This blog consists of many new, in-the-now thoughts from me, blending with some statements about the dreaming work I teach mined by AI from my book Dreams are Letters from the Soul.

 

Beyond Psychological Dreaming

Paul Simon’s music and lyrics have escorted and supported me in my entire adult life. Recently he released a new album entitled Seven Psalms. Imagine my delight when I learned that the album’s concept came in a dream — that the music riffs were inspired in the dream, and that the lyrics themselves were delivered in his middle-of-the-night writings when waking up from dreams. 

He reports that the initial dream was actually a voice speaking to him. In my work that is called oracular dreaming. He doesn’t define the source of the voice, although in one interview he called it “the I,” which feels stunningly interesting and appropriate. This voice said to him, “You’re working on a piece called Seven Psalms. . .You should start working on this piece called Seven Psalms.” The album took more than a year to fully reveal itself, as he meticulously worked out the guitar riffs he “heard” (although ironically he, like Beethoven, began losing the hearing in his left ear while he wrote this body of work.) As the music revealed itself, the lyrics began to come in the middle of the night. . .

Initially, or so he claimed, he did not to know what a psalm was! That surprised me. I know what a psalm is. It is a sacred song. . .a prayer put to music. My immediate thought was that he’s already written his seven psalms:

The Sound of Silence
Bridge over Troubled Water
Loves Me Like a Rock
Slip Slidin’ Away
American Tune
Graceland
African Skies

That’s my list of his most sacred songs. You may have a different one because he’s written so many. In fact, for some of us, at certain points in our lives “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” might have been quite sacred! But then when I listened to Seven Psalms, I knew that he was talking about something bigger — something sourced in deep time, deep truth — something holy.

If you haven’t listened to an interview about this album, I recommend this one:

And if you haven’t yet listened to the album, wait until you know you have 33 uninterrupted minutes, and prepare for a mind shifting experience! 

I imagine he is aware that the dream played with him a bit, giving him a palindrome: SP/PS – Seven Psalms / Paul Simon. Throughout this article I will sprinkle lyrics from the album. They will be annotated with *SP/PS.

Quotes from my book will be annotated with CK/DALFTS – Connie Kaplan, Dreams are Letters from the Soul.

The interview, the music, the lyrics, the experience of the new psalms delivered to us by the Dream through the agency of Paul Simon all combined in my mind to underscore the dream work in which I participate. The dream work itself, as you probably know, came to me in a series of dreams over the course of a few years. Walk with me through this blog post, to see if you agree that Paul Simon and I have (at least at times) “heard the same voice” in the dream. Please know that I’m not comparing Simon’s talent to anything about me, nor would I ever; I’m simply comparing the similarity of the messages.

It’s important to understand how Dreaming speaks through the dreamer! What the Dream Weave can reveal to us depends almost entirely on what we’re capable of hearing, of comprehending. Paul Simon clearly has a wide spectrum of ability to hear the voice of the Dream.

Stages of Dreaming

Our skills in dreaming unfold in stages over our lives. Working within those “dream-developmental stages” we ripen, if you will, our physical, emotional, mental, and energetic bodies. Each stage provides us with the necessary tools to fully contain the spiritual energies that await. We make mistakes along the way.  We begin again. Like a clay vessel that needs to be shaped, dried, glazed, and fired to reach its fullest potential, we must go through various stages of growth and transformation before the potential of Dreaming fully opens.

Yesterday’s boy is gone
Driving through darkness
Searching for
Your Forgiveness –*SP/PS

The Vessel of Truth

Our vessels must be strong enough to withstand the challenges we encounter on our dreaming journey. Each level of dreaming presents an opportunity for us to mature our vessel, enabling us to navigate the subtle energies of the dream realm with courage and wisdom.  We walk our path, becoming stronger with each step.

“Spiritual voyagers must build and fine-tune their personal vessels, making them strong enough to hold the light of Truth, making them courageous enough to look at the mirrors of illusion, and making them wise enough to stand on the solid, ethical ground of love.” – CK/DALFTS

It seems to me
We’re all walking down
The same road
To wherever it ends –*SP/PS

 

The Ordeal of Fire: Purgation Dreams

Psychological dreaming serves as the first step towards creating a container for our spiritual growth. Often the help of an experienced dreamer (a dreamer with many years of experience in Dream Circle Ceremony) is necessary to face the complexities of our psyche. Purgation dreams often arise during this phase, guiding us through the process of purifying our thoughts, emotions, and actions.

