A groundbreaking history of the human mind told through our experience of dreams—from the earliest accounts to current scientific findings—and their essential role in the formation of who we are and the world we have made. "A resounding case for the mystery, beauty and cognitive importance of dreams." —The New York Times What is a dream? Why do we dream? How do our bodies and minds use them? These questions are the starting point for this unprecedented study of the role and significance of this phenomenon. An inves­tigation on a grand scale, it encompasses literature, anthropology, religion, and science, articulating the essential place dreams occupy in human culture and how they functioned as the catalyst that compelled us to transform our earthly habitat into a human world. From the earliest cave paintings—where Sidarta Ribeiro locates a key to humankind’s first dreams and how they contributed to our capacity to perceive past and future and our ability to conceive of the existence of souls and spirits—to today’s cutting-edge scientific research, Ribeiro arrives at revolutionary conclusions about the role of dreams in human existence and evolution. He explores the advances that contempo­rary neuroscience, biochemistry, and psychology have made into the connections between sleep, dreams, and learning. He explains what dreams have taught us about the neural basis of memory and the transfor­mation of memory in recall. And he makes clear that the earliest insight into dreams as oracular has been elucidated by contemporary research. Accessible, authoritative, and fascinating, The Oracle of Night gives us a wholly new way to under­stand this most basic of human experiences.

We all have the potential to access hidden information through our dreams. When we are awake, we tend to either forget, or deny, the inner guru that guides us on these journeys into the subconscious. The Dream Oracle shows us how to use the Tarot - a proven method of accessing archetypal images - to open up to this rich source and use its power to transform our world. The Dream Oracle offers: Insights into the archetypal images that appear in our dreams A thematic dictionary of imagery, including settings and scenery, characters and participants, interactions, emotions and objects Tools to explore dream images, interpret the relevant symbolism and then relate this information to our dream experiences Techniques of dream management, enabling us to forge links between our dreams Case studies of real dreams and their interpretations If we can learn to listen, hear and evaluate the messages our inner wise counsel is trying to impart, we can only benefit. With The Dream Oracle as your constant companion, you will notice improvements in every area of your daily life as you apply the lessons it unfolds.

In The Oracle the author explores individual flagellations within a far wider dimension of cosmic interdependency. It also evokes Gamji motifs as the religious and political mindlessness which impoverish the African landscape. Dedicated to Chinua Achebe The Oracle honours a shamanistic teacher and story teller who, with his spiritual double helps to liberate the protagonist from an insidious mind control programme by and evil intelligence that bestrides humanity through several ages of chaos

Lina, a beautiful young pearl diver . . . Hari, a naked stranger she finds unconscious on the beach . . . the terror of human sacrifice. Much more than an exotic adventure story, this timeless novel is a parable of self-discovery and the inner journey to the soul.