Dreams, Astrology, & Cosmic Downloads with Madi Murphy

From the studios of KSQD in Santa Cruz, host Katherine Bell welcomes astrologer and author Madi Murphy, founder of CosmicRx, for a powerful conversation on dreams as divine guidance systems.

In this episode, Madi shares how vivid childhood dreams, prophetic moments, and visitations from her grandfather led her from a publishing career in New York City to shamanic training and evolutionary astrology. Together, Katherine and Madi explore how dreams function as “cosmic downloads,” how astrology offers a blueprint for soul purpose, and why Pisces season is a portal for intuitive insight.

If you’ve ever wondered whether your dreams mean something more — or how to move from comfort zone to cosmic zone — this episode is for you.

The dreams that changed Madi’s life

What it means to be a “night worker”

How to set intentions before sleep

The North Node, South Node, & soul destiny

Do we choose our birth moment?

Pisces season & the power of Neptune

Dreams as upgrades to your emotional operating system

Using astrology as “divine dress-up”

A dream of letting go of an old lollipop to be able to enter the candy store

00:00 – Welcome to The Dream Journal04:40 – Childhood Dreams & Prophetic Experiences07:10 – Healer & Shaman Dreams That Changed Everything10:05 – Night Workers & Dream Healing17:00 – “Google North Node”: Astrology as Soul Blueprint23:30 – Do We Choose Our Birth Moment?34:55 – Pisces Season, Neptune & Dream Portals43:00 – What Is a Cosmic Download?45:00 – Dreaming Your Future Into Being52:00 – Final Reflections: Trust Your Dreams

Madi Murphy is an astrologer, author of In the Cosmic Zone, and founder of CosmicRx, a moon-powered movement helping people decode the stars and embody their highest potential. Blending ancient wisdom with modern empowerment, Maddie teaches astrology as a living roadmap to radical alignment.

What if your dreams weren’t symbols to decode… but living encounters?

Celebrating seven years of Dream Journal episodes, host Katherine Bell welcomes natural dream work practitioner, artist, and druid priestix Laura Smith Riva for a fascinating conversation about rewilding the dream, animism, and reconnecting with the living intelligence within dreams and nature.

Together they explore how dream figures can be experienced as relational beings, how ritual and creativity help integrate dream wisdom, and how fear, vulnerability, and imagination open doorways to transformation and healing.

You’ll hear powerful dream stories, live listener dream exploration, and practical guidance on how to begin working with your own dreams.

What “rewilding the dream” means

How animism changes the way we understand dreams

Why dream symbols may be experienced as living encounters

Techniques used in natural dream work

How ritual, art, and creativity help integrate dream messages

How dreams support healing, intuition, and imagination

Ways to start your own dream practice

00:00 Rewilding the dream: animism, dream wisdom & spiritual awakening02:06 What is druidry? nature spirituality, animism & learning from trees07:22 Natural dream work explained: why dream symbols are living experiences12:06 Sacred dream encounters: fear, transformation & emotional thresholds16:36 Dream rituals & creativity: using art, altars and symbolism to integrate dreams31:50 Listener dream analysis: how dreams reflect memory, ancestry & emotional healing47:15 How to start dream work: practical steps, courses & following your dream intuition

Laura Smith-Riva is a Natural Dreamwork Practitioner and Priestix of the Green Mountain Druid Order in Vermont. She works with dreamers from many parts of the globe and in her personal work is interested in the connection to the natural world through dreams and vision work and offers expressions of her journey using art, poetry and prose.

Visit Laura Smith Riva’s work:👉 https://laura-smith-riva.com

Explore Experiential Dream Work:👉 https://experientialdreamwork.com

If you enjoy conversations about dreams, spirituality, creativity, and personal growth:

✔ Subscribe✔ Like the video✔ Share with a dream-loving friend✔ Comment with a recent dream or insight

Find a video clip of the conversation @ExperientialDr

Can we do more than talk in talk therapy? Our guest Dr. Michael Mollura speaks about some of his creative approaches to psychotherapy including music therapy, dreamwork, Jungian perspectives, and more!

