active dreaming – Awaken the Sacred Dream

The Keeper Of Time

One thing I have learned to watch for in dreams is the “reality check”. This is an important step included in the Lightning Dream Sharing Method, designed by Robert Moss and practiced as part of Active Dreaming. Our attention to details that appear in dreams, about people, places and things, can offer up time ques to help determine if there is psychic information being relayed of a possible future.

We dream the future often, and the information may be interwoven with other metaphorical or narrative story lines and not presented literally, but for those who “Dream True”, there may indeed be a glimpse of a possible future, which comes visiting in explicit detail. When we pay attention to our dreams, and look through the lens of the “reality check”, we may notice even more slipping through from the other world in the form of synchronicity, deja vu, and serendipity.

Another aspect of the reality check has to do with dreaming into the past, which can not only bring through memories of our current life from our younger self, but also far memories of past lives, or personalities living in parallel dream realities. We may be able to dig into some dream archaeology, for some cross cultural dreaming in another time and place with time travel.

How do you Time Travel in Dreams you ask? Well because time is not a linear concept in dreams, we are not limited by the past, present or future. They all exist in the same moment. It’s all happening right now! Experienced travelers of dreams, understand they are not limited by time or space in dreaming.

Becoming a Time Traveler is as close as your dreams. One of my most interesting dream experiences of time travel came to me from a primordial guide who introduced him/herself as the Keeper of Time.

The Keeper of Time

In my dream standing before me is a being with wings, made of a primordial plasma like energy, full of many beautiful bright colors of light swirling within. Who are you? I asked, and the wise angelic being before me replied, I am the “Keeper of Time” (KOT).

Things got interesting then, when the “KOT” began looking me over from head to toe, and decided it was time I grew my own set of wings, and helped me to do so. A pair of wings sprouted forth from my scapula bones, made from vibrant multicolored plasmic energy. Off we went flying through the dreamsphere, traveling back through time with the “KOT” as my guide.

“Everything is going to be alright”

I found myself and my traveling companion now standing behind a distraught woman with long blonde hair, dressed in a blue gown wearing a crown. She overlooked a stormy sea with the waves crashing against the castle. She stood there considering her own death, trying to decide if she should go through with it. Her scandal involved a pregnancy with her lover, and not her king. I stood there in my angelic guise whispering in her ear. “You don’t have to kill yourself, everything is going to be alright” She revives new hope and chooses not to go through with her plans to kill herself.

Dark Dolmen Dolmen

I fly to another destination in time with my guide, where a small girl skips across a field in front of a dark dolmen, where a presence emerges from underneath. It moves in a dark energy form, and spews forth hateful and unspeakable desires toward the innocent girl. I feel horror at the evil hatred that is directed at the girl child, and the dark spirit which desires to own not only her, but all women. She hurriedly moves away from this place of evil, seeking safety from the dark presence she feels stalking her.

Breastplate

Now I find myself, flying to another time and place with my guide and arrive in the midst of a ceremony taking place. A druid priest, with a grey beard wearing a ceremonial robe and a breastplate of sacred stones, stands in a sacred grove on a small cropping of boulders, with a meager group of priestesses. Together they speak sacred words of enchantment and protection for women, fighting against the scourge of evil, which has become unleashed.

Perhaps these words from St. Patrick’s Breastplate, are some of what was spoken.

I bind to myself today to
The power of Heaven,
light of sun,
brightness of moon,
splendor of fire,
flash of lightning,
swiftness of wind,
depth of sea,
stability of earth,
compactness of rock.

The Potion Maker

I once dreamed into the past, where I was a potion maker in the heart of a Castle on the coast of Ireland. I was tasked as a healer to keep the community safe and healthy, and made potions from a magical herb garden. The garden was tended by my two elfin assistants. I was in the midst of making a potent potion for an important community ceremony. The elfin helpers went to the garden to collect the ingredients needed, and then we mixed up a potion that looked like brownies, which were baked with the herbs inside, and then stamped with a magical seal. When the magical brownies came out of the oven, they were then brought to the courtyard, where two large tree trunks from ancient trees had been felled, sacrificed for the ceremony. The prepared magical mixture was spread on the surface of the tree trunks, with prayers offered for fertility and the continuation of the clan.

It seems they were loosing numbers of future generations. They launched the sacrificial logs and offerings of prayers into the sea, and they were carried over the waves until reaching me in my time, where I received the dream of the ancestors and their hopes for future generations. The prayers sent were like a message in a bottle, across the seas of time, invoking assistance for what they saw coming, a crisis of human survival on the Earth. The prayers were a plea to make things right in their time, and in mine. I wish I knew how, only my dreams can tell.

