According to Western accounts, traditionally, both Native Americans and ancient Greeks pursued different forms of dream quest. Both involve literally seeking a special kind of dream (what Jung would have considered an archetypal dream associated with the individuation process) following a period of preparatory ritual, a literal physical journey to a sacred space, and a number of nights sleeping in that space until the dream has been received.
I say ‘according to Western accounts’ because I’m neither a Native American nor an ancient Greek, nor have I ever discussed dream questing with anyone who is. I find it important when reading accounts of ‘what those people over there’ do to remember the haze of sentimentality and exoticism that can surround something from another culture.
That said, I also think that the results of that exoticism can themselves be very informative of what the culture that engages in it has disowned. It’s no surprise to me that modern British culture is more likely to romanticise things that look quite mystical rather than things that look quite logical, considering that our culture is so strongly identified with rationality and science.
The dream quest that ‘those people over there’ do is actually a projection of what we as a culture want for ourselves. For my purposes as a therapist, dream questing is about intending to have a certain kind of dream (an archetypal dream, a big dream, a healing dream, a gudiance dream) and taking steps to make that happen.
Ritual can be a great way of engaging in behaviour that has the purpose of focusing unconscious aspects of self onto a conscious task. Taking a physical journey makes the process more real and can provoke a corresponding inner journey. Sleeping in a sacred space means sleeping somewhere that has strong associations for you that are relevant to the kind of dream you are seeking.
After all, what else is going to therapy on a weekly basis if not taking an external journey to a space (my therapy room) with strong associations, to engage in a special kind of behaviour (therapy) aimed at bringing about a special kind of state (insight, healing, wisdom)?
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