03:03 — Dr. Michael Mollura’s Background: Music, Psychology, and Creativity

05:31 — Why Suppressed Creativity Can Cause Emotional Symptoms

07:54 — Setting Dreams to Music: The Acoustics of the Unconscious

08:31 — Jungian Dream Work and Depth Psychology Explained

10:52 — Why Symptoms Are Symbols in Dream and Depth Therapy

14:23 — How to Begin Interpreting Dreams: Start with Mood, Not Meaning

17:12 — Common Mistakes People Make When Analyzing Dreams

23:00 — The Power of Dream Details and Imagery in Therapy

29:16 — Phenomenology in Dream Work: Experiencing Dreams Through the Senses

35:49 — A Listener Dream about Judy Garland: an Example of Symbolic Meaning in Dream Analysis.

43:34 — Dream Music Demonstration: Improvising Soundtracks to Dreams

46:49 — Therapy as Improvisation: Music, Energy, and Human Connection

50:39 — Final Thoughts: Dreams as Stepping Stones Out of Chaos

Here is a clip of Dr Mollura’s dream soundtracks which we played on the show called “Dream Music Live: Little Boy.”

And another one called “Whirling through the Infinite Void.”

Find a short video clip of the conversation @experientialdreamwork on YouTube on the “Dream Journal shorts” playlist, or click here to access the latest playlist.

Find the full video record of the conversation @ExperientialDreamwork on YouTube on the “Dream Journal podcast FULL LENGTH VIDEOS” playlist, or click here to access the latest shows:

BIO: Dr. Michael Mollura is a licensed clinical psychologist with a Ph.D from Pacifica Graduate Institute and a Master’s Degree in Performance Studies from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Find our guest at DrMichaelMollura.com.

This show, episode number 349, was recorded during a live broadcast on February  7, 2026 at KSQD.org, community radio of Santa Cruz.

Here are links to some other Dream Journal episodes you might be interested in:

Using Dreams in Therapy and also Dream Telepathy with Suzanne Maniss, PhD

Creating Soundtracks for Dreams: The Healing Power of Music with Dr Michael Mollura

Intro and outro music by Mood Science. Ambient music new every week by Rick Kleffel. Archived music can be found at Pandemiad.com. Many thanks to Rick for also engineering the show and to Erik Nelson for answering the phones.

SHARE A DREAM FOR THE SHOW or a question or enquire about being a guest on the podcast by emailing Katherine Bell at [email protected]. Follow on LI, IG, YT, FB, & LT @ExperientialDreamwork #thedreamjournal. To learn more or to inquire about exploring your own dreams go to ExperientialDreamwork.com.

The Dream Journal aims to:

We are the dreams of our ancestors; we are their hopes for the future. But sometimes their trauma is transmitted to us through nightmares. Today’s guest, Dream Journal regular Linda Schiller, will be talking about how to heal that intergenerational pain and focus on the gifts of ancestral connection.

Linda talks about her own ancestors and how her grandfather, who she called Grandpa Joey, fled Kiev with his family at age of three because of the pogroms and how making borscht soup always helped her feel more connected to that side of her family. We talk about the trauma that we inherit from our ancestors but also the caring and resilience. Linda also talks about synchronicity, public trauma vs private trauma, drawing up a family tree, and dream incubation.

After the break, we explore a dream of Katherine’s about doing numerical computations like she used to during her NASA career and about why she might be having this dream now over 20 years after leaving that position.

BIO: Linda Yael Schiller, MSW, LICSW is an international teacher, psychotherapist, and dream worker. She is professor emeritus from Boston University School of Social Work and the post-graduate Trauma Certificate program. She is the author of three books: “PTSDreams: Transform Your Nightmares from Trauma through Healing Dreamwork” her classic, “Modern Dreamwork: New Tools for Decoding Your Soul’s Wisdom,” and her new book “Ancestral Dreaming: Healing Generational Wounds with Active Dreamwork” which comes out this summer and is currently available for pre-order through Llewellyn publishing.

