a course in dream magic -

1) increasing dream consciousness

Remember yourself always and everywhere.

(George Gurdijeff)

Dream consciousness is not a single solid state but a fluid continuum of a million
slightly different states. On one end of this continuum we find complete
unconsciousness of our dreams - while we experience them as well as once we drift
back to day consciousness. At the other end we find what is often called lucid dreaming
combined with coherent dream recollection when we come back to day consciousness in
the morning.

In between those two rather extreme states we can find all sorts of passages, thresholds
and transitions.

a course in dream magic - part 2

2 . d r e a m o b j e c t i fi c a t i o n

Dont look at yourself, look at the world around you.

(Martin Buber)

With the newly gained ability to remember and transcribe our

dreams we have made a huge leap forward. However, the pure
transcription of our dreams only presents the surface of our
dream reality. In this chapter we will delve deeper into the
language, story scripts and images of our dreams. The goal is
to decipher the basic grammar of our personal dream language
and to start engaging in more interactive dialogues between
our dream and daytime consciousness.

The first step in understanding the grammar of our dreams is

to enhance our ability to observe without judgement. Over-
interpretation of our dream experiences certainly is the most
common trap at this stage. Rather than interpreting, doing a
thorough and non-biased inventory of the dream is the secret
to success. This is also why this chapter is called dream
objectification and not interpretation.
The first step in dream objectification is to understand the fact
that the first person perspective through which we experience
our dreams is not the same as our personality or daytime
conscious. Your dream-ego is different from your daytime ego;
they represent two aspects of consciousness of your
individuality.

Here is how we can delve below the surface of our dreams in

four simple steps:

dream script

Summarize the main plot of the dream in a few short

sentences. In doing so identify the basic script that underlies
the dream experience. However, youll need to change to an
objective perspective on capturing your dream: instead of I or
myself when talking about the dream-ego use the third
person singular (he/she). I.e. instead of I am taking flight from
the burglar. you will note: The dream-ego or s/he takes flight
of the burglar.

dream acts

Ascertain if the dream follows the sequence of dream acts as

suggested by C.G. Jung. You will find that this is the case for
most coherent dream stories:

First Act: description of starting point. Which characters

are part of the plot, where and when does it occur?

Second Act: presentation of central conflict. Conflicts and

tensions become apparent.

Third Act: accentuation. The climax of the script is

reached and leads to a positive or negative turn of
events.

Fourth Act: description of end point.

dream heading
Chose a fitting heading for your dream. If your dream was a
short story in a book, which title would it bear? Feel free to get
inspired by todays newspaper headings. However, rather than
being overly imaginative or romantic the heading should give a
first impression of the dreams central plot or conflict.

d r e a m c o n fl i c t

As a last step take time to answer the following questions:

Which main symbols are present in the dream

(characters, natural or artificial objects, animals, etc.)?

Which emotions do these symbols trigger in you?

Which forces are working against or in each others favor

in the dream? Where is conflict, where is harmony, where
is paradox?

Does the dream present any solutions? If yes, which

ones? If not, what are the obstacles?

What is the dream-ego doing, what is it not doing? What

are other dream characters doing, what are they not
doing? (In considering what isnt done we may find
unnoticed opportunities or potential, equally the actual
choices and deeds of the dream characters are
accentuated.)

3. dream-self observation

Dream-Self observation is an extension to dream objectification

and was first introduced by Strephon Kaplan. The goals of this
method are twofold: 1) to gain more insights on the motivation
and grounds based on which the Dream-Self is acting and 2) to
increase consciousness about the difference between our
daytime and Dream-Self.

Just like we have spent years of our daytime life to discover our
own personalities, our likes and dislikes, strengths and
weaknesses this method allows us to discover our Dream-
Selves and compare these to our daytime personalities.

Generally we have to assume that our Dream-Self acts more

spontaneously and emotionally driven than our daytime Self. At
the same time it is also less considerate and farsighted as it is
less conscious. In its deeds our Dream-Self will act out all the
attitudes, desires and needs which we forbid ourselves during
daytime and which sink into our subconscious if suppressed
over long periods. Often this can explain why our experiences
during daytime and in dreams seem to be mirror-images. At
the same time the actions of our Dream-Self can be understood
as rehearsals: we are given the chance to experiment and
rehearse attitudes and actions that we arent ready to practice
during daytime. This opens up new possibilities for our daytime
Self.

In order to better understand our Dream-Selves the following

questions present helpful starting points:

What is our Dream-Self doing and what is it not doing? Is

it involved or detached from the actions of the dream?

