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Dreams in Cyberspace From time to time in my life, dreams have played very important roles. Years ago some very sticky business negotiations were accompanied by vivid dreams that provided both solace and direction. A number of times, vivid visitation dreams have occurred following the passing over of a friend or relative. Lately, though, I’ve had a hard time remembering my dreams. I’ll wake up and find that my dreams have evaporated from my consciousness as fast as a drop of water splashed on sizzling hot cement. Over the years, I’ve tried a few dream-catcher techniques here and there. For example, I do keep a journal (used for dreams, Thank Yous to the universe, and other spiritual ponderings) next to my bed. However, I’ve never pursued the matter of dreams with true dedication. Maybe, it’s time to do so. There are many how-to books on the subject of dreaming, of course, but I decided to check out the dream resources available on the World Wide Web. The search revealed a mother lode of resources. I’ll share just a few of them with you. I started my Internet journey at www.dreamgate.com. That site was recommended by Tom and Lisa Butler who head up the National Spiritualist Association of Churches’ Department of Phenomenal Evidence. The Butlers point out that we all spend a substantial amount of our lives sleeping; however, being asleep does not necessarily mean that we are inactive. “Spiritualists know,” state the Butlers, “that we are etheric beings temporarily living in a physical body, and that when we sleep or when we transition to a different ‘atmosphere and awareness’ at the end of our physical life, we are still very much alive and aware.” Both the DreamGate site and it’s online publication Electric Dreams provide significant aid, both for those learning to work with dreams and for professionals in the dream field. The site developed from a 1994 communications project designed to help professionals interested in the psychology, science and cultural aspect of dreams and dreaming. Featured sections of the DreamGate site include: DreamGate Online Courses: Classes begin on the first Monday of each new month and features lessons with titles like “Ancient Dreams and Carl G. Jung I,” “Grassroots DreamWork & Lucid Dreaming,” “Dreaming Science,” and “Psychic Dreams, Mutual Dreaming, Incubation, Proactive Dreaming and Dream Sharing in Cyberspace.” The $29.99 price tag seems very reasonable. Electric Dreams e-zine: It’s a bit tricky to find this. Click on the “Global Dream Community” link and then click on the “Electronic Dreams Virtual Community” link. Current and back issues may be viewed in plain text or as PDFs. Highlights of the September 2004 issue include an interview by Robert Waggoner with long time lucid dreamer Beverly D’Urso and “The Artworker of Dreams” by Linda Magallón, author of Mutual Dreaming, an article that discusses the interpretation of dreams and the art in playing and working with the dream maker. You can also subscribe to the publication via a link to the Electric Dreams Yahoo! Groups site. Dream Library: This section answers questions like “What is dreamwork?” and “how do I start a dreamgroup?” Dreamwork is the way we work and play with dreams and in dreams. And the best way to start a dreamgroup is by first getting experience in an established group. Directions on joining established groups are provided. Other excellent dream sites include: The Dream Tree (www.dreamtree.com): This site includes surveys. For example, the current survey asks “Are you a lucid dreamer?” The answers range from “daily” to “I’ve never had a lucid dream.” To get some answers about dreaming, check out their excellent “FAQ” section, which contains answers to 24 questions like “How can I increase/decrease my dream recall level?” and “Is it normal to have nightmares?” The “Books” section contains reviews for titles like “Dreamcatching: Every Parents Guide to Understanding and Exploring Children’s Dreams and Nightmares” and “Dream Power: How to use Your Night Dreams to Change Your life.” The section, “Education,” lists universities and institutions that offer degree or certification tracks in dream work. The site also features links to online dream discussion groups. Cyberdreamwork (www.cyberdreamwork.com): This site promises that it uses the latest technologies with proven dreamwork practices to offers a global, real-time, interactive dreamwork experience over the Internet. A unique feature of the site is The National Nightmare Hotline (1-866-DRMS911 or 1-866-376-7911). The hotline was originally developed to help adults and children impacted by 9/11. It is now an ongoing service staffed by professional volunteers who debrief people on their nightmares. The site makes this statement about nightmares: “Nightmares have an enormous impact on all of us. They are ordinary events after traumatic disasters. Nightmares serve to digest the horrific events. Just telling them to someone can have a positive effect on an individual’s sense of well being.” Dreaming in Cyberspace (www.geocities.com/asdreams_2000/cyberdreams/): This address contains Summer 2000 special publication of the Association for the Study of Dreams entitled “Dreaming in Cyberspace.” The issue is chock full of information that remains relevant today. Dream Bank (www.dreambank.net): This site was featured in the Newsweek cover story on dreams. Thanks for the citation, states one of the site’s developers, G. William Domhoff from the Psychology department of the University of California, Santa Cruz, but no thanks for the exaggerations and inaccuracies. Domhoff responds to Newsweek with an article of his own. Mary Montgomery-Clifford is a certified web author and developer. Her company, Montgomery Media Enterprises ("Freelancing with Finesse!"), specializes in public relations, events, promotions, writing project and web authoring, development and publicity. Ms. Montgomery-Clifford has a Master's Degree in religious studies from Chicago Theological Seminary (CTS) in June 2002 and is working on a Ph.D. with a focus on the new scholarship of Unlimited Love and the Other Regarding Virtues in the Fall of 2002. She is also in the process of completing the Morris Pratt Institute Course on Modern Spiritualism. Contact her via e-mail at Monty764@aol.com, by phone at 773-235-8821 or at her web site at www.montymedia.com. Next Article |
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