Extrasensory Dreaming

Discovering your Super Powers in Dreams, is one of the most alluring and memorable aspects of dreaming for most of us, beginning in our childhood dreams. We learn we can fly in dreams, and travel to places near and far, in this world and the next. A place where the multiverse awaits exploration. Children are excellent dreamers, because they remember how to fly.

My childhood dream memories have eluded me for most of my life, due to repressed trauma from growing up in an environment of domestic violence and sexual abuse. I only began recalling most of my dreams after I had a pre-cognitive dream which saved my life, when I was in my mid 20’s. Something woke up inside of me from that experience, confirming something my soul already knew, that my life has meaning, and my dreams were there to protect and guide me.

One of the most important elements of dreaming, is the ability we have to dream the future, not only as individuals, but also collectively. This is of key importance in the times we now face, where dark dreams prevail and the profound challenges of global warming are revealed each day. We are truly in this together, and it is in dreams, where we may find the answers to life’s most challenging situations. The key is to have the courage to look into our deepest and darkest places, the creative impulse to soar into our brightest dreams, the discipline to remember and record dreams, the impulse to share them with others, and the inspiration to act on what we find inside.

Active Dreaming gives us tools to learn how to become a conscious dreamer and co-creator in our world, not only for our own life, in this time, but on behalf of others, in other times. We visit the ancestors and practice transgenerational healing and collective soul recovery, by recovering lost wisdom and bringing forth more soul energy into the world.

As adults, we may have left our imaginations and dreams in childhood, as a requirement of growing up. When we do so, we leave behind a vital part of our soul connection, where knowledge of our true nature can be found. Reclaiming the gifts of soul, in connection with our lost dreams of childhood, can provide profound levels of healing and the return of passion, wonder and awe that children experience in a very natural way.

Children also dream with the animal powers, and studies have shown they dream of animals 70% of the time. This connection to animals is important in developing our instinctual nature, that gives us a felt sense of what is safe or not, in our relationships and in our environment. It helps us become skilled at being guided by intuition, and share in some of the specialized skills the animal powers bring forth to help us navigate the waking and dreaming worlds, which are not mutually exclusive, one need not be asleep, to find yourself dreaming!

The powers of intuition with glimpses of possible futures, arrive in dreams as naturally as the dawning of each day, or the approaching twilight of night. The thresholds of day and night, are designed as places where one may experience the opening of one reality into another. A liminal space one can enter consciously, to experience dreaming as a place, where psychic information is readily available. It is a place one can enter, and be coaxed into a conscious dream for the duration of the night.

Spring Equinox Day and Night 2019 Credit: NOAA; NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory

Our nightly dreams can bring creative insights and protective guidance which helps us enter our waking lives from a deeper reality. Want to experience your nightly dreams and waking life on new levels of intuition, creativity and playful enjoyment? Find out more by visiting Chrysalis Healing Arts and discover how to become an Active Dreamer.

The Fate and Destiny of Wild Women

Our recent Wild Woman, Blue Moon, Spring Retreat 2018 in Southern Oklahoma, was in it’s 5th year of offering safe and sacred space for nature getaways for women. We are each held deeply by dreams, shamanic journeys, ceremony and the wilderness of our inner and outer realities. This year was a deeply touching and profoundly moving experience with the newly formed bonds between SisterStars made from our group of 14 women. Some came from as far as Colorado, to take part in this weekend with other Wild Women to howl with the Blue Moon! I was very blessed to be supported by this weekend by Victoria Anna, who is a very gifted healer and shamanic movement facilitator, and also the immensely talented sound healer and music artist, Savanna de Valle. Our next Wild Woman Fall gathering is slated for the weekend of October 26-28 of 2018. If you would like more information about the next retreat or future retreats please let me know.

I have invited Victoria as a guest blogger, to share her reflections from our weekend retreat.

Wild Women’s Spring Retreat 2018 – Reflection

by Victoria Anna (Zsuzsi)

Walking the grounds on the first day of arrival at the Wild Women’s Dreaming Retreat, my visceral memories of freedom begun to emerge. I was still half way in the structured material world, capturing a few photos, then I chose to put my phone away for the rest of the weekend. I’m glad I did.

With 14 women we entered a well held ceremonial space, journeying into our active dreaming world by Dream Teacher, Valley Reed. Guided by the sound of the drum, we brought messages and guidance back to our waking life for each other. As we shared in our circle of women, and journeyed over and over, ventured deeper and deeper, very rich tapestry emerged that called for being worked with. The sound of the drum penetrated deep. We entered portals to other worlds, our bodies at rest, yet we soared in adventures.

Each night we incubated an intention of inquiry for our dreams to reveal more insight. Each morning, as we all gathered for breakfast, we shared what came though and marveled in the mystery.

