THE SUNDANCE

EXPERIMENT

The Sundance Experiment is an ongoing, open-ended exploration of the possibilities in cooperative dreaming. It is discovering the structure, dynamics and meaning of dream- inspired mythology in community. It is searching for a contemporary method of shared revelation that respects the sovereignty of the individual.

Chapter One of the Sundance Experiment told the dream story of the origins of our Community Dream Journal, how it got its birthname, "Sundance," and presented some of the ancient mythology and imagery associated with the archetypal motif of the mystery of creation—the "Sundance Motif." It was proposed that a community of people could obtain from their dreams the necessary symbolic patterns to create their own appropriate method of experiencing the secret mystery of the universal One. Chapter Two presented dreams and other contributions from participating subscribers that elaborated the Sundance motif as an archetypal pattern of how organized systems regenerate, whether it be the photosynthesis cycle in plant life, a community round table, or the vortex of creation itself. Chapter Three demonstrated, both by historical and contemporary example, how an individual's dream may have significance for the dreamer's community.

How might a community seek to dream together? Chapter Four presents two contemporary group "dream-in" experiments. "Dream Weekend" describes a get-together echoing the Sundance motif that invites the personable and grounded touch of the feminine consciousness. The second example, "Dreamsound," is a multimedia event that has been presented several times in New York City. In terms of both the setting of purpose and the relationship among the participants, there is an important study in contrasts between these two experiments in dreaming together.