Dear dreamer, Who are you?
We’d love to get to know you.
Some of you have emailed us, which we love by the way.
Others have commented on our blog.
And still others have joined in on our Facebook page.
But our mailing list is getting much bigger and most of you are still a mystery to us.
So instead of writing a long post about dreams, I invite you to introduce yourself. To do so, leave a comment below.
Here are some things you might talk about (but you can say anything you’d like).
Who are you?
Why are you interested in dreams?
What do you most want to learn (or share) about dreams?
Are you a professional dreamworker (if so, and if you have a blog, share your url)?
Seriously, we really want to know who YOU are. It will help us grow a dreaming community.
Hello my name is Joline. I am a big dreamer, a daydreamer and I dream BIG! I have recently formed an interest in dreams (within the last few years), Lucid dreaming, dream meaning and imagery. Because my life has taken such a big turn these days I am curious to discover what my subconscious and dreaming mind has to tell me!
At the present time I am a full-time student studying photography, getting into my creative roots, gardening and spending time with my loves (my amazing boyfriend and 6 finches). I love helping others and that would include helping people discover the people they are meant to be. I am sure that your subconscious is always looking for ways to help you be the best that you can be. I am looking forward to meeting other dreamers. Here’s to our journey!
I’m so happy you’re a full-time student studying photography. It’s about time!
Congratulations.
(Joline was the very first DT member a year ago!)
Avid lucid dreamer, and I am often inspired by my dreams… Interesting site:)
There’s a quotation that says something along the lines of beware of someone who dreams with eyes open. So I see the exploration of dreams as a way to see yourself more clearly and an avenue to reach untapped potential. Connecting with a community that works with dreams and the good that can come of them seemed like a great opportunity to expand my knowledge.
I wonder what that quote is…hmmm. It’s true what you say, connecting with community makes dream learning much richer. I look forward to learning from you, too.
I found you a few months ago, Katrina was featured on another blog I follow (sorry, can’t remember which one…) and I went to CIIS in San Francisco for my masters (Katrina was featured at an event there, it caught my eye).
I live up in the foothills in no. California, have tried keeping track of my dreams several times over the past several years, but with a small child… well… it’s tricky making time to quietly record my dreams! He’s getting bigger, 6 years old now, and I have made time in the morning (for the most part!) to write down my dreams. I don’t often have time to reflect on them or reread what I’ve written though!
)
This blog is what inspired me to start again. And as I set out to do that one very compelling thing happened, I found an old dream journal from quite a few years ago that I was going to use again, and I reread in one entry that I had a dream teaching something with the subject “Expressive” in it. Well, my blog, that I started a year or so ago, is called Expressive Souls. Perfect! I knew I needed to keep track, there’s so much magic and power and insight in dreams!
Anyway, that’s a bit about me… I’m not a professional dreamer, but my blog is http://expressive-souls.blogspot.com.
Thank you so much, I do love this blog!!
I love your blog, Tracy. Your painting of the blue lady reminds me of all of the dreams I’ve had with that color blue. I even painted a blue lady mermaid for my ordination!
Anyway, thanks for sharing a link. I look forward to reading more.
I dreamt I got up out of myself and looked back to see myself sleeping.
I appeared smaller than I expected.
Looking more closely I realized I was ‘backwards’ –
That I was seeing myself not as I appeared in a mirror.
Hey Albert, this sounds like an out of body experience, or OBE. Have you had them before?
Hello I am a licensed hypnotherapist, NLP practitioner and medical lecturer. I am chair for the Brighton NLP group and have been practicing hypnosis for over 15 years. I am fascinated by lucid dreaming and although I have only truly experienced lucid dreaming once I would like to understand more from people who have stories to tell.
Where did you study NLP and hypnosis? I used to work for Paul Scheele at Learning Strategies in Mpls (in the early 90s). I took his NLP hypnosis class and loved it.
Have you ever combined dreamwork and hypnosis? Perhaps to help people reenter their dreams and explore possible scary scenarios or recurring themes? Hmmm…I can see some great potential in this area.
Hi All, thanks for taking time to introduce yourselves. I look forward to getting to know you better. You’re always welcome to comment on blog posts and share daily musings and dream art on our Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/TheDreamTribe
Happy dreaming, friends!
Amy
I dream in color and sometimes sounds – not like talking or music but when the sun shines on the grass it sizzles, that kind of sound. I used to keep a journal next to my bed and tried to write down dreams so I would remember them. I dream a lot, but pay attention to the reoccurring dreams. Why do some dreams happen over and over or are different with a common thread in them? I also have dreams of people yelling at me like their message is SO IMPORTANT but I am not giving the response they want from me. I also have certain people in my dreams that when they are present they give off a feeling like I am safe or in danger.
j
Wow. I’ve never head of dreaming with that kind of sound before. Hearing, tasting and smelling are not common dream senses for most people.
I’ll have to write a piece on recurring dream themes. I had one last night, btw.
Perhaps I can help shed some light on what you’re experiencing. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Amy!
So nice to hear from you again. Sorry to hear about your grandfather! These types of life changes can be very challenging.