We spent plenty of time outdoors as well, taking personal vision quests to collect symbolic items. Walking through the forest singing or laying down by the water, the vastness of nature held many treasures, opening and widening our senses.

We then embodied our dreaming presence as a group, with a guided shamanic movement practice. The facilitated journey led us into experiencing physically “stepping in” to our waking dream, while periodically “pausing, to recognize and to be recognized”, as we integrated our presence with all, through our breath.

“Shamanic Movement Practice”- Photo Credit – Valley Reed 2018

At twilight, we walked the labyrinth towards the tree of life, taking every step winding inwards as a representational journey of fate. Arriving by the Tree of Life, we shifted, thereafter, every step winding outwards, now walking the path of our destiny. Accompanied by the sounds of the cello the strings passionately came alive. Filled the air with palpable essence, powerful visions coming through. What is it that our soul is asking us to do?

“Twilight Labyrinth” – Photo Credit; Victoria Anna 2018

During our evening fire ceremony, we offered our give-aways to let go, drumming to hold space for one another, we then danced our visions into the Full Moon. Gold Lotus Elixirs were there to support our journey, whether it was to find forgiveness, gratitude or to call in clarity. The resonance of crystals connected us to Earth and the Heavens, humbly aligning with our soul’s destiny.

The next morning, we offered our gratitude and prayers by holding a sacred water ceremony. We each took part in singing The Grand Invocation mantra for healing our planet’s history. The sacred waters of many rivers collected and held as one, from the jar poured into the fresh spring water pond, now blessing this one. From the pond some water transferred back to gather with the sacred waters from all around the world, we each held the jar to our heart, to receive healing, open portals and to let messages in. Water is its own portal, water holds ancient wisdom, water transmits messages – water heals through intention, remembering prayers of many generations.

“Sacred Water Healer” with Victoria Anna, Photo Credit; Valley Reed 2018

We finished our retreat by walking back to our lodge to the sound of the drum. We joined to sing and celebrate. Then, we split off to laugh and play. We shared many hugs before we got on the road, a bit worn out, just enough to feel that some structures have been torn apart. Now, to integrate our journey, I find myself the next day sharing stories, journaling, breathing out in nature.

I am immensely grateful for this transformation that occurred, to refresh, to renew and to come into alignment walking my purpose, becoming more embodied and aware of the gifts that come through from my healing. I’m so touched by this experience of sharing space with other women, reminding me of our strength and ingrained ancient wisdom within.

I’m feeling so blessed for being invited as a contributor, holding ceremonial space and guiding our group shamanic movement practice in nature, as well as holding the water ceremony alongside Valley Reed, our organizer & main shamanic facilitator. I’m grateful for sharing this experience with Savanna de Valle who has infused our experience with her authentic cello sound bath and her untamed fiery youthful expressiveness. We had a circle of women of 3 life stages: the Mother, the Maiden, and the Crone. Grateful to be with all expressions and learning the wisdom from All.

Smiling now, having taken my shower after this weekend, feeling clean again, I’m plugging my phone back to reflect and post. This weekend was short, but at the same an unforgettable experience of being launched through portals of time travel, meeting ourselves within this multiverse.

Women, we part, but the web we have woven lives long. I look forward to keeping in touch and following one another’s journeys as we venture on! With overflowing love, I now go to sleep. Maybe we, you just never know, meet in another dream.

————————————————–

Victoria Anna (Zsuzsi) –

Victoria is a lover of dance, poetry and nature. Her interest in indigenous shamanism/ dreamwork has enticed her to study in what ways dance/movement can become an integral part of entering portals into other realms. She explores movement from multiple perspectives as a form of art, psychosomatic journey, gateway to dream states and as a tool for integrating profound experiences of transformation. She has traveled the world for personal growth, professional training and teaching. She has taught numerous workshops and contributed to retreats that explore consciousness, other realms, spirituality and embodied connection.

Victoria touches people’s lives in many ways: She is the founder of Embodied Art of Life – Personal Development and Transformational Life coaching (through Astrology, Somatic Movement Practice, Nature, Art, Creative Expression, Writing); healing practitioner of Aguahara – An aquatic journey back to Self – Aquatic sessions in a private pool; founder of Gold Lotus Elixirs – crystal-infused elixirs for intentional life; and the founder of Integrated Conscious Leadership – corporate mindfulness and team building group workshops informed by somatic psychology, behavioral neuroscience and body-mind centered practices.

