Robert Moss - Dreamways of the Iroquois: Honoring the Secret Wishes of the Soul

Dreamways of the Iroquois

Mosss book reminds us of the spiritual magic awaiting each of us tonight when we cross the dreamgate to personal discovery. On the wings of his shamanic adventure, we follow Red-tailed Hawk, Dancing Bear, Silver Wolf, Wounded Stag, and his other guides to encounter the Ancient Mother who teaches him, and us, the way of the heart. His practical tools help todays readers reclaim these ancient Dreamways for our own paths to healing and soul remembering.

P ATRICIA G ARFIELD , P H .D., author of Creative Dreaming and co-founder
of The Association for the Study of Dreams

In this remarkable book Robert Moss participates in Native American cultural knowledge directlyvia his own dreams. His experiences delving into the Iroquois spiritual world along with his use of fascinating historical materials combine to make a rich literary feast. Dreamways of the Iroquois suggests that we profoundly coexist with those who live, or have lived, in our landscapes. It also offers valuable dreamwork techniques for understanding ourselves.

C HARLES S TEWART , P H .D., Department of Anthropology,
University College of London

Before the European invasion of North America, advanced systems of knowledge had been amassed over the centuries by indigenous people. One of the most remarkable aspects of the Iroquois tradition was the process by which they worked with dreams. In this entertaining and informative book, Robert Moss has made these dreamways available to contemporary readers, who will be inspired by the spiritual insight and practical advice that is still applicable today.

S TANLEY K RIPPNER , P H .D., co-author of Extraordinary
Dreams and How to Work With Them

Destiny Books

One Park Street

Rochester, Vermont 05767

www.InnerTraditions.com

Destiny Books is a division of Inner Traditions International

Copyright 2005 by Robert Moss

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

L IBRARY OF C ONGRESS C ATALOGING-IN -P UBLICATION D ATA

Moss, Robert, 1946

Dreamways of the Iroquois : honoring the secret wishes of the

soul / Robert Moss.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

print ISBN 978-1-59477-034-0

eISBN 978-1-59477-621-2

1. Dreams. 2. Spiritual life. 3. Iroquois IndiansReligionMiscellanea.

I. Title.

BF1091.M794 2005

299.7855dc22

2004021975

Printed and bound in the United States by Lake Book Manufacturing, Inc.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Text design by Mary Anne Hurhula

Text layout by Virginia Scott Bowman

This book was typeset in Sabon and Avenir with Gittani and

Skylark as the display typefaces

For Island Woman and her Sisters

The dreamworld is the Real World.

S ENECA I ROQUOIS SAYING

The soul has the ability to conform to her character the destiny that is allotted to her.

P LOTINUS

Magicam operare non est aliud quam maritare mundum

The work of the magus is none other than to marry the worlds.

P ICO DELLA M IRANDOLA , C ONCLUSIONES M AGICAE

Tohsa sasa nikonhrenDo not let your mind fall; do not forget.

M OHAWK I ROQUOIS SAYING

J OURNEY TO THE H EART OF A NCIENT M OTHER

T HE I ROQUOIS D REAM A W ORLD

T HE T EACHINGS OF I SLAND W OMAN

R ECLAIMING THE A NCIENT D REAMWAYS

An adequate return of thanks to all of those who have encouraged, inspired, and supported me over the years since I started dreaming in Mohawk and embarked on the path of a dream teacher could easily occupy half the pages of this book. But I will keep this very short, in thanking four overlapping groups of friends and helpers: the Iroquois, the scholars, the dreamers, and the life supporters.

I begin by giving thanks to the Onkwehonwe, the Real People. I would never have presumed to write some of the most important passages in this book unless I had been given very strong reasons to believe that I had received blessing and direction from some of the great onesabove all, the arendiwanen I have identified as Island Woman. In my journeys among the Iroquois today, I was greatly helped and inspired by Ray Gonyea, Tom Porter, Peter Jemison, Hazel Dean-John, the late Chief Jake Thomas and Jan Longboat, among many others. I owe a great debt of gratitude to David R. Maracle of the Bay of Quinte band of the Mohawks for his pioneer Mohawk Language Dictionary, which helped me to decipher some of my dreams. At every turning, I have been conscious of the tremendous legacyand sometimes the presenceof the great Tuscarora scholar of the Iroquois, J. N. B. Hewitt.

As I have noted in the book, the Iroquois have attracted the attention of some marvelously gifted scholars. I have benefited greatly from the generosity of William N. Fenton, Dean R. Snow, and George Hamell in sharing the fruits of their dedicated research over many decades. (None of them, of course, is to be held accountable for the use I have made of it!)

How can I begin to thank the dreamers? Over the years since I first encountered Island Woman, many thousands of dreamers have attended my workshops and shared their experiences with me, sometimes in shared adventures inside the dreamworlds. They are all my teachers. I was blessed, early on, to discover in Wanda Easter Burch a dream sister who was also a scholar of William Johnson and the Iroquois. I found a second dream sister in Carol Davis, and a wonderfully creative dream friend in Elizabeth Dimarco. For many years, I have benefitted greatly from the friendship and shared experience of a circle of Active Dreamers who gather with me twice a year on a mountain in Mohawk country in the Adirondacks where the Deer energy is strong (and Dragons are sometimes seen). At our private retreats we test-fly new techniques and embark on group dream travel, sacred drama, and spontaneous ritual.

I have gained many insights on contrasting approaches to dreaming and dreamwork from many delightful encounters with dream researchers and fellow-explorers in the International Association for the Study of Dreams, including Rita Dwyer, Stanley Krippner, Iain Edgar, Steve and Wewer Keohane, Robert Bosnack, Deirdre Barrett, Patricia Garfield, Wendy Pannier, Edward Bruce Bynum, Aad van Ouwerkerk, Alan Worsley, Richard Russo, and Bob and Lynn Hoss.

My understanding of how to adapt core shamanic techniques to modern society was enhanced by early trainings with Michael Harner, Sandra Ingerman, and the late Jessica Allen.

In my appreciation of how conscious dreaming techniques can facilitate imaginal healing, I was greatly inspired by the splendid work of Larry Dossey, Jean Achterberg, and Mary Watkins.