In Le Guin\u2019s exploration of Athshean culture, we encounter a society deeply intertwined with the dream world. As a people, Athsheans live in a state of heightened consciousness in which dreams are not confined to sleep but also shape their waking reality. In other words, they dream in a conscious state and achieve psychological balance by participating in communal dreaming processes in which they enter a lucid dream-time\u200a\u2014\u200aa state somewhere between dreaming and waking, rationality and subconscious irrationality. Remarkably, their dream experiences transcend traditional sleep, allowing adept dreamers to engage in vivid dreaming even while fully awake. The dream is the root of all Athsheans; it maintains their well-being. Their understanding of dreams as real and powerful in world-time reflects their wholeness; dream-time and world-time are two facets of the same reality. Le Guin\u2019s exploration of dreams extends beyond The Word for World Is Forest<\/em>; in works such as The Lathe of Heaven <\/em>(1971), she delves into the intricate relationship between dreams and reality, further highlighting the complexity and depth of human consciousness.2<\/sup><\/a><\/span> 2 <\/a> - Ursula K. Le Guin, The Lathe of Heaven<\/em> (New York: Charles Scribner\u2019s Sons, 1971).<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n For Le Guin, who was deeply influenced by the Standing Rock Sioux intellectual and political leader Vine Deloria Jr., fiction sets the stage for a broader examination of alternative epistemologies, such as those as evidenced by Deloria\u2019s comparison of Indigenous dreaming practices to Jungian psychology in C. G. Jung and the Sioux Traditions: Dreams, Visions, Nature, and the Primitive <\/em>(2009).<\/em> He highlights how dreaming is deeply embedded within the Sioux culture, serving not only as a personal experience but also as a communal and temporal one. Dreams are seen as pathways to ancestral wisdom and cosmic knowledge, emphasizing interconnectedness and the continuity of existence.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n In contrast, Jungian psychology often interprets dreams through a predominantly individualistic lens, focusing on personal symbols and the unconscious psyche. Deloria critiques this Eurocentric perspective, stating, \u201cIt is not simply by becoming more rational that you become more conscious.\u201d3<\/sup><\/a><\/span> 3 <\/a> - Vine Deloria, Jr., C. G. Jung and the Sioux Traditions: Dreams, Visions, Nature, and the Primitive<\/em> (Connecticut: Spring Journal Books), 45.<\/span> He argues that such thinking fails to capture the holistic nature of Indigenous epistemologies and overlooks the cultural specificity of dreaming experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Similarly, Le Guin illustrates a society in which dreams play a crucial role in understanding and navigating the world. As the Athsheans seamlessly navigate between dream-time and world-time, they draw upon their vivid dream experiences to address challenges in and gain an understanding of world-time. Believing that they are active participants in their dreams, and that dreams can be controlled and directed by the force of the mind, they learn from a young age the art of deliberately and proactively managing their dreams\u200a\u2014\u200aa skill that eludes their Terran counterparts, who perceive dreams as something beyond conscious control. Within Athshean society, \u201cDreamers\u201d hold a revered status equated with an almost godlike ability. Adept at interpreting dreams and imparting their insights to the community, these individuals can \u201chold the dream in [their] hands\u201d; they can \u201cweave and shape, direct and follow, start and cease at will,\u201d and \u201cwalk the road [their] dream goes.\u201d4<\/sup><\/a><\/span> 4 <\/a> - Le Guin, The Word for World Is Forest<\/em>, 42\u200a\u2013\u200a43.<\/span> This integration of dream and waking life is reflected in the Athshean language, in which words such as \u201cdream\u201d and \u201croot\u201d or \u201cgod\u201d and \u201ctranslator\u201d carry dual meanings, symbolizing the deep connection between land and people and the intertwining of dream-time and world-time. Rooted in their forested environment, Athsheans embody this interconnectedness: their existence extends into dream-time, in which past, present, and future converge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Operating on a polycyclic sleep cycle lasting a total of 120 minutes, the Athsheans find it challenging to conform to the eight-hour workday imposed on them by the Terrans. The colonizers\u2019 disruption of their natural sleep pattern symbolizes the imposition of capitalist exploitation onto Indigenous societies. Le Guin thus unveils the capitalist commodification of time, in which productivity and profit dictate lives, disregarding natural rhythms. This critique underscores Le Guin\u2019s broader theoretical contribution to anti-capitalist politics, highlighting her advocacy for alternative visions of society rooted in communal harmony, ecological sustainability, and equitable resource distribution, while embodying her vision for more livable futures beyond the confines of capitalist colonial oppression. The Athsheans\u2019 sense of balance is, after all, based on their oneness with nature, each other, and their complex sleep cycle. Dreaming equals balance. So, after years of enslavement, with their harmony destroyed and their natural rest pattern completely disrupted, the Athsheans dream a vision of a future free from Terran exploitation, causing a once-peaceful people to adopt violence as a means of resistance. A rebellion begins to form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These dream visions prove pivotal in guiding and moulding the Athsheans\u2019 conscious behaviours and are used as a collective and decolonial act of resistance. By portraying their deep connection to dreams and their rejection of Terran attempts to pathologize their dreaming practices, Le Guin challenges the dichotomy between rationality and irrationality. In Kantian philosophy, rationality is often equated with universal truth and objectivity, and anything outside the realm of reason is deemed irrational and subjective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Le Guin demonstrates that dreams are not mere products of the subconscious but can offer valuable insights and perspectives. In doing so, she underscores the limitations and generalizations of the Western rationalist framework and the tendency to dismiss cultural practices that fall outside of its framework as inferior.