Which dream situation triggers the actions of our Dream-

Self?

How is our Dream-Self characterized by its emotions, its

desires, believes and prejudices? What does this tell us
about our Dream-Self personalities?

How is our Dream-Self behaving in the situation -

proactively or reactively, passive or active?

Which role is our Dream-Self taking in the plot of the

dream? With what or whom does our Dream-Self identify?

Do we react in similar ways during daytime? If yes, on

which occasions; if not how do our daytime deeds differ?

4. dream symbols
4.1 Context
The intent of the first chapter was to gain access to the
material of our dreams and to realize and understand it from
different perspectives. The previous chapters provided
techniques to reduce the common over-identification between
our daytime Selves and Dream-Selves, between dreamer and
dream - and thus introduce the required distance for a rather
objective analysis and understanding of our dreams. The
following chapter will introduce us to the actual material of our
dreams - especially to the symbols we encounter in dreams.

The word symbol is based on the greek verb symballein

which means throwing together or assembling. Originally it
was used in sayings that referred to compiling, concealing or
veiling. The sign that becomes a symbol encrypts, it masks the
meaning of an act or expression. The uninitiated spectator isnt
able to understand the encrypted message any longer.

Understanding the symbols in our dreams is the essential

element of dream interpretation: The meaning of most of our
dreams is concealed to our daytime conscious, to our
intellectual mind and understanding. As long as our conscious
doesnt thrive to penetrate the surface of our dreams our
dreamworld is a world that is completely dependent on our
emotional (unconscious) experiences. This is because the
symbols of our dreams are well accessible to our emotional
lives, yet they are arcane to our intellectual minds.

The goal of this chapter is to support your conscious in gaining

access to the concealed meaning of your dream symbols. To
illustrate this process lets take a look at the following model. It
depicts the way of perceiving reality that most people would
call common or normal and suppresses our dream reality,
i.e. experiences of our Dream-Selves:

Once we have opened the gates of our dream reality to our

conscious and started to connect daytime experiences and
experiences of our Dream-Selves the model will change. What
used to be a unidimensional and reactive model explaining our
Egos reactions to the impressions of the world becomes
multidimensional and interactive. We start to realize the
interconnectedness of ourselves and the world around us, of
our experiences during daytime and in dreams:

4.2 Free Association

In order to unveil the individual meaning of our dream symbols
we can turn to the most classical technique of dream
interpretation and Psychoanalysis, Free Association (FA). The
power of this method that was derived from early approaches
to hypnosis lies in the fact that rather than confining us in a
pre-set framework or codex of interpretations it sets us free to
discover and learn the unique language of our dream symbols.
It is the dreamer that speaks, not the analyst.

Once we have used it for the first time successfully applying FA

becomes incredibly easy. We can simply note down one or
more dream symbols we encountered during our dreams on a
piece of paper. Then - without trying to control - we write down
all catchwords and prompts that spring to our mind
spontaneously. The only important thing during this process is
maintaining a completely open state of mind and not to start
filtering words that come up as associations. Each idea, each
term is of equal value until we feel we have noted down all
important associations this symbol evokes in our minds. What
has happened at this point is that the symbol has opened up, it
has expanded and revealed its individual meaning to us. This
meaning doesnt need to be stable but can change from dream
to dream. Often it involves puns and play of words that make
us blush or smile and allow to further uncover the meaning of
our dream.

In addition to the results of our FA we can also draw on

resources shared in classic books on dream interpretation. (For
all German speakers I can recommend Didymos Traumlexikon
which is available for free online.) The content of these books,
however, should never weigh more than our own findings. In
case we encounter unrelated or even contradictory
explanations of dream symbols we should always follow our
own guidance first - and not allow for the words of a book to
speak louder than the words of our unconscious. Probably the
most central pillar of successful dream interpretation is that
the interpretation has to be evident and illuminative for the
dreamer first and foremost. In cases of contradictions between
personal and traditional dream symbol interpretations the
authentic and personal interpretation always has to be favored.

Once we discovered the meaning of our dream symbols we

should revisit the dream plot identified at an earlier stage. How
do these new insights change, enrich or accentuate the
experiences of our dreams? The following guiding questions
can be helpful to re-integrate the meaning of our dream
symbols into the broader dream plot:

Lets replace the symbols in our dreams with their actual

meaning. Where do these meanings oppose each other,
where do they harmonize?

How does the headline of your dream change if you

replace the dream symbols with their meaning?

Which secret motives of action of your Dream-Self

become apparent once the symbolic meaning is laid
open?

