L. L Teuling 2008-03-17
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
I have been intrigued by dreams for a long time. Growing up in the home of a Christian minister, I've spent my whole life hearing and reading about dreams in the Bible. Many times I've wondered about my own dreams. I'd like to be able to interpret them and/or find someone who can do it. And to be honest, I would love to have the "gift" of dream interpretation.
This book is written by a Jungian analyst and Episcopal priest and I learned a lot about dreams through reading it. It is written from a basically Christian viewpoint - that God spoke through dreams. And, Sanford asserts, He still does. Sanford draws heavily on Jungian views on dream interpretation.
In his introduction he does a careful definition of these terms:
1. Ego - the conscious part of our personality.
2. Unconscious - all those parts of our personality which we do not know. He prefers this term to SUBconscious, as he states that the unconscious can be as much above the ego as below it.
3. Psyche - the entire personality, including the ego and the unconscious.
4. Psychic - the inner energy or activity of the psyche.
He does not refer to these in a spiritualist sense.
He divides the book into two parts, neither of which has a specific name. He deals with the nature and structure of dreams and how they relate to the Christian life. He gives many examples of dreams in the book, and by the time you finish, you will understand dreams much better than before.
I appreciate his emphasizing that you can't put dream interpretation into a box - each person's situation has to be considered as unique.
I still cannot interpret my dreams. But I've learned to appreciate them even more, and who knows? Maybe some day either I will get the insight to interpret them or find someone who can.