Find her at LindaYaelSchiller.com

Find a short video clip of the conversation @experientialdreamwork on YouTube on the “Dream Journal shorts” playlist, or click here:

Find the full video record of the conversation @ExperientialDreamwork on YouTube on the “Dream Journal podcast FULL LENGTH VIDEOS” playlist, or click here:

BIO: Linda Yael Schiller is an international teacher, psychotherapist, and dream worker. She is professor emeritus from Boston University School of Social Work and the post-graduate Trauma Certificate program. She is the author of three books. Her new book is “Ancestral Dreaming: Healing Generational Wounds with Active Dreamwork”.

Find our guest at: LindaYaelSchiller.com

This show, episode number 348, was recorded during a live broadcast on January 31, 2026 at KSQD.org, community radio of Santa Cruz.

Here are links to some other Dream Journal episodes you might be interested in:

Healing Nightmares through Dreamwork with Linda Schiller

Trauma, Nightmares and Spirituality with Linda Schiller

Intro and outro music by Mood Science. Ambient music new every week by Rick Kleffel. Archived music can be found at Pandemiad.com. Many thanks to Rick for also engineering the show and to Erik Nelson for answering the phones.

SHARE A DREAM FOR THE SHOW or a question or enquire about being a guest on the podcast by emailing Katherine Bell at [email protected]. Follow on LI, IG, YT, FB, & LT @ExperientialDreamwork #thedreamjournal. To learn more or to inquire about exploring your own dreams go to ExperientialDreamwork.com.

The Dream Journal aims to:

Dream​s bring us back to our true self. ​Today’s guest, Dr. Bonnie Buckner, speaks about the visual language of dreams ​which awakens in us feelings​ which are the base of our inner knowing.​ Dreaming ​also reminds us of wonder and mystery​. By embracing mystery, we discover more of our own potentials and possibilities of transformation in the outer world. Bonnie starts by describing some of the competing pulls we have including the desire to fit in  vs the desire for connection. She says our true self is often crowded out by thinking, but that dreams bring us back to a visual and feeling-based language.

After the break, we take a question from Stacy from Canyon Lake Texas who shares a dream about filming a waterfall and NOT filming a topless woman. We also take a question from Max which starts a conversation about how to bring wonder into our daily experience.

Here is a link to a short video clip of the conversation:

The Full-Length video can be found here:

BIO: Bonnie Buckner, PhD is founder and CEO of the International Institute for Dreaming and Imagery®, author of THE SECRET MIND, and Program Lead for George Washington University’s One Humanity Leadership Coaching Certification Program where she uses dreaming and imagery work to develop coaches.

Find our guest at: bonniebuckner.com and at institutefordreamingandimagery.com

Her new book is the Secret Mind: Unlock the Power of Your Dreams to Transform Your Life

This show, episode number 347, was recorded during a live broadcast on January 24, 2026 at KSQD.org, community radio of Santa Cruz.

Here are links to some other Dream Journal episodes you might be interested in:

Dreams as Medicine with Stephanie Trager

Stop Thinking and Start Imagining with Catherine Shainberg, PhD

Intro and outro music by Mood Science. Ambient music new every week by Rick Kleffel. Archived music can be found at Pandemiad.com. Many thanks to Rick for also engineering the show and to Erik Nelson for answering the phones.

SHARE A DREAM FOR THE SHOW or a question or enquire about being a guest on the podcast by emailing Katherine Bell at [email protected]. Follow on LI, IG, YT, FB, & LT @ExperientialDreamwork #thedreamjournal. To learn more or to inquire about exploring your own dreams go to ExperientialDreamwork.com.

The Dream Journal aims to:

A dream can be meaningful even if you don’t know what it means.

The Dream Journal is produced at and airs on KSQD Santa Cruz, 90.7 FM. Catch it streaming LIVE at KSQD.org 10-11am Pacific Time on Saturdays. Call or text with your dreams or questions at 831-900-5773 or email at [email protected]. Podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms the Monday following the live show. The complete KSQD D

Does a traumatic childhood doom you to unhappiness and dysfunction?  Meet Wendy Correa who overcame a horrific youth. Dreams were a key part of her recovery! Wendy’s debut book is memoir My Pretty Baby: Seeking Truth and Finding Healing. Wendy starts with a pivotal dream of a black jaguar which had her face then talks about how childhood trauma affects life-long mental health including addiction, depression, and even physical ailments like irritable bowel syndrome and heart disease. She says that 64% of people have experienced at least one of the ten traumas highlighted by the “ACE” scale which lists Adverse Childhood Experiences. She encourages listeners to google the ACEs quiz to start thinking about how trauma might be informing our own lives.

