The Three "Only" Things: Tapping the Power of Dreams, Coincidence, and Imagination by Robert Moss
Authors: Robert Moss
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phrase, Synesius of Cyrene — a fourth-century bishop who wrote the best book on dreams (in my opinion) before the modern era — observed that God makes the dreamer “fruitful with his own courage.”
Yes: there are dreams that charge us with courage for a life mission, the courage that comes from remembering and living a bigger story — the kind of courage evoked in The Return of the King , the third book of J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy the Lord of the Rings . Whether or not you are a lover of Tolkien, there is a climactic moment in the final book (which comes across powerfully in the movie version) that wonderfully demonstrates the courage and the energy that become available when we claim and act from our larger selves. A monstrous army has grown to unbeatable size. The odds against the forces of good are overwhelming. The battle against darkness can only be won when the true king (Aragorn) stops pretending he is just a borderline figure (a Ranger) and stands in his majesty and power. When he does that, he is able to command legions of the damned to march with him against the greater evil, and the day is won.
CHAPTER 3
EVERYDAY DREAM GAMES
Y ou don't want anyone telling you what your dreams mean. Really, you don't. As we have seen, dreams bring many gifts of power, and you don't want to give that power away by letting someone else tell you what your dream (or your life) means.
What's that? You need help? Your dream is mysterious, and you can't figure it out. Maybe you asked for dream guidance on an issue, and you remembered a dream, but you can't see a connection between the dream content and the question you had in your mind when you put your head on the pillow.
It's okay to ask for help. Personally, I take all the help I can get when exploring my dreams. The kind of person who can help most with a dream is someone who will give you feedback and counsel on action without taking your power away. That person does not have to be an “expert” on dreams or anything else.
Now of course, dream interpreters have been in high demand in many societies. Think of the stories of Daniel and Joseph in the Old Testament. In ancient Mesopotamia (now modern Iraq, alas), the dream interpreter was a powerful figure, often standing very close to the king. In one Mesopotamian text, the dream guide is described as “one who lies at a person's head.” This is a very interesting clue that the best dream guides in this culture were doing something very different from verbal analysis. They made it their game to try to enter the dreamer's situation and psychic space — and to speak from that place.
Imagining yourself in someone else's place is part of the game we are about to learn. It need not involve “lying at a person's head” (unless you're already in bed together when you start playing).
After a lifetime of exploring and sharing dreams, I have invented a fun way to share dreams, to get some nonauthoritarian and nonintrusive feedback, and to move toward creative action. I call this the Lightning Dreamwork Game. It's like lightning in two senses — it's very quick (you can do it in five minutes), and it focuses and brings through terrific energy. It's a game you can play just about anywhere, with just about anyone — with the stranger in the line at the supermarket checkout, or with the intimate stranger who shares your bed. The rules are simple, and they open a safe space to share even the most sensitive material.
LIGHTNING DREAMWORK GAME
You can play this game with two or more people. We 'll call the principal players the Dreamer and the Partner.
There are four moves in the Lightning Dreamwork Game.
First Move
The Dreamer tells the dream as simply and clearly as possible, as a story. Just the facts of the dream, no background or autobiography. In telling a dream this way, the Dreamer claims the power of the story. The Partner should ask the Dreamer to give the dream report a title, like a story or a
Yes: there are dreams that charge us with courage for a life mission, the courage that comes from remembering and living a bigger story — the kind of courage evoked in The Return of the King , the third book of J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy the Lord of the Rings . Whether or not you are a lover of Tolkien, there is a climactic moment in the final book (which comes across powerfully in the movie version) that wonderfully demonstrates the courage and the energy that become available when we claim and act from our larger selves. A monstrous army has grown to unbeatable size. The odds against the forces of good are overwhelming. The battle against darkness can only be won when the true king (Aragorn) stops pretending he is just a borderline figure (a Ranger) and stands in his majesty and power. When he does that, he is able to command legions of the damned to march with him against the greater evil, and the day is won.
CHAPTER 3
EVERYDAY DREAM GAMES
Y ou don't want anyone telling you what your dreams mean. Really, you don't. As we have seen, dreams bring many gifts of power, and you don't want to give that power away by letting someone else tell you what your dream (or your life) means.
What's that? You need help? Your dream is mysterious, and you can't figure it out. Maybe you asked for dream guidance on an issue, and you remembered a dream, but you can't see a connection between the dream content and the question you had in your mind when you put your head on the pillow.
It's okay to ask for help. Personally, I take all the help I can get when exploring my dreams. The kind of person who can help most with a dream is someone who will give you feedback and counsel on action without taking your power away. That person does not have to be an “expert” on dreams or anything else.
Now of course, dream interpreters have been in high demand in many societies. Think of the stories of Daniel and Joseph in the Old Testament. In ancient Mesopotamia (now modern Iraq, alas), the dream interpreter was a powerful figure, often standing very close to the king. In one Mesopotamian text, the dream guide is described as “one who lies at a person's head.” This is a very interesting clue that the best dream guides in this culture were doing something very different from verbal analysis. They made it their game to try to enter the dreamer's situation and psychic space — and to speak from that place.
Imagining yourself in someone else's place is part of the game we are about to learn. It need not involve “lying at a person's head” (unless you're already in bed together when you start playing).
After a lifetime of exploring and sharing dreams, I have invented a fun way to share dreams, to get some nonauthoritarian and nonintrusive feedback, and to move toward creative action. I call this the Lightning Dreamwork Game. It's like lightning in two senses — it's very quick (you can do it in five minutes), and it focuses and brings through terrific energy. It's a game you can play just about anywhere, with just about anyone — with the stranger in the line at the supermarket checkout, or with the intimate stranger who shares your bed. The rules are simple, and they open a safe space to share even the most sensitive material.
LIGHTNING DREAMWORK GAME
You can play this game with two or more people. We 'll call the principal players the Dreamer and the Partner.
There are four moves in the Lightning Dreamwork Game.
First Move
The Dreamer tells the dream as simply and clearly as possible, as a story. Just the facts of the dream, no background or autobiography. In telling a dream this way, the Dreamer claims the power of the story. The Partner should ask the Dreamer to give the dream report a title, like a story or a
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