Contact:

EmbodiedArtOfLife@gmail.com

Embodiment Research and Movement Exploration

Aguahara – An aquatic journey back to Self

Gold Lotus Elixirs – facebook page

www.goldlotuselixirs.com

Hatching Dreams with Synchronicity

Dream sharing opens a space for dreams to reveal the presence of the other world to come through and for synchronicity to surface. The Secret Garden of Dreams is a monthly Active Dream group which meets in a lovely cafe with a beautiful garden in East Dallas. In a recent gathering, a woman came to the garden to share her dream and we sat amongst the rows of herbs and plants flourishing before us. We found a nice sunny place to sit as she brought through a dream, which involved the image of a painting done by Piet Mondrian. In the midst of her sharing, she looked across the garden to see a chicken coop painted in just such a fashion as the distinctive pattern in a Mondrian abstract painting. The dreamer had never been to the Garden Cafe previously and it was her first time to attend the dream sharing group. This synchronicity has an interesting presence beyond the direct link to the dream, it has me pondering what presence is arriving in this synchronicity showing up. Perhaps it is the artist. In researching Piet Mondrian, I found some interesting influences in his story, including his Dutch Calvinist upbringing, and life changing switch from a naturalist form to that of an abstract painter. He moved to Paris and became inspired by Picasso’s cubism, to then became an abstract artist himself. He was part of the Avant-Garde movement of his time and also held ties to esoteric practices within Theosophy, founded by Madame Blavatsky, who certainly would know something about connecting with spirits from other times and places.

He wrote: “All things are parts of a whole. Everything is constituted by relation and reciprocity. Color exists only through another color, dimension is defined by “another” dimension. This is why I say that relation is the principal thing.”

Piet Mondrian; 1921 Credit; Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, gift of Mrs. James H. Clark

One thing I have learned in the practice of Active Dreaming is that when we pay attention to our dreams and take Action on them, we may find there are those energies from the other side also paying attention to us. We may draw to us a presence across time and space, that has a similar pattern of understanding or creative inspiration. This may show up in what is known as the presence of a creative muse or genius or daemon. It may show up in form of synchronicity, or dreams with a spiritual guide or creative teacher from “another dimension” who has taken an interest in us.

I love the image of this creative inspired chicken coop in relation to dreams, a kind of creative incubator, where dreams and creative ideas can be hatched in a safe environment. This is a beautiful image for me also, for how dream groups can create a safe container for dreams to be incubated and shared with one another. You are invited to come to the Secret Garden of Dreams at the Garden Cafe on Wed. June 28th at 11:30 a.m. Where dreams are hatched and synchronicity happens!

The next meeting for the Secret Garden of Dreams is Wed. June 28th at 11:30 a.m.

The Garden Cafe – 5310 Junius St. Dallas, Texas 75218

Dreams as Gateways of Sacred Activism

We all dream, and dreams have the potential to bring us together. Active Dreaming was pioneered by Robert Moss as a synthesis of modern dream work and ancient shamanic methods of conscious dreaming. A key process is the Lightning Dream Sharing method, a quick way of sharing dreams and focusing the energy of dreams in an intentional way to reveal helpful information and potential actions. This approach to dream sharing is done in a way that respects the dreamer and the dream, where the only expert on the dream is the dreamer themselves, and helpful feedback is offered from the perspective of “if this were my dream”.

“Sacred Activism” was a term coined by Andrew Harvey as a way to cultivate compassionate action inspired by leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. who engaged non-violent direct action and dialogue in confronting the violence of racism with a vision of building a loving community through “Agape”. Mahatma Gandhi promulgated the homespun movement as a source of non-violent resistance to break the stronghold of Colonial Britain in India. Both of these peaceful movements of social change were rooted in reclaiming who we are, with a collective vision of what we could become together. Today many of us are activated and busy fighting against the tide of injustice that is intent to turn back the clocks on social change efforts won through the struggles of many who came before us. If ever there was a need to bring forth a vision for change it is now and it is up to us to put our attentions there together to help grow this vision and take peaceful actions for the future.

Perhaps part of the trouble we see in modern Western society today, is that we have lost touch with our dreams as a culture. This is where the practice of Active Dreaming can come into play, when we learn how to remember our dreams and share them with others, we are helping to grow a dreaming community. Modern dream work approaches such as Dream Incubation and Dream Re-Entry are key practices of Active Dreaming. These two approaches offer ways to consciously direct your intentions for dreaming and re-entering a dream to gain information directly from the dream itself. There are many things you can learn to do inside your dreams and Active Dreaming is a practice to help you delve more deeply into your dream life and recover your dreaming potentials.

Learning to live and act consciously in our life takes practice, and Active Dreaming is a way to recover authentic connections to who we are, and discover what we truly desire in life. Dreams have the potential to connect us to something more, beyond the everyday waking mind and limited vision of the individual. We may find ourselves awakening to the sacred dream, collective vision, and eternal energy which connects us all. In dreams, we may explore profound realms of experience to discover the beauty and magic that exists inside each of us.