You and I exchanged emails about a month ago after I listened to your interview with Robert Wagoner, who I know from IASD and other places. I have also met Ryan and heard him speak at IASD conferences, although I doubt he’d remember me. In any case, I appreciate your doing this type of interview and making it available.
I am an active dreamer and dream worker. I have a dream group in Minneapolis (I know you said you grew up in Stillwater) who I meet with every two weeks. I also have a website: wholedreams.org where I post a blog as often as I can get to it.
I am finding that, the older I get the more time I wan to dedicate to dreams and their manyfold meanings for our lives.
Thanks for what you are doing. Keep up the great work!
Patrick, I hope to meet you some day in person. I may be in the Twin Cities in June/July. Perhaps we can share dreams over coffee.
I’ve just started to look to my dreams for insight and inspiration. It’s very exciting, and I appreciate your site for all the info!
Thank you!
Dreams are great for insight and inspiration. How do you process your dreams? Do you do any dream art?
A dream I had years ago actually helped me generate a serious amount of income! You never know what gems lay hidden in twilight imagery!
Hello
I’m Michelle and I’m a full-time undergraduate student majoring in psychology (graduating in three weeks- yikes!) I’ve been fascinated by dreams for as long as I can remember. My dreams have been a big part of my waking life, and I seem to be reaching lucidity within them more frequently as time goes on. I stumbled upon Ryan’s blog a couple of years ago when I was writing a paper on dreaming (for an Italian class, not a psychology class oddly enough) and have been following the Dream Tribe as well. I have a strong interest and inclination toward spirituality and holistic or non-Western healing practices and am hoping to do work in this direction after school.
Nice to meet everyone & thank you for sharing!
Congratulations on your upcoming graduation. That’s great! There are many programs, both masters degrees and certificates, that integrate spirituality with dreamwork. I teach spiritual guides “dreams as a spiritual practice” at the http://chaplaincyinstitute.org, a program you may find interesting.
We’re planning on integrating more posts and activities about dreams and spirituality, so stay tuned.
Hi Amy and all you other dreamers,
I’ve always been interested in dreaming but didn’t consider myself a big dreamer until recently when I started keeping a dream journal. I really wanted to try and have lucid dreams and began reading up on it and then just got interested in dreaming in general. I thought I could find a way to solve some of my problems through lucid dreaming and fulfill some fantasies. I didn’t end up having much luck but I became more interested in my dreaming mind.
The whole phenomenon of dreaming fascinates me. I somehow came across Ryan Hurd’s website and really liked the way he talks about dreaming and conciousness. I feel like its a very neglected side of my mind and of society in general. I am buddhist and have a steady meditation practice and am trying to find a common denominator between buddhism’s treatment of thoughts and the way psychology treats thoughts. There seems to be some very different opinions about what is helpful.
I feel like if I don’t give the content of my mind enough attention I can easily marginalize all kinds of unstable but creative energy. I feel like when I look at my dreams, there is so much to see and not really understand but there is still a lot of emotional energy there.
I think that I need to get involved with a dream group to help me see how other people work with their dreams. Thanks for having me share!
-Alex
Alex, are you a musician? If so, have you ever used dreams as inspiration for music?
I completely agree that dreams and consciousness are neglected parts of our society. I hope in some small way the Dream Tribe (and that includes you and all of the people posting here), can help raise awareness. It seems important, especially considering recent global events.
Who are you? My name’s Kate. I live in Berkeley. I’ve had an active dreaming life since childhood. Dreams are my source of inspiration, enlightenment, and entertainment. I use my dreams in my creative writing and meditation.
I’m most interested in lucid dreaming, and also how to improve dreaming ability and sleep quality, successfully incubate dreams, and how to interpret personal dream symbols, particularly people who show up in dreams.
I’m not a professional dreamworker. I would love to do the JFK program but that’s not in the cards right now. My blog is here: http://cobaltsigil.blogspot.com
Are you referring to the dream certificate at JFK? Unfortunately, I think that program ended. Since you live in Berkeley you might check out local weekend classes with http://JeremyTaylor.com.
I love your question about wanting to know more about people who show up in dreams. Are you referring to complete strangers who show up, or people you know, like high school friends?
Hi all! I am an avid dreamer who uses my lucid dreams to experience OOB travel. Over the past few years I have learned much about this world and the many unseen worlds around us. I enjoy reading and sharing experiences, which I do on many different forums.
I invite everyone to peruse my blog where I journal all my adventures…from astral travel, to retrievals, to meeting others while OOB. I don’t feel I am any special person with rare abilities…I KNOW this is something everyone CAN do! http://www.karen659.blogspot.com/
Special thanks to Amy and the rest for helping us all learn so much about ourselves through our dreams!
I started having spontaneous OBEs (or OOBs) when I was in my early 20s, but haven’t had much luck doing anything interesting with them. Do you have a special technique you use to maintain control of your experiences?
Hi! I’ve had a very active dream life as far back as I can remember. I was raised in part by a dream mother, a recurring dream figure. I have the occasional lucid dream, and have had precognitive dreams. I’ve always had a sense that my dream life and waking life were intimately connected.
