Seeing Dreams: Inviting in Our Dreams, guest blog by Kris Adams

Don't miss Kris Adams' upcoming workshop "Seeing Dreams: Expanding and Healing the Collective Dreamscape" on 2/26/22 at 12pm PST via Zoom, accessible worldwide!

“Every great dream begins with a Dreamer.”

– Harriet Tubman

I have been working with my dreams since I was a child, and always had a big and active imagination (daydreaming is still one of my absolute favorite pastimes). Sharing my dreams with my mom and aunties was a regular practice and there were many times when our dreams informed us of things that were going to happen before they actually happened. 

I learned from an early age that our dreams provide such amazing opportunities and avenues for us to explore ourselves and our world and can lead us toward both personal and communal healing journeys.

Through the collective sharing of dreams, we can create safer spaces to support us as we explore the images and messages that our dreams offer. 

I’m excited to be partnering with Seagrape Apothecary in offering my workshop titled “Seeing Dreams: Expanding and Healing the Collective Dreamscape”. In this workshop, we will chat about dream work, explore ways to feel more connected with our dreams, share dreams within a communal space and learn ways to begin working with our dreams to aid in not only our own personal healing but also the healing of our communities at large. 

By beginning the journey of listening and trusting our dreams, we can build an intimate connection with our dreamscape and use various tools (such as journaling, sharing our dreams with others, etc.) to expand our understanding of the unconscious, our dreams, and our imagination.  

Creating Safe and Expansive Spaces for Dreaming

Grounding and protection are important elements of both spiritual and dreaming practices. Establishing ways for us to ground before settling into our nightly routine (then heading to slumber) can help us remain open and curious while dreaming and aid with dream recall upon waking. 

Some of my favorite tools to work with when completing my grounding and protection rituals are crystals/stones.  Black tourmaline, jasper, and black obsidian are my go-to stones when I’m in need of protection and grounding while dreaming. And there are multiple ways that we can work with them! I tend to wear my black tourmaline around my neck when sleeping (I swapped out a metal chain for a soft, elastic ribbon that is more comfortable to wear while sleeping) and keep the others either under my pillow or close by where I can reach out and touch them during the night (if needed). Other stones that I use to aid in dreaming are amethyst and moonstone. Both stones are associated with the third eye and crown chakras and can help us open ourselves up to the dreaming realms (and in turn receive images/messages that may be present within the dreamscapes). 

Inviting In Our Dreams

A nighttime ritual that I have found comforting and helpful when engaging with my dreaming practice is drinking herbal tea (such as chamomile or lavender with wild honey) and meditating/reciting an affirmation. There are many ways that we can work with our herbal allies to aid in sleeping and dreaming, but a more common way of working with herbs is through steeping them as a tea and drinking 30 minutes to 1 hour before retiring to bed. 

Sometimes I will listen to a guided meditation or repeat affirmations that are related to dreaming/healing. An example of an affirmation would be:

“I am a divine and connected being. I have the tools and knowledge needed to begin this next phase of my dreaming practice. I will delight and marvel in the collective Dreamscapes and will share my joy and healing with my community. Ase.”

Music is also a wonderful tool to work with when we are seeking to invite our dreams in. Creating a playlist that you listen to while sipping your tea or while repeating the affirmation is another great way to prepare for dreaming (some music streaming services and YouTube have playlists that people have already compiled). This is a time for you to get as creative as you like-explore unfamiliar genres and new voices and see/document how they influence your dreamscape.   

——————————

About the Instructor:

Kris Adams (she/they), a Black Spiritualist/Mystic, is a native of North Carolina and currently resides in the DMV area. With their background in education coupled with personal and communal dream practices, Kris actively dreams of a collective reality where all bodies feel safe to not only explore their own dreaming, but also allow dream dimensions to guide them in traversing new paths toward connection, healing and growth. Supported by crystals, tarot, rope, ritual, spell work, energy healing, individual and collective dream practices, and ancestry work, Kris is furthering the legacy of their cultural dream lineage to tend sacred spaces for collective dreaming and healing. Kris is currently a student of Jade T. Perry and also collaboratively apprentices with Tara Burke and Sanyu Estelle utilizing dreamwork as a container for healing (both personal and communal) and exploration through the Dreamscapes Academy.