The Stars at Night: Successfully Creative People Finding Self-Awareness Through Dream Work

By Anita D. Hall

The Stars At Night colorfully portrays successfully creative personalities achieving self-awareness and spiritual insight through their dreams. Likewise, the book shows that everyone can become more creative and spiritual by tending to his or her own dreams. In this text, Anita Hall shares the techniques, attitude, and approach that she uses, as well as actual dreams of the generous personalities, such as Alan Arkin and

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 11, 2003
• ISBN: 9781462823215

Anita D. Hall

Highly respected in the field of self-awareness through dream work, Anita D. Hall has been in private practice as a psychotherapist in Westport, CT since 1985. Her clients include celebrities, business people, youth group teens, therapists, and many other soul-searching individuals. As a member of the Association for the Study of Dreams, she has traveled internationally to its conferences, keeping abreast of the latest dream research and application.

Book preview

The Stars At Night

Successfully Creative People Finding Self-Awareness Through Dream Work

Anita D. Hall

Copyright © 2002 by Anita D. Hall.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted 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 copyright owner.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

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Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Part One

When I Fall Asleep

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Part Two

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Part Three

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Part Four

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Bibliography

TO THE 5 STARS OF MY WAKING LIFE DREAM,

BOB, SUSAN, JONATHAN, ALEXANDER,

AND HANNAH.

Acknowledgments

Deep gratitude for Dream Stars;

Marcia Wright, Don Campbell, Alan Arkin, José Feliciano, Trudy Griswold, Bill Bell, Elizabeth Fuller, Watts Wacker, Frank Hall, Julian Schlossberg, Herman Margulies, Marian Schuler DiVitorrio, Dianne B. Bernhard

And thank you to:

Marcia Hupp, Chip Hildreth, Suzanne Newlander Arkin, Susan E. Roche, Bill Rother, Bonnie Rother, Linda Tagliamonte, Rosie Thys, EdWard Thompson, and Karen Weinstein for the help along the way.

and

A proud thank you each to my son Jonathan Hall for the cover art and photo and to my daughter Susan Hildreth for helping me to bring it all together.

Introduction

Dream a Little Dream of Me

If you will pardon this seeming invasion of privacy, I have dreamt your dream. Remember the one about showing up for that final exam totally unprepared? Or the nightmare of being chased without even knowing who was pursuing you? Or the calmer scenario where you walked through a bright and sunny house? I was there. I didn’t study for the exam either; I, too, awoke with exhaustion and fear from the chase; and it was I as well as you who walked curiously about the big house. These are examples of scenes that so many of us have experienced in our dreams that we may wonder if in fact we are sharing the same dreams. Yet each of your dreams is very different from mine. Each is unique unto you and has meaning only to you because it is your dream. It is true that we share similar experiences in life that dance their way into our dreams. Yet, each dream is uniquely the dreamer’s, and completely personal. The emotion that we feel in a dream is the key to its individuality. Similarly, the symbols that we read into our own slumber-time images have meaning to no one else. For example, if I dream of something that is the color red, it has to do with my perception of red, which is life, energy. When my friend Ed dreams of something red, it has to do with his own perception of red, which is to halt or stop something. Our personal feelings and dream symbols offer each of us a magical guide to our creativity and a new understanding that allows us to make positive choices and changes in our lives. As you read about the dreams of creatively successful people, I hope you become curious and ultimately fascinated by the meanings and messages of your own dreams.

Maybe you don‘t remember your dreams. I have had that trouble, too. In fact, I used to assert, „I don‘t dream." Then, I learned that scientific proof exists that all human beings dream each night. I became curious at that point and wanted to learn more. I admit that I was a bit hesitant at first because I had heard people speak so fearfully about nightmares and prophetic dreams. In addition to these initial qualms, I assumed that the serious study of dreams was meant only for therapists helping clients to work through their deepest, darkest secrets. I soon came to realize, however, that dreams are gifts given to each of us as tools to encourage awareness of our underlying questions and concerns and to aid us in developing our personal creativity. The focus of such dreams includes our individual day-to-day issues, whether related to career, health, relationships, finances, or spirituality.

After many years of study, inquiry, and practical work with dreams, I am confident that anyone can have access to the information and magic that they provide. One only needs to pay attention to these nocturnal offerings as many successfully creative dreamers have. They have found that attending to their dream messages is like holding up a mirror from which they can see a clear and vivid vision reflected back.

Dreams serve as a source of insight and inspiration in many ways. Dream visits from religious figures or loved ones who have passed over bring messages of comfort, guidance, and reassurance. You can look forward to a very touching account of this type of dream in Chapter Four, where well-known singer and musician José Feliciano tells of his dream visits. Dreams also have been recognized as inspirations for ingenious solutions, creative ideas, and even works of art, as you will read in Chapter Thirteen with artist Dianne Bernhard.

