The card headed "Doors," for  example, will show  me
all   the  dreams   I've   had  about  doors,  with   the dates.
A   fascinating   sequence   develops,  revealing   how,  at
different  times  in  my  life,  I've left  myself  wide open
or   locked   myself  in,  how  I've  bolted  myself  out  or
welcomed    myself   in.   One   door   was   draped   with
children's clothes, another was all glass.  The dreampool
helps me  to see the myths  I  am living  and the stories  I
tell myself.
     DREAMSPACE: I have a relaxed  condition  mid-way
between sleep and waking, similar to  the clear feeling  I
have  when  I  first  awaken  when  I  am  still open  to my
dream energy and  my inner self. When  I  work with  my
dreams,     I    alternate     my    attention    between    this
meditative state and  action  (writing,  speaking, moving).
I close my eyes  and  go  inside,  giving  myself plenty of
time to watch for whatever pops up.
     In   my   imagination   I   ride  out  on   my  breath  and
experience the pause  between  breaths when  nothing  is
happening.  I  wait  and  simply  let   myself  happen. That
pause  between  exhalation  and  inhalation is  my  model
for   the   rhythm   of   dreamwork:   drawing  in   through
dreamtools,  then  letting  go and  watching... a  pause, an
emptiness . . . and  from  somewhere  in  me a movement
occurs that reshapes me.
     ASKING:    Before   falling   asleep,   I   go   into   my
dreamspace    and    connect    with   what  it   is   that   is
uppermost  for  me  in  my life right now.  I may write in
my dreamlog, or simply sense without words, what I feel
life  is asking  of  me and what  I  am asking of life.  I'm
never  in  the  same place  I  was  the day before.  I  make
contact with what is ending or losing importance for me,
making    space    for    what   is    beginning   or   gaining
importance.   Asking   is   a  pre-sleep   preparation   that
enhances both the quality of dreams  and dream recall.  I
focus  myself  on what  I need to know and what wants to
make itself known in me.
     DREAMWRITING: I find that I can also pay attention
through writing. I  write "what comes to pen" rather  than
"what comes to mind." It grows  as I write;  I  don't  know
ahead  of  time.  Dreamwriting  is  not "thinking  it  over,"
nor  is  it escaping into fantasy. It  is  writing  that comes

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