“Purgation, as used in Christian terminology, represents the phase of religious development in which one rids oneself of unclean thoughts, emotions, and actions. Psychological dreams are purgation dreams. By the time we have reached adulthood, most of us have unknowingly adopted so many flawed patterns, unclear thoughts, and outright lies that we are spiritually toxic.” CK/DALFTS

I lived a life of pleasant sorrows
Until the real deal came
Broke me like a twig in a winter gale
Call me by my name –*SP/PS

 

The Journey of Integration

Within each of us exists an internal split, a division between our deeper truth and the false narratives we have absorbed throughout our lives. On one hand, we know that we are divine beings, participants in the creation of the world. On the other hand, societal conditioning and psychological patterns lead us to believe that we are broken, sinful, or unworthy. Psychological dreams often mirror this split, urging us to bridge the gap between our conscious choices and deep truth.

“The more clarity of vision you acquire, the more unencumbered you keep yourself from society’s projections onto you, the healthier your world view. And then your dreaming takes on a different, more sacred tone.” CK/DALFTS

The Lord is my engineer
The Lord is the earth I ride on
The Lord is the face in the atmosphere
The path I slip and I slide on. –*SP/PS

 

The Pitfalls of Psychological Dreaming

While psychological dreaming plays a vital role in our spiritual journey, it is crucial to recognize the limitations of focusing solely on our psychological aspects. It is easy to become stuck in this phase, endlessly interpreting dreams through the lens of our neuroses and pathologies. However, true spiritual growth requires us to move beyond the ego’s self-obsession and embrace a more collective understanding of life.

“There’s a tendency to get stuck in this phase and at this level of dreaming. The ego loves to study itself, and as long as it can keep your mind ego-obsessed, it can continue for a lifetime creating dreams that you will interpret to be about your neuroses and pathologies. The tragic piece of this is that if you stay here—if you continue for years and years to see only the psychological aspect of your dreaming, and if you continue to allow your false self to be the designer of your spiritual growth—you will not advance.” CK/DALFTS

Good morning, Mr. Indignation
Looks like you haven’t slept all night
In my professional opinion
Go back to bed and turn off the light! –*SP/PS

 

Cracks in the Clay

Emotions form an integral part of our dream experiences. However, it is important to recognize that the emotions we encounter in our dreams are often the responses of our false ego selves to our spiritual progress. Fear, joy, and other intense emotions reflect the ego’s reaction to the leaps we take on our spiritual path. By examining these emotions objectively, we can navigate the cracks in our emotional bodies and move towards a deeper state of authenticity and clarity.

“The emotional system of the human being is unique and complex. Every emotional response is multilayered. When we experience emotion, we are not only responding to what is in front of us in the present, we are also bringing up our entire personal history.” CK/DALFTS

Wait, Im not ready
I’m just packing my gear. . .
Wait, my hand is steady
My mind is clear –*SP/PS

 

Judgement Dreams

Dreams that involve judgment provide us with an opportunity to investigate our internal splits and examine our personal biases. These dreams often present scenarios where we project our judgments onto others, revealing our own limitations and the need for compassion. By lifting our judgments and embracing a more holistic perspective, we can free ourselves from the confines of ego-centered dreaming and open up to a greater understanding of ourselves and the world.

And in that time of prayer and waiting
Where doubt and reason dwell
A jury sat deliberating
All is lost or all is well. –*SP/PS

 

Dream Witnessing: Unlocking the Power of the Observer

Throughout our dream journey, we are called to embody the role of the witness – to simply observe without judgment or attachment. Witness dreams remind us of the importance of stepping back and seeing things clearly. They encourage us to expand our vision beyond our own individual experiences and embrace a more collective understanding of the world. By developing our ability to witness, we can free ourselves from the limitations of a self-centered perspective and open up to the vast possibilities of our dreams.

“It is Important for the dreamer to recognize the nonpersonal nature of the dreamspace. That blackness, the Void, that Nothingness, is not about you. That place is holy and whole.” CK/DALFTS

The sacred harp
That David played
To make his songs of praise
We long to hear those strings that set his heart ablaze –*SP/PS

 

Embracing the Journey: Dreaming Beyond Personal Psychology

By moving beyond the ego’s self-obsession, embracing our emotional cracks, and opening ourselves to dream wisdom, we can expand our consciousness and deepen our connection to the divine. Dreaming beyond psychological limitations liberates us, empowering us to explore the vast potential of our inner selves and discover the infinite possibilities of The Dream.

Dip your hand into heaven’s waters
God’s imagination
All of life’s abundance
In a drop of condensation. –*SP/PS

 

Watch out for next month’s newsletter – The Power Of Dream Circle. Sign up for our upcoming Dreaming Wisdom Class here.