VIDEO
AUDIO
How do dreams influence and reflect our spiritual beliefs and experiences across different cultures and historical periods, and what does scientific research reveal about this relationship?
Kelly Bulkeley, PhD, is a global expert on dreaming and the psychology of religion. We explore his latest book “The Spirituality of Dreaming: Unlocking the Wisdom of Our Sleeping Selves.”
Dreams universally function as essential gateways to spiritual understanding, a truth echoed across cultures and eras. Modern sleep and dream research confront and expand upon the traditional views revealing a more complex nature of dreams. These dreams, whether as visitations, flights, or nightmares, reflect our existential questions and actively shape religious beliefs and practices. Merging empirical research with mystical interpretations, dreams are clearly more than mere reflections of waking life; they are direct conduits to deep spiritual insights.
Prepare to discover who historically engaged with dreams in spiritual contexts; when these interpretations have been significant, from ancient times to the present; how dreams connect with spiritual experiences, often seen as divine messages or reflections of the soul; what types of dreams, such as visitation or flying dreams, are spiritually significant; where across different cultures and traditions dreams are valued for their spiritual implications; whether modern scientific research supports historical beliefs about the spiritual nature of dreams; which aspects of dreaming, like vividness and metaphorical content, shape religious beliefs; and why dreams remain a source of intrigue in understanding human spirituality and its relation to the divine…..and so much more…..
Find the Books We Suggest in This Episode HERE
HERE’S THE DREAM WE ANALYZE:
“I dreamt I lived in a house with many other people and children, including my mother; I gave birth to a baby that already had crooked, yellow, pointy teeth, lots of hair, and could crawl. I knew my ex-boyfriend would be mad at me for having him, but I don’t think he was the father. I set the baby down and turned away for a few seconds, and then he was gone. I didn’t want anyone to know I had lost him, and while I was looking everywhere in the house, my mom came and told me the police were there to search the house because we had been reported by a neighbor as hoarders, I knew she had illegal drugs in the house, so I told her to let me hide them for her. The police didn’t find anything. After they left, someone from the house came and told me they found my baby outside by the pool, where he could have drowned. I had only been looking inside the house, and I was ashamed. I didn’t think to look there but was grateful to have him back.”
Kelly Bulkeley, PhD, is a global expert on dreaming and a psychologist of religion focusing on dreams. With degrees from Stanford University, Harvard Divinity School, and the University of Chicago Divinity School, he is director of the Sleep and Dream Database, senior editor of the journal Dreaming, and former president of the International Association for the Study of Dreams. His books include Dreaming Beyond Death, Big Dreams, An Introduction to the Psychology of Dreaming, and Dreaming in the World’s Religions. His work has published in the New York Times and TIME magazine. Bulkeley lives in Estacada, Oregon. Learn more about Kelly HERE
UNLOCK THE SECRETS OF YOUR DREAMS:
Dream School provides a gently paced program with live interactive webinars, an uplifting online community, thought-provoking audio modules, and guided journaling to deepen your experience. Lisa, Deb, and Joe crafted the program with you in mind and companion you through the process. “Step-by-step, we’ll teach you how to interpret your dreams.” Join the revolution of consciousness! Join Dream School and Transform Your Sleep into the Greatest Adventure of Your Life: LEARN MORE
PLEASE GIVE US A HAND:
Hey folks — We need your help. Please BECOME OUR PATRON and keep This Jungian Life podcast up and running!!
YES, WE HAVE MERCH:
SHARE YOUR DREAM WITH US:
SUBMIT YOUR DREAM HERE for a possible podcast interpretation.
SUGGEST A FUTURE PODCAST TOPIC:
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
I remember someone who had a dream — Dr. Martin Luther King. In his time it was truly a dream. Jeffrey Robinson’s documentary “Who We Are” helps us understand how the brothers of Joseph in our minds keep pushing us back into the pit! https://www.thewhoweareproject.org/the-film
Dreaming becomes another means of ego modification.” I think he captured the fascination with lucid dreaming. Would that we could be so lucid in this collective “waking” life!
Consider Thomas Berry’s book “The Dream of the Earth.” He contends that the validity of any human enterprise is the degree to which it enhances the universal life force. Thomas Berry’s seminal thesis proposes a universal “biocratic” criterion to evaluate human history, development, and activity.
Hello Joseph, Lisa and Deb,
I’m fascinated by dreams of people who are dying. It seems so obvious that major themes would be journeys, companions and obstacles because they are the basic ideas in our lives as well. Perhaps this would be a great topic for a podcast episode. I’ve known a few hospice nurses, and they have great stories to tell. Thanks for your work.
I submitted my first dream to Elsewhere.
During the Christmas holidays I felt morally compelled to go to church and later to confession. The resulting dream interpretation revealed as always is that I do not understand the Christian religion and its teachings. My understanding is limited.
prior to this, I had been making strides in my life towards walking away from this dilemma yet I felt compelled to be around others, who want to do good in the world so I went to confession. I am at a standstill. It’s only adding to my confusion in my daily life.
Today’s sermon drove me further away. “The self disallows detachment from materialism.” Etc.