The recording and study of dreams has been of great importance throughout history. The vast majority of the time, when written down, the journals were destroyed. The inner lives of some of the greatest people in history will never be known. Among famous published dream journals (see a list of dream diaries at wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.o...) one of the most intriguing examples is that of 18th century Swedish scientist and mystic Emanuel Swedenborg.

The dreams of Swedenborg span a range of human experience, from guilty pleasures to cosmic epiphanies. Saved from destruction from Swedenborg's family, Swedenborg's dream journal offers us not only an early example of a fairly complete dream journal, but also gives us insight into the mind of one of the greatest figures of Sweden and quite possibly the entire Enlightenment. Though Swedenborg's fame has somewhat receded in recent times, he has been highly regarded by artists and philosophers as diverse as William Blake, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Carl Jung, and he remains a visionary precedent for modern spirituality.

Swedenborg's dream interpretation is more than historical fancy. Swedenborg's study of his own dreams offers a powerful model for decoding symbolism and implementing personal transformation from within. Having reached a peak of success as state engineer, Swedenborg turned to a life of revealing the secrets of the universe by direct communication with spirit guides as first met in his dreams. To the consternation of many, his dream directed studies uniquely combined Christian and Buddhist philosophies; Zen scholar D.T.Suzuki famously called him the "Buddha of the North".

This unusual and candid talk on Swedenborg's Dream Journal will be given by Rev. Kevin Baxter, the minister at the Cambridge Swedenborg Chapel where the Boston Dreamers group is being generously hosted. The son of a Swedenborgian minister, Rev. Baxter is a graduate of Urbana University and the Swedenborgian House of Studies at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California, where he received a Certificate in Swedenborgian Studies (from SHS) and a Master of Divinity Degree (from PSR).

Meeting: Tuesday, December 8, 2009
7 pm - 9:00 pm (Two hours)

Payment is $10 and can be made online or in person. Anyone who cannot afford to pay should contact the group organizer Deerheart, to arrange alternatives.

Space is limited to 25 people. RSVP requested. Please update your RSVP if you are unable to attend, to allow others to attend. Thank you.

Directions

Directions by car: Very limited parking at chapel, otherwise nearby streets such as Broadway and Mass Ave. There is a free small parking lot on Kirkland Street side of chapel, up to 8 cars. Coming from either direction on Massachusetts Ave into Harvard Square, turn onto Cambridge Street, then onto Quincy Street and around the corner onto the parking lot on Kirkland Street. The chapel is right on the corner of Quincy Street and Kirkland Street.

Directions by T: The Cambridge Swedenborg Chapel is a lovely Gothic-revival stone chapel located at 50 Quincy Street in Cambridge, Mass. Please note that the official and historical name as may be found on maps and church directories is The Cambridge Society of the Church of the New Jerusalem (Swedenborgian). We are located at the corner of Quincy and Kirkland Streets, across from Harvard's monumental Memorial Hall/Sander's Theatre, which is behind Harvard Yard in Harvard Square. Access is an easy 5 minute walk from the Harvard Station MBTA stop on the Red Line and buses - just walk through Harvard Yard and ask anyone for Memorial Hall if you don't readily see the large fancy tower, then walk around the Hall to the chapel.

For more information and directions for the Cambridge Swedenborg Chapel, check out their website: www.swedenborgchapel.org