I had a lovely (albeit busy) weekend. The weather here in Chicago has become idyllic; the rains are coming less often and are leaving behind sunny-but-temperate days. This is some of my favorite weather but it has a strange effect on me. Somehow my body still thinks "summer! yeah! we're on vacation!!!" and suddenly I have a hard time being indoors, especially when the sun goes down. It's as if my circadian rhythms are set to "open all night" and I tend to stay up well past midnight until I literally have to force myself to go to bed. I wanna walk under the stars. I wanna drink in the scent of blossoming trees, warm soil and our tangy lake. I wanna play with the wild things and kiss the moon...I can't help it.

Throughout my life I have gone in and out of cycles of sleep dep but I know it's not good for me. It affects my sitting practice (makes me want to nod off in meditation) as well as my dream work (because I stop recalling dreams when I'm not getting good sleep). It is a bit ironic then that as these seductive summer nights are setting in, I attended a dream workshop facilitated by Anne Hill. I've been lucky to have had access to a few workshops/dream circles with Anne and I am always amazed at her knowledge, skill and intuition. If you're curious about dreams at all, I encourage you to check her out. If you don't have access to her workshops, you can contact her for dream consultation, listen to her radio show, and/or read her book What To Do When Dreams Go Bad.

I really enjoyed getting to see Anne again and to participate in her work. After a year frequented by some intense nightmares it is exciting to be invigorated about holding onto my dreams and looking at them in more detail again. I believe I got a lot of personal insight and many tips for using future dreams to support health, expansion and self-knowledge.

If nothing else, Anne reminded us that our dreams about needing to go the the bathroom are sometimes actually about creative urges and the need to release that creativity into the world. Given that I am known in some (small, odd) circles for my "pee dreams"...this makes me feel nuch more artistic and slightly less warped. ;>)

I've had the fortune of doing dream work with Anne Hill in a few small groups and she's an incredibly talented person. If you're interested in dreams, dream interpretation and how you can work with your dreams for growth and healing, then you might want to check this one out. Anne has uncanny insights and it will be a fun day as well as a fascinating peak into the mysteries of our lovely brains!

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8th House Productions presents...



Working With Dreams to Strengthen the Soul
with Anne Hill

We all have questions we want answered, and fears we need to resolve. The great wisdom expressed every night through our dreams is our best guidance for all these concerns. Bizarre and troubling dreams especially bring healing energy for us, if we know how to access it. Understanding our dreams puts our worries to rest, builds wisdom, and helps strengthen our souls.

Dreams also open windows into the future, and help us see things from startling new perspectives. In this workshop we will use group dreamwork and shamanic dream techniques to dive into the world of dreams, find the treasure waiting there for us, and emerge stronger and more confident. We will create dream allies out of disturbing images, and learn how to be bold dreamers. All levels of dreamwork experience are welcome. Please come with an old or new dream to share, a journal, and a small object that evokes your dreams.

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Anne Hill, D.Min., is the author of What To Do When Dreams Go Bad: A Practical Guide to Nightmares. She teaches and speaks internationally, has a private dream practice, and hosts a weekly radio show on dreams. Anne writes about dreams and culture for the Huffington Post, and also writes the award-winning Blog o' Gnosis, http://gnosiscafe.com/gcblog She co-authored Circle Round: Raising Children in Goddess Traditions, is a Reclaiming and Feri priestess, and a faculty member of Cherry Hill Seminary. Anne’s website is http://annehill.org.

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When: Sunday, June 28, 2009, 10am–4pm
Where: Lifeforce Arts Center, 3148 N Lincoln Ave., Chicago IL 60657, www.lifeforcearts.org
Cost: $50 - $75 sliding scale, a $25 deposit is required to hold your space by Wed. 6/24.

To register or for questions, contact River Roberts at 773.506.1099 or river.roberts@gmail.com.