Dream Stick – Week 4

This week’s topic is a dream stick.

A literal stick, yes. An object from the garden or veld. But also a dream that sticks: A dream that stays with you long after you wake up…. some dreams just feel different and “stick with you” more than others.

Many cultures have treated dreams as meaningful. Dreams were not dismissed as random brain noise as they sometimes are in our modern culture. 

Dreams were often seen as messages, warnings, invitations, or pieces of wisdom arising from somewhere deeper than ordinary thinking.

There is also the tradition of the talking stick, often associated with Indigenous communities, where the person holding the stick is given the space to speak without interruption. The stick becomes a symbol of attention, respect, and listening.

I love the idea of a dream stick!

Whoever holds the dream stick gets to speak their dream. Not necessarily make sense of it immediately. Just tell it. Then, when the stick is passed on, others may offer what symbols stand out to them, what feelings arise, or add some sort of interpretation or view point.

Dreams do not always respond well to rushing, fixing, or over explaining… sometimes the dream needs space to be understood.  Maybe a dream you write down today will only make sense to you a few months down the line. 

Robert Johnson, author of Inner Work, suggests not only interpreting a dream but doing something to integrate it, to acknoledge it. For example you could write about it, draw something, pray about it, light a candle.

This week, make a “sticky dream” you have had more real and write about it, draw about it, paint it or express it.

Or, make a real dream stick! Find a stick. Paint it. Wrap it. Decorate it. Let it become a symbol of reminding yourself to listen to the strange but wise language of your dreams.