What interests me most about dreams right now is the connection between lucidity and mindfulness, and the potential to use my dreams to open and integrate shadow.
I facilitate a dreamwork group here in Iowa City.
Karl, have you read Robert Waggoner’s book Lucid Dreaming, Gateway to the Inner Self? When I read it I immediately realized how lucid dreaming is a great teacher of how we function in waking life. Anyway, I imagine you’ve read it, but in case you haven’t I suggest checking it out.
Amy, thanks for the recommendation. I not only have read Robert’s book, I was fortunate to hear him speak.
Hi,
Ann here; so wonderful to get to know everyone virtually! I’m a college counselor and lifelong dream devotee; I have often garnered good advice, cautions, and whimsical musings from my dreams, as well as more serious insights into my relationships and health. I am blind, so probably my dream experience differs substantially from yours, but make no mistake, my dreams are real and powerful forces in my life; I need to improve my dream incubation and I have a fascination with the collective impact of dreams, given the real and metaphorical connections that characterize this exciting time we share!
Ann, I would love to know what your dreams are like. Have you written about them anywhere?
Hi Amy and others,
I am an American living in Ecuador for 30 years.
I have had many lucid dreams and out of body experiences during various defined episodes of my life, depending on how much time and effort I put into it. My method is awakening around 3:00 a.m., inducing a dream intention, returning to sleep, and quite often, it happens. This, of course, is the WILD method as commonly known. Highly effective, however, leaving one a bit bleary during the next day.
During decades of time I suffered from night terrors that would occur many times almost every night. I am a professional draughtsperson, painter and computer artist. My work is oneiric, highly detailed, allegoric and alludes frequently to the bardos of dreaming. I would now define a 15 year group of drawings and paintings as my Pavor Nocturnus stage.
Recently I seriously documented the creation of a drawing called Hippocampus. It is published in a The Lucid Dream Exchange article in 2010. Then again, in December 2010 a nightmarish LD event occurred to me in an LD, signalling the breaking of my right hand 5 weeks later, a situation that perhaps could have been avoided if I had been able to clearly read the LD. This is all documented in The LDE of February 2011.
Since the above event, I have chosen to go about Dreaming in another way. I have pulled back somewhat from Dream induction , instead choosing to meditate daily to clear out many issues of my personal life. And am going through my dream journal which has actually begun to impress me of how rather boring and uninteresting my dream entries are so far this year.
I think there are many ways of approaching and working with LDreaming. Sometimes its a good thing to practice, sometimes one should stop, regroup, analyze where it is going, take another attitude, work on a part of one’s life that is not in harmony with the whole.
Carole, your dream experience sounds intense. I looked for the February DL exchange piece, but can’t find it on line or on the website. Do you have a link to the PDF? (I found March’s but not February’s…)
It’s great to meet all of you! Thanks for taking time to introduce yourselves. I hope in the future you’ll continue to add your thoughts to our blog posts. It’s a great way for all of us to learn more and explore dreams and their meanings.
By the way, if you ever want your photo to show up instead of the DT logo, you can create a gravatar: http://gravatar.com.
Happy dreaming to all!
Hello I’m Dryalantha, or Lindsay.
I’m a Belgian young woman and 21 years old.
English is my 3rd language so forgive me if I make any mistakes.
I write down my dreams for 5 years now I believe, and started to paint dreams 3-4 years ago. Being creative with my dreams (writing, painting, sculptures, mixed media) is one of my biggest passions. I also have a facebook page, where you can follow my ‘growth’ in creative dreaming: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dryas-Dream-Art/117767684941274?ref=ts
I write down my dreams every single day, I have +- 6 dreams a night so this is really like keeping a diary, making time to write..; and sometimes even make time to blog some of them. http://www.nachtvleugels.blogspot.com/ I must say that this blog is, like most of my blogs, written in Dutch, because I don’t have many time left to translate every single post.
Some online activity: I’m moderator at the Dutch part of LD4all.com, I was an volunteer at the IASD online conference, I’m a team member of Dreaming Global Illumination and every month I also join the 350 dreamers for new moon dreaming. So yes, kinda active at the www!
I will also join the next IASD conference at the Netherlands so… I hope I can meet some of you over there!
Much greetings,
Drya
So you are the Belgian Dreaming Global member! Nice to meet you, Drya. (I’m working with Sherry and Brenda on a project right now.)
In case you don’t know, when I open your blog using the Chrome browser the system translates your blog into English so I can easily read it. You don’t have to worry about translation!
Hello Dream Tribe folks!
I was introduced to your fabulous community through Atava’s Ancestral Apothecary website several months ago.
I have had many interesting dream experiences over the past decade or so…some more on the disturbing side, and others purely fascinating. The experiences began with night terrors whereby I would wake up shouting because of fear of some presence in the room. This happened on and off for years, sometimes frequently and sometimes not, and sometimes involved my slamming into furniture (and once screaming and falling down an entire flight of stairs!).
