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Destiny Books 2002 ISBN #089281902 The sub-title for this book is "Use the Wisdom of World Cultures to Uncover Your Dream Power". In a very wonderful way, the manner in which many diverse cultures address dreamtime is woven through this book. The end result is not so much text on paper, as a flowing story that is oral tradition in print. You don't so much read this book as experience it - and what a gift that is! Sarvananda (Donald) Bluestone's background includes a doctorate in history, work in the academic word as a teacher, as well as living and studying in an ashram in India. His writing reflects a person who feels a great joy for life, and an intense connectedness with the people around him. He understands that life is one big interwoven web, and that we are all part of it. One of the most important statements that Dr. Bluestone makes in this book is that there are no wrong answers - and that there is no "one" right answer. All answers are the right answer! When working with dreamtime, which is a very individual endeavor, this is a very important place to start from! Dreamtime is a very important part of our lives - for it is here that the rational, conscious mind is quieted, so that all thoughts have a chance to come through and be heard. It is here that we resolve our daytime issues, here where we face our shadow sides, here where our creativity is allowed to run rampant, here where we receive visions and messages from our ancestors, and here where we heal at a soul level. One of the first thoughts that Dr. Bluestone brings up is that dreamtime is real, that the symbols in our dreams are real - just as real as those in our waking lives. He goes even further, stating that we have two forms of consciousness - waking consciousness and dream consciousness. The gift that our dream consciousness brings to us is that of seeing beyond our waking mind. Dreaming is common to all cultures - what is not common is the importance that is placed on it. In the Western world, we tend to negate it. Other cultures, such as the Native American cultures, look to dreamtime for the guidance needed in everyday life. They formalize the procedures for asking for dreams - they recognize and honor the process, and their part in it. I loved Dr. Bluestone's reference to the Bene Gesserit - the psi-gifted nuns in Frank Hebert's Dune Trilogy. Their mantra was "Fear is the mind killer." One whole chapter in this book is devoted to the shadows that appear in our dreams - he titled it "Saddling The Night's Mare". Through story, personal exercises and dream exploration, we are walked through the different methods that we can use to face our dreamtime fears and walk through to the other side. From the book:
He hadn't spoken for as long as he could remember. He couldn't speak, but he could drink. Late one evening, after staggering out of the tavern, he tried three times to mount his horse, but each time fell in a drunken heap. A neighbor, taking pity on the poor mute, took him home and put him to bed. After falling asleep, the man had the most horrible dream. He was falling - a long, terrible fall - into a furnace of boiling liquid. And as he fell, the fear inside him boiled too until he struggled to scream out for help. So great was his dream agony that he succeeded in screaming, there in his bed, thus recovering the use of his voice, which he retained from then on. His nightmare had set him free. The following is an exercise from the same chapter on nightmares. It is entitled "Transforming The Past, Creating The Present". It is short, and simple - and very effective. It is to be undertaken shortly before you go to bed.
1. Recall a nightmare that you'd like to change. Each chapter is presented in a manner that is easily understandable, and that flows in a very coherent manner. Included are references to many different cultures, and how they interact with dreamtime. There are sections called "Dream Exploration" that present exercises (like the one above) that allow us to work with our dreams in a positive manner, and sections called "Dream Stories" that are recollections of dreams in story form. There is a great deal of humor involved in this book - allowing a serious subject to be treated with humbleness and respect, yet making it palatable enough to be worked with. Dr. Bluestone covers a great deal of territory in this book - understanding the borders between waking time and dreamtime; how to induce dreams, and how to remember them; understanding the symbols in our dreams; working with our nighttime fears; healing in dreamtime; receiving dreams and divination; and understanding/accepting our dreams. He also encourages journaling your dreams - which is a great way to help remember our dreams, and to work through them. If you want to understand your dreams, if you want to work with them, if you want to heal or experience spiritual growth through dreamtime - this is the book for you!
Bonnie Cehovet
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