DREAM FOR PEACE By Rosemary Watts, © 2002

As most dreamers, responding to the events of 9-11, I asked myself, "What can I do to make a difference? How might my own dreams lead to healing, understanding, and taking action that might have a positive impact?"

As a Dream Educator, I have been searching for clues to respond to these tragedies by focusing on the wisdom in dreams. Perhaps we can learn from our inner sources. Remembering the powerful effects from "The U.S.-Soviet Dream Bridge" experiment in 1987, I knew that our dreams could lead us in creating greater peace in the world.

In my personal dream group, we began to intentionally dream for peace. We used a group-created visualized peace mandala as an anchor for our group's dreaming intentions. I encouraged my classes throughout the fall to join us with the intention of dreaming for peace.

Many important insights were gained and we seemed directed to dive deeper into the dreams for further guidance. By January, I had (literally) dreamed a Lucid Dream class that would guide a group to step through the doorway to intentionally dream for peace.

I thought, "If we could wake up in our dreams to choose peace, perhaps this could translate to waking up in conscious daily life to choose peace." A group of fifteen gathered to begin the lucid dreaming experiment. The class met for 2½ months.

At a time when the world is reacting to the events of 9-11, most of us wonder what we might do to make a positive difference.

The next step was to move into the realm of lucid dreaming. Lucid dreaming is becoming consciously aware within the dream that you are dreaming. If we could "wake up" within the dream, perhaps this could translate to "waking up" within our conscious daily lives to experience greater peace in the world. A group of fifteen gathered to rise to this challenge.

These dreamers had taken most of my previous classes and are well versed in discovering great truths within dreams. I believe the power to lucid dream is enhanced if you have a dreaming partner with whom you agree that you will dream together.

The first week, we discussed the different ranges of lucidity, from noting incongruencies (such as a childhood neighbor whom you haven't seen in years showing up at your current work place); looking for specific, agreed upon lucid "cues" that would help trigger awareness in the dream (such as repeating themes that both dreamers might share, like dreams about cars or dogs or childhood homes, which would act as trigger cues); searching for each other in the dreamtime; and stepping through the "portals" of lucidity, the doorways opening up greater consciousness in the dream.

Each week built on the previous connecting links and we continued to add new "portals" to access greater lucidity.

Through our explorations of connecting "web" dream links among the group, we wanted to utilize this dream wisdom in a more tangible way. Two of my own dreams inspired a group activity that we all agreed to create.

12/27/2001 "A Tapestry for Peace"

"I dream that dreams are collected from a year's time period, all focused on and for peace. Square quilt pieces of these peace dream images are put together on a tapestry, with the background being a picture of the earth. There is a border of colorful cloth with lessons learned from the dreams printed on them."

1/23/2002 "Lucid Dreaming Peace Quilt"

"I hear 'We Can Be Kind' playing. [This is a beautiful song I recorded recently, written by David Friedman, asking in a world where there is pain, what can we do? We can be kind.]

Hearing this makes me become slightly lucid. I see before me a shallow pool. It is night. There is a full moon. On the other side of this pool are steps leading up to a majestic temple. The pillars are white and glowing in the moonlight. I begin to walk across the water toward the pillars, barely skimming my feet on the water.

I am barefoot and in flowing, white priestess robes. It feels and looks like an ancient Greek temple. I walk/float up the stairs to the entrance of this mighty temple. I can see more light emanating from within. I walk through this portal entrance and become fully lucid. The temple is completely open -- no walls, no ceiling. The radiant night sky filled with stars and the glowing moon shine down on me.

I am in a dream temple! I look for my dreaming partners. They are there, smiling at me. They are also dressed in flowing, white robes. I look around and see my whole lucid dreaming group, all in a circle, all in flowing, white robes. I sense there are many others I cannot see, but who are also lucid dreamers. Are we all dreaming for peace?

We light the candle of the one next to us until the whole circle is filled with glowing candlelight. We chant together: "Peace is IN me. Peace is WITH me. Peace flows THROUGH me. I AM PEACE." It is powerful. I sense we are all just light bodies now, glowing and radiating in harmony.

Something catches my eye and I turn to see hundreds of Peace Quilts hanging all around, suspended in air. These are waves of peace billowing out to the world. We ARE making a difference!"

WE CAN BE KIND

So many things we can't control.

So many hurts that happen every day.

So many heartaches that pierce the soul.

