from  the  same  place  as  dreams. It  works in  me in the
same   way   as  dreams,  bringing   me  information   and
guidance.  Even  when  I don't  remember  any  dreams,  I
find something of value in dreamwriting.
     DREAMGROUP: The people with  whom  I  share my
life  and  my  dreams  are  the  most  important of all  my
dreamwork  tools.  Dreamgroup starts  with  whomever  I
see in the morning and enlarges  and contracts during the
day, depending  on  whom  I  meet and  what I do. I'm also
involved in dreamgroups that meet regularly.
     In   dreamgroup   we  do   not   interpret   each  other's
dreams. We give each other space and support to become
ourselves. What is essential  in  a  dreamgroup  is  that  it
function  as  a  good  friend who  really listens  and cares,
who knows when  I'm conning myself, and  lets  me know
this in a loving way that does not wound me or put me on
guard.
     In  our dreamgroup  we  come  as  close  as  we can  to
creating together a safe community in which we can  take
the  next  steps  in  our  lives.  It  is  vital  that  we  release
stored up emotions without being swallowed  up  by them.
The most difficult thing,  I  find, is not to do anything-not
to   move  into  fight  or  flight  but   to  hang  in  and  gain
confidence  in  my own  spontaneity, relaxing,  getting on
with  living, clearing  myself  and  staying  in balance, and
knowing  that  my natural  intelligence will come up  with
what is needed, moment by moment.
     CAST OF CHARACTERS: As white  light  is  a bundle
of many colors, so  a  person is a whole made up of many
characters.  Dreams    act   as  a    prism,   separating  and
portraying  the different  energies  that  are  at  work  in a
person. For  myself,  there  is  Maria, who  embodies  my
receptive,  intuitive,  yielding,  enduring  qualities.  There
is a host of men in  my dreams,  representing  the various
ways  I  relate  to  my  active,  logical  energy.  I also find
wise,  helpful characters:  a  teacher  in  shirt sleeves and
house slippers  who  entered  my  name  in  a  large  book
to  enroll   me  in    a  special   school  of  life;  a   kindly,
brown-skinned  man  who  loaned   me  his  rubber  boots
to wear when  I  set out  through  deep  mud  and  muck; a

204