I had great fun on my “Way of the Dreamer” radio show yesterday. It was a live show with callers, and I agreed with the producer that we would seek to keep everything tight and swift by allowing just four minutes for the whole interaction with each person who shared a dream report with me on the show. I call my dream sharing process Lightning Dreamwork because it is meant to be lightning quick, and to focus energy like a lightning bolt.

The plan succeeded beautifully, thanks in no small part to the good humor of the nine people who phoned in, and their willingness to tell their dreams simply and clearly, without background clutter or self-analysis.

Nine dreams brought nine gifts. The first caller, Jamie, recounted a dream in which he moved beyond a negative recurring pattern. In previous dreams, he went downstairs to the family room in his home, and found it full of “rough characters” who tried to give him orders. In the latest dream, he forced his unwanted housemates to leave, at which point his home turned into a castle. We agreed that whether the “rough characters” represented unhelpful influences or relationships in the house of his life, or something unwanted in the house of his body, Jamie had taken a positive step by removing things that did not belong, so turning his home into his castle. He said he would celebrate his dream by making a picture of his home as his castle.

Brian called in next, with a dream he titled “Cracked Open”. He dreamed that the ground opened at his feet in a dry Southwestern setting. He dropped through the crack and found himself in ancient Egypt, before a sarchophagous. The ground cracked open again, even waider, and now he fell to Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock), the sacred Aboriginal site, where he saw a dead body laid out and realized that it was his own. He was thrilled, rather than dismayed by this recognition. An immense primal serpent energy rose in the space, and he felt it was his ally. We discussed how death is always the prerequisite for spiritual initiation, the condition for rebirth and transformation.We agreed that Brian would carry the terrific energy of the dream with him on a planned trip to Australia next years, along with the bumper sticker “My World Has Opened Up.”

Bob shared a dream in which he was introducing the rock music group the Doors to his neighborhood. Surprisingly, they turned up in conservative gray suits. He was thrilled to be playing impresario, but ran into some difficulty and distraction on Zero Street, in an area of tawdry discount stores and fast food joints. He woke both excited and frustrated. I asked him to pretend I was a space alien and explain the Doors. He spoke of wildly popular entertainers who were edgy and went deep. If it were my dream, I told him, I, too, would be excited by the knowledge that I can help bring an approach that is edgy and goes deep into my regular environment. I would notice that I need to reduce the clutter on Zero Street (a dream address Bod did not recognize in regular life) to “zero”. And also that I might want to embrace some of the attributes of Mister Zero in Tarot; the number of the Fool is 0, and he can represent the sacred folly that is wiser than the ways of the world. Bob said he would put the card of the Fool in his desk and meditate on it each day.

Each of the nine exchanges on the show was equally rich. Janet described how she asked for guidance on a “digestive issue” and dreamed of a white mare swishing its tail in her face. She woke up laughing. We might have spent more time talking about the various meanings of a horse’s ass had she not revealed that research inspired by the dream led her to discover a herbal remedy known as “horsetail” (from a plant of the same name) that she has found to be quite helpful for her condition.

Some dreamers reported nocturnal adventures whose gift was raw energy rather than a specific message. Maureen dreamed she was on an immense journey. Three times the earth buckled underfoot and rose in waves. The third time, she was lifted high into the air, together with a group of companions that had joined her. Each time, she was exhilarated. She woke with the deep confidence that she was on the right track – with a book she had been writing and in life – and chosed a dream motto that is also an Irish blessing: May the road rise to meet you.

In a dream journey of her own, on a school bus, Jeannette found a box filled with letters from her grandparents to her parents. The letters had not been received and opened. She sensed that she might now have a role to play as the family member who can pass on messages from the ancestors.

Our last caller, author and dream teacher Wanda Burch, told us an amazing recent experience of dream healing. After suffering for several decades from crushing migraines, Wanda finally resolved to ask for help in the night. She dreamed she underwent brain surgery. The surgeon removed a piece of pink tissue from her brain and showed it to her, assuring her that the operation was a compete success. That was in April 2011. Since then, Wanda reported, she has been completely free from migraines. Wonderful confirmation that  (as I suggested here yesterday) the temple of dream healing will open to us where we live if only we are willing to open to it.

We can learn to share so much in the time it takes us to brush our teeth. We can help each other to harvest gifts from the night and take appropriate action to embody the energy and guidance of dreams. In this way, we deepen relationships, facilitate innovation and support each other in growing and manifesting our life dreams.

–

My next “Way of the Dreamer” radio show will be live with callers on Tuesday, January 10th.  The December 13th show described here available to download in the archive at healthylife.net.