Thankfully this is now happening far less frequently, but over the past year or so I have had several out-of-body experiences and lucid dreams. I knew nothing about what these were, and in fact was starting to think I was slightly insane, so I was extremely happy to find this community of people with whom to share experiences and resources!
In fact, I sought out Atava as a dream counselor to talk about these experiences (thanks, Atava!
, and the day that we spoke for the first time was the same day the disaster occurred in Japan, where I live. In fact, just prior to hanging up the phone, the last thing she said to me was “it sounds like some very powerful message might be trying to come through”, and 45 minutes later the earthquake struck. Powerful indeed!
My partner and I both in fact had several vivid disaster-related dreams very similar to what happened in Japan during the week or so prior to the event, so naturally I am now quite interested as well in learning more about dreams as prophecy.
I know this is long (and probably somewhat mind-blowing)…believe me, I feel the same! However, more than anything I feel intrigued and also very grateful to have come into contact with these abilities (or whatever they might be called), which I know all humans likely possess, but which most of us have been socialized into believing are strange or threatening.
I look forward to continuing to share and learn together…many thanks in advance!
Kimberly, I’m happy you found Atava to walk with you through your experiences. Dreams and OBEs can be confusing, especially without a community of people who understand what’s going n.
Have you read Robert Monroe’s books? They are about his out of body experiences (OBEs or OOBs). I found his work helpful when I started having spontaneous OBEs.
I think I need to write a post about these experiences. Seems many of the greater DreamTribe community has them. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Amy and DreamTribe folks;
I went through the Consciousness Studies program at JFK with Ryan, so that’s how I first heard about this site (I also know Katrina). I did a few dream classes at JFK and really enjoyed them, even though I’m a really inconsistent dreamer. I go through long periods of not remembering any dreams, then start remembering them again. I’ve kept a journal on and off, and I do always find them fascinating even when I feel completely clueless about what they are telling me! I would love to remember them more and find a way that I can feel like they inform my life more directly.
I’ve written a book (as yet unpublished) on the process of transformation of consciousness, and I’m currently finishing a distance learning program to be a health coach. I’m working with clients now, combining my interests in health and transformation in my coaching and writing about these and related topics on my blog, http://www.transformationovertapas.com.
I’m definitely interested in how dreams can affect health; I’ve enjoyed the recent articles posted on the site related to that topic and shared them with others in my program. Of course, I’m also interested in how dreams relate to transformation; I included and wrote about a few of my own dreams in my book. I also used a lot of archetypal stories, and since dreams touch into those archetypal realms, I’m curious about the overlaps.
I actually thought of an article I want to write related to dreams, but I need to unearth my packed away dream journals first….I’ll keep you posted!
Thanks for all that you’re doing to create a community of dreamers.
Julie, your book sounds fascinating. Do you plan on publishing it any time soon? Transformation and dreamwork go hand-in-hand, especially when the dreams are observed and reflected, then integrated into waking life somehow.
Thanks for sharing and introducing yourself
Thanks Amy! My plan was to get my book published awhile ago, but sadly have not found a publisher or agent yet, though I also haven’t spent that much time on it. I’m hoping to find some time for that soon!
Julie! excited about you unpacking the dream journals… get ready. whenever i delve in it’s POW. and I marvel at how much I’ve forgotten too… we’re constantly recreating ourselves.
Greetings!
I am a Dream Intuitive & Reiki Practitioner, with a small healing practice in the Portland OR / Vancouver WA area. I also co-host a internet radio show called Flash of Spirit through Sedona Talk Radio. This is a weekly show where my co-host Dr. Gillian Holloway and I discuss our nightly dreams and messages given to us in our everyday lives. (Ryan was a guest on our show.) I am currently working towards creating & co-facilitating a dream circle to start this fall.
I have been involved with the dream world and working with spirits since I was a very young child. I am one of those dreamers living on the boundary line between both the waking & dreaming worlds. I have started to blog and write more articles on dreaming… there can never be enough, right?
It is wonderful to see the dream community growing! Thank you Amy for creating the Dream Tribe, I love reading the articles and information that you and others share on this website. I enjoy watching as people begin to awaken into their dreamtime.
It’s nice to meet everyone!
Blessings, Meredith
Website: http://ispeakindreams.com
Blog: http://ispeakindreams.wordpress.com/
Hi Meredith – what is a dream intuitive?! I was once told I use dreams like a divination tool, but I suspect you are referring to something else. I’d love to know.
Nice to meet you.
Hi Amy,
To answer your question, What is a Dream Intuitive?, it is most likely similar to how your use dreams as a divination tool. I receive messages, seek answers, and speak with spirits, animal guides, and dream guides within my dreamtime. I used to say I was a dreamworker, which I am, but I realized I moved beyond just interpreting a dream and use my intuitiveness to translate dreams. For me, I find more clients respond to the idea of a Dream Intuitive and have questioned what a dreamworker was.
It sounds like many people that have posted in your “Dear Dreamer, Who Are You?” are tapped into their own intuitive dreaming to translate dreams
Nice to meet everyone!
Enjoy!
