I first found Robert Moss’s work in 1997. Jim and I were
vacationing on wild and rocky Monhegan Island. I took many solitary walks
along the rustic paths crisscrossing the island where no cars are allowed,
drinking in all the changing majesty of that place. On some walks, I took
my Walkman with me (imagine!) and listened to my first of his works, Robert’s
audiobook, “Dream Gates”. I had some wonderful tiger dreams on that
island, and a new treasure trove of insights to use in my dream play.
After that, I began reading Robert’s books, taking workshops
with him and happily partnering with him and my husband, Jim, to add video to
his teaching outreach, (now in download formats at psycheproductions.net.)
Although I’d been teaching dreamwork for many years, I knew Active
Dreaming was IT for me. In my teacher trainings with Robert and so
many amazing, gifted dreamers that are today, old friends, I dreamed myself
teaching Active Dreaming, like
I’m doing now, every chance I get.
I’m blessed to be a guest on the faculty of the innovative
East coast graduate oasis, The Graduate Institute. TGI has been graced
with many high profile teachers, such as the ever more wonderful, Dr. Bernie Siegel. I have the
privilege of presenting my course, “Active Dreaming for Health and Healing”
in the Integrative Health and Healing Master’s program. The really
wonderful thing about this is that the people who choose this program are
hungry to break the boundaries of constricting old mental paradigms and move
into the 21st century of healing arts. They recognize dreaming
as one of the cornerstones. I’m like a gopher in soft dirt!
This past December, I had the opportunity to journey with
about 15 TGI dream explorers, with permission, as always, into the dream of a
group member. The second she began her detailed description of the
landscape where she encountered the mother black bear and her three cubs, I was
in my dream, "Bear Country". In a post this August, I shared my experiences with Black
Bears (who have been tracking me in dreams all year) and my dawning
understanding that not only must I do more to educate myself and work for the
benefit of our natural world, but the call is out to many, many people through
the dream worlds, often in the guise of Black Bear.
This is why I find Active Dreaming to be the most fruitful
framework for personal or group dream exploration. Things happen that you
couldn’t plan if you tried in a group; we all experience the numinous thrill of
recognizing that there is much more to dreaming and dream sharing than analyzing
the message could possibly deliver. Re-entry experiences fill out our
dream experiences in valuable ways.
Everyone could see that the dreamer was visibly heartened by
the dream, her own re-entry and the experiences of her dream shared with her by
others. I’m so often empowered by the synchronicities and the “aha”
moments popping like flashbulbs around the group, whether we’re doing Lightning Dreamwork, Dream Theater or Re-entry. I’ve learned, it’s not me, it’s us
and all that comes from respecting the powers that speak to us in dreams.
I’m taking this opportunity to thank Robert for the great
gift he’s given the world in developing this approach and in his ever more
expanded teaching of it. I’d also love to hear from all sister and
brother Active Dreamers about your own experience of sharing dreams through
Active Dreaming. It really works, right? May all our doors and
gates and paths be open…
And may the peace that passes all understanding be ever in
our hearts.
