Author Archives: Veronica Tonay
Nightmares
Greetings, creative dreamers! For the last while, I’ve been busy with my private practice, finishing up my long teaching career in psychology at the University of California at Santa Cruz, giving talks, making art, traveling into the wilderness, spending time … Continue reading
Will it Work?
It’s hot one day, raining the next, seeds sprout, flowers bloom, then are tipped by late frost. Our dreams stop-and-start, shake us awake, soothe us with beauty. It must be spring! Time to tuck in with a pot of Laduree tea* … Continue reading
Creative Illumination
Here it is, almost summer again. Everyone seems to be atwitter (so to speak) with activity: preparing, planting, tending gardens inner and outer. Incubation has ended. Birds feed their chicks, flying in flocks, chirping and calling to one another. We’ve arrived at … Continue reading
Water, waves, and warehouses: an interpreted dream
Happy summer, dreamers! Since I haven’t posted in quite a while, today, a dream from the mailbox, and an in-depth interpretation: Dear Dr. Tonay, I had a dream the other night about somehow getting into water. I can’t remember where … Continue reading
Fall(ing) Dreams
Greetings, dreamers! Autumn has arrived here, with the trees shedding their bright gowns… It’s been a busy few months, and I’m heading to Rancho la Puerta again soon to give another dream workshop. In the meantime, the word, “fall,” is … Continue reading
Scary Kids
Happy Spring, dreamers! I’m enjoying the natural world as it unfolds its blossoms and surrounds us with a living metaphor for creating new plans, hopes, and dreams… Last night, I was the guest of Esme Murphy on CBS’ WCCO 830 news … Continue reading
Zombie Dreams
Greetings, creative dreamers! Winter is melting here, with warm days and blossoms appearing overnight on the cherry trees. What dreams are you exploring as the days grow longer? Last month, my former student, Michael, wrote: “I am aware the winter … Continue reading
Dreams and darkness
Greetings, dreamers! We are approaching the winter solstice, the day that turns the dark to light for the next six months of the year… Just as light is a metaphor, so is darkness: in dreams, the dark can stand for … Continue reading
Dreams and light
The slanting autumn sun got me musing today about light, and the meaning of light in dreams. I’ve noticed that when creative dreamers are struggling, stuck, blocked, frustrated, screaming, or banging their heads against the wall, their dreams tend to … Continue reading
Dreams and Labyrinths
Tonight, I was interviewed about dreams by Michael Dixon at WCCO radio in Minnesota. As we closed, he mentioned he’d many times walked the labyrinth at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. If you have a labyrinth near you (and they … Continue reading
Food dreams
Greetings, dreamers! Spring has arrived here, in her skirts of blossom and leaf, the birds crowding feeders for every last seed. Spring is the archetypal season of creativity: time to rebuild, rejuvenate, (pro)create, and try new things! Our appetites increase… … Continue reading
Wars, conflicts, and dreams
Happy March, dreamers! The chill is receding in my town, and everyone seems to be opening up, shaking off their contracted spirits, and beginning to twirl with anticipation of sunshine. One cat is curled up around a cup of Imperial … Continue reading
Attacker Dreams
Greetings, dreamers! The weather has turned, here, from a strange heat wave to chill, thunder, lightening, and rain. In the garden, the last heart-shaped leaf on our bright redbud tree dropped to the ground this morning. It’s time for a … Continue reading