Blessings, Meredith
Hi Amy,
I have been receiving your newsletter (and Ryans) for a little while now and practicing Lucid dreaming for about six months. Regarding your conclusion that Albert had an O.B.E. and not an L.D. I quite agree. I disagree with other dream researchers,though, that suggest O.B.E.s are just another kind of dream. I have studied the occult/paranormal since I was old enough to think due to weird things happening around me as a child. My family at the time just thought me a little strange.
What was strange was that what I thought at the time was a dream.I was ten years old and living in Drumchapel on the outskirts of Glasgow,Scotland.In the “dream” I was flying through the air and everyone was pointing skywards. Ignoring them I just enjoyed the experience until I felt a little tug and found myself pulled towards a large building in a park that I hadn’t seen before.It was a Museum. I am flying through the rooms looking at the exhibits on display and again I feel a pull and I go upstairs. I find myself in the” prescence” of a man being crucified on a cross the cross is hanging in mid-air and there is a dark, ominously threatening sky ( though I don’t feel any personal threat ) there is sand beneath my feet and a fishing boat by the silent,still sea.I feel I am being watched.My personal feelings are of awe and wonder. Suddenly I am seeing the scene from a little further away and realise I am looking at a painting of a crucifixion scene.I realise i was previously in the scene in the painting.It was a totally three -dimensional experience during which I was filled with unexplainable expressions. The complete significance still eludes me to this day.I don’t believe it was ” just a dream” for the following reasons-I was fully aware and in control most of the time apart from the “pull” I mentioned. In retrospect I put the experience down to my” Holy Guardian Angel” or higher conscious giving me some significant but gentle spiritual guidance.In regards to the “pull ” it was experienced in the region of the Astral Cord . Where some dream-researchers have written of the experience of entering a painting there has always seemed to be a ” painted ” quality about things.That is probably due to the fact that what they are experiencing is within their own mind alone. My experience was I felt very much something I was being allowed to share.
About 18 months later I had just started Secondary (high) school and made a new friend. *Up until then I had never been into Glasgow unless visiting my Grandmother with my Father. My new friend knew his way around better and we ended up in Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.
A trip upstairs and lo and behold-there was the painting of my ” dream”-it was Salvador Dalli’s painting of The Crucifixion of St.John of the Cross
which a lot of people mistake for The Christ.
I left school and home to experience the world. Most of those ” trials and tribulations” are unimportant other than they have made me the person I am today,Someone with whom I am reasonably comfortable. One point that does have a bearing though, is that as a child I always wanted to be an artist but at that time ( I was born when the Second World War was coming to an end ) in working-class Glasgow it was considered “unmanly” and the protestant work ethic prevailed.After the passing of my parents and finding myself unemployed and rootless I went back to higher education. I now have a Masters degree in Painting & Printmaking and am a practicing artist. I still have a part-time evening job to help financially but I am quite comfortably off and far more comfortable with myself.In regards to any interpretation of dreams,I believe while many symbols or Archtypes are capable of universal interpretation, often these symbolic aspects have a specific and unique significance to the dreamer alone. I am a Celt in thought as in nature and believe within any one dream there are layers within layers ” as unto a wheel within a wheel”.Best wishes and Happy Dreaming!
Billie, thanks for sharing your experiences with us. Similarly, I differentiate my lucid dreams from OBEs in that the emotion and visual quality of my lucid dreams is heightened, even intense or dramatic. Most of my OBEs are no different than waking life, with the exception that I can float through the ceiling!
However, I have had dream-induced OBEs that are more like lucid dreaming, so I’m not entirely certain where the lucid dream ends and the OBE begins, or if there is truly a difference (although the true OBEs feel entirely different.)
Anyway, I’ve just spent the entire week researching my Scottish and Welsh Celtic ancestors, so it’s fun to have an actual Scottish Celt chiming in about dreaming and the wheel within a wheel.
Happy dreaming to you too.
Hey Billie, thanks for commenting and sharing your potent dreams visions! I tend to wiffle-waffle about OBEs and lucid dreams – you know that already because you’ve been subscribed to my stuff for a while now. I’m in between paradigms, basically. I have had OBEs but not sure if they are dreams or something else entirely when it comes to their biological/material nature. however, they certainly feel distinct from lucid dreams. the phenomenology, as we say, is quite robust. I am happy for now not knowing the answer, and looking forward to the next opportunity to explore further….
Hi Ryan,
been a while since I read the page. I’ve been busy with “arty-farty” stuff.
Anyway, I am in the process of writing my own book on Lucid dreaming expressing my own views and trying to clarify the differences between Lucid dreams and O.B.E’s.My basic premise is that L.D’s involve only a partial dislocation of consciousness,that is, when dreaming the spirit-body is slightly out of allignment with the physical but still partially residing within the physical shell,but during O.B.E’s there is a complete seperation of the bodys and so there are no residual logical thought traces intruding on the ” dreaming-mind” which cause uncontrolled dreams to be confusing.There are metaphysical connections here which I will cover in my book, All I will add for now is that the purpose of sleep as opposed to dreaming is to enable the energy-renewal of both bodies which requires switching off the ” logic-circuit”.
