Terra Somnia - Intro Publication

T E R R A INTO

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I N TO T H E R E V E R I E UNDERSTANDING DREAMS

“Dreams are impartial, spontaneous products of the unconscious psyche, outside the control of the will.

They are pure nature; they show us the unvarnished, natural truth, and are therefore fitted, as nothing else is, to give us back an attitude that accords with our basic human nature when our consciousness has strayed too far from its foundations and run into an impasse.”

Carl Jung, CW 10:317

SYMBOLISM Even in the 21st century, dreams remain a mystery but there have been many theories as to the “what, ‘’ and “why” we dream.

The psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung believed that dreams were messages from the unconscious to the individual.

Therefore by studying them, we could draw attention to any potential imbalance and find true harmony of the psyche.

As dreams are difficult to comprehend the majority of the time, we can deconstruct what dreams are expressing through the use of symbolism as a guide. Jung wrote that a dream is “a spontaneous self-portrayal, in symbolic form, of the actual situation in the unconscious” Not only does symbolism tell us about what is on the surface, but also has resonates above and beyond the particular situation.

ARCHETYPES AND ACTIONS The symbolism in dreams can be classified into two categories, archetypes and actions, both of which are universal metaphors for patterns of behavior, or personality variables. Jung explains that they are archaic forms of innate human knowledge passed down from our ancestors, arising from the collective unconscious and they connect us to the instinctual energies that we all share as humans.

There are 4 signs to look out for to tell if your dream contains an archetype or an action: the emotional intensity you experience, the actions that lack any relation to the current events in your waking life, the presence of unusual mythical creatures, and the strange coincidences that has no apparent explanation in normal physics. If you experience a dream with these qualities, it is worth your time to explore it in more detail.

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I N TO T H E R E V E R I E ANALYSING DREAMS

Before you begin to indulge in dream analysis, I would like to give a word of caution. Dream analysis engages with the unconscious, and it could bring up contents within your mind that you may not want to face. In the words of Carl Jung, “It is as if one were digging an artesian well and ran the risk of stumbling on a volcano.” Therefore, please have fun exploring but proceed with care.

1. WRITE DOWN IN DETAIL Immediately waking up, write down the contents of your dream in as much detail as possible. Otherwise, there is very likely that you will forget. All details are valuable, even if they appear unimportant in the dream.

2. MAKE ASSOCIATIONS Think of all the imagery in the dream and note down what comes to mind instinctively for each of them. Make connections between these symbols and the archetypes/ action motifs. Dream symbolism is unique to you, therefore there are no correct answers.

3. CONNECT THE DREAM The subconscious borrowed imagery from your external environment to symbolise things in your dreams, therefore it should not be taken literally. Connect the dots between the archetypes/ actions and what or who they could represent in your waking life.

4. INTERPRET THE DREAM Put all the information together into a coherent message. Keep in mind that your unconscious mind would not send you a message that is obvious or that you already knew. Once you arrive at an interpretation which clicks or feels right intuitively, you are on the right path.

I N TO T H E R E V E R I E . D R E A M J O U R N A L

DREAM DESCRIPTION

ARCHETYPES

ACTIONS

DREAM INTERPRETATION

WHO DO YOU SEE IN YOUR DREAM?

I N TO T H E R E V E R I E . D R E A M J O U R N A L

DREAM DESCRIPTION

ARCHETYPES

ACTIONS

DREAM INTERPRETATION

WHO DO YOU SEE IN YOUR DREAM?