Inventions such as the sewing machine by Elias Howe, songs such as Paul McCartney’s Yesterday, and literature such as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein have all been inspired by dreams.

It was the ancient Greek philosophers who believed that self- knowledge is the way to wisdom. Many philosophers of today expound the same idea, calling it Soul Work. Evaluation of the inner spirit becomes a skill necessary to the living of a meaningful life. Through the process, we discover who we really are and can become. To those of you who are curious, but hesitant because you fear the revelations that dreams provide, I confidently say, Fear not, for all dreams are safe. They come to bring you insight and wisdom. Even those dreams that cause some discomfort can offer you enlightenment by gradually freeing you from any negative unconscious patterns which govern your life. With a little guidance and practice in the art of examining your dream messages, self-discovery will be yours, ushering in your own creativity just as it has for many creatively successful people.

It has been shown that creative people tend to put more emphasis on the value of their dreams than those not inclined toward creativity. Researchers have found distinct differences between dreams of creative and non-creative people. Creative people appear to believe that understanding their dreams can improve their life. Such individuals see dreams as extensions of their conscious life and believe that thoughts and concerns from waking life will carry over into their dreams. As a result, these dreamers tend to exert more effort to figure out the meaning of dreams. They also dream more in color, sleep more soundly, and are better at recalling their dreams. Clearly, the correlation between creativity and dreaming is strong. Those who invite an awareness of their own dream process will often find that their creativity is enhanced as a result.

Many personal definitions of the word creative exist, and I add mine in the context of these creatively successful people. Such individuals exhibit creativity in that they have a strong tendency to give birth to new ideas and to take action in giving these ideas shape. Each person discussed in this book is celebrated for imaginative concepts that she or he has developed and actualized.

Today, more than ever, we are drawn toward successful personalities. One reason may be our own need for recognition. Most of us have a desire to be celebrated for something. This hunger for self-esteem leads most of us to wish for 15 minutes of fame as individuals of distinction. One way to pursue recognition or success status is to identify with and gain inspiration from our heroes, those who have achieved their potentials, fulfilled their dreams, those people who have followed the advice of sages such as Henry David Thoreau, who counseled: Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you’ve imagined.

Since childhood, I myself have been fascinated with famous and creative people and the fact that they seem to make their dreams come true. I have always thought that if I were like them, I would be successful and creative in my own way. I have found in working with such individuals that what sets them apart is their diligent search for who they really are and what they are here to do. They utilize dream work as a soul-searching process.

As I began, some time ago, to concentrate on the creative outlet that dreams allow to everyone, I realized that dream study belongs not only in the therapist’s office, but also in the world outside, among us all. Actors experiment with the different parts of themselves through their various roles; writers, through their characters; artists, through their materials; and athletes, through their numerous challenges. Likewise, we can all try on our dream images and take action in response to the messages they provide. This process is simultaneously enjoyable and challenging.

I have developed a simple approach to dream work that I have used with my clients for many years. It is called my Five- Star Program and it is based on a simple free-association and metaphor concept. Each Star stands for a word beginning with S that will guide you. Star, of course, refers to the star quality of my dreaming clients.

I have also identified four characteristics for successful dream work. They are attention, courage, humor, and action. Simply paying attention to your dreams and their messages will enhance dream recall, help you to develop your dream work skills, and answer inner questions. Courage entails the knowledge that regardless of what form the dream may take—comfort, fright, seriousness, or joy—it has appeared to you in your own best interest. Your dream is your friend. Your dream is you. Humor involves laughing at the often-bizarre nature of your dreams, and is a characteristic which will help you to relax in order for the meaning to become clear to you. It also adds to the sheer enjoyment of exploring your dreams. Action characterizes your response to the dream message that will make positive changes come true. Do take note of these characteristics in the dream examples of these highly creative people as you read of their nighttime adventures.

In my private practice as therapist and dream worker, I assist many creatively successful people in their quests to understand their dreams. In order to become as successful as they are, they have utilized both tremendous creativity and knowledge of their inner voices. Along with their nightly regular dreams, they have shared nightmares, lucid dreams, psychic dreams, common dream themes, spiritual messages, and more. I am honored to be able to work alongside such individuals and to guide them through their dream work. Like many of these people whom we admire and respect, you, too, can tune into the wisdom of your soul and experience enjoyment in exploring your dreams. In this book, I share with you the approach, attitude, and technique that I use, as well as actual dreams of the self-revealing personalities who have agreed to take part in this project. I invite you to indulge in the fascinating world of these dreamers while you experiment with the process of exploring your own dreams.

PART ONE