In anticipation of the 31st Annual
Conference of the International Association for the Study of Dreams, to be held
at the Doubletree Hotel at the Berkeley Marina, June 4-8, 2014, let’s take a
look at some timeless insights into dream meaning by the Reverend JeremyTaylor, Co-Founder and Past President of the IASD.
Dear Dreamers,
You most likely have known me to dissuade you from
subscribing to any source of information about dreams that claims to know
definitively that “if you dream ‘this’ it means ‘this.’”
Dreams are too personal and too complex to be
reduced to such simplistic terms!
But, having said that, we can look to certain
archetypal images that occur in dreams across the spectrum of dreamers. Even their implications for an individual
dreamer cannot be summed up in a pat “definition;” but as former President of
the International Association for the Study of Dreams, Reverend Jeremy Taylor
says, their metaphorical message “turns out to be true so often, that it’s
worth asking if it might be true” for the current dream you’re working on.
Keeping mindful of the already-stated caveat, Taylor
goes on to discuss several dream images with which you are no doubt are
familiar:
1. 1. Vehicles,
specifically automobiles: These will
frequently provide analogies to the physical self. If something is wrong with your car in your
dream, it is a good starting place to look for a corresponding physical symptom
in your own body. Or, there may be a
literal tie to your actual, waking-life automobile. Brakes fail in your dream; check your brakes
in your waking life.
2. Death: In our dreams, is not to be feared. Death represents a dramatic change through
emotional growth. You cannot grow up and
become, let’s say, a more empathetic person until you experience the death of
your self-centered, uncaring self. Even
dreams of suicide speak to our deliberate choice to change our way of being in
waking life. In effect, death is the
necessary precursor to rebirth as a “new, improved” person!
3. 3. Sex: Almost always, overt sex in our dreams will
be addressing a longing in our waking life.
Here it is important to spend time understanding our sex partner. If your dreaming self has you in an intimate
embrace with a former professional colleague, for example, it will be helpful
to think about the salient qualities that person has. Your dream suggests that you are longing to
make them your own. According to Taylor,
dreams of same sex love or attraction reflect your own deepening sense of self-acceptance.
There are, of course, many more archetypal images that
frequent our dreams. Beginning your
exploration with such timeless approaches is a sure gateway to understanding
your dreams. From there, dream work
shifts naturally to the personal application that will change your thinking and
change your life!
If you can attend the IASD Conference in Berkeley,
by all means do! You will have a rich
and worthwhile experience. In any case,
please continue to Send Me Your Dreams!
Sweet Dreams to You!