Hi Amy, I’ve had a longstanding interest in the mind, and lucid dreaming seems like a marvelous way to study it. So far I’ve not been able to do it myself, but I enjoy reading about others’ experiences. I seem to have some success with hypnogogic imagery just before sleep, and I’m trying to work out how to increase the frequency and duration. Any advice would be welcome.
Best, William
William,
if hypnagogic imagery is working for you, you may also find success with wake-initiated lucid dreams. the best way to get to them — in my experience and many others — is to wake in the middle of the night, do some reading (especially about lucid dreaming) or meditation, something mentally active, and then go back to sleep. this can really up the anty. I’ll be writing more about lucid dreaming soon here on the blog, so stay tuned.
I’ve only had a few spontaneous lucid dreams. Ryan is definitely the guy to ask about “how to” and “what to do.” Perhaps he’ll have some advice…
Pingback: Dear Lifework-Grower, who are you?
I am having a great experience facilitating a Dream Work group in Dunedin FL.
Doing what I can to spread knowledge & understanding of Dreams.
Have fun with your dream group, John. What type of dream exploration do you do most in your community?
Aloha,
I discovered the DreamTribe after ‘stumbling’ onto Ryan’s dreamstudies.org website. I found you folks on a day in particular when I was searching for answers. I was intrigued by his talk of intuitive ways of knowing and and learning about our ancestral histories through dream work. I am also an anthropology student so many of the things that he speaks of have really sparked an interest in both my ‘professional/student’ life as well as on a personal level.
I have always been an avid dreamer, and I very often feel the sensation that I have lived a waking moment at some point before; like in a dream. Currently, as a soon to be college grad with no certain idea about the shape my life will take after said graduation, I am hoping that becoming a more balanced person in all ways (including embracing and opening my perception to the reality and importance of dreaming) will lead me to the next plateau in my personal and professional development.
Thank you all for this work that you do. In the words of one of my favorite musicians Jack Johnson: ” …dreams are so related, though they’re often underestimated.” I think that this forum and research is very important and integral in reshaping and relearning our perception (and also the potential) of reality.
Mahalo,
Bria Lani Callaway
hi Bria, thanks for commenting. dreaming at life crossroads can be a helpful part of the decision making process. be sure to check out one of our articles on dream incubation. start here: http://thedreamtribe.com/how-to-incubate-a-dream/
anthropology and dreams is so rich… and it gets personal quick, doesn’t it? I think this is by design. dreams, cultural and ancestry really spiral around each other. once you’re on to one.. you find the others. so I’m excited you’ve joined us. My writing on this site is a bit different than my own…. in ways that I can only attribute to the presence of the other powerful members of the DreamTribe. we’re stronger together.
Hi Bria, I’ve never heard that quote. Thanks for sharing. Congratulations on your graduation. No one knows what shape their life will take after school…not even those who have a careful plan!
What are your dreams telling you about life direction?
So happy to have found this community today
I am just beginning out my private body and energy work practice in Boston. I have been doing energywork since I was able to walk and talk. My mom was basically disabled and on bedrest until I was 12. I have been using ocean tide and riptide imagery as long as I can remember. I primarily deal with grief and trauma recovery, as I have experienced my own immense amount of it. Yesterday was one of those particularly recurring grief days for me. But as I slept, the whales beckoned me into the sea with them, as they have before -always touching me as if I were their own creation to hold, examine and love.
My dreams are VIVID. Sight, smell, sound… some sensations in between and they coalesce into something that is not singular and not plural. I love what someone above wrote about the sound of light hitting the grass – right on! that is kind of it. I have those perceptions in waking time as well. Photosynthesis is not just a process, it is plant joy in action – those daffodils are screaming in the sunshine – so happy to be glistening, iridescent yellow fibrous plant life. LIFE. How this all applies to my life work, I am uncertain. No one I spend any time with has a similar experience where their imagination and their perceptions are inseparable. I believe life to be incredibly imaginary. It seems like some people here may have some good ideas about how to go further with it to incorporate it into my life’s work – which is “Dharanananda” – concentration and bliss.
I am in transition with my life work and am inspired by the community here. A re-awakening of my dreaming potential is in full force I feel after last night.
Love & Light & Attentiveness!
Stephen
I was guided to this site via Huffington Post, of all places! I’ve been asking the Cosmic for a Dream circle to join for a number of years & here it is! I’ve been a Dreamer/Day Dreamer all my life. I was always the kid in class that was gazing out the window to somewhere else & the teachers tried to trip me up my asking me questions when they thought I wasn’t paying attention! They never managed! Somehow, I always had the answer & then some. I am blessed with the gift of synesthesia. Mine takes the form of “seeing”(with something other then the physical eyes) movement & colors when I hear music. I also have the gift of music & have studied keyboard & voice. The voice lessons were fun & a mezzo-soprano voice got me into a lot of places, but I’m not sure if it’s my true voice or someone else’s idea of how that voice type should sound. I got fed up with being pushed towards performing as a soloist. My Dreaming is in full-out technicolor, complete with the five senses & a few others that aren’t part of the physical world. I had a NDE in 1980 & since that time the Dreaming has very slowly become more powerful & easier to access. I am a Reiki Master, retired hospital chaplain, retired palliative care nurse. I have a Dream, literally & figuratively, of helping others with their Dream work. With the economy the way it is & the cost of getting from Canada to anywhere else, physically attending workshops & certification courses are out of the question, so this site is a Dream come true! (Sorry, I just had to say it!) I do some creative writing but not on a regular basis. The poems, etc, just seem to write themselves. Perhaps they are a form of Dreams. Blessings to everyone, Dream well.
