Melinda Powell - The Hidden Lives of Dreams: What They Can Tell Us and How They Can Change Our World

A great contribution towards healing the deep wounds of our dreaming soul at the present time ... A book that is an illuminating guide both for those who pay close attention to their dreams and those whose dream life is an unexplored country. Anne Baring Ph.D., author of The Dream of the Cosmos: A Quest for the Soul

A valuable guide on your journey through the wondrous world of dreaming. Melinda Powell provides the full spectrum to help you understand the scientific, psychological, artistic, spiritual and colourful nature of your dreams. Bob Hoss, past president of the International Association for the Study of Dreams and director of the DreamScience Foundation, author of Dream Language: Self-Understanding through Imagery and Color

This book is a great encouragement to a world that is rediscovering the importance of dreams. Melinda Powell covers the benefit of dream work from the psychological and scientific as well as the therapeutic and spiritual perspectives, showing how dreams are a source of guidance, inspiration and wellbeing. Bob Haden, founder and former director of the Haden Institute, author of The Souls Labyrinth

Melinda Powell beautifully explains how dreams can shed light on our fears, inviting us greater freedom in choosing consciously how we wish to be in our relationships and in the world. Diane Greig, Ph.D., founder of the Pacific Northwest Dream Community, Canada

Exploring the depths of dreaming with an experienced guide like Melinda Powell will bring you closer to your heart, your purpose and your truest self. An exceptional book for those listening to the wisdom of their dreams! Highly recommended. Robert Waggoner, author of Lucid Dreaming: Gateway to the Inner Self

Published by Lagom

An imprint of Bonnier Books UK

Wimpole Street

London

W1G 9RE

www.bonnierbooks.co.uk

Trade paperback 9781788702386

eBook 9781788702393

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A CIP catalogue of this book is available from the British Library.

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Copyright Melinda Powell, 2020

Melinda Powell has asserted their moral right to be identified as the author of this Work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Every reasonable effort has been made to trace copyright holders of material reproduced in this book, but if any have been inadvertently overlooked the publishers would be glad to hear from them.

Lagom is an imprint of Bonnier Books UK

www.bonnierbooks.co.uk

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To my beloved Andrew,

my dearly loved family,

and for a world in need of dreams.

The world is a dream, you say, and its lovely,
sometimes. Sunset. Clouds. Sky.

No. The image is a dream. The beauty is real.
Can you see the difference?1

Richard Bach

Contents

In my early forties, I had a dream in which a man leads me into a room where my parents, brothers and others close to me have gathered. He tells them, I know Melindas life may not have turned out as you might have thought. But thats okay because her life had to be this way for the dreams. The man who appeared in the dream has also written the foreword to this book. That makes sense because the psychotherapy centre he set up in the 1980s has provided a home for dreams and dreamwork both for me and for many others. For this, my profound thanks to Nigel Hamilton.

In my twenties. I decided to let my dreams guide my waking life. I thank my dreams for leading me to this present moment in which I look through my study window at a cluster of yellow roses that remind me of my dear mother. She has long since passed from this life, but her presence in my dreams has been a continuing source of encouragement. I also wish to remember and thank my father for instilling in me from childhood both soul stamina and a deep love for the wonders of Nature the coastlines, canyonlands, deserts and mountains of my homeland.

Such natural beauty features in the photographs by Chris Nassef. Thank you, Chris!

Next, my thanks to the many people who have walked the paths of my life and dreams with me. You know who you are and when you read these words, you will know they are for you. In particular, I thank Sajada Taylor, my dream guide, whose wise counsel has led me through many dreams. I would also like to thank Dave Billington, my colleague at the Dream Research Institute, London, for his hands-on help in bringing dreams into reality.

To the many people referred to in these pages, whose thoughts and experiences form part of an ongoing conversation about life and dreams, I thank each one of you.

To the readers of this book, as I share with you my thoughts and dreams, I express my gratitude for your interest and openness. May your dreams, likewise, lead to your hearts innermost treasure.

And to my editor, Oliver Holden-Rea of Bonnier Books, who commissioned this work, and to his team, my warmest thanks.

Here, my thoughts turn with loving thanks to my husband, Andrew, whose steady hand, warm heart and lucid mind move tenderly through my life, dreams and the revisions of this book.

With humble thanks, I offer these pages to the spirit that moves through dreams and rustles among the treetops.

In my life, dreams have shone like living Presences of light against the backdrop of the dark, sacred night. Like bright stars, dreams have guided and filled me with a deep sense of gratitude and awareness of grace. The stars shine for all of us. The earth beneath our feet, the wind upon our cheeks, the touch of a loved one these entwine with the light of our dreams, enriching life. For all this, I give heartfelt thanks.

This unique book by Melinda Powell fills a gap in the available dream literature. Namely, it extolls and illustrates the vital importance of the Imaginal Mind as a bridge between our human and spiritual natures. Melindas book shows how dreams reveal the limited perspective we have on our problems, on ourselves and on life in general due to our overly conditioned capacity to look at how we see the world and our place within it. As Melinda demonstrates, dreams act as mirrors, revealing our wounds, our defences, and our illusions. Yet if we can clear our minds of old impressions and heal ourselves, our Imaginal Mind becomes a mirror, one in which dreams reveal the treasure of our hidden spiritual nature.