by Gwendolyn M Plano
In the early 1980's, I was part of a Catholic Peace Corp organization trying to do what I could to help others. Fran Kramer had also joined the same organization, and she and I became friends. We lost touch with one another over the years, but through our writing, we reconnected. Fran now lives in Hawaii, continues to write, and offers workshops on dreamwork. Today I offer a glimpse of her work; it seems particularly relevant as we begin this new year.......
One of the many benefits of remembering, recording and working with dreams is that it allows one a deep and profound window into the workings of the soul: one can see some of the many parts of the self which are often hidden, or in shadow, to the waking mind. It is a challenging undertaking but one that is indeed worth the effort of ongoing dreamwork.
We know that ignorance, misconceptions and lack of understanding all contribute to fear and evil. But more than any of these contributors to negative energy is our own ignorance of our unique blind spots. We like to think of ourselves as good or aligned with the good, making us often unable to see the evil in ourselves--or if we catch a glimpse of it, we often justify our negative actions by rationalizing that it serves a good purpose. Very few people who do evil believe they are doing evil. It is no wonder that the Buddha said ignorance is the root of all evil and Jesus asked the Father to forgive his executioners on the grounds that they didn't know what they were doing.
The reality is that people who are not in touch with their deep inner selves will more likely be driven by inner forces, good or bad, in a way that leaves them pre-programmed like a computer, unable to act in an enlightened and choice-filled way. Dreamwork allows one to get to know those forces in a safe and conscious manner, and make better, conscious choices when strong energy comes on.
Working with a dream as if everything and every feeling in it represents a part of one's self or one's own energy is a way of owning and acknowledging that there is good and evil and other opposing voices residing within—all of which want recognition. By prayerfully reflecting on, and encouraging each thing or person in the dream to have a say in what's happening in one's life at the moment, one can go far in integrating all aspects of the psyche into a creative and functioning whole. In this way, evil is not acted out unreflectively or in ignorance, and the good within is not blindly projected onto others who don't deserve it.
One of the many benefits of remembering, recording and working with dreams is that it allows one a deep and profound window into the workings of the soul: one can see some of the many parts of the self which are often hidden, or in shadow, to the waking mind. It is a challenging undertaking but one that is indeed worth the effort of ongoing dreamwork.
We know that ignorance, misconceptions and lack of understanding all contribute to fear and evil. But more than any of these contributors to negative energy is our own ignorance of our unique blind spots. We like to think of ourselves as good or aligned with the good, making us often unable to see the evil in ourselves--or if we catch a glimpse of it, we often justify our negative actions by rationalizing that it serves a good purpose. Very few people who do evil believe they are doing evil. It is no wonder that the Buddha said ignorance is the root of all evil and Jesus asked the Father to forgive his executioners on the grounds that they didn't know what they were doing.
The reality is that people who are not in touch with their deep inner selves will more likely be driven by inner forces, good or bad, in a way that leaves them pre-programmed like a computer, unable to act in an enlightened and choice-filled way. Dreamwork allows one to get to know those forces in a safe and conscious manner, and make better, conscious choices when strong energy comes on.
Working with a dream as if everything and every feeling in it represents a part of one's self or one's own energy is a way of owning and acknowledging that there is good and evil and other opposing voices residing within—all of which want recognition. By prayerfully reflecting on, and encouraging each thing or person in the dream to have a say in what's happening in one's life at the moment, one can go far in integrating all aspects of the psyche into a creative and functioning whole. In this way, evil is not acted out unreflectively or in ignorance, and the good within is not blindly projected onto others who don't deserve it.
 Fran Kramer |  |
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