The dread and resistance which every natural human being experiences when it comes to delving too deeply into himself is, at bottom, the fear of the journey to Hades.

– C.G. Jung, Psychology and Alchemy, CW 12 §439 ¹

The Underworld is a way of speaking about the other third of our lives where we fall into a state of unconsciousness that is simultaneously required for vital health and well being, replenishing, and strange. Seeing the Underworld (i.e. is the realm of unconsciousness we sink into as we move through the different stages of sleep) in this way gives more respect to the importance and value of the realms of sleep we journey to each evening.

In my early twenties, I was introduced to the psychology of Carl Jung and James Hillman by my mentor, radically reframing the way I viewed sleep and the ways I worked with dreams. Specifically, James Hillman's 1979 book The Dream and the Underworld, a depth psychology informed meditation on the nature of dreams that posited that the 'nightworld' of dream should not be considered secondary to the 'dayworld' of waking life, because from the perspective of soul, day and night are equally essential and equally real.

The dream has nothing to do with the waking world but is the psyche speaking to itself in its own language.

– James Hillman, The Dream and the Underworld, p. 12 ²

Following Jung, he believed it was our waking consciousness, or 'ego' that required adjustment to the 'culture' and 'language' of the underworld, rather than the other way around: where the language and images of dreams are interpreted into a dayworld mentality meant to serve and inform our 'outer' lives.

In this sense, 'interpreting' a dream in the language of waking consciousness is to fail a dream. It's as if we were at a theater witnessing a play, and the plays message eludes us, so we decide to turn all the overhead lights in the theater and peek behind stage to see how it all works. "Ah, now I understand!" the ego says as all of the actors and players hide from the light.

This idea is further reinforced in the amazing novel by Dorothy Bryant, The Kin of Ata Are Waiting for You, where a man finds himself immersed among a strange culture whose work, art, and relationships in waking life are organized and developed to achieve deeper dreams in the realms of night.

This is all to say, that there is value to the third of our lives we lay supine and a different kind of awareness turns away from the waking world towards the shadowy depths of sleep.

If we are ready to respect the realm of the night, we have to create structures (like the kin of Ata) the facilitate deeper dreaming and deeper sleep.

Once such way to approach this is something I like to call... the 'Sleep Buffer'.

The Sleep Buffer (i.e., your own personal sleep palace)

This practice is essentially giving yourself one or two hours before bed and after you wake up completely withdrawn (to any degree possible) from the outside culture.

• Give yourself plenty of time (1-2 hours) to completely disconnect before bed. Lower lights, hide your phone, and opt for analog reading before bed to avoid screens.
• This goes for morning as well, give yourself at least an hour before checking your phone, checking your email, or reading the news after you wake up.

Stirring up the culture before bed does not set us up for restful sleep. Similarly, anticipating whatever notifications you might find on your phone that's plugged in on your nightstand is not helpful either. Having this buffer period in the evening and morning communicates to your body that you are listening and tending to its needs.

Following this routine, you are building and tending to what I like to call the sleep palace: the sacred time and space where you dip beneath waking consciousness to merge into the collective space of dreamtime.

Why is honoring and protecting your sleep palace so important?

From a neurobiological perspective:

In the evening…

Electronics are stimulating and their blue light can negatively affect melatonin (sleepy-time hormone) levels. By keeping electronics such as televisions, computers, smartphones, gaming consoles and e-readers out of the bedroom, you are not disrupting the process that initiates the release of melatonin to encourage sleep.

In the morning…

Our brain waves shift from Delta (slow wave sleep) to Theta and Alpha during the waking stages. But when we reach for our phone and start scrolling, these brainwaves jump straight to Beta, jolting you into a sense of alertness, which is one of the reasons why people use it to wake up.

But the slow unfurling from sleep awareness to waking awareness is important to our mental health.

Jumping straight to Beta, you miss out on the important Theta and Alpha brainwaves which are responsible for starting your day in a calm, contemplative manner, with deeply relaxed states of mind filled with mind-wandering creativity. Instead, you set yourself up for buzzing stress the entire day.

Also, let's not forget about how cool dreams are.

Other things to do during this buffer time

• candlehour
• meditate
• stretch and invite gentle movement (tai chi or yoga is great)
• journal (dream journal, phenology journal or otherwise!)
• create (draw, play music, sing, write, whatever this may look like for you)
• read / write poetry
• have a cup of tea
• chat with a partner, roommate, family member
• listen to music
• set intentions
• express gratitude
• take a walk outside
• plan your day (ideally in the morning, and not directly before bed, although if you find planning your day at the beginning of your nighttime buffer helps you let go and slow down, then go for it!)

For any activity (before or after bed, within the buffer) I like to consider the energy it generates and if it is appropriate for where I'm headed (lower energy activities right before bed, higher energy activities at the end of your morning buffer).

Resources:

[1]: Carl Gustav Jung and Richard Francis Carrington Hull, Psychology and Alchemy, Second ed., completely revised, The Collected Works of C. G. Jung 12 (Princeton (N.J.): Princeton University press, 1980).

[2]: James Hillman, The Dream and the Underworld, 1st ed (New York: Harper & Row, 1979).