Dream guides, books that explain the symbolism of your dreams, are always a little dicey. The language of dreams is highly personal, absolutely subjective, and more than a little variable, even within the same person. Fortunately, Dreamlines sidesteps all of the problems. The cover blurb promises "a whole course in dreams in a single book" and it delivers.
The first section (Dream Tools) starts right away with a quick (2 pages) chapter on why dreams matter, and then goes on to discuss journaling, affirmations and recall. The techniques are not new, exactly, I recognize them from how I’ve been teaching my students for the last decade, but they are presented in straightforward fashion that I found refreshing.
The second section (Dream Meanings) is NOT a dictionary, thank goodness. It’s a comprehensive explanation of the facts we know about dreaming: types of dreams, how scientists describe dreaming, and ends with techniques for creating your own dream vocabulary. This section alone is worth the cost of the book. It was lucid, logical, and well-written in a no-nonsense manner.
The rest of the book deals with various techniques of working with your dreams: shaping them, interacting within them, recognizing and reacting appropriately when they are psychic, or involve a spirit guide. The last section offers worksheets for creating your own dream lexicon.
This is a relatively slim yet dense book and I strongly recommend it for anyone who is interested in learning more about the dreaming landscape.
~review by Lisa Mc Sherry
Author: Sarai St. Julien
Megalithica Books, 2010
pp. 236, $20.99
