The "Five Ways to Break a Dream Drought" provided by Robert Moss in his wonderful book "Active Dreaming: Journeying Beyond Self-Limitation to a Life of Wild Freedom" have worked for me and this is saying a lot.
While I am an active dreamer having had some wonderful dreams, these dreams (or rather the remembering of them) is rare. And I do try very hard to remember them!
Working with the first method Moss gives, I was able to recall two very important dreams earlier this week and am very eager to apply the other principles offered throughout the book.
The "Five Ways" follow and they are very effective. I will add however that using another of Moss's suggestions (I believe it was a suggestion given in his audio book "Dream Gates" which I currently listening to) helped as well.
The suggestion is simple and it does work. It is - allow yourself to wake up naturally. Not always easy but something most of us can do, at least some of the time.
The "Five Ways to Break a Dream Drought" follow, paraphrased and in summary:
- Set an intention for your dream by writing down your goal for the dreamtime before you go to sleep. This goal can be experiential, as in "I want to dream travel to Hawaii," or involve a request. Requests may be specific ("What will happen if I go back to school?") or general, such as "I want to be healed," "I want to be open to creativity" or simply "I want to remember what I have dreamed." Moss advises that this intention have 'juice' which to me means, we need to want it. He also provides some fascinating suggestions for dream rituals which I fully intend to try!
- Be ready to receive the dream. Setting the intention is important, of course, but having the means to record your dream is important to. This means you must have what Moss calls the most important dream book you will ever read - your own dream journal - at hand as well as a pen (I find that a good pen with a good flow is essential here) or a recorder. He also suggests that you record something when you wake up and that if you need to visit the bathroom that you take your journal and pen along with you. Not maybe the nicest place to write but a technique that does work!
- Be kind to the dream fragments you receive. This means that even if you wake up (either in the morning or in the middle of the night) with a wisp of a dream memory or, as I have found, even a wisp of an emotion or feeling, stay as still as you can and began to write it down. For me, Stephen LaBerge's technique of asking "what came before that?" works well. I am finding that I often wake up thinking I remember nothing or very little and that as I write loads of information comes back.
- If you don't immediately remember a dream don't give up! Allow yourself to relax in bed or try assuming the posture you were in when you were asleep. Don't (I have found) allow yourself to start thinking about your to-do list or running through the concerns of the day! If you don't remember a dream, Moss advises, write something down anyway. This should be whatever is in your awareness, including emotion and physical sensations. This my trigger a memory at this time or later or simply help us subconsciously later on in our day.
- Remember that you can have dream experience even when you are awake. This advice as I understand it is about synchronicistic events which are signs very like dream symbols that we may encounter later in our ordinary waking reality. To my mind, these events provide very meaningful advice from spirit. An early example for me was once when I was driving my boys somewhere years and years ago. They were acting up and I wasn't happy and I was telling them so in no uncertain terms. Pulling up behind a car at a light I saw a bumper sticker. "Mean People Suck" it said. I took the hint.
I am really so excited about "Active Dreaming" and "Dream Gates" and Moss's methods in general.
I'm currently taking Denise Linn's Soul Coaching® Oracle Card Reader Certification Course and love it! Each week we listen to the lesson on air or via MP3 to learn about sacred space, energy, oracles and oracle reading and more. We also are given a weekly homework assignment and, in class two, this posed a problem.
Part of our homework assignment was to create an altar just for our oracle cards. Our class workbook provided a treasure trove of ideas on altar creation. I wanted to create my own altar but was a bit at a loss. The place my altar will go is currently under construction!
We are in the process of completely remodeling the room which is to become my reading room / office and making an altar before we're done painting, wallpapering, doing the trim and cleaning just didn't make sense.
We are in the process of completely remodeling the room which is to become my reading room / office and making an altar before we're done painting, wallpapering, doing the trim and cleaning just didn't make sense.
Luckily enrollment in the course allows all students to participate in Denise's closed Soul Coaching® Oracle Card Reader FaceBook group. It is a great community where some really wonderful ideas are shared. Case in point, a portable altar-on-a-tray by one of my classmates idea shared by one of my classmates. This, I thought, is perfect for me!
