The Dream World

I was holding a weekly Sunday morning tea service with dream focused discussions
Tea dream weave

I opened the events with a short introduction

This was inspired by my journeys to the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador
We visited tribal peoples with the ritual of waking each morning before dawn
Drinking an amount of guayusa tea
And purging on the rainforest floor
Loud vibrant puking noises filled the sound scape daily
Then they return to the hut and discuss as a community their dreams from that night
All were welcome to share what they had seen in the night
Some were practiced in interpreting the metaphors of the dream world
& based on what appeared, they would plan the activities of their days to accomodae their new knowledge
If they received a warning for instance, they may choose reschedule that big hunt that they had been preparing
They respect and utilize the messages from their dreams
Allowing their actions to be guided by these insights

Observing this ritual, I came to contemplate further why we have dreams in the first place
I had that experience enough times, where I awake from a very vidid and emotionally potent dream
and when I go to explain it to someone, the response is so often, 'oh wow.'
or something of that nature
So upon reconsidering the significance / reasons why we dream as humans,
I remembered the feelings of eagerness and slight disappointment when sharing a dream with someone
And having no real place or relevance for the experiences to have value

So perhaps there was a way to acknowledge dreams and the impact they have on our thoughts, feelings, sight, experience

And furthermore, what is the difference between dreams and memories, as far as their significance to our psyche ?

So for the purposes of this tea dream discussion, we will allow our dream worlds to impact us
Not only will we pay extra attention to the dreams we have at night while sleeping, but also to the imaginings we see in even the most momentary snippets throughout the day

We will allow our dreams, day dreams, memories, and imaginings
However seemingly random, to speak to us
To paint our experience with metaphoric insight
We leave space to not have to know or assume we know the meaning
To be moved and impacted in multi-dimensional ways and to notice over time
Patiently welcoming less easily explained insights and feelings

Every night before going to bed, we would take a moment to acknowledge this relationship with the dream world and openness to being guided to a sense of understanding
Upon returning from a dream, we might even write down a summary of what we recall
I found that in writing it down, and especially in retelling it to a receptive friend, more details about the full sensory experience of the dream would come alive
Things that seem simple or irrelevant reveal that they actually come with an a emotional association or a connection to another thought or memory

While in Ecuador, we were taught a simple dream interpretation tool
To be used in a group of 2 or more
Each person has a turn telling a dream they have had
After a person's dream telling, each patner has the opportunity to retell that person's dream as if it were their own
( Using 'I went / my / . . . ' )
The partner has the option to embellish, or emphasize any part they want, while keeping with the basic points

I find this tool strangely insightful in it's simplicity
It give us some freedom in allowing an interpretation to unfold casually with fluidity
And it engages a conversation with the living memory of your dream world
In other words, we can then notice what it brings up in us to recount and expand on the details of our dreams
Allowing the scapes and sensations conveyed in a dream,
To permeate and integrate into 'waking' life
Keeping the conversation live

This is a relatively simple tool of experience
An inherent quality of our humanness
That can be welcomed, explored, made use of
I am curiously and happily surprised by how my experience of reality(s) has shifted since I opened myself to exploring and listening to the dream world
The environment around me is becoming more interactive
As I am allowing my imaginings to speak relevance and tell stories to me without even using words
Acknowledging feel ings

It started with dedicating attention to the idea of discovering
and being patient
Avoiding imposing sudden judgements and being open to being guided by imagery and metaphor