So much pain that won't ever go away.

How do we make it better?

How do we make it through?

What can we do when there's nothing we can do?

Chorus: We can be kind.

We can take care of each other.

We can remember that deep down inside we all need the same thing.

And maybe we'll find, if we are there for each other,

That together we'll weather whatever tomorrow may bring.

Nobody really wants to fight.

Nobody really wants to go to war.

If everyone wants to make things right,

Then what are we always fighting for?

Does nobody want to see it?

Does nobody understand?

The power to heal is right here in our hand.

Chorus:

And it's not enough to talk about it.

Not enough to sing a song.

We must walk the walk about it.

You and I, do or die, we've got to try to get along.

Chorus:

And maybe we'll find,

True peace of mind,

If we always remember ...

WE CAN BE KIND.

After sharing these dreams, the group agreed to look to their own dreams for guidance on peace. We explored how that might be experienced and expressed on four different levels: internal personal peace (how we might be in conflict within ourselves); external personal peace (close family and friend relationships that might challenge us); collective peace (exploring peace and conflict in daily life); and global peace (what might we do as individuals to create greater harmony and resolution of conflict on the planet).

With lucid dreaming intentions to dream for peace, each participant asked their dreams for wisdom and guidance on how to glean from the dreams something to be created into a dreaming quilt piece. Below are the statements from each dreamer on their part in this quilt creation.

1. The heart was woven with a single piece of ribbon representing the oneness of all creation. The doves of peace are at the heart level waiting to open the door. I shall keep asking, seeking and knocking. Peace begins with me.
Carol Nemeth

2. The Olympic torch came in a dream the first morning after our first class. It signifies all people coming together for a common goal and for healthy competition. It is also a reminder to "play fair."
Karen Coleman

3. These words from a billboard inspired my quilt square. The words speak of possibilities, of love, and peace, continuing in a circle of no beginning and no end. Our Dream for Peace class exemplified the words: Open hearts, open minds, open doors. If we are open, anything is possible.
Kelly Carter Eisenhart

4. Hands are a powerful image in my dreams. I saw an image of the earth broken into pieces. I feel the brokenness of the earth's heart and all of our hearts, in my dreams and in my waking life. We yearn for a peaceful, kinder world and yet fear the task is insurmountable. With all of our hands and hearts working together we can heal ourselves, each other, and the earth. I knew that each hand must be from a unique color of cloth just as all of us on earth are unique. Many hands become millions of hands as we reach out to one another. The insurmountable work becomes a joy. We no longer feel overwhelmed but inspired.
Rose McClarren

5. I chose the blue material because it's my favorite color. The butterfly represents freedom. If you watch it fly, it's hard to tell where it's going, but it knows. We all should be free.
Bill Ross

6. I made my quilt piece as a totem pole, because during one of the first meditations we did I saw a totem pole for "Peace is with me." The White Buffalo was given to me in a dream. The white buffalo represents abundance through right action and right prayer. I chose it for the base of the totem pole. The cats, a chicken, and the colors blue and white were also in my dreams.
Dianne Rasponi

7. Night passes into day and the small can be as mighty as the large. The small, fragile butterfly is strong, endures, and travels far. The elephant large and strong, travels, lives long, and gains wisdom. We, too, can learn and then travel our own journey, absorbing the knowledge and expecting a miracle around each corner. Fairy dust will be sprinkled upon each and every one, if only we stop, listen, feel, and know that peace begins with us.
JoAnn Barnhart

8. The orange person represents my fun inner child, my soul. The purple surrounding the orange person represents the wisdom part of my soul. The rainbow colored balloons symbolizes the diversity of God's creation.

When I can access the peace within myself, I can then extend this peace outward to all of God's creation. The words, "No Judgment," came to me in a dream. I feel that if we learn not to judge other people then "peace will truly begin with me."
Pat Sensa Huemmer

9. My white background is multiple little squares representing all the dreamers of the world standing shoulder to shoulder. Figures around the central figure are the 15 members of our lucid dreaming class. The main color scheme is patriotic: red, white and blue, as peace begins at home.
Roberta Mathis

10. See my dream above, which inspired the quilt.
Rosemary Watts

11. The angel is the guardian of earth calling upon the vibration of peace.
Pat Pionke

12. My quilt piece is my dream of tapping into the white light and healing energy of the Universe. As an individual, a group, and the world, we can envision the white light and healing energy spiraling down, bringing peace and healing to the Earth and the Universe.
Linda Behlmann

13. In my dream, I am sitting at a computer opening my e-mail. The first e-mail is a picture of a bulldozer at Ground Zero in New York. The second e-mail is the same picture, except there is an American Bald Eagle with open wings in front of the bulldozer. The eagle appears to be pushing it, as if it were fighting back. The picture this time is in the form of a puzzle that can be worked by pushing the correct keys.