Active Dreaming allows us to not only awaken this sacred collective vision, but can show us how to dream together consciously. Shamanic conscious group dream journeys, guided by the sound of the drum, provide an ancient technology which is highly effective at allowing one to enter into a conscious dream state. This core practice of Active Dreaming, allows dreamers to come together in a mutual dreaming experience to bring back a collective vision in as full detail as possible. We can then take individual Action to grow this collective dream and help bring it into the waking world. This is how dreams become gateways of Sacred Activism, when we can journey consciously into these deeper realms of soul and spirit, and act upon it in some significant way on behalf of the wholeness of self, family, community and planet.

Valley Reed is an Active Dream Teacher, and Peace Activist Leader in Dallas, Texas.

Visit www.chrysalishealingarts.org for more information and calendar of events.

Looking inside our collective mirror

I woke from this dream the morning of the recent attack which left 5 Dallas police officers dead and 11 other wounded, including a peaceful protester in Dallas, Texas last week.

The Universal Collective Mirror 7-7-16

I am contacted by an activist friend, who wants me to help her plan a community meeting and find a venue to hold a large crowd. I see a community center which has a large pond outside the venue. I mention to her there is one in Oak Cliff, and she asks me whether it is safe to have it there. I say there are plenty of police and it is safe. I walk into the lobby of the community center and see there is a large circular mirror hanging from the ceiling and it is held by antique silver fittings with a lotus design cradled by spirals.

I hear a voice inside the mirror tell me, “Here you will gaze into the Universal Collective and see what is yours to do.” I look into the mirror and see a shiny clear surface and realize this is a space I can revisit to see what reflection is there for me.

I then find myself in another part of the community center, where there are art classes being taught and I decide to take a painting class and also am interested in perhaps taking a printmaking class. EOD

In the aftermath of the tragedy which struck Dallas, I have seen how much collective community reflection has been going on for all of us. I see how this is happening not only in our community but on a national scale and global scale. We are all facing troubling times and it can feel overwhelming to try and know what to do as an individual and as a consequence, feel unable to act. I feel it is vitally important for us to each know what is ours to do. This is the power of the collective and how we are all connected and that small acts really can make a difference. It can also focus our energies in productive and sustainable ways that benefits us and the collective at the same time, instead of getting caught in some kind of competition where envy and jealousy can get in the way. When we know what is ours to do, we no longer compare ourselves to others or need to marginalize them to make us appear better. Dreams can help us get a glimpse of what is ours to do and what actions we may take. This is an important part of what I teach as an Active Dream Teacher.

Synchronicity has also been at play for me this past week, as reflections of the collective seem to be revealing themselves in the fashion of the mirror. I recently read about an workshop being done locally on healing the sisterhood, which asks each participant to bring a hand held mirror. Today, I read of a huge action being planned at the Republican National Convention where 100 women will pose nude for world famous photographer Spencer Tunick. He will have them all holding mirrors during the photo shoot, titled “Everything She Says Means Everything,” 100 naked women will hold up large mirror discs that, according to the artist’s website, represent “reflecting the knowledge and wisdom of progressive women and the concept of ‘Mother Nature’” The intention of this action is to reflect this embodied divine feminine wisdom onto the RNC convention floor.

SpencerTunick

The dream also has a deeper more personal connection for me. The silver antique motif of the Universal dream mirror reflects the connection I share with a dear sister. When we first became friends over 12 years ago, we decided we wanted to pair up to offer a workshop for women. We talked about offering body centered, experiential work for women to help reveal the shadow and repair the rifts between women.

We met over coffee to begin planning the workshop and an energy came between us we could both sense. It was a very spiritual energy and inside this energy, we could both see a mirror hanging in mid air between us. We both talked about what we were experiencing and confirmed what we both saw. It was the presence of divine feminine energy joining in our planning meeting.

The next time we met to discuss our plans, we again felt the presence of the mirror, only this time for me, I could see in my minds eye it was an actual physical mirror located at an antique shop near us. I told my friend and we decided to go check it out. Upon entering, I walked directly over to a place in the shop, where there was a beautiful hand mirror hiding behind a plate. I turned the mirror over and found that on the other side, it held a design of three dancing goddesses. My friend also found her mirror, which matched what she was seeing in her vision. The antique silver frame motif from her mirror, now shows up on my Universal Collective Dream mirror.

Another interesting part of the Universal Mirror is how it showed up for me in my dream as a large circular mirror hanging from the ceiling in the lobby of a community center. My friend shared with me when she returned from Peru recently, that she had visited a room inside a cathedral where they had all these large antique mirrors that were tilted and hanging from the ceiling. It was said that it is a place where the energies of the universe are also looking through at us, just as we are also seeing them. This resembles exactly how the mirror in my dream was placed, it was tilted and hanging from the ceiling, and perhaps also, where the voice was coming from inside the mirror.