She describes some of the modalities that were healing for her including meditation, psychotherapy, music, somatic practices saying “the issues are in the tissues.” Wendy describes the work by Bessel van der Kolk and his seminal book “The Body Keeps the Score.” After the break we talk about the dangers of toxic positivity and the art of learning “to suffer well” of which a pivotal component is forgiveness. She also mentions Whitney Goodman and Joan Didion.

Here is a link to a short video clip of the conversation:

The Full-Length video can be found here:

BIO: Wendy B. Correa is a writer, yogi, hiker and public speaker. She has worked in film, music, and radio. She holds bachelor’s degrees in psychology and theater arts. A wife and mother, she resides in Denver, Colorado. My Pretty Baby, an Amazon #1 Best Seller, is her debut book.

WendyBCorrea.com

This show, episode number 346, was recorded during a live broadcast on January 17, 2026 at KSQD.org, community radio of Santa Cruz.

Here are links to other Dream Journal episodes you might be interested in:

Meditation and Trauma Recovery with Edit B Kiss

Post Traumatic Spiritual Growth with Linda Schiller

Intro and outro music by Mood Science. Ambient music new every week by Rick Kleffel. Archived music can be found at Pandemiad.com. Many thanks to Rick for also engineering the show and to Erik Nelson for answering the phones.

SHARE A DREAM FOR THE SHOW or a question or enquire about being a guest on the podcast by emailing Katherine Bell at [email protected]. Follow on LI, IG, YT, FB, & LT @ExperientialDreamwork #thedreamjournal. To learn more or to inquire about exploring your own dreams go to ExperientialDreamwork.com.

The Dream Journal aims to:

A dream can be meaningful even if you don’t know what it means.

The Dream Journal is produced at and airs on KSQD Santa Cruz, 90.7 FM. Catch it streaming LIVE at KSQD.org 10-11am Pacific Time on Saturdays. Call or text with your dreams or questions at 831-900-5773 or email at [email protected]. Podcasts are available on all major

​​​How to really enjoy your dreams. Today Katherine speaks with Stuart Bailey, a British lawyer who has met Queen Elizabeth and sung with Elvis. His book is My Secret Life of Dreams: One Man’s Journey Into the Hidden World of Night. He says dreams are like movies starring ourselves so why not enjoy them?

Stuart starts by talking about his recurring childhood dream of flying down beautiful valleys, some of which date from before age 3 and a half. He speaks about how he might start to sink in those dreams but learned that by relaxing, he could keep flying. We also talk about precognitive dreams, deja vu, and an easy way to eliminate nightmares by daydreaming a better ending, his own version of Image Rehearsal Therapy.

Here is a link to a short video clip of the conversation:

https://youtu.be/hP5GXhtnEVg

BIO: Stuart Bailey is a lawyer from the Lake District, United Kingdom, and lives with his wife and two teenage sons. He is the author of My Secret Life of Dreams which explores  how the dreams we have at night can guide, heal, and gently shape our lives.

This show, episode number 345, was recorded during a live broadcast on January 10, 2026 at KSQD.org, community radio of Santa Cruz.

Here are links to some other Dream Journal episodes you might be interested in:

Eliminating Nightmares with Dr Michael Nadorff

It’s Always Been Me with Megan Walrod

Intro and outro music by Mood Science. Ambient music new every week by Rick Kleffel. Archived music can be found at Pandemiad.com. Many thanks to Rick for also engineering the show and to Erik Nelson for answering the phones.

SHARE A DREAM FOR THE SHOW or a question or enquire about being a guest on the podcast by emailing Katherine Bell at [email protected]. Follow on LI, IG, YT, FB, & LT @ExperientialDreamwork #thedreamjournal. To learn more or to inquire about exploring your own dreams go to ExperientialDreamwork.com.

