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Dreams -The Path to wholeness
by Lisa Cornwell
About the book
This book is concerned with the search for psychological and spiritual wholeness. The book suggests that:
- Dreams can enable us to see ourselves as we really are and what we are capable of
- The world of the dreamer is a personal sacred space which is open to the healing and transforming power of God
- If God is in all things, this includes the realm of the unconscious mind
- As we grow in knowledge of ourselves we can discover God more fully
- All dreams are intended for our ultimate good.
It is described as an essential aid for all those who want to deepen their faith and enhance their search for psychological and spiritual wholeness.
You can buy Dreams -The Path to wholeness here.
About the author
Lisa Cornwell is Vicar of St John's, Crowthorne in Berkshire. Before her ordination she was Head of Religious Education at a school in Berkshire. During her ministerial training she undertook a research project for a Pastoral Theology MA module on the function of dreams for furthering understanding of self and God. She has also trained in Spiritual Direction on the Ignation Spirituality course in London.
Questions about Dreams -The Path to wholeness
- What do you make of the psychological insights in Chapter 1? Does the idea of 'Individuation', 'by which every living organism becomes what it was destined to become from the beginning' resonate with you? Do you find it a helpful way to think about human growth and experience?
- 'Dreams are psychobiological events'. Allow time for some quiet thought and recollection and then discuss together your memories of dreams and their impact on you. Talk about the range of dream activity in the group. Do some of you never or rarely remember your dreams? Are others more frequent in recalling their dreams? Do recurring dreams feature in your discussions?
- Dreams feature in a number of biblical passages in both Testaments. What do you perceive the church's attitude to dreams to be? Do you agree with Lisa Cornwell that dreams can 'evoke a sense of awe and wonder and awareness of the presence of God'?
- Pages 36 - 38 offer examples of key archetype dream personalities:
The Wise Old Woman or Man
The Trickster
The Persona
The Shadow
The Divine Child
The Anima or Animus
The Great Mother
Do these resonate within the group - can anyone relate dreams that seem to feature these personalities?
- Chapter 4 offers examples of common dream motifs. As above, go through these together to see if they speak to the group about their own dreams.
A house: living room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, study or library
A school or college
A hotel
A castle
A place of worship
Food
The elements: water, fire
Sex
Death
Religion
- There are many examples throughout the book of dreams or parts of dreams being retold in the first person and in the present tense, 'I am in...', rather than 'She was in...'. Work in pairs to discuss a dream one of you has had that you are happy to present to the group. Then retell it as above and see if the group can apply some of the work on motifs and symbols explored in the book to help the dreamer reflect on the dream. See Chapter 6, Dreamwork.
- Has reading this book changed your understanding of and attitude to dreams? Are you more likely to engage in dreamwork for yourself?
- If you agree that the spiritual nature of dreams has been sidelined in the church as a whole, should churches take more of an active and public interest in this area, perhaps hosting and running groups to help people explore their dreams?
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