Welcome to the month of dreams
Lighting a candle in dark times, a poem about our collective dream of inheritance and division, and a call to write your way into better stories
“Myths are public dreams, dreams are private myths.” Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth
In my writers’ group this week, the conversation turned, as it often does these days, to the despair, fear, and grief so many of us have been feeling.
One group member reminded us:
“In these dark times, we need to hold a vision for what we want to see in the world beyond what is happening in the present moment.”
Her words rang clear and true. And yet, it can be hard to dream big dreams when the light is waning and the creeping chill of winter is advancing.
So it was a relief to be reminded that we are now one week into the month of dreams.
Nine dreams and nine candles
That’s right, on the Hebrew calendar, we are now in the first week of the month of Kislev, which is known as the month of dreams.
Kislev earned that moniker because this month we read a section of the Torah where dreams are mentioned at least nine times.
Appropriately, Channukah also arrives in the third week of this dark month. So we add a small flicker of light to the darkness each night until by the final night the menorah is blazing with nine flames. (Perhaps that’s a spark of light for each time dreams are mentioned in the Torah portions that are read this month.)
As we approach the winter solstice, and in this troubling time when wars are raging and hope is waning, we need this light — and dreams and stories of promise more than ever.
This week’s poem
“The Boys Playing” is a pantoum1 based on the following very consequential passage from Genesis:
Sarah saw the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham playing.
She said to Abraham, “Cast out that slave-woman and her son, for the son of that slave shall not share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.”
The matter distressed Abraham greatly, for it concerned a son of his.
But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed over the boy or your slave; whatever Sarah tells you, do as she says, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be continued for you. (The Contemporary Torah, JPS, 2006)
To write my poem, “The Boys Playing,” I wrote eight lines inspired by this story and alternated them in the pattern dictated by the pantoum form.
The resulting poem holds us suspended in the moment of Hagar and Ishmael’s exile for a bit longer than is comfortable and also inverts the sense of the lines and hints at other possibilities.
Listen to the poem:
“The Boys Playing,” by Tzivia Gover, all rights reserved, ©️ Tzivia Gover, Third House Moon, LLC
In this month of dreams, court your imagination
💫 When you feel discouraged by the stories you are hearing (in your own mind, in the media, or from others) imagine new and more hopeful endings.
💫 Write about your fears and your despair. Also write about what you hope for, what you wish, and your bright dreams for yourself and for humanity.
💫 Before bed, ask your dreams to give you the gift of greater hope, empathy, love, and/or wisdom.
Looking for inspiration? Join a workshop and dream and write with others
✏️ Dreaming on the Page Writing Circle Tues., Dec. 12, 11-1:30 US ET.
Discover how the subconscious can serve your writing (in any genre–and for writers at all levels), and receive dream-inspired prompts to spark original, authentic writing. Accessible pricing: Standard $45; Low/Limited Income/ $25; Angel Price $65.
✏️ Stay (Cozy) at Home and Write: A Weekend Retreat Online, Friday-Sunday Jan. 19-21 2024.
In this low-cost Write-at-Home retreat, you’ll receive optional writing prompts, structured writing time, virtual check-ins, and the opportunity to write and share your work with an online community. Accessible pricing: Standard $55; Low/Fixed Income $25; Angel Price $75. Learn more or Join Stay (Cozy) at Home and Write.
Donate to help new immigrants achieve their dream of citizenship: I’ve laced up my metaphoric sneakers and am in the midst of a poem-a-day month-long writing marathon to raise funds for new immigrants in my community. You can learn more and make a donation to this worthy cause here.
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