INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF DREAMS

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The International Association for the Study of Dreams

The International Association for the Study of Dreams is a non-profit, international, multidisciplinary organization dedicated to the pure and applied investigation of dreams and dreaming.Our purposes are:

to promote an awareness and appreciation of dreams in both professional and public arenas;

to encourage research into the nature, function, and significance of dreaming;

to advance the application of the study of dreams; and

to provide a forum for the eclectic and interdisciplinary exchange of ideas and information.

CHAOS AS CAMOUFLAGE

The dreams of the night are not easy to decipher. At first look, dreams appear to be an unruly conglomeration of elements, a disorderly jumble of confusing imagery without order or connection. Distinguishing meaningful utterances from such apparent nonsense is not a trivial task. Our minds seek order and balance. Without a sense of authority or cohesive structure, our minds become confused by the chaos and absurdities in the dream narrative. Because of the nonsensical distortions of reality, many believe that dreams are random, unpredictable misfirings in the brain.

Yet, anyone who has ever worked with a dream knows that the chaotic appearance of dreams is simply camouflage for the multidimensional genius of our night minds.

THE INNER SPACE: A DREAM JOURNAL QUOTE

We join spokes together in a wheel,

but it is the center hole

that makes the wagon move.

We shape clay into a pot,

but it is the emptiness inside

that holds whatever we want.

We hammer wood for a house,

but it is the inner space

that makes it livable.

We work with being,

but non-being is what we use.

Tao Te Ching

EMPTY SPACE: A 10 MINUTE DREAM JOURNAL EXERCISE

The Japanese concept of “MA” can be translated as “empty space.”

Rather than trying to explain the absences in your dream, try to feel what it might be like in the negative spaces and silences of your dream.

Your Mission Should You Choose to Accept it…

Write for 10 Minutes about a feeling or experience of emptiness in one of your dreams.

WORKSHOP: THE PRESENCE IN ABSENCE 6/22/10

The empty spaces which give form to poetry; The negative spaces which give substance to paintings; The pregnant pauses between dialogue in a play; The silences between notes in music are often found in the world of the arts. Similarly, we experience the dream that doesn’t have an end, the room without a door, the faceless intruder, the message we can’t hear. The ambiguity of this paradoxical state is precisely the territory that expands our consciousness in dreamwork.

BOOK ARTS & JOURNAL EXHIBITION

Don’t miss Artists’ Books from all around the country and art journal pages from around the world.  The show will run through July 4th. The PAGES gallery is in La Tienda Center in Eldorado and will be open Wednesdays to Saturdays , 12 noon to 5. MAPPING THE DREAMSCAPE an artist’s book by Victoria Rabinowe

WORKSHOP: HOMECOMING 6/15/10

Home is that dwelling place where we are loved and cherished. Home is where we are accepted just as we are with all our weaknesses, imperfections and frailties.

Yet, many of us never feel at home.

Despite this, we dreamers recognize that dreams are the repository of our mythic home. They contain our deepest memories and feelings. They call to us from the innermost center of our being. They touch us in our tenderest places with the depth of our longing, our joys and our sorrows. Through our DreamTending practice, we find frequently that our dreams are often about the call to come home.

WE WON!

The judges of the Southwest Book Design Awards were so impressed with my book I HAD THE CRAZIEST DREAM LAST NIGHT! that they created a special award for it. I accepted the award with Book Designer Sean Wells.

I wanted to write my book on creative methods for dreamwork in a way that would introduce a new kind of readership for the category of dreams – an introduction that would enchant the curious and encourage the artist in each of us without psychoanalyzing the nature of dreams. I also wanted to make the book beautiful with chapter headings using my pen and ink drawings.

On the very day that I realized I didn’t have the skills to design a book, Sean Wells, my “little sister” came to my rescue. As my computer guru and web designer, she easily took on the project. Having followed my artwork for over 24 years as my “little sister” (from the Big Brother, Big Sister program), she had a deep sensitivity for my style. Her vision for this book expanded the integration of imagery with the text. Her imaginative use of fonts interspersed with the drawings created an entirely new approach for the book. She mixed and matched twenty-five years of my illustrations into one coherent signature look.

SOUTHWEST BOOK DESIGN AWARD

I HAD THE CRAZIEST DREAM LAST NIGHT! defied fitting into any award category,but the judges found it irresistible!

The judges created A SPECIAL AWARD for INNOVATION just for CRAZY!!!

Vicoria Rabinowe, Author/Illustrator with Sean WellS, Book Designer

SOUTHWEST BOOK DESIGN COMPETITION

Victoria Rabinowe’s book, “I Had the Craziest Dream Last Night” has been selected as a finalist in the Southwest Book Design & Production Award competition. Sean Wells, Book Designer will join Victoria at the awards ceremony.

I wanted to write my book on creative methods for dreamwork in a way that would introduce a new kind of readership for the category of dreams – an introduction that would enchant the curious and encourage the artist in each of us without psychoanalyzing the nature of dreams.I also wanted to make the book beautiful with chapter headings using my pen and ink drawings.
On the very day that I realized I didn’t have the skills to design a book, Sean Wells, my “little sister” came to my rescue. As my computer guru and web designer, she easily took on the project. Having followed my artwork for over 24 years as my “little sister” (from the Big Brother, Big Sister program), she had a deep sensitivity for my style. Her vision for this book expanded the integration of imagery with the text. Her imaginative use of fonts interspersed with the drawings created an entirely new approach for the book. She mixed and matched twenty-five years of my illustrations into one coherent signature look.

FILLED WITH WONDER

Our nightly dreams are the repository of our deepest memories and feelings. They call to us from the innermost center of our being. They touch us in our tenderest places with the depth of our longing, our joys and our sorrows. They enchant us with euphoria, they arouse our passions, they frighten us, they inspire us and they fill us with wonder.

THE MUSE IN THE NIGHT

Our dreams are the muses that come in the night. Those of us who have fallen under the spell of writing mythic reinventions of our dreams have become enchanted by the world of mystery and paradox. For those who care to look, the subtle underbelly of a dream is lyrical, harmonious and sublime. Balanced in perfect proportion, polished with a sure eye, the organization and genius of each dream is stunning. Dreams are dagger sharp, ever on target, never off key. Once opened through creative writing, each dream reveals its perfect pitch.