Dreams

November 29,2025

Looking at our night dreams might seem to be a superfluous activity, especially in this challenging time. Some might say that we should be doing more important things.

On the surface, if we look at dreams literally rather than metaphorically, that could be true. My dreams have been known to involve bleeding polar bears, sari-wearing gun-toting mothers, toilets, incandescent sea stars and so much more.

A literal interpretation would indicate that these dreams were absurd nonsense. But dreams, taken metaphorically are grace-filled. And we certainly need as much grace as possible right now.

Over the years, dreamwork has been one of my most important spiritual practices.

Because reflecting on dreams is like opening letters from the Holy, [1].

Each dream is uniquely ours, a special messenger with a sole purpose of guiding us into health and wholeness, [2]. Our night-dreams provide us with insights from our Divinely created unconscious.

Dreams abound in the Judeo-Christian traditions, all which have influenced people to change their lives, sometimes significantly. The most famous are the dreams of Joseph, (Genesis 37), Daniel, (Daniel 2 and 7) and the ones around Jesus’ birth, [3].

However, most religious traditions haven’t encouraged us to honour our dreams. To pay attention to them as a way of listening to Holy Mystery.

In the past century, dreamwork has been integral to Jungian psychoanalysis and recently Jungian-informed spiritual directors have been inviting us to pay attention to our dreams as a spiritual practice.

Taking dreams seriously and trusting that they are from God allows us to be open to their daily guidance, and illumination. They are conduits for us to better understand ourselves and our journey with the Divine, [4].

I’ve also found that dreams can inspire and comfort us.

For dreams, even nightmares, [5] have only good intent, bringing us awarenesses that can lead us to wholeness, holiness. That is, if we are open to listening.

So how does one go about doing dreamwork as a spiritual practice? Well, it takes a commitment to spend time with at least some of your dreams. Time on your own and ideally, time with others.

For those of you who are new to this spiritual practice and those who’d like to renew your dream practice, here are some dreamwork basics, [6]:

• Place a journal and pencil beside your bed. Prior to falling asleep, invite the Holy to give you a dream.

• Write down any dream(s) as soon as you awaken. Dreams dissipate once we move into our daily activities. Deciding on how and what to write isn’t always clear. Write down only as you feel so called by the Spirit. Even the smallest dream fragment can hold wisdom.

• Note the dream setting, characters, (human and animal), inanimate objects, actions/plot, as well as any emotions that arise. Each has value and likely will be related to something in your life.

• Seek associations to each of the above aspects of the dream. For example, if you dream about horses then consider what experience(s) you’ve had with horses, or what horses mean to you.

• Prayerfully interpret the dream, seeking meaning related to your own life, (internal and external). Consider why this dream came to you at this time in your life. Perhaps something is happening in your life that might be connected to the dream’s meaning.

• Look for “aha” moments as you interpret the dream. These are places that provide deep resonance with your inner knowing. Pause and celebrate if you experience an “aha” moment.

• Consider talking to one or more of the dream characters and/or drawing something or someone in the dream.

• Give your dream a title.

• Notice if this dream is related to any of your other dreams since they often come in groupings or cycles. The Divine provides many dreamy opportunities for us to learn.

• Repeat any of these steps as you feel called, either on your own or with a trusted soul guide/friend.

Please feel free to contact me about dreamwork and/or becoming involved in a dream group.

1. Robert L. Haden Jn., Unopened Letters from God: A Workbook for Individuals and Groups, Flat Rock, NC: Haden Institute Publishing, 2010, 1.

2. Jeremy Taylor, The Wisdom of Your Dreams: Using Dreams to Tap into Your Unconscious and Transform Your Life, Penguin Group (USA) Inc., New York, NY, 2009, 4.

3. See the Biblical Gospel of Matthew- chapters 1 and 2 in which Joseph and the Magi from the East have dreams which ensure Jesus’ safety.

4. Joyce Rockwood Hudson, Natural Spirituality: A Handbook for Jungian Inner Work in Spiritual Community, Revised Ed., Chiron Publications, Asheville, NC, 2016, 108.

5. If we have a negative arousal from the dream, Naisa Wong recommends that we move towards emotional regulation before attempting to unpack the dream. From Naisa Wong, Discovering the Creative-Imaginative in the Spiritual Direction of Color Experience: Storytelling, Creativity, Imagination, and Dreams in Kaleidoscope: Broadening the Palette in the Art of Spiritual Direction, ed. Ineda Pearl Adesanya, Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY, 2019, 114.

6. Some books that provide these and more detailed outlines of dreamwork include:

a. Robert L. Haden Jn., Unopened Letters from God.

b. Joyce Rockwood Hudson, Natural Spirituality, 105-126.

c. Christine Valters Paintner, Sacred Time: Embracing and Intentionally Way of Life, Sorin Books, Notre dame, IN, 2021, 59-62.

d. Jeremy Taylor, The Wisdom of Your Dreams.

This blog is dedicated to the memory of Maureen Fowler, a beloved spiritual mentor.