I set up my altar on a tray I had picked up at a flea market. It has a border of butterflies which are symbolic of transformation including blue butterflies (see image below) as well as especially meaningful to me. I included all of seven main chakra colors as well as some of my favorite stones and reading decks.
There is amethyst for psychic abilities, celestite for divine energy, kyanite for attunement and a tumbled piece of prehnite (underneath the reading cloth in this picture), given to me by my dear friend Tara, for psychic knowing and unconditional love .
The light blue votive holder is for communication and the orange, red and yellow in the second candle holder represent optimism, courage and being true to myself. In addition to Denise's Soul Coaching® Oracle Cards, I included two of my other favorite decks, a small purple incense holder, frankincense incense (which was also a gift) and my favorite card reading cloth.
I do want to add something for the element of water (I think I have air, earth and fire covered) so I will have to be on the look out for a small shell or dolphin charm. I have no doubt that it will come.
I love that no matter where I decide to read (which is often on the floor) I can put down this little altar and create sacred space. And I believe that I will give this 'moveable feast' a permanent place on the fixed altar I have yet to create!
My first reading in front of my new altar (on my future as an oracle card reader) follows:
It is a little hard to see but I love that this spread shows Adventure, Miracles and Joy, as well as that I'm leaving behind Conflict & Despair, reaching for the stars and becoming the Counselor - a card I never received before. It is so appropriate too because this week we are talking about our spirit and oracle guides and there she is with her hands on my shoulders!
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| Love this message! |
I'm participating in this lovely course until December 2nd. And while tonight does complete the second class, all previous sessions are made available for immediate MP3 download throughout the course - so it is not too late to join us!
I loved both classes one and two. And I found that while each covers several different but related topics, they also share a common theme - and that is one of clearing.
In class one (Creating Sacred Space) Denise gives some great information about clearing your deck, yourself, your client and your reading space. As Denise has written extensively on Feng Shui, and creating sacred space (as well as other spiritual topics), she is a fantastic resource for this material.
Space clearing is a timely topic for me personally and I'll be applying all the information given in setting up my own reading area and office. I'm also planning on ordering Denise's book, "Sacred Space: Clearing and Enhancing the Energy of Your Home" to help me with my pre-holiday cleaning and organizing!
Class two (Clearing the Channel) talks about clearing deep blockages with an emphasis on past life regression. Denise is knowledgeable about, and has written on, this topic as well and I found the guided past life meditations experienced in class two to be especially effective.
In class one (Creating Sacred Space) Denise gives some great information about clearing your deck, yourself, your client and your reading space. As Denise has written extensively on Feng Shui, and creating sacred space (as well as other spiritual topics), she is a fantastic resource for this material.
Space clearing is a timely topic for me personally and I'll be applying all the information given in setting up my own reading area and office. I'm also planning on ordering Denise's book, "Sacred Space: Clearing and Enhancing the Energy of Your Home" to help me with my pre-holiday cleaning and organizing!
Class two (Clearing the Channel) talks about clearing deep blockages with an emphasis on past life regression. Denise is knowledgeable about, and has written on, this topic as well and I found the guided past life meditations experienced in class two to be especially effective.
In addition to the weekly class, an in depth pdf workbook provides detailed information corresponding to each session. For classes one and two the work book supplies specific clearing techniques and rituals, a past life questionnaire, past life regression script, altar creation ideas, the history of the oracle, and more. I found the workbook is well thought out, comprehensive and attractive.
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| Card I'm attuning to today! |
The oracle cards utilized in the course are Denise's own Soul Coaching Oracle Cards® which I have just recently purchased. Each includes a softly colored image, positive key word and an affirmation.
There is a nice energy to this deck and I will have more to say about it as I get to know it better. Our ongoing homework is to work with each card individually and record our impressions in our course journal (provided via pdf).
I am having fun with this assignment and enjoy learning about how others are doing through the closed FaceBook group reserved for students of the course.
There is a nice energy to this deck and I will have more to say about it as I get to know it better. Our ongoing homework is to work with each card individually and record our impressions in our course journal (provided via pdf).
I am having fun with this assignment and enjoy learning about how others are doing through the closed FaceBook group reserved for students of the course.
Also, of particular importance to me - the Soul Coaching® Oracle Card Reading Certification Course is filled with beautiful and effective guided meditations. There is something magical about the way Denise transports us to ancient Greece to recall our possible previous incarnations in the role of ancient oracles. And I'm pleased that I'll be able to revisit this, and other, beautiful meditations in MP3 format anytime I choose!
