Dream Workshop

I have done dream workshops over the years, and a series of classes at the Recreation Center in Harrisonburg in the late eighties and more recently I did a workshop in Guatemala with the Kundalini yoga retreat participants, led by Seri Amrita. See the blogs with links below. I did not have rose petals under my feet this time to perfume the air but the students were themselves roses, taking hold of all that is thorny and beautiful within. I felt delighted with their beauty, their drawings, their understanding, their associations. I was very comfortable in giving feedback. I hope to bring out my work in workshops in the future.

The students draw some depiction of the first dream shared. Then I had the dreamer depict her dream in the sand tray and that brought in a different layer for me to consider. This brought up hilarity in me to see the choices made by the dreamer for the particular figures chosen to depict the scenario. It was so delightful and meaningful. I have a sand tray at my house and will use in dream work in the future.

When I originally met with the class for 15 minutes about a month ago to ask them for dreams and to passionately encourage them to get involved with their dreams, I felt my anxiety afterwards and it took me a day or two to put it in its place. It was a left over layer in me from the time I went to college and had grading and assignment requirements. I always wanted to be an A+ student and often was but it came at the price of a little layer of the ashes of perfection in me. I was able to blow it away when I recognized it in there. It was with a certain delight that I teased the teacher about her drawing, I could not help it, inviting the students to grade her marks on the paper. All the students joined in with great laughter and she did too after a second of uncertainty. She got me back later in the next drawing where I just did stick figures and no color on my drawing to speak of.

In a general way the motifs of babies, inner child, inner men, inner women, basement as unconscious, superheroes, animals as instincts, and many more archetypes came up during the class. I realize that some may have felt this session brought in too much disclosure, too much sharing and it is uncomfortable. However I have always felt very close to those in my dream groups over the years. Once after finishing college, at James Madison University, I restarted a dream group at my home and I dreamed that night, that I was now starting “College.” The dreams are a different form of higher learning for anyone who wants to focus there.

At the end of class the teacher gave the student a time to say how my Dream workshop/class affected them. This is the feedback I got from them, which I was able to write up as they spoke.

Enjoyed song – wanted it to last longer, touched me personally. Suspended belief and entertained the mystical./I had trouble remembering dreams. I went on the blog and really remembered a lot of dreams. I recognized now how I could work on the dream./Grateful for the insight given on dreams shared in workshop. How to get past the concrete and get to the mystical and wonder./Appreciate enthusiasm and pushing to explore more than what we think we are./This is a reminder to me that I dream and “What the .. is going on with my Animus.”/Thank you for being here and holding the dream with importance and engaging and meeting us./Appreciated that everyone can see the symbols in the dream and all different./Loved the song this morning, it touched me./Appreciated insights about dreams, long journey, almost there. Really what came today “let something fully go.” Appreciated that insight./Like suggestion with drawing the dreams to integrated them. Also love seeing the dream in terms of personal energy./I like the vibes and the energy, very youthful aura. Would like to embody that and appreciated the passion. I want to explore personally and try and identify my personal identity.

And if you want to work on your dreams by hook or by crook, by drawing or by sand tray, be sure to give me a call and I will be happy to get you turning around right into your very own possibility of individual wholeness. If there is dancing, or loss of child, or crashes, or bridges or one of the many images that come up, I would love to work with you. I look forward to hearing from you. Love from Rose.