About the Class
There are many explanations regarding the nature of dreams. Currently, in our modern, rational world, most people believe dreams to be meaningless, and not worthy of any real attention. A dream is thought of as nothing more than the mind working overtime or wandering aimlessly. Indigenous cultures understand a dream to be a visitation from the spirit world. For Freud, the dream was an eruption of thoughts and feelings that the conscious mind aimed to repress.
For Jung, the dream was a source of wisdom, and contained a message that the individual needed to hear. An eminent physicist once approached Jung. He asked if there was any hope that Jung might cure him of his troubled mental state. Jung replied that he had no idea, but added that he should listen to his dreams, as they would point the way forward.
A dream is presented as a riddle, which cannot be understood from within our present state of consciousness. Rather, the dream is pitched at a level just beyond our current awareness, not so far that we would never be able to understand the dream, but far enough to stretch us. When we understand a dream there is an awakening. This ‘Aha!’ reaction is nothing less than the creation of consciousness. By working on our dreams, we start down a path of discovery that culminates in the progressive realisation of the greater Self.
In this class we will explore Jung’s understanding of the psyche, and how to approach and unlock the wisdom of the dream. Given time we will look at actual dreams presented from within the group.