Journey of the Dream

dream imageWhere do we go when we close our eyes and shut out the external world? 

This journey into the self is often times into uncharted and unfamiliar land or waters. Yet, like the traveller who sets off on an expedition and who has maps, with the moon and stars to assist on his travels here, below, above, not knowing what awaits, so we too can set off with a map – a different kind, namely our own inner guide as map.

Entering into the dream and working on the unknown facets of ourselves (for all those characters and place in a dream are representative of ourselves in some way) is a hero’s journey for those who wish to be fully themselves, no longer presenting a fake face to themselves and the world.

Our lives are represented in the dream world when we are given cause for pause. We wonder whether to go this way, that way. There may necessary dangers when making that next step. It may show to not be too hasty, stay awhile at this crossroad before going anywhere, don’t make assumptions, reflect more, go further back, further forward, don’t rush, pay attention, have faith –

And hold with care until it unfolds. Keep a journal of your dreams. It’s a way of being present with yourself, jotting down whatever comes to mind, knowing that your writings, your journalling, has the potential to lead you to deeper levels of awareness.

It will take us out of our comfort zones when we heed the call knowing that there are always risks in undertaking journeys. We need to prepare in order to return ..

Who knows, maybe we’ll find jewels along the way, even if it takes forever to crack the shells surrounding it. Perhaps that diamond or pearl will slowly itself reveal as the layers are exposed. Joy maybe ..

 Thanks to google images for above graphic.

54 Comments on Journey of the Dream

  1. I’ve never been one to write down my dreams since I remember them vividly when I wake up and can decipher what they mean quickly, but I do write down the incredibly strange ones because I want to make sense of them when I had my bearings with me (one involved me eating in a restaurant with friends then suddenly battling people with only a handful of newly-sharpened pencils haha).

  2. I love this: “Entering into the dream and working on the unknown facets of ourselves …..is a hero’s journey for those who wish to be fully themselves, no longer presenting a fake face to themselves and the world.” Who wouldn’t want this? To be all we were meant to be…. Thank you Susan for another inspiring post!
    Inventions by Women A-Z
    Shells–Tales–Sails

    • Thanks Shilpa … look at that dream that takes you back. What was the past? Was it an event, a place, happy memories, not so wonderful times? What in the dream is trying to come into consciousness?

  4. I need to make a dream journal. I remember a lot of detail when I first wake up but within minutes everything is lost.

    • This is where a dream journal helps Kris. And you can look at the dream during the day and/or just before you go to sleep at night and wonder about it a bit more. Ask your unconscious/Dream Mother for a dream before you turn in…

  5. I have been remembering my dreams and trying to reflect; what ‘s the message for me.. I must start writing, which I have not been doing… hope to get into recording my dreams… thanks for sharing… your post is full of insights and i Love reading..

    • Thank you Genevive very much .. glad you’re enjoying them. That’s the most important thing ‘what’s the message for me’ …

  6. Maybe we find jewels when we go deep within us, indeed. And dreams are the vehicle for such a journey. Beautiful restful dreams. Joy, maybe we’ll find a joy within ourselves, for it is the self joy that matters the most, perhaps. Such a beautiful post, Susan. Thank you for making it so very poetic, as well. A joy to read.

  7. Another lovely post. These are becoming my daily meditations.

    I used to write my dreams down, but I haven’t done so for years. It’s so valuable, though, and so helpful in guiding you toward the underlying meaning of your dreams–you start seeing that certain dreams have common threads, or common emotional impacts, and eventually it clicks. Also, dreams are so wonderfully wayward and whimsical sometimes–and so fragile. It’s nice to have that written record.

    • Thanks Kern for coming by – I guess we get out of the habit, like out of the habit of x number of glasses of water per day, walking etc. They are wonderfully wayward & whimsical (lovely metaphor), but the threads can be tracked and insight into impact gained.

  8. I’m definitely stressed out about my move to the island next year. I just had another anxiety nightmare about it last night.

