Dreams, the Unconscious, and Spiritual Maturity
Dreams often arrive at moments when something within us is shifting. We wake with an image that lingers, a feeling that does not easily fade, or a story that seems to hover at the edge of understanding, asking not to be solved but to be noticed. They tend to surface not when life feels settled and clear, but when we are unsettled — when prayer has grown dry, when a long-held certainty begins to loosen, when we feel inwardly stuck, conflicted, or quietly disturbed without know
Working with our Dreams in the Spiritual Life Part III
Dreams often linger with us long after we have woken, carrying questions, images, or emotions that do not easily resolve. In this final article in the series, I turn toward how we might respond to what a dream reveals and allow it to shape us over time. Responding to the Dream When a dream has been lived with prayerfully — recorded, explored, and allowed to speak — we often arrive at a quiet sense that something has been revealed. This knowing is rarely dramatic. More often
Working with Our Dreams in the Spiritual Life Part II
When we begin to attend to our dreams, we often sense that they are carrying more than we can grasp at first glance. Their meaning unfolds slowly, inviting imagination, reflection, and prayerful engagement rather than quick interpretation. In this second article, I explore ways of being with a dream more deeply, allowing its symbolic language to open and speak in its own time. In the previous article, Working with Our Dreams in the Spiritual Life – Part I , I explored some in
Working with our Dreams in the Spiritual Life Part I
Dreams have long been recognised as one of the ways the deeper life of the soul comes to expression. They arise unbidden, speak in images rather than concepts, and often linger with us in ways that invite reflection. In this first article, I explore why dreams matter in the spiritual life, and how we might begin to listen to them with attentiveness and care. Why Dreams Matter in the Spiritual Life In the Christian tradition, many people are becoming more interested again in w
Spiritual Life & Our Dreams
'Spiritual directors and gurus have always been listeners, but the language to which they listen is the 'forgotten language' of myths and dreams and symbols, the language of fundamental human experience,' Kenneth Leach in Soul Friend. Throughout the history of spiritual direction, dreams have been understood as one of the ways the inner life speaks — often in a language that is symbolic, imaginal, and easily overlooked. Dreams in the Christian Tradition From ancient times, p
