Program Title: “Why Dreams, Why Now?” Our March 15, 2025 program will feature a talk by Sarah D. Norton,
PhD, Fredericksburg-based Depth Psychologist and Dream Interpreter.
In this presentation, Sarah D. Norton, PhD, will explore the gift of dreams and images in times of
great uncertainty. Dreams are a direct line to our deepest wells of knowledge and connect us to
wisdom from the archetypal realm and the collective unconscious. We have access to them every
night whether we remember our dreams or not. Even if dreams are not as accessible to us, there are
images everywhere around us, in nature, in art, in film, in myth, and more. In her new book, Sarah explores this through images of climate change in our shifting environment, moving each image from a mere sign of
climate change to a deep symbol of what this change means to us on a collective and personal level. Though her work is rooted in the global crisis of this environmental change, her exploration with dreams began at a time of great uncertainty in her personal life.
Through the parallels of the personal and collective crisis a relationship began to grow with an image of Earth that spoke to all aspects of this tumultuous time. Through dreams, active imagination, and the creative process of
writing, an opening to healing and possibility took shape. We will look at a few passages from the book, some enduring dream images, some of the artwork that sprang from these encounters, and more to discover where these
expressions of deep knowing can find a place in our lives even in the most difficult times. Whether you have a creative practice, record your dreams regularly or hardly ever, there are images in your life that are open to these in
depth relationships. We will dig into how these images, from dreams, artwork, nature, memory, and/or the imagination can become an opening to possibility, healing, creativity, and comfort even in the most uncertain and
chaotic moments.
Another not-to-be-missed program for all who can attend! See you there!
: Sarah D. Norton, PhD, is an independent scholar who earned her MA and PhD in Depth Psychology with an emphasis in Jungian and archetypal psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute. She completed her dissertation Arctic Imaginings: Chasing Ice through Jung’s Liber Novus into the 21st Century. With a passion for intersectional environmentalism, grief work, dreams, and creativity she writes about climate and current events from an archetypal perspective. Her new book is Climate Change, Environments of Uncertainty and Loss: Jung, Politics and Culture (Routledge, 2025). Sarah is the online education coordinator at the Richmond based non- profit, The Foundation for Family and Community Healing (www.HealingEdu.org). Sarah is also the editor of the publication The Rose in the World, communications coordinator for the Natural Spirituality conference (www.NSRGathering.org), and cohost for the London Arts Based Research Centre’s monthly salon “Psychreative” (LABRC.co.uk) devoted to the discussion and sharing of creativity, Jungian
thought, and the arts. You can contact her at sarah.norton.phd@arcticmail.com and see more at http://sdnortonphd.net/.
About Central VA IONS Community Group: Central VA IONS Community Group is an unincorporated association and a local
community group of The Institute of Noetic Sciences, an international association based in Petaluma, California (www.noetic.org). Central
VA IONS is not associated with any religion, religious organization, doctrine or set of beliefs or practices and is open to all. Central VA
IONS is entirely dependent upon voluntary donations of its members and friends to support its programs, mailings and other costs, and a
love offering is requested at each meeting from those attending in-person or online. Central VA IONS meetings are held each month at
locations announced in its program notices and are open to all. Our website is at richmondions.com.
Where/When: In person and online, through ZOOM (Meeting ID: 865 1815 1952, Passcode: 142841) and in
person at Unity of Richmond, 800 Blanton Avenue, Richmond, VA 23221, on Saturday, March 15, 2025, 10:00
a.m. to 12:00 noon, with Potluck Lunch at conclusion.
Upcoming Meetings:
April 19, 2025: Susanna Calvert, Ph.D., Richmond-based Channel, Healer, Teacher and Founder of Sanctuary of Earth.
May 17, 2025: Shruti Paskar, ND, Pawleys Island-based Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine.
June 21, 2025: Bart Smyth, Florida-based QiGong Master and healer.
July 19, 2025: Mark Adams, Richmond-based candle healer.