We speak with Alaya Dannu about her experiences of receiving teachings in her dreams which she calls Ancestral Dreaming. We start by talking about her early experiences with deceased relatives speaking to her in dreams. She tells us that we can encourage these dreams by learning about and getting in touch with the diversity of our heritages with emphasis on the locations and mythologies of where we came from more than just the people that were our specific ancestors.
Alaya encourages us to “follow the breadcrumbs” of our dreams to enquire into our past lives as well and distinguishes between our conscious ancestry as opposed to our biological ancestry. We then touch into what Alaya’s dreams and visions have revealed about female-centered cosmology and the legend of the Seven Mothers as well the use of color in connecting with our dreams. Finally is there a connection between prophetic dreaming and deja vu?
Alaya Dannu will be presenting her views on Ancestral Dreaming at the IASD virtual conference coming up in June. Find out more at asdreams.org. A picture of Alaya’s painting that we speak about is published on the IASD Dreams and Ethnicity portal and can be seen there.
We take three callers. Christine inspires a conversation about how to approach our heritage when we aren’t aligned with the actions of our ancestors. Ellen speaks about looking for teaching moments in our dreams. And finally Karen wishes to thank Christine for calling and encourages her to surrender to her ancestors and to be open to what they will teach.
BIO: Alaya A. Dannu, MA is a woman of mixed heritage, born in Texas, raised in NYC. She endeavors to illuminate the nature and importance of ancestral dreaming and its ability to enhance academic and scholarly inquiry. Combining her background in Transpersonal Psychology and 20 years of dream documentation, part of her purpose in life is to re-establish and bring awareness to a female-centered cosmology that has been revealed to her in her dreams, trance/guided meditations, and shamanic journeys, as it is the foundation of her maternal ancestral tradition. This also serves as the topic of her dissertation thesis she is currently working on as a doctoral student. Her three year, three month, and three-week ancestral pilgrimage that was crafted and revealed to her by her ancestors in her dreams, served as a means to highlight the connection between her diverse biological ancestry and spirituality, further reinforcing the importance of knowing and honoring one’s origins, true identity, and purpose in life.
You can contact Alaya at Diya (at) cosmogenia.com
During the show we mention the book The Kin of Ata Are Waiting for You by Dorothy Bryant.
Live ambient music by Rick Kleffel.
Show aired on April 10, 2021.
The Dream Journal is produced at and airs on KSQD Santa Cruz, 90.7 FM, streaming live at KSQD.org 10-11am Saturday mornings Pacific time. Catch it live and call in with your dreams or questions at 831-900-5773 or at onair@ksqd.org.
If you want to contact Katherine Bell with feedback, suggestions for future shows or to inquire about exploring your own dreams with her, contact katherine@ksqd.org, or find out more about her at ExperientialDreamwork.com.
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