Turning Season: Conversations with Changemakers in Our Adventure Toward a Life-Sustaining Society

Have you dreamt of a loved one, after they passed away? Has that dream stuck with you ever since? Dr. Joshua Black has had that kind of dream -- and heard thousands of those dreams from others. He's devoted his academic research to these "grief dreams" and to continuing bonds after many types of loss (including prenatal loss and pet loss). I thought it might be heavy or tearful, talking for an hou...

If you've ever heard me or another dreamworker say, "Pretend I'm an alien," and then ask you to define the object you dreamt about, that's because we want to know about your "personal symbology." Laura Suzanne and I have very different relationships with cats. If you were to ask each of us to explain what a cat is, you'd get totally different answers. So, the insights a cat dream carries in my dre...

The pizza dreams. The grocery store dreams. The Thanksgiving dinners and wilting vegetable gardens. The empty fridge. Of all the “food” dreams I’ve heard, the steak dream I share in this episode is one of my favorites. When the dreamer and I explored this dream, plenty happened, not all of it related to food. But the ah-ha moment that reached her right where she needed it most -- that had to...

My fellow acupuncturist, dreamworker, and NUNM grad Joseph Fiala joins me to talk about dreamwork in his clinical practice, in his personal life, and in nurturing the thoughts we choose to grow in the gardens of our minds. I loved hearing his enthusiasm and wise insights, and I'm guessing you will too. Click Play to listen now. I met Joseph when we were both students at the National Universit...

Do you track the details in your dreams? Bambi Corso-Steinmeyer talks with me about why to track the recurring details in our dreams. Those themes are like footprints left behind by the qualities moving through our dreamscape - and we’re well-served by following their trails. Bambi and I cover a lot of dreamscape ground in this episode. I realized after we spoke that I talked more than I usually d...

Kelly Lydick first caught my attention with her work on “dream incubation,” which is the practice of setting an intention or asking a question before going to sleep at night. I love dream incubation and turn to it frequently in my ongoing conversation with my own dreams. When Kelly and I planned this interview, though, we were drawn to talk about two other subjects dear to us both: colors in dream...

This one touched me extra deeply. Mary Jo Heyen, practitioner of Natural Dreamwork and author of Dreaming into the Mystery: Explorations into Being with the Dreams and Visions of the Dying, companions dreamers and their families in hospice care. Each one of her stories touched me, as did her way of speaking, and her way of listening. Click Play to hear about: Her childhood relationship t...

I’ve packed this Full Moon episode full of gems that I hope will bring you a few “ah-ha moments” about your own dreams. Listen in to hear highlights from three of the Members’ Episodes from the past 6 months. Each month, The Dreamers’ Den Membership Community gets a bonus podcast episode. These are generally a little more casual, and also a little more focused, diving in deep on one particular the...

Ready to hear about dreaming with a "pack," the language of wild nature, initiation into manhood, and why dreams are a trustworthy source of navigation and wisdom? Yes? That's what I said, too. Click Play now to listen to my conversation with Matt Cochran, a dreamworker and a dear friend of mine. He has been engaging with dreams for decades and currently offers dreamwork, one-on-one and in groups,...

When you meet a menacing dream character, do you shudder, and skip writing that dream in your journal? Or do you get excited and dive in, because there's such dreamwork juiciness there? Either way, have you ever looked closely at the moment right BEFORE the threatening figure appears? My guest Alyssa Polizzi loves that practice. It even brings out an "ah-ha moment" for her in our conversation.&nbs...

What happens when adults get out their colored pencils and freely draw their dreams? “Ah-ha moments,” all over the place. Life-shifting, and even life-saving, ah-ha moments. Click Play now to listen to me talk with Walter Berry about his dream groups, where participants draw their dreams and share the drawings. I loved every one of his stories. Walter has been called “The Wizard of Awes.” His upco...

“My favorite part is when you and the guest talk about example dreams.” ← If you’re a listener who’s said that, this one’s for you. In this New Moon episode, I work one of my own dreams live with guest dreamworker Claudia DeBorde. She takes me on a Dream Tending walk through a dream I titled Time Travel. We talk briefly about her approach to dreams, our love of stories, and how we can play “host”...