i have been suffering from SP for years. I always thought that i was being visited by something evil and i always fought against it to try to get out of being paralyzed. Just the other day i came upon Sleep Paralysis and i read the book. I am amazed on how accurate it was to what i have been experiencing and now i am more open about it and want to learn more on the Lucid dreaming. I have had OBE and i can also make myself fly in my dreams.. i want to learn more on all the subjects about dreaming. I have never dreamt with whales, but i have read the articles and i am interested in learning more. well i could go on and on about the experiences i have had because i have never told anyone about them…this is the first time i am speaking about my experiences. thanks
Rosa,
welcome! I’m glad to hear my book resonates with you! and also happy to hear that it’s helped you make a change in your approach to SP encounters. The work always continues… I still have to remember for myself to breathe and relax when I move unwillingly into SP. take care, R Hurd
G’day,
I just joined the Dream Tribe (but in my sleep I suspect I’ve been a member for a while). I’ve been fascinated by dreams for most of my life. I’ve always been a creative person (particularly fiction writing), but I’ve allowed real life demands of paying the bills and getting a proper job stop me from following my bliss. It’s only been in the last few years that I’ve been able to connect with others of like mind. I haven’t been able to find any dream discussion groups in Melbourne Australia, so I’m contemplating starting one myself. Until then, I’ll join the global village of the internet!
I’m also a contributor to the Daily Grail website, I’m dipping my toes in wildlife conservation, and I wear a few other hats as well (but none fit me as well as the Indiana Jones fedora I often dream about!).
I look forward to discussing dreams and everything in between with you all.
Cheers,
Rick
What better place to have a dream group than Australia? I’m surprised you haven’t found one and I strongly encourage you to jump in and start your own! If you need help getting started let me know.
cheers,
Amy
Thanks Amy, any advice is very welcome! I have a fair idea how to make it happen, but I’m one of those people who needs the rug pulled out from under my feet. I’ll start looking for a venue now, and take it from there. Advertising is simple, there’s the Theosophical Society Bookshop, creative writing/art departments of universities… there we go, the rug is pulled, I’m on my way.
Cheers,
Rick
I have been experiencing Out of body dreaming dreaming, lucid dreaming etc for some time now. This morning, I dreamt of a burning rainbow and and an apocalyptic type events where lots of people died. The world was in utter chaos. Nobody knew what to do. In my dream, the universe itself was being rearranged. Entire galaxies were shown to me being moved about by a powerful force. In another part of the dream, beings descended on earth and interacted with me. One being manifested itself as a tree ( huge pine tree)
It allowed me to touch its trunk as it floated down and then it began to ascend again. In the end, the dream alluded to a bible verse.
I have these supernatural dreams involving visiting strange planets and witnessing cataclysmic events. ( stars falling into the sea and causing massive flooding) etc. sometimes it is specific people with their names revealed. Etc
My name is Maggie. I am an employee of the Minneapolis Public School District and an Urban Teacher Candidate at Metropolitan State University. I grew up in a Shamanist family but only recently have I returned to some of the practices. With the help of my teacher and mentor, L, I’ve learned to record my dreams and us the information to support me through work and life. L facilitates a powerhouse dream group based in Phillips neighborhood, we are currently in our second winter workshop. Last year, when I was still new to dream work and gradually returning to Shamanism, I focused on spiritual growth and opening my seventh chakra. This year, the information in my dreams has been pointing to the second chakra. My goal for joining Dream Tribe is to read and write more about dreams and connect with people, especially dreamers in their twenties and thirties. As of now, my only Shamanist peer is my brother (age 24) and I’d like to connect with other practicing Shamanists in my age group
(I’m 28).
Hi Maggie,
I’m from Minnesota and was just in the Phillips neighborhood. Welcome to the Dream Tribe. Hopefully you can meet some people in your peer group here.
happy dreaming,
Amy
Hi fellow dreamers!
My name is Magnus and Im from Oslo, Norway. Ive been fascinated by the dreamworld since I was little. Heard that it was possible to become aware in your dreams when i was about 18. Some time after i had my first spontaneous lucid dream. Since then, the fire has burned. I didnt start to work consciously with my dreams until 2007 and it was an on and off thing. But the last year, my dreams have become so strong and I feel that they are talking and communicating with me now.