When Dreams Come to Meet You

I was searching through my dream journal recently and found this entry from a couple of years ago:

Letting my dreams float away ~

I have a pet shop where I keep all of my pet projects. I don’t ever go inside the pet store to feed them, or pay attention to them, I just keep them where I can find them and show them off to others.

I have a goldfish pond next to the pet store. I like to lay in the pond and relax, it is a pond of dreams, and beautiful Koi goldfish swim beneath me. The pond is lucky and I can dream anything I want to when I lay in the water. I don’t believe in my dreams any more, I have given up on my dreams. Even though I have this magical pond and I can dream anything! I don’t seem to care, I just want to relax in the pond and let my dreams float away.

This dream was very instructive in terms of showing me how at the time, I had the tendency to hold onto creative ideas, or pet projects without ever acting on them. It also shows the potential of dreams, in that the magical pond, where I can truly dream up any reality I choose to explore and create from, but instead I have just let them slip away.

I have come across more than a few people who have told me they don’t remember their dreams, but after meeting me and sharing dreams, or coming to a class or workshop, their dreams emerge like a cherished friend, longing to reconnect.

In a recent dream from the other night, I found myself walking across an arched wooden bridge in a beautiful serene setting.

A Bridge Between the Worlds ~

I stepped onto the bridge, when suddenly a stream of water began to run over the bridge as I crossed. I payed close attention to each step I took, feeling the joy of this dream stream, flowing over my bare feet. I joined with the deeper river beneath me, where a school of gold fish, swam right up to meet me. I reached out to touch them and they came closer. I felt completely at peace in this environment, where the sun shown down a beautiful light from above, illuminating the clarity of the water. Floating in this light filled calm river, I flowed in connection with myself and the collective consciousness of the school of fish and felt a sense of wholeness in me.

This recent dream reflects a shift from the first dream I shared, when I was content to just lounge in my little dream pond, no longer caring for my dreams. Now I have fully set foot on a path of dreams, a bridge between the worlds, where I am comfortable to immerse myself in the collective dream, surrounded by light and clarity, and feeling the magical flow wash over me, sending me deeper into a world where the dream comes to meet me.

The River of Time

In a recent voyage to upstate New York, I took part in an advanced shamanic gathering of students and teachers with Robert Moss. This magical mountain made of garnet has been the location for shamanic group exploration for nearly 20 years. The last time I had been part of this particular group was 13 years ago, when I attended the fall gathering following 9-11 and we opened pathways for those who had died in the tragedy of the twin towers to cross over. This past weekend was just as powerful, only the person crossing over into a different reality this time, was me. The energy this community of Active Dreamers has grown over the years is palpable and one can feel the strength of it immediately upon entering the room where we gathered.

Over the weekend, we journeyed through the multiverse to explore the terrain Robert had set before us. In his recent

The Boy Who Died and Came Back by Robert Moss — “The Boy Who Died and Came Back” by Robert Moss

book, “The Boy Who Died and Came Back ~ Adventures of a Dream Archeologist in the Multiverse” he writes about his personal journey exploring other worlds in non-ordinary reality, through his connection with several near death experiences as a boy. He goes further, to explain a model of how the multiverse may be structured and that time is not linear, all things and all lives are being lived, Now! This fascinating book, is a manual for how to navigate the mulitverse. Once you are there, you may learn about how to connect with your higher self, the double in heaven, or become aware of parallel lives playing out, where other choices were made and paths taken. It’s ultimately about bringing more of your energy and your self into this reality. Robert Moss shows us many pathways for doing so in his wonderful style of storytelling and exploration as a dream archeologist.

One of the places for Time Travel and exploration he describes is a location known as the House of Time. It is a location in the imaginal realm where Active Dreamers have traveled through time, exploring connections in other lives and dimensions. We went on a visit there in our conscious shamanic group dreaming and here is an excerpt from one of my journeys;

The Mongol Warrior Woman Shaman 4/12/14 Magic Mountain

I approach the steps of the House of Time and each one gives way beneath my feet to create a flat surface, I am not going up the stairs, the up is coming down to meet me. I arrive in the courtyard where I see the House of Time before me surrounded by grounds, where there is a flowering orchard of trees and a quiet river flowing through. I approach the river and see the sun light reflecting on the water, a face of light comes through the water reaching toward me like a mask of light. I find myself in a wild landscape in the steppes of Mongolia.

I am a woman warrior shaman, guardian of these ancestral lands and borders. I also protect the psychic lands and borderlands from invasion of psychic warfare. I am small in frame, but not in stature. I have long, wild, thick, black, hair and long muscular arms. My hair has many thin long braids woven with amulets and bells. My face is set against the sun. I am tracking a small dust cloud in the distance, whipped up by the approach of many warriors on horseback, who come to invade these sacred lands.