    Sigh!

  9. I love to dream, and travel on the journey within. As more of the story I am writing often appears when I wake up, I am wondering now how much of myself is in Durstan and Ailan’s story, in The Monk who Cast a Spell? An interesting thought! A lovely post, and image, Susan. Thank you again 🙂

    • Thank you Sharon, you pose an interesting question. Many writers say oh no there’s nothing of me in the story, it’s all fiction. I think we do bring ourselves into our stories in some way. As in dreaming –

  10. My dream journey has moved on from losing my purse, searching high and low for it, to getting a new expensive one that looked like everyone else’s. Tonight, I’ll dream about mixing mine up with someone else’s, I just know it.

    • Thank you Liz A. We go into ourselves in our dreams though expressed differently and we bring back a greater understanding of ourselves.

  12. I love dreams. As a little girl, I often lay in bed at night, lights out, eyes closed, and wondered what experiences, what places, what alternative lives I was going to be thrown into before morning. It fascinated me to think of it, the immense possibility of it. I do keep a journal (though not just for my dreams), and it’s always wonderful to go back and read about those “other” lives I’ve lived. More often than not, once I start reading what I wrote, I remember the whole thing. Amazing: dreams I had years and years ago, and I can still remember them because I wrote them down. Sometimes the years have brought a different light to these dreams, helped me understand them–and myself–better. Wonderful gifts, dreams.

    Thanks for the visit over at Quiet Laughter yesterday; I’m very, very happy you found me, too 🙂

    • Thanks for coming by Guilie! I too love going back to dream and other journals and it is fascinating (to me!) to see my thinking/feeling process at that time. Many times the underlying dynamic is much the same; bringing a new perspective to it is part of the journey.

  14. Wow, Susan. Our “J” blogs have the same title and present basically the same thought. And what you write in “Journey” is just where I am now on my journey — preparing in order to return. Often when I’m simply going through my day, something will trigger an image, like a photographic slide, to pop onto my mind screen. As I was reading what you said about pausing at the crossroads I flashed on Anton Chekhov’s beautiful story/novella, “The Steppe.”

    Thank you.

    • Wow Samantha! Re: Chekhov’s ‘The Steppe’. I love it when something perfectly synchronistic like that happens! Those synchronous moments are such a gift ..

      ‘Preparing to return’ is what I believe to be a guiding star ..

      Thank you so much for coming by Samantha. I so appreciate this.

  15. Thank you for making my dream life seem so special. I travel many journeys during my sleeping hours. I have always been able to awake and return to the journey I had left. The more I dream, the more positive the experiences. Thank you for all the amazing lessons in the dreamworlds.

    • Thanks Marsha for coming by. How lovely is that that the more you dream the more positive the experiences! It seems like that sometimes to me as well! Maybe no more ‘seeming’ but acknowledging that each and everyone’s dream world IS very special. See Susan’s brief comment above.

  16. I definitely enjoy your delightful and informative posts, Susan. There for a while I was dreaming quite a bit. Now, my dream world seems to be off on vacation for a while. However, I typically dream when I am processing something in my unconsciousness. It takes on a form of education for me tool

    I look forward to learning more about dreams and dreaming. Thanks for sharing!

    • Our dreams do take vacations Gwynn! And if you hit the nail on the head when you say that you ‘…typically dream when I am processing something in my unconsciousness’. They are highly educative – a true gift.

      And thank you for your comment.

    • Dear Susan
      Thank you –
      ‘It is true that dreams are the journal of ourselves…’ You’ve expressed it in a nutshell. The nut hard to crack.
      Susan

  18. I find myself saying, Amen and amen, every time I read an article in this series. I can’t say thank you enough.
    Great job, Susan. You draw me in with your first sentences, and I’m sitting at my iPad or computer saying Amen.
    Shalom,
    Patricia

    • Patricia, thank you. That is extremely kind of you to say so. I know that you too are walking this journey in your beautiful way with writing, teaching, caring for others, music. For me it is a great privilege that you are in my life – and one day we will meet and walk the soil of our lands.

