Dreamwork as a Window to the Soul

January 25,  February 1, 15, March 1, 15, 29, 2023
12:00–1:30 p.m. EST

“A dream unexplored is like a letter not read,” says Rabbi Hisda in the Talmud (Brachot 55b). The biblical Jacob before him called his dream a portal to the Divine. Kabbalists after them both called dreaming a form of prophecy.

For many of us, dreams have become especially vivid during these tumultuous times. Whether or not that is true for you, dreams are an invitation to look deeper. They can be a window to your soul and a channel for your divine inner voice. In six sessions, I will introduce you to the wonderful world of dreamwork in the method I was taught, which is primarily a Gestalt approach, influenced by my experience in spiritual companionship. The main principle in my dreamwork is that the dream belongs to the dreamer, and only the dreamer holds the key to decipher it. The role of the dreamworker is to help the dreamer understand their own dream, not interpret it for them.

Participants will be asked to start keeping a dream journal before the immersion begins, and together, we will share and work our dreams. Topics will include: keeping a dream journal, learning to “interview” our dream elements, the ego in the dream, following your intuition and curiosity, dreamwork as a spiritual practice, and more. Participants will be paired off into hevruta dream partners, and you will be invited to work together practicing the method between sessions, which will be every other week. Together, we will discuss texts on dreams in pairs and as a group, and work one another’s dreams in class, with me demonstrating and offering guidance.

Rabbi Dr. Haviva Ner-David is the rabbinic founder of Shmaya: A Mikveh for Mind, Body, and Soul, the only mikveh in Israel open to all to immerse as they choose. Ordained as both a rabbi and an interfaith minister, certified as a spiritual companion (with a specialty in dream work), and with a doctorate on mikveh from Bar Ilan University, she offers mikveh guidance and spiritual companioning for individuals and couples, as well as mikveh workshops and classes for groups. Rabbi Haviva is the author of three spiritual journey memoirs and a novel. Her most recent memoir, Dreaming Against the Current: A Rabbi’s Soul Journey, is about her journey into interspirituality and dreamwork. Her two previous spiritual journey memoirs are titled: Chanah’s Voice: A Rabbi Wrestles with Gender, Commandment, and the Women’s Rituals of Baking, Bathing, and Brightening, and Life on the Fringes: A Feminist Journey Towards Traditional Rabbinic Ordination, a runner up for the National Jewish Book Council Awards. Hope Valley, her debut novel, is about the friendship between a Palestinian and a Jewish woman in Galilee, where Haviva lives. She is also the mother of seven and lives with FSHD, a form of muscular dystrophy, which has been one of her greatest teachers.

All sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.