I am a Master of the elements through my dance of power, my weapon is the weather, my duty is to protect. I am one, standing strong, amongst many enemies who want to take these lands for their own. I have all that is needed to fulfill my duty and protect my ancestral lands.

The storm clouds are gathering. I am moving energy and gathering the elements of water all around me and into my body. Once I have gathered this power within myself, I send it up into the clouds through my dance of power. I summon the winds as the clouds grow heavy with rain, the sky becomes dark as night as the storm draws near my approaching enemy. The lightning strikes in the midst of their thundering horde. Horses rearing up, dumping their riders, in the chaos of running frantically for shelter from the storm. The fear this storm brings upon my enemies, causes them to loose courage. They frantically seek escape from the massive storm that has suddenly descended upon them. The storm clears the air, and any psychic energy that was intended to try and defeat the powerful Mongol Warrior Woman Shaman.

I have been visited by this Mongol Woman Shaman on several other occasions, during Kundalini yoga classes. I was very glad to see her come through again in this journey. She has a very high energy field and she requires a high energy vibration, in order to meet with her. I feel my connection with her has now strengthened and I am keenly interested in learning more from her.

Mongolian Steppe Storm by Ruben D. Mascaro

A Bridge Between Worlds

When we learn to navigate between the worlds of waking and dreaming reality, we have access to creative problem solving and rehearsals for everyday life. We can view the latest reports on the state of our health, relationships, bank account, career path or education. Dreams create a bridge between multidimensional reality and our everyday waking reality and help us bring more of who we are into our everyday lives. Active Dreaming is a unique synthesis of modern-day dream work and ancient shamanic approaches to dreaming guided by the sound of the drum, where you can learn how to create a bridge between the worlds through dreaming.

Our indigenous ancestors knew how to go dreaming and track ahead during their night-time dreams to find animals to hunt, sources of water, what herbs which could heal or how to protect loved ones from harm. We are all a little bit shaman, because we each dream every night. Learning how to remember your dreams and share them with others is part of the first steps to crossing the bridge between worlds. Once you are in dialogue and relationship with your dreams, you can learn to direct your intentions consciously through dream incubation for night-time adventures in the dream world. You may discover spiritual guides or powerful animal guardians to help you brave up to your biggest fears or take respite in beautiful nature sanctuaries for healing and renewal.

It is through the gifts of dreaming that we create our world and when we bridge the waking world with our dreaming world, we are in communication with our deeper self and the language of the sacred to guide our steps. If you have ever had a de ja vue experience, it is possibly because you have dreamt it before. Dreams are experiences and not just phantoms of the confused mind. Science has shown that the body translates images as real experiences and that is one reason why imaginal healing has shown to be very effective. Dreams are also places to discover the powerful images we interact with in our inner world. They can help us study for a test at school, learn a new language, or create something completely original.

So when you go dreaming tonight, incubate a dream and picture yourself crossing over a magical dream bridge to discover conscious adventures in the multiverse. You may even want to re-enter a dream and discover more information from it. What ever your destination, make sure to set a clear intention for your journey and then, be sure to bring back a dream to share in your journal or iwith a trusted friend, because dreams are meant for sharing and they help create the stories of our lives. Important not to forget, is that dreams also require action and an important part of the Lightning Dream Sharing process I teach, encourages dreamers to determine what action to take to honor your dreams. In this way we are then able to cross back over the bridge between the worlds and bring our dreams into waking life. This is nothing less than magic and something we can all learn to do with a little practice. You can learn more about bridging the worlds at my upcoming workshop Dreaming the Hearts’ Desire.

by Valley Reed

It’s Only Just a Dream

It’s Only Just a Dream….how many of us have heard this seemingly harmless phrase after sharing a dream with someone at some point in our lives? I have heard stories from others who tell of their “Just a Dream” experiences, often in childhood, and what followed was a lack of respect for the dreamer and the dream, leaving a scar and broken trust. But what you will see in my story is a tale of caution, where labeling a dream as “Just a Dream” could spell the difference between life and death.

Back in the mid 80’s I worked for a Commercial Real Estate Developer in Downtown Dallas, Texas during the Savings & Loan Crisis, which caused many companies to go bankrupt. The company I worked for was no exception, and so I also became a casualty of the economic crisis and suddenly found myself out of a job. I was young with limited work experience and found it difficult to find work. The only job I could find was to work as a rose girl trolling through bars in the evenings selling roses to amorous couples, or some guy hoping to get lucky with that pretty girl.

One night before I was scheduled to work as a “rose girl”, I had an unusual dream that changed my life.

