The Chocolate-Covered Umbrella

This informative and entertaining book by Tilda Norberg examines an almost neglected spiritual practice: finding God in our dreams. It is written for those who believe in God as well as spiritual seekers. Norberg is the founder of Gestalt Pastoral Care which is a “synthesis of Gestalt work with Christian spirituality and healing prayer.” It is a holistic approach that challenges participants to discover and integrate parts of themself, as they surrender to “the Love that surrounds” them and is still creating them.

The book is a good read for the fascinating dreams and Norberg’s analysis of them alone, but she also provides simple and concrete tools for the reader to better remember their dreams and find God in them. One of the author’s basic premises is that each element in a dream is a part of the dreamer. She invites the reader to enter into their dream and playfully describe themself as each of the elements of the dream. I tried her technique and found some interesting new insights into my own self.

Norberg also states that since we are spiritual beings, whether or not we acknowledge that, sooner or later God will show up in our dreams. She provides examples in her own dreams and those of others, and warns God may be disguised; we probably won’t recognize God until we actually work with our dreams. God shows up in improbable as well as commonplace ways such as a bungee cord, a mouse, a chauffeur, a holy duck, and a talking cat. Following the suggestions in the book, I recorded and worked with a dream of my own and found God disguised as an escalator who told me to “just step on, and I’ll take you upward.”

There are many ways to enhance our spiritual journey and this one may not appeal to everyone, but I believe reading this book and practicing the suggested techniques will enhance the spiritual growth of anyone who is open to a new way of looking at the fascinating world of our dreams.