Dreams and spirituality

No matter where you start, dreaming inevitably leads you to deeper questions

Whatever your belief system, my experience is that, when you examine your dreams for any length of time, you raise deeper questions. Although I emphasize the fun of doing dreams my way, and the inevitable personal value to you of having a happier dream life, dreams almost always gravitate to these more meaningful questions: Who am I?, What am I doing here?, What ought I to be doing with my life?, What are my responsibilities to other people? What are my higher values beyond my simple self interest? … these are questions that are practically inevitable when you study your dream life.

Jeremy Taylor, the wonderful dream analyst, says – and I wholeheartedly agree -- "All dreams come in the service of health and wholeness". There is a kind of uplifting of the spirit when you ponder the questions that your dream life raises. 

Your spirituality may take the form of a practicing religion or  a deeply held conviction about humanity.  It may be some kind of "alternative" practice or you may even find that spirituality exists in your being without you ever having cultivated it. 

It is hard, if not impossible, to be a human being and not have a force within you that speaks warmly about your relationships with your fellow humans and your environment. That force will become clear in your dreamwork.

It is hard to find a hatred within you (whether by you or towards you) such that dreamwork does not reveal a love and care-fullness that can replace it.

Here is an example that, when you first read it, seems to be the exact opposite of a spiritual approach. When someone finds themselves under physical attack in a dream, I almost always concentrate on how best they can protect themselves. I might even ask if they can counter attack their aggressor. That seems to be the exact opposite of a spiritual approach. But what happens in the course of a few dreams is that the physical attacks go away and people find themselves confronted by moral questions. In a way, the attack remains but has been changed from life-confronting to belief-confronting. "Why are you truly here" then occurs as a  question of meaning rather than an act of survival and your dreams will help you find answers.

I find that, over time, my approach resolves a lot of anger, frustration and hatred in a way that makes you more loving towards others and less toxic to those you cannot love. That harmful energy is freed up to allow you to find and follow your spiritual path whatever that may be.

David Jenkins 
Thursday, 16th March, 2004