Which differences do you see in how you deal with the

meaning of your symbols during daytime and in dreams?
Which commonalities are apparent?

Which role do the meaning of your dream symbols play in

your everyday life? Are they easy to discover or rare and
only seldom to be encountered?

a course dream - part 3

5. dialogue with dream beings

5.1 Basic Technique

The dialogue with dream beings is a more advanced form of

unveiling the meaning of dream symbols. To do this it uses an
active and open dialogue between our conscious and a being
we encountered in our dreams. Where dream symbols
remained passive previously a dream being takes an active
stance in helping us to understand its nature and meaning in
context of our dreams.
Generally it makes a lot of sense starting to practice FA before
proceeding to this technique. FA helps us in gaining a more
conscious access to our associations and unconscious usage of
symbols. It also presents an important step in becoming more
objective and less biased about emotionally charged
encounters and experiences in our dreams. These are essential
skills before starting to engage with dream beings in active
dialogues. As only then are we prepared to acknowledge every
being in our dreams - whether pleasant and sympathetic or
aggressive and daunting - as a living creature in its own right.

Here are the four steps to conduct successful dialogues with

dream beings:

1. Deep Relaxiation

Sit or lay down comfortably. Ensure you are taking a position

that will be comfortable over a longer time and you dont need
to change position later in the process. The more relaxed your
physical body, your muscle tone and senses will be the better
the quality of your dream conversation. Personally, I strongly
recommend to learn and practice a professional relaxation
technique - such as Pranayama, Autogenic Training or Deep
Muscle Relaxation - before advancing to this step of dream
work. Once your mind and body are fully relaxed return to the
specific dream being you want to talk to.

2. Initiating Dialogue

Think of the dream being and allow it to fill with life again.
Once you can sense the same emotions you felt when
encountering this being during your dream you have
sufficiently revived the dream being. Now you can start a
dialogue with the creature. Great questions to kick off the
conversation are: Who are you?, What do you want? or
Why did you do that?. Then try to understand the response
of the dream being. Normally we realize its reply intuitively.
This happens when we wait for an answer and suddenly find a
thought or statement in our mind that appeared out of
nowhere. Such a reply can consist of a single word or an
elaborate explanation. It can be mundane, meaningless or
surprising. Whatever it is, it is important to trust the answer of
the dream being. In case the reply is contradictory to your own
thoughts or believes it is a sign that you are certainly on the
right path. The conscious of our dream beings springs from
deep and often autonomous wells in our subconscious.

3. Continuing Dialogue

In case the dream beings reply was obscure or unsatisfactory

you can now continue to engage in a conversation with it. Our
most important skill in dialogues likes this is to react openly
and spontaneously to unforeseen and surprising turns in the
conversation. Dream beings will often be extremely
unpretentious and straight forward about their intent, desires
or motives. This requires us to be equally prepared to
spontaneously react to such open and sometimes crass
statements.

4. Existing Dialogue

When you feel you received the desired information from the
dream being you can say goodbye and slowly return to your
daytime conscious. Even if at this point the entire content of
your conversation is still present in your mind, this is the time
to take specific notes about everything you have said and
heard. The ability of our minds to allow thoughts and insights
that emerged from our subconscious to slip back to where they
came from is just amazing. Thoughts that appear to be crystal
clear and of life-changing force can disappear over a visit to
the bathroom. We need to support our conscious in getting
ready to digest and integrate these new found and often
surprising informations. Capturing every perl of insight and
seemingly meaningless detail in writing and revisiting our
notes at a later point is just what it takes to do so.

Note: It is completely up to you if you want to follow this

traditional instruction to dialogues with dream beings. You can
also think of and experiment with many alternatives, such as
returning to your dream and conversing with your own Dream-
Self rather than another dream being. Similarly you should feel
free to talk to all sort of dream beings - may they be humans,
animals, plants, crystals, elements, angels or demons,
inanimate objects or spheres of light and darkness. Everything
in our dream landscapes can gain consciousness if we allow it
to.

Once you are more experienced in this technique you will be

able to conduct it sitting at your desk, a blank paper in front of
you and a pen in your hand. Write down your questions on the
left side and note the dream beings replies on the right. Begin
with the first question on the left and listen to the answer of
the dream being, allow it to come back to life and fill your mind
with its voice. Dont interfere or push for an answer. At this
point your experience with this technique will allow you to
commune with dream beings without going through a full
muscle relaxation exercise before. If you feel the voice of the
dream being is muffled or less clear, however, feel free to
return to the approach outlined above.