Im using dreams as a tool for development. To get to know myself and to grow in spirit. I want to learn how to go to the other side to get answers, knowledge and healing, bring it back to this dimension and put it to use here. Its been a calling of mine for many years to achieve something like this. Since I was 18, Ive had a shamanic calling. Ive been working with several shamans including an indigenous from the Amazon for several years. Now the time has come to look inwards and find my inner teacher. I believe that I can most easily access this through dreaming. I know Ive put the bar high, but it feels so right to reach for this.
Hope I will get to know each and one of you better.
Best wishes,
Magnus
Thanks for DreamTribe, all!
My answer is I’m an Earth spirit with 50 years perspective on my own lives and Gaia. By nature, spirits dream, and we always have. The language of our lives is first expressed in the symbology and meanings of our dreams and predates our verbal experiences.
I grew up walking, hiking, camping and fishing out of doors and learned much about natural histories. I was born into a family that appreciated Gaia. Ubuntu: I am because we are.
Fundamentally I see that we’re smart animals, embedded into, and a part of Gaia, with birthrights and experiences acquired over millennia. Our experiences transcend time and space because such skills had survival value, and we are souls having human experiences.
From my earliest precognitive dreams I became interested in how such experiences were possible and I went hunting answers because I wanted to know what was actually happening. That helped fuel my interest in dreams. While the answers were looking for me, I started into university aspiring to be a biologist or environmental scientist. But instead I came out the other side with a bachelors in religious studies from a CA state research institution, and training from a southern California mystery school, in the seer’s lodge of the Southwest, so to speak. This reminds me that y’all might love the Medicine Wheel from one of my old teachers. I’ll see how I can upload it to you.
Blessings and boons to all of you!
I am being who i am with a sense of purpose.
Sometimes i dream…there have been spells where no dreams happen.
Those times were when i felt empty.
I have written about dreams, especially recurring ones…hoping to be prepared for a new clue to what they mean.
My life has been quite eclectic…now i am seeking to be who i am.
I have alot of relatives and my grandmother is 104 years old…my dreamsharing with her is important: When she passes on…
We will meet on a Beach…In our dreams.
I had a dream about a little blue whale frozen in time.
I feel a strong connection with creation, i am a Christian and am very open minded about sharing my beliefs and understanding others beliefs.
I seek peaceful living.
As a musician, i have realized how music helps me express myself and am interested in music therapy…to learn and share…with the intention of helping others to overcome anxiety and stress.
I believe in reincarnation…i participated in a past life regression once…i saw a place in another time when i was a food gatherer…returning to my tribe and saw no one…it was sad and then i found my elder/teacher was laid out for ceremony…and I knew what to do.
I think dreams are helpful to guide our souls in life.
Hi, I’m Violet, from NJ, grew up right on the beach.
Dreaming is one of my favorite things to do. I’ve had so many dreams every night, since at least the age of 10 (some dreams I remember from when I was as young as 6), and remember all of them (after I wake up), full color, full touch, full smell, its like being in another world. I have woken up screaming, crying, laughing, swinging. It’s just gotten to the point where I’m just looking for more information/help in decoding/understanding what they mean and why mine are so vivid and plentiful, while some cant remember any to little.
Hi – I live in Durban, South Africa. Just heard about you through a dreamsister. Our dreamgroup meets twice a month. It is a very precious sharing and healing time which we have cherished for many years. I heard that you were doing a book club with Women Who Dance With the Wolves. Please can I listen in there? Love the book!. Love everything Clarissa PE does!
blessings to you all
Hi I’m also a Michelle, I am a pisces, and tend to dive into divination practices, I’ve had a lot of dreams give me insight and inspiration. I’m a teacher by nature and will work with dreams whenever possible. I am also an artist with an old creative soul.
Hello,
My name is Wannetta. Nice to finally find like minded people to share my dreams with. Ive always had dreams but for the last 10 years they have become more vivid and very colorful. My spiruality has soared over these years and my intuition is at an almost instant realization. Its been a wonderful journey. I am a 56 yr young Mother and Grandmother that couldn’t be happier with my family and friends but love to meet new people. So Hello to all and let’s dream on together. Thank you
Wannetta
My name is Danielle and I have long been interested in dreams and my belief in connecting the spiritual realm and this realm. I have been sensitive to my dreams since I was about 14-15 years old. I have been documenting and I am able to vividly remember dreams for more than 10 years now.
I work in the mental health field as a therapist but have always been interested in holistic healing, dreams, their interpretations, tarot, new age, and old age tribal rituals. My father’s family is Native Hawaiian and it is common within our lineage to be able to sense Spirit and communicate.
I am most interested in dreams because I believe that they serve as a great barometer to understanding ourselves and also allowing ourselves to be open to our ancestors who are very much alive. I believe that my ancestors, my ‘Aumakua, communicate with me…even if I dont understand them all the time. I think dreams are a wonderful way of understanding ourselves, learning about our ancestors, and appreciating their lives. It also gives me an opportunity to honor them in ways I never knew were possible.
I am interested most in other tribal dreamers, Hawaiian or Polynesian descent if possible. I have dreams I find puzzling and believe that being open to others and having discussion with those familiar with my culture can open me up for more information.