Have you ever wondered, “Did that really happen, or was that a dream?" In some ways, every dream feels real. And, in some ways, all of our dreams ARE real. Kezia Vida and I begin this conversation, and circle back to, the question of what’s “real,” and how our dreams can bring what feels MOST real into our lives. Kezia Vida is a practitioner of the Natural Dreamwork process, which she’s been offer...

Have you ever had a massage, or acupuncture treatment, and gotten the, “Yep, that’s the spot,” feeling when a certain point on your body was pressed? We call those “ah shi” points. “Ah shi” roughly translates as, “Oh, that’s it.” These points tend to feel tender, or sensitive, or simply significant somehow. In this conversation with Katherine Bell, it occurred to us that the “ah-ha moment” in drea...

Click "Play" to hear my conversation with Nicole Torres, a dreamworker, psychotherapist, and medical anthropologist devoted to her own ongoing journey of decolonization, liberation, and learning to “honor the dream.” In this episode, she explains what all that means to her. Early in our conversation, I ask Nicole’s take on something I’ve wondered for a while: Why do some people explain that their...

This one's for you. You, who believe you have (or might have...) a role to play in global healing trust that your dreams bring wisdom and want to dive deep with me on the Five Elements, dream examples, and how these SAME energies that tell us about PERSONAL health guide us toward COLLECTIVE well-being. On board? Awesome. Press play to hear me share about: the unique "spirit of genius" in every sin...

Over 9,000 pandemic dreams. That’s how many Dr. Deirdre Barrett has read so far from her worldwide survey this year. These dreams are the subject of her latest book: Pandemic Dreams. We talk about the themes she’s seen - from catching the virus (bugs), to homeschooling (failing math), to possible cures (musical injections), and what the world might look like post-pandemic (robots in charge?). She...

Do you believe that your dreams serve a purpose, even when you don't remember them? Do dreams help you, even if you don't "work" with them? Katherine Bell believes so, and she's read research studies to back that up. A scientist herself, Katherine blends her curiosity about the data around dreams with her deep respect for the experience of dreaming. You'll hear her talk about how dreamwork helped...

Can you think of a dream in which you felt surprised or confused? I love Billie's insight that this can signal movement into unfamiliar territory. Billie shares so many other gems, like her observation that ancestors frequently show up in dreams as "a large group of people, and I know they're there to see me, but I don't recognize them." Click Play now to hear our whole conversation - or read on t...

You’re about to meet another teacher dear to my heart: Geraldine Matus, of Justisse College International. You’ll hear her insights from her decades of work in reproductive health and with dreams. I met Geraldine in 2006, when I began studying for certification as a Holistic Reproductive Health Practitioner. When I talked to Geraldine about shifting my work over to dreams and Chinese Medicine, I w...

Katherine Lawson speaks from experience about how dreams offer support during cancer treatment. She's been both a patient, and a practitioner. In this episode, she shares her journey with dreaming: her academic work at Pacifica Graduate Institute; the study of Dream Tending and Embodied Imagination; her own cancer diagnosis, treatment and recovery; supporting other cancer patients at the Charlotte...

Teresa Vazquez still remembers a dream she had at age 5. She's always kept her dream journals from adolescence. Decades went by, though, as she was studying art and becoming a writer and educator, before she found her path as a dreamworker. Now, she describes herself as a "dream midwife." You might relate to the idea of re-birthing a relationship with your dreams. One of the reasons I reached out...

Can you imagine being a devoted witness of dreams, your own and others', for almost 50 years? There are a few people who could say, "Yes, that's me." But not many. Azima Lila Forest began working with dreams in the 1970s, when she met Jeremy Taylor. Since then, she has studied with Robert Moss, and become a teacher (sheikh) of universal Sufism and a Unitarian Universalist minister. We talk about:...

Have you had dreams that show the future? Dream visitations from loved ones who've passed away? I know many of you are curious about these two dream phenomena. In this episode, Carla Blowey talks about her own experiences with both, in her decades as a bereaved mother and as a dreamworker who serves bereaved families. You'll hear her explain how to recognize "visitation dreams" by certain qualitie...

Can a dream change someone's life? You know my answer is an enthusiastic Yes. But how about a dream combined with acupuncture, in just the right dream-inspired spot? That's next-level. You'll hear golden advice from Bob Quinn, a man whose waking life is “awash in dreams.” He talks about working three dreams from any single person, and watching for themes to repeat three times. He shares how to che...