I am with my sister-in-law and her husband (they publish a journal). I say that if some people can pray for rain, we can certainly pray for sunshine. My sister-in- law seems amused, but her husband agrees. He comes and stands beside me and offers a beautiful prayer for sunshine. I am quite surprised at his spiritual side, as I have never heard him offer a prayer before. Then we pray together. When we finish, he says, "OK, we've prayed enough. Let's clear the room for dancing." We are in a large social hall, with many old-time, straight- back chairs in it, so we start putting the chairs around the sides of the room, to clear the floor for dancing. (G.P., Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania)

I'm at a camp and have been assigned to sleep in a cabin just big enough for one person. I don't want to stay there alone because there is a bear in camp. Other people at the camp try to reassure me and help me to overcome the fear of the bear. The people encircle the bear and I am made a member of the circle. The bear approaches me, stares me in the face, then grabs my head, lowers it and picks at it with his paws. Then the bear walks away. I realize that being part of the circle has allowed me to overcome some of my fear—I note, too, that my fear was not entirely unjustified since the bear did single me out and pick on me, or off me. The group then withdraws and encourages me to enter now my own individual cabin alone for the night. They believe they have shown me that the bear is not that dangerous, but I do not believe it is true. I feel the bear is not a danger to me while I am part of the circle, but I feel it would still be dangerous for me to go it alone. I can't enter the little cabin and choose instead to stay with the others for the night. (D.W., Woodside, California)

When I first read about the Journal I was interested, but I had my doubts about working with "intellectuals." But after the following dream, I decided to jump in (I didn't write to my dreams):

I am in my old school gym and a dance is starting. The