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Dreamtime
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Shamanic
Dreaming
by
Judy Winters
Have
you ever had a dream in which animals had
prominence? Or how about one in which a deceased
relative made an uncanny appearance? Maybe
you have dreamed about mythical landscapes
and fantastical creatures. If so, you have
experienced the shamanic dreamtime.
In the 21st century, one of the problems
with having a shamanic dream is the absence
of an appropriate cultural context for addressing
it. Consequently, we attempt to clarify the
dream with psychotherapeutic analysis, if
that is our bent, or simply dismiss it as
“weird.” Having been educated in
a psychology program heavy with Jungian and
Freudian interpretations, I was at a definite
disadvantage when I had my first shamanic
dream several years ago. I had registered
for a workshop in visionary trance postures
(rituals originating in shamanic cultures,
some as old as 30,000 years), and about two
weeks prior to the event, I had a puzzling
dream about being at a picnic with my aunts
and uncles at the edge of a grassy field.
Suddenly I looked up and saw a hulking creature
lumbering across the field toward us. As it
came closer I realized it was a bear walking
on two legs. I stood frozen until the animal
was almost upon us. Then slowly it reached
up and removed its head piece, and there was
the face of a man. It was my younger brother,
dressed in a bear costume.
Using techniques from my training, I examined
possible issues around sibling rivalry, concepts
and emotions I had around bears, what my extended
family might have to do with any unconscious
fears, but nothing resonated. During the trance
postures workshop itself I had an opportunity
to narrate my dream, which I ended with the
dramatic announcement, “The bear was
my brother!”
The workshop leader looked at me with
a twinkle in her eye. “Of course the
bear is your brother,” she stated. “All
the animals are.”
The world view from which she spoke
was one where animal, plant and mineral kingdoms
are understood to be only one degree removed
from the dreamtime. Ritual forms the bridge
between the dreamtime and the world built
by human beings and on this bridge the animals,
plants and minerals commune with us, reconnecting
us with our dreamtime origins. In my own case,
Bear was able to approach me prior to the
workshop and announce himself as my brother,
because by virtue of registering, I had already
committed to doing ritual.
Dream
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