Dreamwork News, December ‘09:
On Tuesday 15th December, we welcomed Jodine Grundy, from Ohio, Vice-President of the International Association for the Study of Dreams, to an informal dinner meeting at my home in Northcote, Auckland. A dozen members of our Advanced Dream Group met with Jodine, who shared with us her excitement about recent developments in dreamwork around the world, including the International Dreams Peace Bridge, and the spread of dream groups to over 20 nations, based on the systematic research being done by dream scholars across many disciplines. We then showed how we typically work with a member's dream, and held a thoughtful discussion about the layers of meaning and range of methods used. We all appreciated Jodine's warmth of personality and breadth of vision, and began to see our own contribution in NZ as a significant player on the world stage!
November News
· “Forest Devastation,” a vivid warning dream from a NZ man about destruction of native forests, was the subject of a leading article in the latest issue of “Dreamtime,” magazine of the International Association for the Study of Dreams, Vol 26:3, Fall 2009. I wrote this article based on a dream contributed in one of my workshops, and have now added it to the articles on my Website, as a contribution to the world fight against Global Warming.
· A new dream initiative on Facebook called “350 Dreams,” has been launched by Dr Tzivia Gover of Boston, calling for 350 dreamers around the world to use the power of their dreams to help raise education about Climate Change. Within a few days more than 400 had “signed in” from a dozen different countries, committing themselves to intentionally incubate dreams and art-works on this topic. She was stimulated by attending a Jungian lecture about the ancient Greek Temples of Aesculapius, where people went to incubate healing dreams. Why not apply the same principles to create dreams for Global Healing?
· The International Association for the Study of Dreams has recently appointed over 20 Regional Contact Persons who live in different countries around the world to promote interest in the many ways that dream awareness can enhance our lives. As the NZ Contact Person, I am honoured to host Jodine Grundy, Vice-President of the IASD, to a meeting here in Auckland on 15th December, to meet members of our Advanced Dream Group, while she is visiting some of her family in Auckland.
· IASD’s recent PsiberDreaming Conference, held on-line for a fortnight in October, offered a series of scholarly addresses on “Magical, Mythical Dreams of Transformation,” as well as a PsiberDreaming Art Gallery. Over 200 people enrolled this year and many contributed to interactive discussions. I was particularly impressed with Professor Charles Tart’s introduction to his new book on States of Consciousness, The End of Materialism.
· Political dreaming: Dr Kelly Bulkeley, a Past President of IASD, has called for people to send in dreams they have had about President Obama, as a way of studying the relevance of dreams to politics, specifically “how dreams reflect a community’s ideals, fears and conflicts.” He has already published articles showing that Republicans in America have significantly more nightmares than Democrats! Is this because they are naturally more pessimistic – or more paranoid? Do you think political parties in NZ would echo that difference in their dreams?
· Dream explorers in NZ will be sad to hear of the death of Strephon Kaplan-Williams, one of the founders of IASD, author of the Jungian-Senoi Dreamwork Manual (1978), and a pioneer of the current movement to develop the multi-disciplinary study of dreams.
· Next year’s IASD Annual Conference will be held in Asheville, North Carolina, from 27th June to 1st July, on the theme of “Bringing Dreams and Community Together.” Presentations are called for on seven different tracks: Research and Theory, Arts and Humanities, Spirituality and Philosophy, Culture, Education, Clinical Practice, and Psi Dreaming – which gives you some idea of the range and depth of dream exploration today. As well as the main conference, many places around the world are beginning to hold Regional Conferences. How long before we could consider holding one in Australasia?