The Dream Arc Approach is a set of four qualities that underpin this whole teaching and is the lifeblood of our Dream Arc Community.
Discovery
We are here to learn, stretch, evolve and be surprised.
Playfulness
We are serious about bringing our inner child's heart to all that we do.
Generosity
We approach each other and the world with ever-expanding kindness.
Trust
We surrender to the wild, living wisdom of life, safe in the knowing that we are always held in the lap of love.
An Important Note on Cultural Sensitivity
In creating this online course and bringing together these many streams of global wisdom, we have consistently striven to be sensitive to the many beautiful traditions and lineages that the Dream Arc touches.
Our goal is to represent clearly our own cultural history as well as the teachings and teachers that have informed us along our journey. Rather than dive specifically into certain traditions whose lineages we are not part of, we have taken a more global view and sought to find the grand themes and patterns that lie behind all traditions and lineages.
Our primary source of inspiration is derived from nature herself and the interaction of our imagination and intuition with nature.
The Dream Arc is a framework for Synthesis
A true Synthesis celebrates the diversity inherent in unity. The Dream Arc provides a framework for this mystery to unfold in each of our lives. In the modern world of today, our own lineages, teachers and traditions are constantly meeting those of others. We are thus privileged to be able to explore many teachings, and each of us will synthesise these inside us in our own unique way. There cannot be any single grand synthesis of all the wisdom traditions of the world. Such a thing would be a horrific aberration. The beauty of a single tradition or lineage lies in its intactness. The mystery of Synthesis therefore lies in individual creativity and open-hearted dialogue within community. This is the point of the ancient traditions in the first place – to bring us together in harmony to care for each other and our environment.
As part of our commitment to the above, we have invited wisdom keepers from various traditions to share their stories with us within this course. In each instance and with all our contributors, they own the rights to these interviews and have kindly given us permission to share them. We hope that many people will therefore find, explore and support the generosity of these teachers and lineages wherever they feel a strong resonance. It is a privilege for us to thus act as a bridge between you and these various wisdom traditions.
The Language of the Dream Arc
We have carefully selected the language we have chosen to use within the Dream Arc, deliberately avoiding words, terms and expressions that are strongly rooted in any single lineage. For example, we have tried to avoid the use of terms such as ‘totem’, which although it may have entered popular western culture, has deep internal meaning for some indigenous peoples and has been taken out of its original context. Sometimes this new language awareness has been painful for us, as we realise we may have been using such terms without knowing or fully honouring where they come from. We are constantly learning and refining this cultural sensitivity, and we hope that, as a voyager of the Dream Arc, you will come with us on this journey.
Above all, the beauty of the Dream Arc is that it is based on the creatures and animals of the natural world. All cultures have a strong tradition of animal stories, wisdom and lore, and these are a rich resource for us all. We hope that as you dive into the Dream Arc, you will learn about new cultures, creatures and their habitats and expand your circle by connecting with others around the world and listening to their viewpoints and perspectives.
Generosity and Reciprocal Exchange
In the Dream Arc, you will notice that we feature numerous teachers, artists, musicians and storytellers from all around the world. In exchange for their generosity of sharing their gifts with us all, we hope you will also visit their websites and communities and connect with them. They would love to hear from you! You may also consider supporting them in whatever way you feel called. We all are bound together in our wish to give back to the earth and to offer our compassionate help to the people and projects involved in such activity.
The living stream of divine wisdom lives in all creatures, and as humans we have a unique role as custodians of this wisdom, both receiving from it and adding to it. May we all honour the teachings of nature as we continue to grow, evolve and learn from her mysteries.
