Dear Dream Tending Community,
The grief in the world is palpable. Horrors are omnipresent. Shootings in the streets, ecological devastation, wars raging, and political acrimony are daily occurrences. And, it goes on. The distress often feels like “too much”. Yesterday, a seven-year-old shared his dream with me. It was a nightmare filled with violence and threat. It seems, regardless of age, we are all being affected – in mind, body, and soul.
How do we find comfort? What resources can we access that soothe the pain and reawaken an embodied sense of wellbeing? Of course, there is not one simple answer. Yet, paradoxically, I have found that there is one guiding question that can bring healthful restoration. The question is as complex as it is simple: “Who is journeying now?”
Perhaps, at first, this question seems somewhat esoteric. Yet, often, I have found what emerges from this inquiry is foundational to our instinctual desire for self-care.
When we awaken curiosity, we make room for the supportive “soul companions” that are forever journeying with us through life. We reconnect with our “inner community.” No longer facing the torments of the world with a singular “I,” it becomes possible to feel the support and the care of the internal “WE.”
Yes, of course, being in supportive communities in outer life is essential for wellbeing . . . And, too, reconnecting with the figures alive on the inside is just as important, perhaps, even more so.
Take some time, make space, get curious. What supportive inner Soul Companions are journeying now? Experience their invitation to accompany you. Feel their presence. Notice the sense of deep belonging that comes when experiencing the power of the internal “WE.” Inside and outside, we need one another, perhaps now more than ever.
As I shared with the seven-year-old boy yesterday, “You are not alone. Many people in your life love you. And, too, it is OK to make friends with those friendly persons/animals that live on the inside. All of us will help you and protect you from the monsters.”
Warmly,
Steve
Learn the Power, Purpose and Intelligence of Dreams
Unleash your creativity and innate genius
Stephen Aizenstat
Stephen Aizenstat, Ph.D., is founder of Pacifica Graduate Institute, Dream Tending, and the Academy of Imagination. For more than 35 years, he has explored the power of dreams through depth psychology. He has collaborated with Joseph Campbell, Marion Woodman, Robert Johnson, James Hillman, and Native elders worldwide. He is the author of Dream Tending and conducts dreamwork and imagination seminars throughout the US, Europe, and Asia.
