Dream Work

Alchemical Active Imagination

In her book Alchemical Active Imagination, Marie Louise von Franz explores the work of Gerhard Dorn who was a doctor, natural philosopher, and alchemist. Dorn was a true alchemist in that he never allowed himself to get away from the fact of the real concrete body, he did not buy into the idea of a metaphysical or astral body but the real body. When the real body is treated properly, he believed that it would form the basis for the medicine...

The Solution: Memories, Dreams, Synchronicities

Wealth has always been an important symbol to me. And, to be clear, by “wealth” I don’t mean some nebulous expression of “abundance” in my life. I have often find myself smiling ironically when hearing evangelical preachers telling their congregation that Jesus wants “abundance” for them. No, I don’t mean “abundance”, I mean simply, financial wealth. Like Floyd Money Mayweather, it’s the greenbacks that impress me. I’m not dissing those other good things, like health, longevity, and procreation -albeit that...

Two Dreams: an archetypal analysis

This is an excerpt of a recent analysis and discussion Stephen Farah, HOD at the Centre, had with some of the Centre’s senior students about two dreams that were shared on Magnum Opus. The dreams are shared anonymously with the permission of the students concerned. Both dreams are remarkable examples of what we learn about dreams through an archetypal analysis.

The rainmaker and the dream of drought

Jung was fond of telling a story of a drought being broken in a village in China by a Taoist rainmaker.[1] I share the story and some further thoughts on it in the light of the current drought and impending day zero in the Cape. There was a great drought where [Richard] Wilhelm lived; for months there had not been a drop of rain and the situation became catastrophic. The Catholics made processions, the Protestants made prayers, and the Chinese...

Common Dream Archetypes

This is a Guest Post by Patricia Duggan. Carl Jung believed that dreams had their own language. The things we see in our dreams are not signs that represent one specific idea, but rather fluid images to which we ascribe meaning based on our individual experiences. Dreams may reveal truths, philosophical revelations, illusions, fantasies, memoires, plans, irrational experiences or even prophetic visions. The images in our dreams are ultimately representations of our own unconscious. Although they come from our individual minds, many images...

The Story of Two and a Half Dreams

As a child my father told me a story which was the start of my spiritual journey. It was the story of two dreams. My grandfather, Anthony Farah had a strange relationship with the number 5. Everything significant happened in my grandfather's life on the 5th year. He was born in South Africa in 1905, shortly thereafter returning to his family's village in Lebanon called Sib’il, he was a Sib’ilenie (man from Sib’il). In 1925 my grandfather married...