The books describe the experience of dreaming and the skills and intuition that support using dreams as potent resources. Simultaneous meanings and a multiplicity of approaches are offered as means to cultivate dreams. Ione regards dreams and the wisdom that nourishes them with an intense focus, yet does not crush them with the weight of academic interpretation. Each dreamer's personal concept is cherished. The dreamer is understood in a variety of ways: as an individual and also, potentially, as a member of a community, one who touches the pulse of the group and presides over its well-being on many levels, including the physical, emotional, creative and spiritual.
Like dreams themselves, Ione is multi-faceted, many layered. She has always struck me as a woman gifted with a regard for life that perceives all of it as precious and worthy. And fascinating. Thus she imparts the artist's sense of the mythic, a sense she expresses through her way of listening. In this way, the speaker is enfolded in her high regard for their life, for their story and their dreaming. These two books are filled with that mythic quality of consciousness and they portray both dignity and humor in the approaches she suggests toward dreaming. Personable and charismatic, Ione's soft voice has great power and impact; I cannot remember ever hearing her raise her voice, yet even in large groups, people immediately focus their attention on her as soon as she addresses them and they remain engaged. In a similar way, the books are engaging, involving the reader in a rich process that encourages participation without ever shouting or admonishing. Her work is always innovative. Ione's clear intention is to share her wisdom, her lineage if you will, in spacious manner that allows for each person's individuality to emerge and flourish.
