THE SYMBOLIC LIFE,

INCLUDING THE ASTROLOGY OF DREAMS

Ask the typical astrologer about dreams, astrologically speaking, and they'll likely inarticulately murmur keywords: planet, Neptune; sign, Pisces; house, the twelfth house, and that's pretty much it. What should be approximately one third of our lives, sleep and the Dreamtime, is ignored or downplayed by most astrologers, just as they are by most parts of the population.

Astrology should be seen not as some yet to be validated science, nor as some Charlatan " pseudo-science," but as one of the symbolic arts, reflective of our symbolic life. Artists of all sorts tend to take easily to astrology, as the arts themselves in many forms often speak symbolically. Those who appreciate, if only intuitively, the symbolic nature of dreams also tend to appreciate astrology. After all, astrology with its metaphoric elements (earth, air, fire, water), its mythological characters, its imagistic zodiacal signs, its aspect patterns, etc., speaks in every way, to our symbolic minds.

It should come as no surprise, then, that astrology can be used to help us understand our dreams and those of our clients. Our lives and our charts do not stop operating when we sleep. Rather, in some ways we could say that dreams give our astrological lives the optimum region for symbolic expression.

I have studied dreams informally in many ways, including with two of the best in the field, Stephen Aisenstadt, Ph.D. of the Pacifica Institute in Carpinteria, California and with Unitarian Universalist minister, Jeremy Taylor, of San Rafael, California.

Dr. Aisenstadt has studied dream tending with indigenous elders in Australia and in Africa. Jeremy Taylor's lfe work has lead to important conclusions such as the insight that "all dreams come in the interest of health and healing."

Behind, beneath and beside keywords, what are clues regarding the astrology of dreams? For instance, why is the twelfth considered "the house of dreams?"** This house is just above the ascendant, corresponding to the time just after sunrise. Indigenous people would see the obvious connection, because in indigenous cultures around the world, this is the time of the beginning of the day, when last night's dreams would be remembered and shared with one another. Rather than dismissed as utter nonsense, a dream shared might inspire the day's individual and/or collective actions in such a culture. (Modern trash, ancient treasure....)

Why should Pisces be considered the sign of Dreams? The glph for Pisces shows two fish swimming in opposite directions, connected to one another by a cord. No such an image is likely to be seen in ordinary waking life, where a ram, bull, twins, etc. could be viably seen. Only Pisces has the sort of image one is likely to only see in a dream, or perhaps in the dreamlike art or imagination of a creative person.

Parapsychologists have found that all of us, in varying degrees, have extrasensory and intuitive senses which remain dormant in most of us when common sense and logic can serve us just as well or better. Since we are living in the most illogical and craziest time ever in recent memory, it makes sense that one by one, intuitive and extrasensory abilities are likely to come up in our consciousness to better serve ourselves and humanity at this time. Astrologically, this time is marked by the approximately seven year transit of Uranus in Pisces (which began almost exactly with the US bombing and invasion of Iraq.)

For many, dreams now are personally or collectively precognitive. Also, emerging messages from the psyche beckon us to "awaken to the dream," to see our waking lives now, more than ever, as living dreams, or manipulation of the mass psyche through TV, etc. (the movie-like, staged "mission accomplished landing," for example....) Do we need to awaken from a colective dream/nightmare?

What might your dreams be telling you? Whether discussed separately, or integrated into one's life story astrology of the moment, I have experience helping to personalize astrology by connecting personal astrology and dream. For example, when is the best time of day for a dream work group? What years, months or days would it be of particular importance to pay attention to your dreams? Your birth chart, it's transits and progressions, etc. hold the answers. (Please note that as with my other astrological services, there is no need to know or listen to any astrological jargon. However, for the interested astrology student, I can gladly tutor, or explain my rationale in thecontext of the personal interpretation of your chart.)

______________________________________________________ **Dreams are to be found everywhere in the chart, not just in the twelfth house, if we know where to look.