Belle Starr Rose Girl Shot Dead

I see myself dressed in my rose girl uniform in a red jacket, black shorts and fishnet nose, and I am walking around Belle Star, a popular country and western bar, carrying my rose basket. I walk slowly around the bar and it is crowded. I make my rounds through the place and head back towards the front, as I do a man bursts through the door and begins shooting. I see myself hold my neck with one hand as I fall to the ground in slow motion and the roses spilling out everywhere. I have been shot in the neck, and am lying dead on the floor surrounded by a pool of blood with roses spread all around me. EOD.

I awake from this dream terrified, my body is shaking and I know I have just seen my own death. I shared the dream, fearing for my life, with my now ex-husband, who tells me frankly, “Oh it is just a dream,……..you have to go to work we need the money.” I was almost persuaded by his goading and pressure that I needed to go to work, but I was still very afraid, and so I called into work to tell them I was sick and would not be coming in. They were very upset with me, and told me they had given me the very best route of clubs to work that night and I would make alot of money. They told me what clubs they had scheduled me to work and at what time, and Belle Star was one of the clubs on that list. They also told me if I didn’t come to work and called in sick they would have to fire me. I didn’t want to lose my job and so I somehow mustered the courage to get myself dressed for work and drove in that direction. While driving down the highway, I saw a really bad car accident that had just happened. The car was totaled and I could somehow sense that someone had died in that car wreck. My hands began to shake on the steering wheel, and I began to feel the same sensation I experienced in the dream about seeing my own death. I could not physically force myself to drive to work after that, I was too shaken by the whole experience, and my body knew the real danger I was heading toward. I turned around and drove home instead.

My then husband at the time, was very angry with me, and yelled at me for being irresponsible by not going to work. My employer was not pleased with me either and fired me for not showing up for my shift. I was feeling pretty low about the whole situation. The next day however, on the front page of the newspaper, was a story about a man who had gone into a popular country western bar called Belle Starr and began shooting, and two people were shot. http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl/1987_443477/man-dressed-in-black-shoots-2-in-dallas-club.html

I was astounded, that could have been me! I felt I had been touched by grace somehow, and that for some reason I was given information in a dream which saved my life. Clearly there was more to dreaming than I had previously been lead to believe. Never again would I look at any dream as “just a dream”.

My life changed after that day and I made a determination to honor my dreams from that day forward. I began to look more deeply into the messages my dreams had for me, and I started writing my dreams down in journals. I soon realized by keeping a dream journal, that many dreams I recorded had content which connected to events in waking life. They were not as dramatic as the rose girl dream, but just normal everyday occurrences would also appear in my dreams. I discovered that deja vu experiences I had often had, were a result of having dreamt it before, rather than lived it before. I determined that dreams are a place where we can create our life and often give us glimpses of what may come. I also began to have out of body experiences, and once found myself hovering above my body connected to my physical body by a luminous cord of fuchsia colored light which lit up the entire room in that hue. I felt the strong loving energy of the light which enveloped the room, and was confused about why I was looking at my physical body asleep in bed as I was hovering above. I wondered how this could happen, and suddenly found myself slammed back into my body and abruptly woke up. I was having what is known as an “out of body experience”, but at the time I was unfamiliar with this, and so I began to explore lucid dreaming and astral travel. I learned that I was not confined to my physical body but could travel in my night time excursions beyond the physical.

These experiences were a turning point in my life, which set me on an exploration of consciousness, dreaming and shamanism. I have recorded my dreams now for over 25 years and studied many aspects and approaches to dreaming. The approach that I value most is Active Dreaming, a synthesis of modern day dream work with ancient shamanic dream practices. Active Dreaming was developed through the pioneering work of Robert Moss and it is through his dream teacher training and depth workshops over the years that I have joined the ranks of dream teachers around the world who are helping to create a dream sharing community once again. I offer classes and workshops on Active Dreaming where we explore the many ways dreams provide guidance and healing as we travel our life path and beyond. Dreams have the ability to lead us out of danger and onto a path of heart and soul. All we have to do to start on this path is dream, and share our dreams in a way that offers respect for the dreamer and the dream. The lightning method of dream sharing is an excellent way to share dreams in a way begins with the felt sense of the dreamer upon waking, followed by a reality check, for clues of a possible future which may play out in our dreams. The process asks “What do you most want to know from the dream” as an important touch stone to work from and then moves to “What action do you want to take?” This process is a quick method of dream sharing that points to the important aspects to work from when discovering your dreams. Dreaming the future does not mean your waking life must play out the same way. My story exemplifies how it is possible to change the outcome of a dream, if appropriate action is taken. Conversely, if a dream is showing us our heart’s desire, we have only to gather our courage and act.

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