Moss - Conscious dreaming: a spiritual path for everyday life

Y ou cant just sit down and write a book of this kind; you must live it. I learned in childhood that the dream world is a real worldpossibly more real than much of waking lifeand Ive been working with my personal dream journals for more than three decades. Still, it has taken me a long time to find the simplicity (and maybe the courage) to write openly about these experiences. I could not have written this book without the guidance and encouragement of many teachers and friends. Here I can honor only a few.

Among the many fellow explorers in the Association for the Study of Dreams who have fed my passion for dreamwork and my understanding of alternative approaches, I am especially grateful to Rita Dwyer, Stanley Krippner, Jeremy Taylor, Patricia Garfield and Strephon Kaplan-Williams, all generous and inspiriting teachers. Aad van Ouwerkerk helped me to realize the importance of formulating dream mottoes. The late Jessica Allena luminous beingshowed me the possibilities of dream theater. Michael Katz introduced me to techniques of Tibetan dream yoga. Joanne Rochon opened doorways into dreaming through her art and confirmed the benefits of doing dreamwork with the events of everyday life. John Hotchin lent his scientific precision to the task of logging and evaluating precognitive dreams.

In my understanding and practice of shamanic journeying techniquesand for important personal discoveriesI am greatly indebted to Michael Harner, who has led the shamanic revival in modern society, and to Sandra Ingerman, a true doctor of souls. Ginny Black Wolf, an intrepid shamanic stalker, helped me develop the methods of tracking inside the dreamscape described in this book.

I learn more about the gifts of dreaming every week from the many adventurous spirits who attend my workshops, and from members of my Active Dream circles. Wanda Burch, one of my soul sisters, has shared in many experiments over the past decade. Lonnie and Suzanne were dream allies when I most needed them.

Stuart Krichevsky has proved himself to be a dream agent, championing and shepherding this book from delivery to publication with humor, insight, and brio. Leslie Meredith and Sherri Rifkin brought me the joy of working with real editors who love their work and do it supremely well.

At my house, as in any dreaming culture, we start the day by asking, What did you dream? The best advice on handling nightmares I ever received came from my youngest daughter, when she was just four years old. My wife and daughters share in the adventure, and help me to walk the path of soul.

My deepest debt is to my teachers inside the dream world.

This is something all dreamers will understand.