Please note that classes 1 through 6 are pre-recorded (with live intro and Q & A sessions with Denise Linn offered at the beginning and end of the course). I intend to make it a point to listen to the broadcast however whenever possible. For me, there is an energy to working simultaneously with others that's uplifting. That said, the downloadable MP3s are quite convenient!
For more about the course, please check out my previous blog post: Denise Linn's Soul Coaching® Oracle Card Reader Certification Course & Me!
For more about my progress with this wonderful course and the pictorial transformation of my work space, please check back <3
New Etsy Listing: The Goddess Tarot with Hand Decoupaged Box & Two "Temple Blue" Candles (from MysticEmporium on Etsy)
October 24, 2013
I decoupaged this tarot box by scanning and printing out the cards from the beautiful Goddess Tarot Deck and then creating a design. This particular box is sold but I will be listing more for the winter holidays!
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| New Set: The Goddess Tarot for sale @ MysticEmporium |
The following pictures are taken on the top of the mountain behind our house, on a small parcel of woods that lies between us and the development. If I could have one thing it would be to buy it and keep it as is forever.
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| Bella at the top. |
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| Birch behind a turning maple. |
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| A perfect Autumn sky. |
I am thrilled to announce that I am going to be participating in Denise Linn's Soul Coaching® Oracle Card Reader Certification Course and couldn't be happier!
I'm especially exited about Denise Linn's course because I feel quite strongly that it will provide me with the tools I need to help clients and callers along the course of their own soul path. And this is the way I love to read.
The Soul Coaching® Oracle Card Reader Certification Course airs weekly for eight weeks. Students are given the option of listening live, via MP3 download or in their Hayhouse account.
The course began with an introductory session airing on October 16th. Lesson One followed on the 21st. So I will be listening to both those episodes prior to Monday's class which is going to make for a lovely rest of the week and weekend! I will also be ordering Denise's Soul Coaching® Oracle Cards which I have been interested in for some time.
I will be talking about Soul Coaching® here in this blog, as well as on the radio show (no longer available). As the weeks pass, I'll share a bit of what I'm learning and began to incorporate what I'm learning on the radio show.
About The Soul Coaching® Oracle Card Reader Certification Course (from the Hayhouse site):
Become an oracle card reader! This online certification course gives you
the tools that you need to become a clear channel for readings.
In this transformational online certification course, acclaimed healer, author, and teacher Denise Linn, creator of the Soul Coaching® Oracle Card Deck, shares her wealth of expertise on tapping into your inner wisdom so you can activate your intuition and gain the inner tools that you need to explore and expand your oracle card reading skills. She'll even give you tips and insight on setting up your practice as a professional oracle card reader.
Over your eight lessons with Denise, you will:
In this transformational online certification course, acclaimed healer, author, and teacher Denise Linn, creator of the Soul Coaching® Oracle Card Deck, shares her wealth of expertise on tapping into your inner wisdom so you can activate your intuition and gain the inner tools that you need to explore and expand your oracle card reading skills. She'll even give you tips and insight on setting up your practice as a professional oracle card reader.
Over your eight lessons with Denise, you will:
- Activate your “Inner Oracle”.
- Learn your connection with ancient oracles in the far past.
- Understand why you, as an oracle reader, are needed at this time in history.
- Clear inner blockages that have come from your past lives to become a clearer oracle.
- Discover how to powerfully clear your aura for more accurate readings.
- Learn methods to clear, attune, and energize your cards.
- Discover how to use cards for remarkable daily insights.
- Find out how to call guides from Spirit to empower your reading.
Denise also shares her special expertise as a world-respected coach and
workshop leader to help you build your own successful oracle card
reading practice. Your clients will be exhilarated as they find the
truth buried within themselves to the deep questions of their lives.
I am so excited about this course!
To participate in The Soul Coaching® Oracle Card Reader Certification Course and receive your Soul Coaching® Oracle Card Certification please register through Hayhouse here. For more on Denise Linn please check out her lovely website at DeniseLinn.com.
And please check back for updates on this wonderful new adventure :)
In “Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming,” (affiliate link) Dr. Stephen LaBerge uses a phenomena he calls dreamsigns as a trigger event for conscious (lucid) dreaming. With a practice, a dreamsign alerts the dreamer to the fact that he is dreaming. Once aware of the dream state, the dreamer can consciously participate and even direct the events of the dream.
LaBerge recommends the keeping of dream journal and suggests setting a
clock for the early morning hours to help facilitate dream recall. I
was doing this for sometime with good results but found it necessary to
put the practice on hold temporarily. I am resuming tonight and going
forward with the program.
I have reviewed my dream journal this morning and identified my dream sign style.
LaBerge identifies three basic types of dreamsigns. Each is a clue
that what is occurring is not our ordinary waking reality and can
become, in the words of the author, a neon light flashing the message in
the dark that the situation in which we find ourselves is one that we
have dreamt.
Inner Awareness: A peculiar thought, strong
emotion, unusual sensation or altered perception which would not occur
in our usual waking state, This can include inappropriate or oddly
overwhelming emotions, feeling of paralysis or out of body states or
magical thinking. Examples follow.
- Thoughts: “I’m trying to figure out why the furnishings are from another era and realized this is an odd thing to be thinking about” (unusual thought). “When I realized I didn’t want to crash the car swerved back onto the road” (magical thinking).
- Emotions: “I am filled with extreme anxiety and remorse” (over whelming emotion). “I am so angry at my sister over a minor event that I throw something at her” (inappropriate emotion).
- Sensation: “I seem to lift out of my body” (OBE). “It feels like a giant hand is squeezing me” (odd sensation).
- Perceptions: “I could see perfectly without my glasses” (not usually possible). “There were hundreds of colors that I had never seen before” (not usually possible).
Action: The dreamer, a dream character or an object
in the dream do something unusual or impossible in waking life. This is
an actual dream event as opposed to a dream thought.
- Ego Action (dreamer): “I’m riding home on a unicycle” (unusual). “I was under water but had no problem breathing” (impossible).
- Character Action: “The hairdresser refers to a blue print to cut my hair” (unusual).
- Object Action: “A large flashlight floats past” (impossible).
Form: The shape of the dreamer, dream character or
that of a dream object is oddly formed, deformed or transforms. This
may also be applied to setting. Includes anomalies of hair and dress.
- Ego Form: “I have very long arms” (oddly formed or deformed). ” “I turn into a butterfly” (transformed).
- Character Form: “Her face changes to that of another person as I look at her” (transformed). “Contrary to reality Gs hair is cut very short” (anomaly of hair).
- Setting Form: “I open the closet door and step out onto a wide terrace surrounded my ornamental gardens” (my dream – oddly formed). “I get lost because the streets are not as I remember them” (transformed or oddly formed).
- Object Form: “I see a tiny purple kitten” (oddly formed). “My purse turns into a steamer trunk” (transformation).
Context: The place or situation in the dream is
strange. The dreamer may find himself somewhere that he is unlikely to
be in waking life, involved in a strange situation or playing an
unaccustomed role. Objects or people may be out of place or the dream
may occur in the past or future.
- Ego Role: “We’re fugitives from the law.”
- Character Role: “My best friend, T., is now my husband.”
- Character Place: “My friends from high school are at the office meeting.”
- Object Place: “My bed was in the street.”
- Setting Place: “I’m in a colony on Mars.”
- Setting Time: “I am in my first grade class.”
- Situation: “A commercial is being filmed at my house.”
Dr. LaBerge recommends that the dream journal is examined after 30
consecutive dreams and that a dreamsign inventory be taken. I have done
that and found most of my dreamsigns to be contextual (ego role,
character role, setting place) or oddities of setting in regard to form.
As I reacquaint myself with my dream journal I plan to set the alarms
for 5:30 AM everyday and immediately ask myself about my dream and
write an entry at that time. Later after I have made some tea, I plan
to record the dreamsign, perhaps at the back of the book.
Will share any interesting dreams (most aren’t especially 
here!
here!
*Most the example given as well as all of the definitions come from
Dr. Stephen LaBerge’s wonderful book, “Exploring the World of Lucid Dreams" (affiliate link).
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This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you buy a book using one of my links, I may receive a small commission at not cost to you.
Can't wait to use this lovely journal. My gift to me!
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