|
Groundhog
Day
2nd
of
February,
2007
Dear
David,
Happy
Groundhog
Day!
Sometimes
art
imitates
life.
Sometimes
it
imitates
dreams.
The
hero
of
Groundhog
Day,
the
movie,
goes
through
a
progression
that
is
very
similar
to
the
way
a
recurring
dream
will
"step"
towards
a
resolution.
Groundhog
Day
In
the
movie,
Bill
Murray
plays
a
TV
weather
reporter,
who
is
covering
the
Groundhog
Day
celebration
in
Punxsutawney,
Pennsylvania.
Initially
he's
not
a
lovable
person.
He's
jaded,
cynical
and
grumpy.
He
overinflates
his
own
importance,
and
undervalues
everyone
else.
The
basic
story
is
that
Murray
has
to
relive
Groundhog
Day,
February
2,
until
he
learns
to
stop
being
a
selfish
grouch
and
to
care
for
other
people.
Murray’s
reactions
to
his
situation
change
through
the
movie;
he
travels
through
manipulation,
anger,
hopelessness,
suicidal
despair,
to
name
a
few
of
his
attempts
to
deal
with
his
predicament.
Sometimes
he
takes
advantage
of
what
he
knows
is
coming.
At
other
times,
he
changes
himself,
but
not
enough
to
release
him
from
Groundhog
Day.
Only
when
he
becomes
truly
generous
and
loving
can
he
move
on.
He
wakes
up
on
February
3
and
has
earned
the
love
of
his
co-star,
Andy
McDowell.
His
process
resembles
a
dream
series.
With
any
recurring
dream,
you
go
through
all
kinds
of
variations
over
nights,
weeks
or
months,
until
you
get
it
right
--
and
then
you
can
move
on.
Manny's
Dreams
Manny
kept
a
private
dream
journal
for
18
months.
After
each
dream,
he
interpreted
it
and
decided
what
it
told
him
about
his
waking
life.
His
understandings
seem
to
have
been
accurate
because
his
Dream-ego
changed
remarkably
over
the
course
of
these
dreams.
Manny
first
dreamed
that
he
wanted
to
get
to
know
a
woman.
She
refused
to
have
anything
to
do
with
him
because,
as
she
told
him,
she
was
pure
and
he
smelled.
He
had
two
dreams
in
which
he
attempted
to
contact
a
woman
but
couldn’t.
Several
dreams
followed
in
which
a
woman
tried
to
communicate
with
him
but
failed.
He
had
numerous
dreams
in
which
he
was
about
to
go
into
a
bedroom
with
a
woman
but
something
happened
each
time
to
prevent
this.
After
having
made
it
to
the
bedroom,
he
often
found
two
women,
but
he
was
undecided
about
which
one
to
love.
Finally,
after
all
kinds
of
escapades,
and
with
some
relapses,
he
dreamt
he
was
walking
in
a
garden
with
a
woman.
A
sense
of
peace
and
calm
pervaded
the
dream;
he
knew
that
they
were
married
and
had
made
love.
This
is
his
groundhog
day.
Like
Bill
Murray,
he
finally
falls
in
love
and
that
love
is
returned.
However,
he
had
a
great
deal
to
learn
before
this
is
accomplished.
Brandon's
Dreams
Over
the
course
of
six
months,
Brandon's
dreams
centered
on
his
mother.
In
the
early
dreams
she
was
very
angry
at
him.
In
the
dream
work,
Brandon
wrestled
with
how
to
protect
himself
from
this
loving
but
also
very
hostile,
mother.
Because
of
his
work,
his
mother's
anger
changed
and
she
was
sometimes
helpful,
sometimes
distant.
Eventually,
in
one
remarkable
dream,
his
mother
apologized
for
her
behavior.
From
then
on,
Brandon's
mother
became
a
supportive
character
in
his
dream
life.
Dealing
with
a
Recurring
Theme
The
first
step
is
knowing
that
you
have
a
theme
in
your
dream
life.
In
Groundhog
Day,
the
problem
is
made
very
literal
and
obvious
–
Murray
knows
he
is
reliving
the
same
day.
Dreams
are
more
obscure.
Even
when
you
are
dealing
with
the
same
issue
over
and
over,
each
dream
can
appear
to
be
unique.
You
might
dream
on
one
night
that
a
bridge
has
been
washed
away
in
a
flood;
another
night,
the
car
in
front
of
yours
has
stopped,
and
on
a
third
night
you
are
waiting
for
a
traffic
light
to
change.
All
can
be
seen
as
dreams
about
impasses
even
though
each
particular
impasse
is
different.
Once
the
theme
becomes
apparent,
use
the
techniques
described
in
past
columns
to
help
the
Dream-ego
find
new
ways
of
responding
to
situations.
For
example,
use
"Continue
the
Dream"
to
advance
the
specific
dream
to
a
desired
conclusion.
You
can
play
with
the
dream
using
the
"Movie
Method."
What
you
will
find,
with
some
relapses,
is
that
each
piece
of
dream
work
takes
you
a
little
further
along
the
path
to
resolution.
Dreams
and
Themes
The
process
of
changing
recurring
dreams
and
themes
is
an
adventure.
You
know
where
you
started,
but
you
have
many
experiments
and
experiences
to
find
the
key
that
actually
moves
you
onward
–
to
the
next
adventure.
DIAL-IN
DREAM
GROUPS
Whether
you
live
far
away
or
close
by,
a
phone
group
allows
you
to
get
a
sense
of
dream
work
in
a
very
convenient
way.
With
this
new
work,
I
hope
to
communicate
the
pleasure
and
the
excitement
of
dream
work
to
many
people.
- Day:
Monday
February
5th
- Time:
5pm-6pm
Pacific
Daylight
Time
- Dial-in
Number:
620-782-2200
(Kansas)
- Access
Code:
707172#
DREAM
GROUPS
The
Saturday
drop-in
group
($20)
is
from
10
am
to
noon
at
2315
Prince
Street
in
Berkeley.
The
nearest
major
cross
street
is
Ashby
and
Telegraph.
Please
let
me
know
if
you
are
coming.
SHARE
DREAM
OF
THE
WEEK
If
you
enjoy
reading
Dream
of
the
Week,
please
tell
your
friends.
They
can
read
back
issues
and
subscribe
(free)
at
DreamOfTheWeek.com.
Best
wishes
David
Jenkins
Dream
RePlay
phone:
(510)
644
2369
|