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n In a world increasingly marked by ecological crisis, political upheaval, and technological advancements, the Athsheans\u2019 symbiotic relationship with dreams becomes a powerful metaphor for hope and resilience. By living in harmony with their dream world, they offer a model for a collective and reciprocal approach to addressing contemporary challenges of environmental degradation and social injustice. Interestingly, their conscious engagement with dreams suggests a pathway for reimagining our relationship with both the natural world and each other, fostering a greater sense of interconnectedness and responsibility. In The Word for World Is Forest<\/em>, ecological issues are inseparable from social and psychological ones: the psychology of the Athsheans is grounded in an \u201cecological\u201d sense of balance between dream and reality. Conversely, the destructiveness of the Terrans results from their failure to think and feel ecologically or interdependently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In contemporary Indigenous art practices, there is a resonance with the themes and dynamics portrayed in The Word for World Is Forest<\/em>. Many artists incorporate material metaphors of dreaming and balance, highlighting the interconnectedness between human beings, the land, and dream-time. The interdisciplinary Anishinaabekwe artist Rebecca Belmore, whose performance and lens-based practice centres on issues of place and identity, draws on these themes in the chromogenic print To Rest and to Dream<\/em> (2001), in which she displays herself nude in a sleeping position, wrapped in a red blanket. Looking down from above, this aerial shot may suggest the vulnerability of the subject below or the vastness of her slumber. But the title gives away Belmore\u2019s message: \u201cto rest and to dream\u201d is to reconnect with ancestral knowledge. Rest is resistance. The red blanket\u200a\u2014\u200ared symbolizing life and sacrifice in many Indigenous cultures\u200a\u2014\u200aenvelops her, suggesting protection through sleep; positioning the body in a vulnerable yet peaceful state emphasizes the act of dreaming as a powerful tool for healing. Resting and dreaming becomes a metaphor for the reclamation of identity and nurturing a future grounded in the wisdom of the past.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n In an experiment in narrative form, the Mohawk multimedia artist Skawennati reflects on the history, present, and future of Indigenous peoples in the multiplatform project TimeTraveller\u2122<\/em> (2008\u200a\u2013\u200a13).5<\/sup><\/a><\/span> 5 <\/a> - TimeTraveller\u2122<\/em> (website), Skawennati, accessed May 31, 2024, accessible online.<\/span> Comprising a website, a nine-episode machinima series, a set of digital prints, and a prototype action figure, TimeTraveller\u2122<\/em> narrates the story of Hunter, an enraged young Mohawk man living in the twenty-second century. Despite his mastery of traditional skills as a hunter, warrior, and ironworker, Hunter struggles to find his place in an overcrowded, hyper-consumerist, technologized world. Faced with this dilemma, he resorts to using his edutainment system\u200a\u2014\u200ahis TimeTraveller\u2122\u200a\u2014\u200ato embark on a technologically enhanced vision quest, immersing himself in pivotal historical events, such as the Dakota Uprising, the Kanesatake Resistance (also known as the Oka Crisis), and the Occupation of Alcatraz. Along his journey, he encounters Karahkwenhawi, a young Mohawk woman from the present day, who also acquires a pair of TimeTraveller\u2122 glasses. Together, they traverse time and Turtle Island, uncovering the intricacies of history and the elusive nature of truth. Through the lens of speculative fiction, Skawennati invites viewers to ponder the implications of colonialism and resistance amid the projection of forthcoming realities. Each episode is a portal, transporting the characters through time and space, offering glimpses into diverse Indigenous perspectives and experiences across different eras, navigating through epochs as a means of envisioning what could be. As viewers are immersed in Hunter\u2019s journey, which engages with pivotal historical events, the project serves as a contemporary manifestation of Indigenous storytelling traditions, akin to the cultural significance attributed to dreams among various Indigenous communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Le Guin was fascinated by the realm of the unconscious as a site for social and political exploration, and her treatment of dreams prompts a reconsideration of the dichotomy between dreaming and waking life, challenging the interpretation of dreams as subconscious reflections. She echoes bell hooks\u2019s concept of \u201cimagination as a powerful mode of resistance,\u201d as the Athsheans\u2019 collective dreaming becomes a tool for creating alternative futures free from colonial domination. This notion expands