the  project.  If  the  project  could  lead  the  person into
trouble,   an   unfortunate   outcome   might   be    sensed
subliminally.   Such   a   message   could   manifest   as  a
disturbing  dream  to steer the person away from joining.
Second,  since  the  project was  to  involve an attempt to
interact  with  dreams  and  to engage them in dialogue, it
seemed  appropriate   to  start   the  project  with  such  a
petition,  treating  the  dreams  as  if  they  were an entity
unto  themselves,  and  asking  them  for their reaction to
the  prospect  of  the  project;  asking them,  in effect,  if
they wanted to join.
      I  suggested  that  after  the  person  made  a  decision
about  joining,  a  letter  should  be written to his dreams.
The letter  might include  a  statement  of why the person
was deciding  to  join  the project, the person's intentions
with   regard   to   establishing   a   relationship   with  his
dreams,  and  a  request  for  the  dreams  to  comment.  I
suggested  that  this  letter  be  placed  under the person's
pillow  for a night or two,  to  see  what  dreams resulted.
Thus  the  person  was  to  assume  responsibility  for the
decision  whether  or  not   to  join  the  project,  but  the
dreams were also allowed an opportunity to respond.
      The  invitational  letter  was  sent  to  people  who had
indicated  on  the  A.R.E. Research Questionnaire Work-
book    an   interest    in    researching   dreams.   Through
announcements in the  A.R.E. News,  and through word of
mouth,  others  were  given  an opportunity to request the
letter of invitation.

Dreams Anticipate the Project

      In  the  invitational  letter,  I  had  asked  for feedback
from  anyone  who  tried  the  "pillow  letter"  suggestion,
whether or not they joined the project.  About  50 letters
were initially received in reply.  One-third  of the people
writing said  that  the pillow letter yielded  no dream or a
dream  that  did  not  seem  to  relate  to  the  question of
joining  the project.  I  answered  these  letters,  thanking
the  people  for  taking  the  time  to  reply,  especially to
report negative results.

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