Door dreams
During a recent radio appearance, I received a call from Gaynor that perfectly illustrates how our dreaming minds communicate through powerful metaphors. Her recurring dream troubled her: doors that never quite fit their frames, leaving gaps she couldn’t seal. No matter how hard she tried, the doors wouldn’t close securely, and she found herself unable to walk away from this unsettling scene. In the brief minutes available on radio—just enough time to offer initial insights
Time out
Last month we spent a couple of weeks in Cambodia, visiting my son and his wife, exploring ancient temples, boating through floating villages, immersing in the local culture, and not doing any work at all. No dream consultations, no writing, no media interviews, no podcasting. Much as I love my work – at heart I am a passionate creative focussed on providing meaningful service through my endeavours – I know the value of rest, recovery,
Animals in Dreams
Putting cats, dogs, horses, neighbourhood birds, and other everyday animals to one side, which of the wilder or more exotic animals have appeared in your dreams? Over many years my dream menagerie has included jaguars, tigers, lion, snakes, various mysterious birds, whales, dolphins, colourful tropical fish, oh, and a tortoise. I’m sure that many of these – and their innumerable cousins – have prowled, slithered, flown, swam, and made their presences known in many of
When you can’t see the forest for the trees
Sometimes we get so bogged down in the small details of a problem that we miss seeing the whole situation. We can’t see the forest for the trees. Or, if you’re British, like me, we can’t see the wood for the trees. Either way, we’re too close to the situation (too close to the trees and all their details) to stand back and see the reality of the big picture. It’s a metaphor fit for
Leap of faith
I’ve finally done it. I’ve written my first fiction novel. If you had asked me yesterday whether I’m going to write a sequel, I would have shrugged my shoulders, but I note that my typing fingers have a different opinion. My body knows what my head doesn’t: if this is my first novel, there will be a second, and a third. I’ve been writing non-fiction for most of my adult life, including my seven books
Oneirology
“We’re doing a series on the ologies,” the radio producer said, “and we’d like you to talk about oneirology, the scientific study of dreams.” Ah, the ologies, I thought, looking back to my university student days, and the exciting ologies on offer back in the very early 1970s. I had been channelled along the serious science route through grammar school: chemistry and physics, since biology was considered more suitable for arts students. Thankfully I was
The road ahead
When I was a young adult, I had a recurring dream where my car windscreen would mist up and I couldn’t see the road ahead. The complication was that I was the driver, and the mist would often descend when I was driving along a highway or through a complex series of narrow winding pot-holed streets. I’m not sure which was worse, they each involved me trying to get off the road safely without melting
Sleep Tracking with a Garmin
I’ve spent the last couple of weeks sleeping with a Garmin watch strapped to my wrist to monitor my sleep patterns and the amount of time I spend dreaming. What have I learned? I successfully resisted playing with sleep technology until now, but curiosity got the better of me. I thought about getting an Oura ring, as I’m a dedicated analogue watch wearer, and didn’t really want to wear two watches, but then I didn’t
Dreaming of a deceased relative giving a death date
“A dead relative came to me in a dream and gave me the date of my death, please help!” Several times a year, people reach out to ask me this exact question. More often, people tell me about dreams where they’ve previewed their death date, or the age at which they will die, or the dateless scenario or location of their death. If you know my work well, you’ll know that all dreams are symbolic,
Naming your dreams
“I have what I call my Inadequacy Dreams,” a neighbour told me recently, “a whole bunch of dreams that seem to fit that title, where I feel inadequate to complete a task, or something is not enough.” If you’ve studied with me, you’ll know that I encourage you to give a gut-feel title to every dream before you begin to interpret it. It doesn’t need to be an all-encompassing title. It doesn’t need to encapsulate