When the horseman knocks

What do you do when a nightmare comes knocking on your door?

Jun 01, 2026

“This is a love letter to a nightmare.”
― Leonora Carrington, The Seventh Horse and Other Tales

Hello Dear Reader,

One question I’m often asked is, “What do I do if I wake up from a nightmare?”The impulse often is to try to forget the dream as quickly as possible. But that would be like shutting the door on a wise guru who is delivering an important message.

One participant in our recent Dream Journey into the Soul retreat decided to do the opposite. Christina Scott is no stranger to nightmares, which might be why, when we invited participants to bring one dream to work on through dream theater, poetry, and collage art for the full 5-day experience, she courageously brought a heart-thudding nightmare.

Christina’s dramatic dream opened with a horse-headed man with a mysterious briefcase in hand, knocking on the door to be let in.

Who was he? What did he want? And what was inside that briefcase?

Christina hung in there for a wild ride to find out. And she memorialized and honored the dream's transformative messages through the collage and a series of miniature poems, which are published below.

Commenting on the process, Christina said,

“I have very vivid, complex dreams, and usually multiple dreams a night. So, dreamwork can easily become a complicated process for me. I often get caught in the details and struggle to zoom out and see the bigger picture, the larger message the dream is trying to communicate. Working with the dream haikus was an interesting experience, because it allowed me to hone in on the dream while staying rooted to the big picture. I was able to write different haikus focusing on specific aspects of the dream, but in such a succinct way that it felt tied to a deeper, more expansive theme.”

I hope Christina’s creative journey through her dream inspires you to welcome your dreams as muses and gurus, too!