On Dreams and Creativity

When Carl Jung first separated from his mentor and colleague, Sigmund Freud, he was overwhelmed with images that came to him during that transitional time. In December 1913, Jung allowed himself to reenter one of these images, he fell down a cliffside within his mind.  He landed in the ‘muck’ (this important first time when he embodied a dream image) with his feet first and sank in up to his ankles. Jungian, Robert Bosnak, has noted this entry into Jung’s dream-world imagery physically connected what he fell into with his feet as more than symbolic. No bones were broken in this fall, nor did he die, but landed upright. His dream imagery became fully embodied. Jung considered dreaming the reality of the soul. He said, in an interview from 1959, that as a young man his first choice of study was archeology. But he chose to excavate consciousness instead, specifically the realms of the soul, rather than artifacts of history.  

If we re-enter our dreams with deep body awareness, we may land into greater awareness of our soul’s desires. Shamans have been traveling into the dreamtime for thousands of years, bringing back guidance to search for water, where to find plant medicine to heal the sick and to recover fragmented soul parts. Dr. Bosnak feels the Body/Mind conundrum exists because we have denied the reality in between the two. This is the energy of the trinity. By way of our dreams, imaginations, works of art and shamanic practices, we can be in beneficial dialogue, in union with guidance. Our dreams are a place where we might connect to the collective unconscious, but also, I believe where we imagine the next move of our existence individually and interrelatedly. Using our imaginations as a tool for healing through the immense changes underway on our planet is an important part of our embodied evolution.

In our Zoom calls during the Covid time, a group shared their dreams and embodied those creative images. Bosnak mentioned the idea of negative capability in reference to staying with the unknown as someone navigates a dream, journey or memory. The poet, John Keats originated the expression in terms of our ability to be in the not- knowing mind: "capable of being in uncertainties, Mysteries, doubts without any irritable reaching after fact and reason …” It is one of the important aspects of working this medicine, we learn to be okay in the unknown, trusting in a Higher Power to show us the next right step. 

A deep as night blue fills my awareness.  I am with my mother. We are dressed in indigo. We are walking together down an unpaved road, shoulder- to- shoulder. Love joins us. We are in a village or town and in my mind’s eye, I spy a piece of white partially wrinkled paper.  

We walk past a man who is in a very heavy wooden container.  It is some kind of a vessel for transport though there are no horses and I don’t understand how it can move. (But this is a dream, so anything is possible.) Carved with large sculptural patterns on the sides, in a manner that could be Indonesian, the man in the vessel makes it known that we will not be taking a ride with him in this strange vehicle.  I feel slightly reactive to this rejection but walk on with my mother in search of a poem that is already written.

It was the first time I had a clear, fully formed dream memory of my mother since she died. I had the opportunity a few days later to share my dream with Robert Bosnak during the Jungian Friday night online gathering. We had been meeting for almost a full year during the Covid quarantine and after.  On this particular day he was in Hobart, Tasmania, an island off the southeast coast of mainline Australia.  He was overlooking the harbor from a rooftop while on his laptop. 

   My friend Lisa was on the Zoom call along with about thirty-five other people. I was admittedly nervous as I retold my dream, though it was a kindly group, still, sharing something private unnerved me. Robert patiently guided me to feel into the dream imagery again, first taking a moment to be still, then telling the dream as I recalled it:  I am touching the fabric, the dark indigo that we were wearing—long robes or dresses from another century.  Sensing the warm- hearted emotions shared with my mother, I feel into the deep love in my heart expanse and the great happiness to be walking by her side once more.  The white paper which I believe indicates ‘the poem already written’ is apparent in my mind’s eye. 

    In actuality, I was feeling a longing for creative expression after the difficult and most challenging few years since she passed. But the boat, or the vessel that was in service for transport was not for us to board. We would not be going with the man. Robert asked me if this was a problem. “Yes, but only a momentary disappointment.”  He says a boat in the Hobart harbor had just left the dock as I said this,  “The boat is not for you.”  Instead, we went the way of walking, shoulder- to -shoulder, along the dirt road in the atmosphere of indigo.  I am safe being with my mother on our quest. Robert said, “Perhaps you are on the road less traveled.”  

    He asked me, How does that feel?” I said, “It feels like oxygen.” He nodded, yes, “It is creative oxygen.” I breathed into my heart expanse and it felt like love.