Dreaming about the Divine

By Bonnelle Lewis Strickling

Subjects: Jung
Series: SUNY series in Dream Studies
Paperback : 9780791470923, 170 pages, April 2007
Hardcover : 9780791470916, 170 pages, April 2007

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Table of contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction: Point of View

1. The Divine

2. Some Basic Considerations

3. Dreaming about the Divine

4. Dreams of Help, Comfort, and New Life

5. Dreams of Energy

6. Bad Dreams about the Divine        

7. Tiffany’s Transformation

8. Grace’s Grace-Filled Journey

9. Transference and Spiritual Connection

10. Coming Home      

11. Dreams: The Divine Connection

Notes
Bibliography
Index

Explores the role of dreams in spiritual work.

Description

In Dreaming about the Divine, Bonnelle Lewis Strickling argues that people dream about the divine in forms that fit their current emotional and spiritual condition. Using Jungian psychology and the philosophy of Karl Jaspers, Strickling contends that dreams about the divine occur in the context of existential issues; psychic and emotional crises which open us to the experience of the divine. She concludes that working with dreams of the divine can be spiritually, psychically, and emotionally helpful both to people who are engaged in a spiritual search and also to people who are already committed to a spiritual tradition.

A practicing Jungian therapist, Bonnelle Lewis Strickling is also Chair of Philosophy at Langara College and Clinical Associate of Psychology at Simon Fraser University.

Reviews

"Bonnelle Lewis Strickling has written a compelling book that illustrates powerfully the point that, as Jacques Derrida said, it is when we are 'hoping, sighing, dreaming' that we give form to what is really going on in our hearts, that we give shape to our deepest desire beyond desire. A beautiful and moving work. " — John D. Caputo, author of Philosophy and Theology

"The texture of this work is intellectually stimulating, emotionally engaging, and spiritually brave. It also reflects the author's own deep psychospiritual journey. " — Jeremy Taylor, author of The Living Labyrinth: Exploring Universal Themes in Myths, Dreams, and the Symbolism of Waking Life

"Strickling creates a totally original, yet deeply satisfying approach to the psychospiritual dynamics of dreaming and provides excellent practical methods for helping people develop a fruitful, open-ended dialogue with the dreaming imagination. " — Kelly Bulkeley, author of Visions of the Night: Dreams, Religion, and Psychology