Try to be aware of how this technique changes your

experiences during your actual dreams over time? It is quite
common that once such dialogues with dream beings have
become a habit and recurring practice they are adopted by our
subconscious and applied while we are dreaming... We often
find ourselves engaging more directly with dream creatures,
widening our spectrum of possible actions and encounters and
reducing our previous limitations in emotionally charged
situations. Even though these techniques are concerned with
what happens during our dream time, they are still powerful
techniques of personal freedom.

Finally, lets clarify a few laws of dream nature that differ from
our daytime reality:

A dreamer cannot die. Whenever our Dream-Self is about

to die we are approaching a state of transition or
transformation; it shouldnt stop the plot or narration of
our dream experience.

Dream objects only exists for as long as we pay attention

to them. This is not only true for dream beings and
objects but also for emotions, physical feelings or pain.

Everything imagined in a dream will materialize or take

place instantly. Fear creates attackers, affection creates
friendly encounters, etc. There is no border between
phantasy and experience in dreams.

Events are connected by associations rather than logic.

Associations can be created by similarities, differences,
emotions and/or memories.
 ... observe your dreams. What other laws of dream nature can
you discover?

5.2 dominant dream beings

All of us have encountered dominant dream beings in their

dreams. These types of beings besiege our Dream-Selves, they
harm us or force decisions or actions upon us which we hadnt
chosen voluntarily. The crucial attribute of all dominant dream
beings is that they take an aggressive stance at limiting our
freedom of action and development. Their presence and
influence constrain our Dream-Selves ability to act, develop,
unfold and discover new possibilities. Its through their
influence that our dreamworld becomes less rich and diverse...
and often they represent inner forces that have a similar effect
on our waking selves.

Roughly we can categorize dominant dream beings into two

different types: on the one hand we will find archaic dream
beings. These tend to be mighty, wild and unconstrained
beings, e.g. forces of nature, monsters or murderers. On the
other hand we find authoritarian dream beings such as
parents, teachers, priests or bosses. The former category
express inner needs, feelings, desires und drives which the
dreamer suppresses during daytime. The former category
tends to represent ethical, moral or social attitudes which often
correspond to the current zeitgeist. The former will be
overwhelming in their appearance; the later seem to be always
right in their judgments.

5.3 authoritarian dream beings

Irrespective if during our actual dream or in a subsequent

dialogue with an authoritarian dream being - the basic ground
rule remains the same: our first and foremost goal is to engage
the being into a conversation. We will not let up until the
dialogues has ended in mutual agreement, an acceptable
compromise or - in some cases - in physical victory over the
dominant dream being. Sometimes this can lead to rather
tedious conversations as our adversary will most definitely try
to play tricks on us and will might proof to be incredibly
stubborn. Forcing our Dream-Selves to give up self-assertion
and to bow to the judgment or will of the authoritarian dream
being will be their central goal.

Often the crucial turning point in these conversation takes

place when we can convince the dominant dream being of the
simple fact that they are not flawed. This means that first and
foremost we need to be ready to accept the dream being for
what it is - and find a place and mean for it in our dreamworld.
Once we achieve this and we prove to the dream being that we
dont intend to change or subjugate it they will be ready to
give up their radical point of views. It weakens their authority
immensely if they realize that reality is more diverse than they
thought - and doesnt allow a black-or-white choice only.

In order for an authoritarian dream being to give up some of its

authority we need to understand its weaknesses and possible
fears. And in many cases we wont be able to spot these if we
play fair. The nature of the dream being might force us to play
as dirty as they do on us - and take the same ruthless steps
against it they would against our Dream-Selves. Ultimately this
can even lead to physical conflict - the most raw version of
proving the authoritarian dream being that all its authority will
not suffice to rule over our dreamworld. Contrariwise the
situation might demand an incredible amount of patience from
us: if the dream being is deliberately slow in giving answers to
our questions or evades we might face a dogged verbal fight
over dominance and submission.

5.4. archaic dream beings

Lets come back to the other category of dominant dream

beings. Here our approach will be slightly different. Rather than
focusing to engage in a dialogue and negotiate a compromise
these types of raw powers first and foremost need to be
constrained and stopped in their attacks. Thus initiation of a
dialogue with an archaic dream being counts as our first
victory already. It represents the willingness of the dream being
to engage with - rather than destroy - our Dream-Selves and
face the actual problem.

