening, it is important to stay present with the dream. Repeat it in your mind several times if you can. The dream is quickly lost back down the deep well by a mind that jumps into the day ahead of the body. Even if you remember only a snippet of a dream, hold on to it in the way described above by repeating it several times in your mind. A snippet can be a scene or tableau, an image, character, or feeling (emotional or physical in the body).
4. Keep your dream journal near the bed. I use my iphone notepad. Whatever works for you. But write down everything you remember from the dream. Try not to interpret, judge, or shrug off the dream. All dreams carry meaning and snippets can often be quite powerful in their simplicity! No dream is a “bad” dream.
5. Keeping our dreams ever present is a practice. And, remember, we all have seeming “dry spells”. But my experience has shown me that what I think is a dry spell is a cluster of snippets, images and feelings which have moved my work forward in profound ways.
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Some additional observations and insights into working with dream recall:
~ I have noticed that going to bed earlier and waking up earlier naturally improves my dream recall.
~ I have noticed that if I wake up during the night that I will often remember a dream upon awakening. If I don't take a moment to write it down, I may not remember it even if I think I will.
~ Sometimes, I will write a dream down, go back to sleep and then the next day when I read the dream, I can't recall it even though it is written down. It's ok...keep it in the mix, it has meaning...even the fact that it can't be recalled despite your notes is information.
~ Increased stress in my world-side life distracts me from my spiritual life. This affects my dream recall. Even when we think we are not dreaming, it's not true...we are! We simply are overly distracted by our world-side lives. Take some time to slow down, check in with your dreamwork practice/homework more frequently. Incorporate some mindfulness practices such as meditation or yoga into your life to help slow the mind down and become more present in the moment.
~ I have a trick I sometimes use that works when a dream goes back down. I imagine a deep, dark well at the bottom of which are my lost dreams and I dive down in with the intention of finding the dream. I allow myself to swim and then sink. Sometimes this works. A visual re-entry point back into the subconscious can help.
Artwork: Henrik Aarrestad Uldalen
The code of ethics outlined below was developed in collaboration by a group of dreamwork practitioners, including myself, for the purpose of setting forth the ethical obligations of practitioners and providing guidance for practitioners in their interactions with clients. This code of ethics has been refined and adopted by The Natural Dream, an affiliation of Natural Dreamwork Practitioners.
Natural Dreamwork Organization
Code of Ethics
(revised 05.14.14)
The ND Code of Ethics sets the basic ground rules for all dreamwork done by members of the organization. The code seeks to develop practitioner and client relationships that have integrity, sensitivity and mutual respect. It places the dreamwork within the frame of basic ethical principles of honesty and fair dealing so that clients can know that practitioners are worthy of their trust, in seeking to be accountable to ordinary common sense standards of right and wrong.
Dreamwork Practitioners make a commitment to:
-Overview-
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collaborate with the utmost respect for the clients to find the truth of their dream
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their own personal growth in relationship to learning from the dream.
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focus on being clear messengers, within their capabilities as students of the dream.
-Boundaries-
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ensure that sessions are strictly confidential. Only with prior, written permission of the client will session contents be anonymously shared for teaching or professional purposes.
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clearly define the boundaries of the practitioner/client relationship.
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make clear what is appropriate contact in between sessions.
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provide clients with tools and perspectives that encourage taking personal responsibility for their own work.
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not have sexual relationships with clients.
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not borrow money from clients, nor lend money to them.
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avoid imposing their own values, attitudes, beliefs and behaviors on clients.
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avoid relationships with clients outside the dream session that would make them dependent on the practitioner.
-Financial-
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inform the client of session fees including, payment schedules, cancellation policy.
-Documentation-
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make available to clients the Dreamwork Practitioner Code of Ethics.
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inform clients of the practitioner’s qualifications.
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inform clients that since dreamwork asks that they delve deeply into their own psyches, latent or present negative emotions and/or mental disorders may intensify, and in that event, they may need to seek outside support from a physician or a professional.
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acquire written permission of the client to allow anonymous discussion of their work for peer support, supervision and teaching purposes.
-Professionalism-
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adhere to the intelligence of the dream as the guide.
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seek support from other practitioners when the well being of the client is uncertain or
unclear. -
appropriately advise clients to other professionals when their predicament seems beyond the practitioner’s skill, experience or training.
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refer the client to another dreamwork practitioner when we believe that accepting a client will result in a conflict of interests.
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engage in ongoing professional development as dreamwork practitioners on an individual basis.