I woke up thinking about that puzzle when the idea came to me that in striving for peace we are all a part of the puzzle. My hope is that everyday when we wake up with the gift of life we are grateful. In return for that gift, we can do something nice for someone else. A small deed can pave the way for peace in our world, making us all a piece of the Peace Puzzle.
Janis Nemeth

14. In the center of my design is a healing symbol given to me in a dream about thirty years ago. Seven violet pillars stand under a gold, inverted crescent moon. All I have to do is reach toward the light and the nurturing, intuitive wisdom of the feminine light will pour down upon this earthbound spirit.

Attacking silver bullets pass through the healing to be transformed into silver seeds. Fifteen silver seeds touch the ground and plant themselves in a perfect circle. This is our lucid dreaming circle, both planting the seeds of peace in the dreamtime and acting as the seeds of this new way of dreaming together.
Carol Oldani

15. The main focus of my square is the Peace Quilt my fourth graders made after a peace meditation I wrote and led for them during class. They were asked to focus on a peaceful symbol throughout the meditation and ask God for help becoming a peacemaker now on Earth. The student's symbols varied; however, in the wake of 9-11, many students chose to focus on the American Flag.

Students in 6th-8th grade sculpted "clay prayers." One of them had the words "One World." "Happily Ever After" is written on blue "wavy" paper because water is a repetitive symbol in my dreams. The saying came to me in a dream reflecting how we are all trying to live "Happily Ever After" in a peaceful world.
Kathie Eckelkamp

The fifteen dreamers in this Lucid Dreaming class began to dream intentionally for peace, creating their own peace quilt square, to be made into this final Dreaming Peace Quilt. By bringing together the dreaming power of our group into a creative project, we feel we have begun a powerful peace project that is and will continue to have a positive impact.

Our Dreaming Peace Quilt is a magnificent physicalization of the wisdom shared in the dreamtime. By bringing together the dreaming power of our group into a creative project, we feel we have begun a powerful peace project that is and will continue to have a positive impact.

As we begin to share this quilt in our community, we would like to inspire you to create your own peace tapestry and dreaming quilts. This is a way in which we can dream for peace, talk and share about our own peace experiences and the areas of conflict with which we struggle, and create a communal experience that focuses attention on creating greater peace in the world.

Our experiences have been remarkably powerful and continue to generate great growth for each of us. We know and trust that this process can be equally powerful to others, and challenge you to tap into the unlimited guidance available to us all through our dreams. Dreaming for peace is a wonderful avenue for exploring and expressing what each of us would like to manifest ... peace and harmony on the personal, collective and world levels.

A note about the Peacequilt, "Listen to Your Dreams":

Rosemary Watts led a group of 15 active dreamers in a lucid dreaming experiment, intentionally dreaming for peace. This Lucid Dreaming Peace Quilt was inspired by her own dreams, and made manifest through the cooperative dreaming and creativity of this group. Each participant asked for guidance and created a quilt piece based on their dreams.

Diversity and individual expression is clearly seen in this quilt. Yet cooperation, hard work, and artistic talents expressed in the group made this quilt a reality. It is now available for display. We would like to inspire other dreamers to create their own Peace Quilts. Let us join creative hands in helping to dream for, visualize, meditate, and pray for greater harmony and peace in the world.

Rosemary Watts is a Dream Educator, teaching a variety of classes, seminars, and workshops, since 1987. Her background is very eclectic and she utilizes dream techniques from a variety of sources. She is also a professional actress and singer.

For more information about the Dreaming Peace Quilt and/or to arrange for the Quilt to be shown in your area, please contact: Rosemary Watts, Dreams Unlimited, P.O. Box 410140, St. Louis, MO, 63141, (314) 432-7909, or email: dreamsunlmtd@cs.com.

^*Originally published in Dream Network Bulletin and the ASD Newsletter


Current Update as of January 04, 2004 Inspired by The Edgar Cayce Institute for Intuitive Studies Edited by HENRY REED, Ph.D.