“Dreams are magical, linking us to another world full of wisdom and symbolism. Our dreams reconnect us to our true wild self. They reveal to us the wisdom of our intuition, not easily accessible by the conscious mind. Dreams play with our fears, testing our limits. They link us back to our ancestors through the shared collective knowledge of all humankind.”~ Jocelyn Mercado

Nearly every nature-based ancestral culture on the planet values dreams as a vital source of wisdom, healing, prophecy, guidance and divine communication. Even the roots of our western rationalist culture and medical system sprouted from the seeds of ancient dream-healing lineages such as the Greek Asklepion dream-healing sanctuaries. 

Dreams can be many kinds of creatures, but what they cannot be is ignored. While a resurgence of western dreamwork lineages have rekindled the flame of dreamwork in an enthusiastic minority, dreamwork is not even on the radar for most of us. Further hidden is the exploration and re-forestation of nature-based dreaming: dreaming with, for, and as earth.

In this intimate small-group workshop, we gather to learn, play, practice, offer and experiment with diverse arts of working with our own dreaming, the earth, and the collective. Our primary lineage is rooted in the “somatic soul-centric dreamwork” developed by the Animas Valley Institute, but we will also incorporate teachings and techniques from other modern western teachers like Jung, Robert Bosnak, Jill Mellick, Robert Moss, and Machiel Klerk, along with Deer Ryder’s own developing practices along with lucid dreaming and alchemical dreamwork practices guided by facilitators Monica Devi Bhakti and Steve Wilson. We will also explore some indigenous dream perspectives and ancient Greek dream healing practices.

By the end of this swift but deep dive into the art of nature-based dreamwork, we will have greater knowledge, skill, and relationship to our unique dreamscape and the vast mysterious dreaming ecosystem.

In this Workshop You Will:

-Learn rituals that Strengthen Dreaming in order to actualize and manifest their potential in your waking world.

(rituals will be held in strong integral containers with skilled guides)

-Learn Animistic Dream Practices to deepen your relationship to the Wild and experience guided sound and nature-based dream journeys.

-Learn introductory skills in the art of Lucid and Alchemical Dreaming to receive support from dream guides and helpful beings.

-Learn to embody and reveal the mysterious wisdom and power of dreams through Art, Dance, Theater, Somatics and Music.

-Become more familiar with your unique Dream Landscape such as Inner Psyche and the Other-than-Human World

-How dreams relate to your soul’s purpose.

-Experience the support of dream plants and bring home some knowledge to use for your own dream practice.

-Learn some practical skill in the Ancient Greek Art of Dream Healing that include how to question dreams, divination, and direct healing.

-Immerse yourself in the potency of collective dreaming and group dream practices.

-Make offerings to the land and engage in ancient purification rituals in modern robes.

Essential Dates and Details:

When: November 29th-December 1st; Friday evening at 5:30pm until Sunday around 4:00pm.

Where: Sacred Mountain Mystery School just outside of Durango, Colorado. (address provided to final registrants)

We will gather and sleep collectively in a beautiful yurt. Some sleeping pads/beds can be provided but ideally you will bring your own pads, blankets/sleeping bags, etc.

Who: guided primarily by Deer Ryder with guest facilitation and support from Monica Devi Bhakti and Steve Wilson.

Cost: sliding scale $150-300.

Cost includes two nourishing light dinners, two hearty breakfasts, and special dream tea. Please bring own snacks and lunch. We will have space to store (or your car) your food, and lunches will be eaten on the land.

This is an exciting experimental offering for the community, thus the affordability despite its potency and labor. Please do check-in with your heart and financial capacity in terms of what you can fairly offer within this scale.

About Deer Ryder

When I was living in Scotland seven years ago, I had a dream that would change my life. I hadn’t remembered a significant dream since I was a kid, but knew this one was special. I held onto it until a few years later, when it truly began to unfold its magic and purpose. Since that night, I have been exploring the art of dreams, primarily as an Apprentice Soul-Initiation Guide with the Animas Valley Institute, and as a dreamworker in my community and beyond.

I am passionate about reviving the lost art of dreaming in relationship to the land and invisible. Ancient cultures were born from the branches of many honored dreams as direct sources of the divine, and I long for such guidance for our own individual and cultural regeneration.

Read more about Deer Ryder.

About Monica Devi Bhakti

Monica Devi Bhakti is a Psychic Therapist, Soul Coach, Heart-Centered Counselor & Transformational Retreat Leader. She works with Highly Sensitive individuals and those overcoming trauma. She has used Alchemical Dreawork and Hypnotherapy in her practice, among numerous healing modalities, to assist in personal and planetary healing. She has been helping people free & empower themselves for over 35 years.

About Steve Wilson

Steve Wilson, MA, LP, LPC is a Psychologist and Sound Healer in Durango, CO. With a BA in Religion and Philosophy, Steve has practiced Lucid Dreaming, Tantric Buddhism, and Shamanism for decades. A master in creating ritual soundscapes & dreamscapes, he conjures ceremonies and visions to catalyze personal, communal and planetary healing.