Introduction:
Dreams are triggered by days events in the previous days of the dream or coming days in your current life. But the implications are that dream dramas innervate psychic energies that are constellated around psychological complexes in the Personal Unconscious. Complexes contain polar opposites of feeling values. Few examples: Submissive vs. Dominant; Expressive vs. Suppressed; Superior vs. Inferior; Courageous vs. Fearful; Protective vs. Risk taking. One of these sets of opposites triggers the affect/emotion of the dream.
- On awakening write in a daily log/journal the dream as it was presented with images, the course of the dreams and conclusion with date the dream. Write your feelings associated with the dream.
- Give the dream a name and save it for later in order to expand on its meaning. Usually when you have time to make associations with days events, feelings, and details that come to the surface from the dream. This is called amplification. If you have time, draw dream images and color them. This gives direct visual impact of the dream images and is very powerful.
- Divide the dream into a beginning, an action section and an end. Label these.
- Identify the dream feeling or affect which is the theme of the dream. There may be a series of dreams in the night and you can record them all. See if you can consolidate the themes.
- Make associations with people, places, events and things in your life related to the dream drama.
- Stop and re-read what you have written so far. Become aware of feelings and emotions in You as you re-enact the dream drama.
- Come up with an action plan which is somewhere between the contradictory emotions and feelings that are identified in the dreams as compared to your conscious feelings and emotions.
Example dream of 4/6/2020
D1 Beginning: I was in a job situation. Action: I had some problems on the job and wanted to see my boss. But when I went to see him, I was given a substitute boss who had no knowledge of my work nor did he seem competent. I felt angry that this person was in charge of me and given the authority to control my job activity. We argued. Ending: I told him I did not like his control over my work and considered quitting the job.
D2 Beginning: I went to church. The sanctuary was empty of people. Things had changed entirely. Action: We had to get the service in a different way than we were used to doing. There were pins on the floor so we had to watch our step or else we would get stuck. Ending: I had to conform to this or risk being stuck by pins on my feet.
I was feeling angry (d1) and disappointed and wary (d2) at the changes in the dream dramas. In dream 1 I was angry at being controlled and feeling submissive to a boss I did not feel even knew me. In dream 2 I was feeling that I had to go a different way to protect myself or risk getting hurt.
Theme of dream 1: I was angry at having to take orders from authorities that did not know me or my work
Theme of dream 2: I was having to change my way of worship or risk being wounded.
Associations: We have an pandemic currently. We are under recommended self isolation orders from the state and federal government. We are told what to do, how to conduct our lives down to the very details of going and coming (must wear masks to all public gatherings). Cannot even go to church physically but have to see Easter services on line due to social distancing. My work is put on hold by forces and authorities that effect my daily routine and tell me what to do. Rituals that I relied on are stopped cold and I am warned if I continue to do what I did before, I would get hurt. (Get sick with the COVID-19).
Action Plan: I need to find my own authority during this time and want to work on my goals, maybe silently but not be overcome by anger. I must conform to a new and controlling authority. Know this is temporary and will pass and then I can get on with my purpose and my goals. Accept and understand that I must take responsibility for putting rituals in my own life and not engage in collective, public activity for the time being. Do Yoga exercises as a ritual in my daily life.
No drawing here because this is pretty convincing manifest contents of these 2 dreams on their own as revealed by the dream drama and feelings evoked. So if you want to try this method here is a way to do just dream analysis.
This process is expanded in my books: Dreams and Astrological Psychology (2014) and Life Passages- When Age Point Aspects and Dreams Coincide (2017). These correlate dream events with developmental conflicts. These psychological crises are life-long issues and are identified by Age Point Progression in aspect to sensitive points in the horoscope which emphasize polar opposites of feelings. Recognizing the feeling content of psychological conflict as reflected in dreams, I believe, is crucial and pertinent to life’s challenges/opportunities. Both books are available on Amazon.com.