Awakening Through Dreams
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Disenchanted views of dreams reduce them to meaningless chaos, a way for the brain to process the day's fragments. This misrepresentation overlooks their rich symbolic potency, as portals to deepen self understanding and enhance life's meaning. Carl Jung wrote:
“The dream is the small hidden door in the deepest and most intimate sanctum of the soul, which opens to that primeval cosmic night that was soul long before there was conscious ego and will be soul far beyond what a conscious ego could ever reach.”
Starting from a symbolic approach, we will explore the wider repercussions of what the dreamscape teaches about the nature of reality. Are boundaries between dreaming and waking as clear as we may believe? What do lucid dreams teach about becoming lucid in waking life? How do we explain dreams that contain premonitions of future events, or encounters with people we are yet to meet?
This will be a small group dialogue of 90 minutes, with a maximum of six people, meeting at a cafe in central Bristol. I will guide the discussion, starting with an introduction. To get you thinking, here's a quote from the Taoist text, The Zhuangzi:
"Once, Zhuang Zhou dreamed he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering about, happy with himself and doing as he pleased. He didn't know that he was Zhuang Zhou. Suddenly he woke up and there he was, solid and unmistakable Zhuang Zhou.
"But he didn't know if he was Zhuang Zhou who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming that he was Zhuang Zhou. Between Zhuang Zhou and the butterfly there must be some distinction! This is called the Transformation of Things."
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I am a writer and podcast host with a special interest in depth psychology, mythology, meditation, and synchronicity. I draw upon inspirations including Carl Jung, Joseph Campbell, Alan Watts, quantum physics, Eastern meditative traditions, and many other sources.
This meetup is for curious souls who are interested in the overlap between depth psychology, spirituality, and philosophy. Expect small gatherings with guided dialogue around a set topic. No need to know anything, all you need to bring is your enthusiasm and open-heart.
Because spaces are limited, please RSVP and update me if you are unable to make it. Location TBC and open to suggestions.
Visit [MindThatEgo.com](http://mindthatego.com/) or check out the MindThatEgo Podcast for more about my approach.