      Please also check Joseph Rubin’s comment about you in his comment. You have an ardent fan in him and for good reason! He is a lovely man.

      Thank you again Patricia and Shalom.
      Susan

  19. When I read dreams I’ve included in my journal, even when they were recorded many years ago, the few sentences often bring back the entire dream. I find that fascinating, especially since I can’t remember what last night’s dreams were right now!

    • That happens to me Beth – re-reading dreams from way back when is a lovely thing to do, time permitting! I also find that I may well record the dream in my journal but during the day I cannot remember it. So when I can, I go back to have a quick squizz. And if not that, I definitely have a look at it before I turn in – and wonder.

  20. I have recently been inspired by a very special person who has a grand mission to make social life on earth a much better place. She uses her multiple talents such as writing, music and effective teaching to accomplish this. I think that this blog serves a wonderful purpose and, in particular, teaching us how understanding our dreams create unity within the self that will make us follow a noble journey as straight as the flight of an arrow.

    • Joseph, glad you’ve been inspired by Patricia! She is a very special person. See my response below to her comment.

      You put that so well of how ‘dreams create unity within the self that will make us follow a noble journey as straight as the flight of an arrow’. That is pure poetry. Thank you.

  21. JUst wanted to express admiration of this coherent and meaningful A-Z. A rich seam neatly disciplined.

    I wonder whether anyone else is as addicted to dreaming as I am. The waking day simply seems like an interruption of something far more compelling!

    • Thank you Philippa very much! (on occasion I’ve exceeded my self-imposed limit of 300 words – once I think I hit 330!). Not easy, but focusing to a word limit is useful!

      Ha ha! I so look forward to bed time and preparing. Reading the previous night’s dream if I’ve had one, or the few before … asking the DreamMother/the unconscious for a dream, knowing that whatever happens in my dream life is part of me .. Daytime does seem like an interruption!

  22. I like the idea of dreams being a journey. I suppose it makes sense–life is a journey, and so perhaps dreams just reflect that journey in a different way. Thank you for the lovely and thought-provoking post.

  23. I also do a lot of walking (and biking the other day!) in my dreams. They are often odd or funny journeys.

    I’ve haven’t started keeping a journal yet, but I’m trying to remember my dreams.

    • Thanks Merril for saying so! Odd is the right word. (will add it to my ‘O’ post).

      I have zillions of scraps of paper on which I’ve written a dream, beside my dream journals. Choose a special journal when you choose one, only for dreams. And write on scraps of paper when journal not available. I have written on greased brown paper before when I suddenly remembered a dream while out driving in the country (in real life).

      Thank you for coming by!

  24. Jotting down a word or a doodle is often all I manage from the state between dreaming and waking. Only a little marker, a code for the mise-en-scene of the dream, or the proverbal knot in a handkerchief reminding of what one had in mind to do.
    When I resist leaving a dream it takes effort to grab the pen, though I find when placing my head back on the spot where I opened my eyes, an image comes back allowing me to continue the journey.

    • Thanks Ashen for your comment. A word and/or doodle shows intent as does putting one’s head back in the same position. I must try the head in same position – sometimes my dreams are so fleeting, gone into who knows where but I do trust they’ll come back again, even if in different guise.

  25. Love how you call a dream a journey. I always seem to know where I’m going in my dream, upon waking though it’s another matter altogether.

  26. Hi Susan – it’s an art in itself … remembering our dreams … and a science working out what they mean … I’m sure one day I’ll have jewel dreams and then have time to fathom them out. Fascinating .. cheers Hilary

    • Hi Hilary, thanks for coming by. It is an art to re-member our dreams and yes it does require alone time with one’s self however that be e.g. walking in the shade or sun, reflecting …

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