In dialogues with archaic dream beings our primary goal is to

understand its motivation and desire. Once we spot and
understand their drive we can explore alternative ways to
satisfy the needs of the dream being as well as our Dream-
Selves. Skills in creating win-win situations will be hugely
helpful at this stage.

However, whatever form and shape our discussion with the

dream being might take, we need to make sure that we dont
subject to it under any circumstances. In case our dialogue
should come to a complete halt or the tension in our
conversation raises too high a physical confrontation as the
last resort is still preferable to a complete submission of our
Dream-Selves.

6. feeding aggressive dream beings

Lets pause and reflect for a moment. The above approach to

engaging with dominant dream beings is clearly working and
has been part of dream magic tradition for a long period. The
risk, however, is that we over-protect our Dream-Selves in an
environment where it is simply one element of many... Should
we fail to get the balance right between empathy and guidance
to these aggressive subconscious beings we might simply treat
their desire for dominance with our own. And at the end we
might not get anywhere - as we are repeating the same male-
chauvinistic patterns of self-assertion and pride that keep our
daytime reality from becoming a better place already...

So maybe its time to explore an alternative way of dealing

with aggressive dream beings? And rather than trying to
understand them but to dominate them in case of conflict -
why not try to understand them and then give them what they
desire selflessly? Now this might sound strange, but follow me
- there is an ancient shamanic practice from Tibet from which
we might be able to learn.

::

Contrary to the above approach of dominating your dream

beings in case of conflict and controversy there is a different,
more creative approach we can chose. I havent found this
process being described in any literature on dreams, yet in
Tsultrim Alliones book Feeding your Demons - Ancient Wisdom
for Resolving Inner Conflict .
Allione is a Tibetan Buddhist teacher who - after a long and
enduring personal journey of striving to combine western living
with the power of ancient Tibetan and Tantric meditation
techniques - created a simple five step process to resolve inner
conflict. This process draws heavily from the tantric practice of
Chd. Chd often is translated as cutting through the ego as
its practice revolves around the self-sacrifice of the practitioner
to the demons he evoked. Milarepa described the inner and
outer aspects of Chd as follows:

External chod is to wander in fearful places where there are

deities and demons. Internal chod is to offer one's own body as
food to the deities and demons. Ultimate chod is to realize the
true nature of the mind and cut through the fine strand of hair
of subtle ignorance.
Milarepa (c. 1052c. 1135 CE)

While the traditional practice of Chd is an advanced shamanic

technique Allione simplified and adjusted the approach. She
basically kept the essence of the teaching alive but made it
accessible to non-Tibetan practitioners. The goal of the practice
is not at all to realize the illusion of the demons or gods that
torment us. Actually my advise is to not worry about the
question of reality or illusion of our demons at all. Just like
anything we have worked on before in these chapters, our
dream demons represent beings we can encounter, talk to and
engage with. They might transform more rapidly and
fundamentally than our waking selves ever will. Yet what
matters is that we are able to learn from and work with them.
And that we ultimately transform them from adversaries to
allies.

Four our purpose we will slightly adopt the Chd inspired five
step process of feeding your demons as created by Allione.
Instead of working generally with inner demons we will apply it
to dominant dream beings specifically. Moreover, we will label
and structure the experience according to a magical ritual. As
you can see the process follows a similar structure. However,
instead of binding and subjugating the demon at the climax of
the rite we will feed it. Our goal is to satisfy the deep rooted
desire of the aggressive dream being; to put to rest the very
force that allowed it to come to life and remained unrelieved
and unsatisfied for a very long time. Once the inner fire and
desire of the dream being subsides it is likely to change its
form, to transform and give way to a powerful ally that used to
be hidden from us.

Note: If you intent to work with this practice in more depth

there is no way around reading Alliones book. It provides many
real-life examples and testimonial stories of people who
successfully worked with inner demons and will bring the
process to life in a very plain and simple light. If you cant
afford the book, you will find the adjusted skeleton of the
exercise below. In addition I still recommend this series of
articles at Tricycle as a great starting to create a deeper
understanding of the practice.

The first three steps of the process will allow you to evoke the
aggressive dream being you want to work with, to bring it back
to life - and to take its place. At the end of these first three
steps you will know exactly how it feels to be this dream being
and what its underlying - and often hidden - need is. Here is
how it works:
The following three steps allow you to feed the aggressive
dream being. Rather than resisting or even fighting it we will
feed it to complete satisfaction. Our unlimited source of food
will be ourselves. So this is the moment of self-sacrifice, of
giving up and letting go in the spirit of stilling the deep rooted
desires that we used to hide from ourselves. Here is how it
continues: