THE THEATRES OF THE SOUL

Based on a Dreams Retreat by Rev. Colin Andrews

 

Part Two: Some Practical Suggestions in Dealing with Our Dreams (Cont.)

 

Looking for the Social Dimensions of a Dream:

 

If it is true that God gives dreams to benefit the community, we may explore our dreams for their social implications. Dreams often ask us to look at our lives in light of the larger community. The word 'community' has a variety of meanings; it may refer to our relationship and family, school and work settings, neighbourhood or Church or larger segments of the sticky. This dreamwork may be applied to community in all of these meanings.

 

Looking for the social dimensions in a dream is appropriate after doing the basic dreamwork on a personal level. Here are some questions to facilitate reflection on a dream from a social perspective. Choose one or more of them to respond to.

 

• How can this dream be a gift to my family, my congregation, my community?

 

• How does this dream call me to foster the growth of the community? To act responsibly in the community?

 

• Is there some way through this dream that my family or community is asking something of me?

 

• Have l recently experienced conflicts or confrontations in family or community settings? If so, how might this dream be putting me in touch with my social rights and responsibilities?

 

• Have l recently received affirmations or signs of esteem for my talents from family or community members? If so, how might this dream be confirming the fact that I have been using my talents to benefit the community?

 

SHARING OURSELVES WITH OTHERS

 

Working on our dreams with others, for example, with a dream group of peers or with a dreamwork partner, allows us to experience ourselves in a supportive context; such a context is additionally enriching because we also learn what is happening to others in their dreams and dreamwork. In sharing dream material not only do we experience the way the voice of the Spirit reaches us, but we get to experience how the voice of the Spirit is enlivening the lives of our fellow dreamworkers. Besides, we are more likely to do dreamwork if there is someone willing to hear abut it and date the experience with us.

 

Here are some of the comments dreamwork group members have made after working together over a period of time:

 

• I began to see my life - and life in general - as more rich and varied.

 

• I began to view tensions and conflicts in my life as interesting and challenging, rather than a burden.

 

• I developed a great reverence for dreamwork, and the time we spent together was like sacred time, a period of soul-sharing.

 

In Conclusion:

 

I’d like to cite an example of a famous 20th century person, pastor Martin Niemoller, a German Lutheran Minister who was imprisoned during the regime of Adolf Hitler.

 

This dream happened after he got out of prison. The only reason he survived prison is that Hitler went into such a horrible tizzy every time they mentioned Niemoller's name that he forgot to have him executed. There are some advantages to being such a pain in the neck In this dream, that occurred after the German Lutheran Church met together and decided ‘Well, were we guilty in this Nazi Catastrophe?’ and concluded that they were not guilty.

 

That night Martin dreamt he was in the presence of the light, which he knew was the infallible light and power and love of the glory of God.

 

He bent to the ground and then behind him he heard unmistakably the words, ‘Why, why, Martin? Why didn’t you ever tell me?’ It was the voice of a dark HITLER within him.

 

And Martin awoke and realised that he's been face to face, time after time with a ‘dark Hitler’ before he was thrown into prison, and he had never tried to put the claim of Christ upon him. And he spent the rest of the night thinking of how he had failed the light and the glory, the goodness, and the love of God, He went back the next day and told the assembled German leaders his dream.

 

Two days later they changed their declaration and said they were guilty as anyone in Germany. This was the beginning of the famous confession of the Lutheran Church in Germany led by Martin Niemoller.