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The Art of Dreaming by Jill Mellick

 

This book is one of the gems from my earliest collection, and it holds a special place for me. It's all about creating dream art in a quick and easy way. The book begins with a simple introduction, emphasizing key points like making time and creating space for your practice. Then, it offers a range of creative exercises to explore, including: 
  • Dream work in 5 minutes 
  • Dream work in 10 to 15 minutes 
  • Dream work for nightmares 
  • How to care for characters and dream animals 
  • Recurring dreams and dream series 
  • Group dreaming 
Some of these exercises take as little as 5 minutes, and honestly, some are so simple you’ll wonder why you didn’t think of them sooner. Who doesn’t have 5 minutes to jot something down? A few ideas are quite familiar—write a poem, draw a sketch, or do a gestalt exercise—but there are also some wonderfully original suggestions, like turning a dream into a fairytale, writing a haiku, creating sound mandalas, or making dream figure masks. 

The list goes on, but I won’t spoil all the surprises. If you’re looking for fresh ways to express your dreams, I highly recommend you pick up this book for even more inspiring ideas. 

For those who struggle with nightmares, there’s an entire chapter dedicated to them. Many people are deeply affected by recurring nightmares, and we've all likely experienced one at some point. This chapter offers various exercises to help you understand and work through them, often revealing insights that can bring lasting relief. Sometimes, all it takes is one 'aha!' moment to transform a recurring nightmare into something empowering. I know that was true for me when I first encountered my shadow demon in my very first lucid dream, after it had haunted me for years. 

Next, the book delves into dream characters. This section is filled with thought-provoking questions designed to help you reflect on who the characters in your dreams are and why they show up. While many of us might assume that dream characters are just random fillers, the exercises in this chapter reveal that they are often much more purposeful than we realize. 

Then there’s the section on recurring dreams. Dreamers know that recurring dreams are significant—they carry messages we're not quite ready to receive, which is why they keep repeating. The book offers a range of tools to help you understand these dreams, from identifying patterns and repeated actions to exploring associations and structural elements. 

The final chapter is all about group dreaming—how to set up a framework for group dream work, how to listen to dreams with care and respect, and what to consider when sharing them. I haven’t had much experience with group dreaming myself, aside from a few workshops and late-night conversations about dreams, but this chapter has given me the tools to explore it further in the future. 

In short, if you're looking for creative ways to express your dreams, this book is a must-have. Simply put, I’ve yet to come across anything quite like it—this book is entirely dedicated to the art of dreams and offers so many ways to engage with and reflect on your dream life.

★★★★☆

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