I bought this book years ago in about 1987 and recently felt the urge to take it up again. So it is not the latest edition I’m here reviewing.

The author explains that we can plan our dreams and provides suggestions on how to do so. We will need to accept that it is possible to induce dreams and should present ourselves with suggestions for the intended dream when in a deeply relaxed state. Put your intention into a “concise positive phrase”, for example: “To-night I fly in my dream”

To induce dreams on a certain topic it may help to involve yourself in activities relevant to your desired dream. It is most helpful to intensely focus your attention in your area of interest for at least two or three days at a time.

Record your dreams as soon as possible.

You may obtain many creative solutions in your dreams if you take the following preliminary steps: 1) Be motivated 2) Have gathered relevant information and 3) Have made initial attempts to synthesize material. The “illuminating” solution will then come either during the dream or immediately after awakening.

However, the solution may or may not be the correct one. The author quotes the case of Dorothy Parker who after dreaming that she had the answer to the world’s problems scribbled it down; in the morning she found she had written: “Hoggimous, higgimous, men are polygamous. Higgimous, hoggimous, women monogamous.” Ha, ha!

There is a chapter on learning from American Indian dreamers. We learn that if we regard our dreams as important we will receive and remember valuable dreams. Our dreams will become more relevant to our waking life as we value and use them. The more dream friends we have, the better. Successful problem solving in dreams carries over into waking life. And much more.

We are introduced to the Senoi, a primitive tribe in Malaysia, who report their dreams at breakfast and later in village council continue the work of dream discussion. Most of their lives revolve around dreaming and the interpretation of their dreams, and, apparently because of this, the Senoi “show remarkable emotional maturity”.

The author has personally interviewed members of the Senoi tribe. Some main dream rules according to the Senoi are 1) Confront and conquer danger 2) Advance towards pleasure in a dream (this includes sexual pleasure) 3) Achieve a positive outcome.

Patricia states: “The dreamer should not allow his dream to end without completing a positive action. He should fall or fly some place, make love to orgasm, fight to the death (or be killed) and always obtain a creative product.”

When one dream image attacks another, you, the dreamer, are attacking part of yourself. These conflicting elements can be reorganized and unified in a positive way by applying the Senoi concept of dream control. The dreamer who uses his dreams properly can become integrated – he can work for peace on Earth by first establishing peace in his body.

We should ask for a gift from the aggressor we conquer. It does seem to me that remembering to attack our aggressors and demanding gifts from them requires that the dreams be lucid. Patricia doesn’t mention this in the Senoi chapter though there is a later chapter on lucid dreams.

A lucid dream is one in which the dreamer is aware that he is dreaming. When you become lucid you can do anything in your dream, including flying anywhere you will. One way to become lucid is to be frightened in a dream and then realize it is a dream.

The author includes much about flying dreams, which often precede lucid dreams. Lucid dreamers have many more flying dreams than the ordinary dreamer.

There’s also a chapter about yogi dreamers, keeping your dream diary and how to develop dream control.

The author refers to various famous persons who worked with their dreams, e.g. the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Thomas De Quincey, the author of “Confessions of an English Opium Eater”. William Blake and Robert Louis Stevenson who had “little people” or “Brownies” create stories for him in his dreams.

She recounts and interprets many of her own dreams, which increases the already great readability of the book.

To sum up, this is a fascinating, informative, well-written book. I have not yet managed to have a dream on a given subject, but after reading the book and focusing on obtaining dreams on a specific subject I have begun to dream much more (or rather remember more of my dreams).

I would strongly recommend that you read this book. I’m sure Patricia Garfield has written many other books on the subject and, if so, I will definitely be getting hold of some of these. ( )

Say whatever else you will, one thing Garfield gets truly right. The imagery, symbols, themes of your dreams are your imagery, symbols, and themes. There is no boilerplate or cookbook approach to interpreting dreams. You have to look at your own dreams as your dreams. What does this connect to in my waking life? Does that occur repeatedly? Any standardized "book of dreams" interpretation is doomed to greater failure than weekly horoscopes in your entertainment magazine.

http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Dreaming-Control-Creativity-Overcome/dp/068480172...
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