upon hooks\u2019s belief in the transformative potential of imagination, emphasizing how dreams can serve as a tool for critiquing oppressive structures while fostering accountability and love. As Le Guin envisioned, collective dreaming becomes a means of dreaming a more equitable reality into existence, a method of envisioning alternatives to what no longer serves us. The Athsheans\u2019 deep integration with their dream world underscores the interconnectedness among the individual, the community, and the environment. Their ability to navigate both dream-time and world-time highlights a holistic understanding of an existence in which dreams are not mere ephemeral reflections but tangible sources of guidance, support, and resurgence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Building upon the frameworks of critical theory and anti-colonial thought, Athsheans\u2019 relationship with dreaming is a poignant metaphor for decolonial praxis. Dreaming becomes a decolonizing process of reclaiming Indigenous epistemologies and modes of being. Through their rejection of the Terrans\u2019 attempts to pathologize and suppress their dreaming practices, the Athsheans assert their cultural sovereignty and resist assimilation into colonial norms. By foregrounding the centrality of dreams in their struggle for liberation, they challenge the colonial dichotomy between rationality and irrationality, asserting the validity and potency of Indigenous ways of knowing. Le Guin\u2019s narrative invites readers to consider the potential of collective dreaming to access deeper layers of human experience and wisdom. In today\u2019s interconnected world, where global challenges demand collaborative solutions, the Athsheans\u2019 approach to dreaming is a compelling roadmap for collective action and solidarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the Athsheans reclaim agency through their dreams, envisioning a future free from exploitation, Le Guin challenges us to reconsider the potential of collective dreaming in our own realities. Reading The<\/em> Word for World Is Forest<\/em>, I wonder: how can we support each other\u2019s dreams to create new sites of possibility? And what does a communal dreaming practice look like? Le Guin encourages us to understand dreaming as curiosity, as critique, as co-building. She does not want us to forget our immense capacity to dream\u200a\u2014\u200aa source from which we can change, adapt, and transform. The Athsheans\u2019 communal dreaming practices emphasize dreams\u2019 symbolic and archetypal dimensions, suggesting a shared reservoir of imagery and wisdom that transcends individual experience. Just as the Athsheans draw strength from their communal dream practices, could we, too, explore avenues of shared dreaming, opening new pathways toward co-creating a more just and sustainable world? Dreams, framed in this way, could be seen as interventions: disruptive, discursive, dialogic. Vulnerable, empathetic, collaborative. Rooted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Indeed, Le Guin\u2019s story is multi-dimensional. The Word for World Is Forest <\/em>is a protest novella that directly rebukes colonialism and underscores the revolutionary potential of dreaming as a form of decolonial praxis. Le Guin highlights dreaming as inherently anti-capitalist by centring the Athsheans\u2019 reliance on dreams as sources of knowledge and agency. In this context, dreams become more than mere subconscious reflections; they emerge as sites of resistance, imagination, and collective action. Through dream-time, the Athsheans reclaim their cultural identity, assert their right to self-determination, and offer a compelling model for Indigenous sovereignty and collective liberation. By embracing the metamorphic power of dreaming, Le Guin encourages readers to rethink avenues for resistance and renewal, emphasizing that the journey toward liberation starts with harnessing the radical imaginative potential within our dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A trans writer working in presentational and propositional forms, Kat Benedict uses processes of fragmentation, collage, and fabulation to make lectures, essays, and publications that propose extended modes of reading and recording. They write for AQNB<\/em>, C Magazine<\/em>, SLEEK Magazine<\/em>, and Terra Firma Magazine<\/em>, among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Skawennati_CreeIndependence\"](\"https:\/\/esse.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/112_DO_Benedict_Skawennati_CreeIndependence_2013_TT09-BIGGEST-EXTRA.jpg\")
Cree Independance<\/em>, 2013, machinimagraph from the project TimeTraveller\u2122<\/em>, 2008-2013.
Photo: courtesy of the artist<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
![\"Rebecca-Belmore\"](\"https:\/\/esse.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/112_DO_Benedict_Rebecca-Belmore_AGO.3559.a-Standard-Print-scaled.jpg\")
To Rest and to Dream<\/em>, 2001.
Photo: courtesy of the artist & Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, gift from Morton and Carol Rapp<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"Skawennati_Faceoff\"](\"https:\/\/esse.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/112_DO_Benedict_Skawennati_Faceoff_TT03-scaled.jpg\")
Face Off<\/em>, 2010, machinimagraph from the project TimeTraveller\u2122<\/em>, 2008-2013.
Photo: courtesy of the artist<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"Skawennati_TT02-Dakotas](\"https:\/\/esse.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/112_DO_Benedict_Skawennati_TT02-Dakotas-Raise-Weapons-300-2010.jpg\")
Dakotas Raise Weapons<\/em>, 2010\u2009, machinimagraph from the project TimeTraveller\u2122<\/em>, 2008-2013.
Photo: courtesy of the artist<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n