Glossary and Dictionary Expanded
The Curious Dreamer Dream dictionary now includes the following symbols:
The follow term has also been added to The Curious Dreamer glossary. Bet you haven’t heard of it, but it’s something you experience often… check it out:
Xanadu: An Online Group for Dreamers and Poets
“Xanadu is a group for dreamers and poets, who would like to work to bring the two together. Do you like to let your dreams inspire your poetry, or let your poetry unfold and illuminate your dreams? Do you feel that dreams and poetry come from the same inner place, share a world of metaphor and magic? If so, this may be the place for you!”
One example of dream-inspired poetry provided by Barbara, the group owner, is:
In 1798, Samuel Taylor Coleridge started his now famous poem, Kubla Khan, thus:
“In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea.”What many may not realize is that Coleridge’s famous poem was inspired by a dream! Sadly, the poem remains unfinished, as he was interrupted in trying to get the words down, and as anyone knows who doesn’t write a dream down right away, they often disappear moments after awakening.
For further inspiration and participation, visit:
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/XanaduDreamPoets/
Dream Merchandise Available from IASD
“Dreaming… Wake me in 5 minutes…” Get this saying on a t-shirt, tote bag, mug, mouse pad, and many other items through the International Association for the Study of Dreams (IASD). These are great ways to show your interest in dreams and perhaps spark conversations with like-minded souls. For more information, visit:
http://www.cafepress.com/asdreaming
At the IASD store, you can find a lighted pen for dream journal that can be converted to a bright LED flashlight. While you’re there, check out their collection of IASD conference t-shirts, dream DVDs, dreamcatchers, and more:
http://www.asdreams.org/
subidxbookstore_IASD_store.htm#Overview_of_Fifty_Years
Do Healthy People have Happier Dreams?
A recent study supports “continuity between dreams and waking life physical and mental functioning.”
The study, reported in Dreaming: Journal of the Association for the Study of Dreams explored the relationships between dream content and physical health, mood, and self-construal.
According to the abstract:
Participants were 27 undergraduate students who completed the Medical Outcomes SF-36 Health Survey (SF-36), the Profile of Mood States Scale (POMS-SF), and the Self-Construal Scale (SCS). Each participant handed in four dream reports, which were analyzed according to the Hall and Van de Castle (1966) system of content analysis. Multiple significant correlations were observed between dream content and the SF-36, the POMS-SF, and the SCS. Most notable were the findings between physical health and dream content. Participants displaying poor physical health reported more bodily misfortunes, injuries and illnesses, medical themes, and body parts in their dreams. Findings support continuity between dreams and waking life physical and mental functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved)
For more details, visit:
http://content.apa.org/journals/drm/17/3/127
Dream Conference Recordings Available
If you missed the past conferences of the International Association for the Study of Dreams (IASD), it’s not too late. CDs of the following conferences are available for purchase:
- Hawaii Dreams 1998
- Dreaming by the Bay 2003
- California Dreaming 2005
- Dreams Building Bridges 2006
- Spirit of the Dream 2007
You can get a complete CD set for an entire conference, or select from individual presentations, keynote addresses, panel discussions, or symposia. Hear some of the world’s most respected dream experts discuss dream research, cultural influences, dreams in children, dreams and the media, and many other topics. For details, visit:
http://www.asdreams.org/idxbookshop.htm#The_Audio_Store
15,000 Symbols Now Defined in the Dream Dictionary
The latest expansion of the Curious Dreamer Dream Dictionary brings the total number of symbols defined to 15,000. The latest symbols added to the dream dictionary include:
- martial arts
- gymnastics
- region
- preserved
- honeymoon
- deodorant
- air freshener
- odor
- handkerchief or Kleenex
- noose
New Symbols Added to the Dream Dictionary
The Curious Dreamer Dream Dictionary has grown again. The following terms are now included:
These symbols were taken from our list of top requested symbols. Each time you search the dream dictionary and your symbol is not found, it gets added to the request list. You can also send us ideas for new symbols to include by visiting:
http://thecuriousdreamer.com/pages/email.php
Join a Dreamku (Haiku-Like Dream Poetry) Group
A new Yahoo group has been created to explore the art of “Dreamku,” a haiku-like poetry form based on night dreams, as well as exploring dreams in other small forms, such as tanka. The group owner is Patricia Kelly (aka Roswila).
Examples of Roswila’s dreamku poetry include:
the path spirals
to the garden’s center
a first step
two women and I
walk away from poor choices
they turn back
On the main page of her blog (see link below) you can find links to A DREAMKU PRIMER: Writing Haiku-Like Poems About Your Night Dreams in three parts:
- PART ONE: Introduction & Writing Dreamku as DreamWork
- PART TWO: Elements of the Haiku Form Used in Dreamku
- PART THREE: How to Write Dreamku
Roswila says, “If you try your hand at or have already written dreamku, please feel free to post some in a comment or email them to me….or join DREAMJIN” (the Yahoo group).
Roswila’s blog: http://roswila-dreamspoetry.blogspot.com/
Yahoo group for dreamku: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dreamjin/
Book Review: Teach Yourself to Dream
by David Fontana
This book has been used as the textbook for a dream course in at least one university that I know of, although its style is practical, intriguing, and far from the stodginess of many textbooks. An astounding range of topics is covered in its 159 pages, each section deserving of contemplation and exploration, so expect to feel enticed to spend some extra time as you go. Fontana, a Jungian, includes alongside the text many beautiful and evocative illustrations that make the book that much more inspiring.
If you’re looking for rambling prose, Teach Yourself to Dream is not the book for you. But if you’re looking for a whole lot of practical information and exercises packed into a relatively short space, buy this one. However, don’t be fooled by its relatively short length, and don’t expect to read it through all at once. I predict that you’re going to want to spend some time with each topic and savor each one.
The Table of Contents includes the following chapters (although this is somewhat misleading because each of these chapters contains a large number of titled subsections that read more like mini-chapters):
- Approaching the Dream World
- Contacting the Dream World
- The Art of Dream Control
- The Art of Interpretation
- A Dreamer’s Guide to the Whole Self
- Help from the Unconscious
Click here
“In Your Wildest Dreams” on the Discovery Health Channel
The Discovery Health Channel will premiere a new show about dreams called “In Your Wildest Dreams” on Mar 22, 2008, at 9:00 pm EST (with repeats on Mar 23 at 12:00am and Mar 29 at 2:00pm EST - check your local listings for exact times). The Discovery Health website describes the show this way:
“Everyone dreams several times a night. Dreams are a very mysterious, yet common everyday experience. Some people remember their dreams, some don’t. Viewers examine their inner universe as dreamers.”
The International Association for the Study of Dreams (IASD) web site gives the following description:
“Join dream expert, author and IASD member Lauri Loewenberg as she takes you on a journey into the mysterious dreaming minds of three anxious subjects. Michelle, a special education teacher who has just entered her second trimester of pregnancy and is considered high-risk (due to two previous miscarriages) is having nightmares she fears are foreshadowing the demise of yet another pregnancy. Jayce, a personal fitness trainer who is gearing up for the biggest competition of his life is having confusing dreams about dog attacks. Tamara has just stepped off the corporate fast track to stay at home and has begun to dream, night after night, that her mother is drowning. Tune in and see these dreams recreated through the point of view of the dreamer and find out how they are actually guiding the dreamers through their current life issues.”