The Dream Journal aims to:

A dream can be meaningful even if you don’t know what it means.

The Dream Journal is produced at and airs on KSQD Santa Cruz, 90.7 FM. Catch it streaming LIVE at KSQD.org 10-11am Pacific Time on Saturdays. Call or text with your dreams or questions at 831-900-5773 or email at [email protected]. Podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms the Monday following the live show. The complete KSQD Dream Journal podcast page can be found at ksqd.org/the-dream-journal/.

Closed captioning is available on the YouTube version of this podcast and an automatically generated transcript is available at Apple Podcasts within 24 hours of posting.

Thanks for being a Dream Journal listener! Available on all major podcast platforms. Rate it, review it, subscribe, and tell your friends.

We start the new years by welcoming Katrina Dreamer who talks about social justice dreaming and how we can start to dream up the kind of world we’d like to live in.

Here is a link to a short video clip of the conversation:

https://youtu.be/VPc75rnn3BA

Katrina starts by talking about harnessing the power of dreaming for social justice including using dreaming to build support and to find and connect with people. We speak about connecting to ancestors, mutual dreaming, and dream incubation. We then talk about dreaming up the kind of world we’d like to live in and why that can be difficult.

The class they are hosting called Social Justice Dreaming has a new cohort starting February 6. You can get 25% off the cost by registering here by January 23:

community.dreamstudies.org/c/social-justice-dreaming-winter-2026

After the break, we take a question from Max about day dreams and hear about a precognitive dream from Ellen from Santa Cruz which tried to warn her about getting arrested on a train in Europe.

BIO: Katrina Dreamer: Katrina is a pagan/Druid who co-hosts the podcast Dreaming Back to the Earth. They teach dream workshops on the Dream Portal, have presented multiple times at IASD conferences, and have written for Dreamtime magazine. They also write a web comic and are a tutor for disabled students.

This show, episode number 344, was recorded during a live broadcast on January 3, 2026 at KSQD.org, community radio of Santa Cruz.

You might be interested in these related Dream Journal episodes:

Gender and Dreams with Katrina Dreamer

Radical Resistance with Victor Lee Lewis

Intro and outro music by Mood Science. Ambient music new every week by Rick Kleffel. Archived music can be found at Pandemiad.com. Many thanks to Rick for also engineering the show and to Erik Nelson for answering the phones.

SHARE A DREAM FOR THE SHOW or a question or enquire about being a guest on the podcast by emailing Katherine Bell at [email protected]. Follow on FB, IG, LI, & YT @ExperientialDreamwork #thedreamjournal. To learn more or to inquire about exploring your own dreams go to ExperientialDreamwork.com.

The Dream Journal aims to:

A dream can be meaningful even if you don’t know what it means.

The Dream Journal is produced at and airs on KSQD Santa Cruz, 90.7 FM. Catch it streaming LIVE at KSQD.org 10-11am Pacific Time on Saturdays. Call or text with your dreams or questions at 831-900-5773 or email at [email protected]. Podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms the Monday following the live show. The complete KSQD Dream Journal podcast page can be found at ksqd.org/the-dream-journal/.

Closed captioning is available on the YouTube versi

What is sacredness and how can I find more of it in my life? Rodger Kamenetz teaches us a spiritual practice that leads us toward a deeper experience of life. His latest book is Seeing into the Life of Things: Imagination and the Sacred Encounter.

Short clip of the convo available here: https://youtu.be/rM8OGWNenhg

Rodger starts by talking about what’s changed for him since releasing his pivotal book in 2007, The History of Last Night’s Dream. He talks about dream images in the context of images in memory and perception and  about the power of images to bring feeling, whether those images are from waking life, from memory, or from dreams. We also talk about biophilia, the power of radical amazement, and finding meaning in waking life moments.

You can find a description of his blessing practice for free at howimagesheal.com

After the break we take a call from Kat from Delaware who asks about how to work with more difficult images which brings up a discussion about feeling vs reacting. Max in the studio asks how this practice is applied to waking life experiences. And finally the caller Donna, from Cleveland OH asks about anxiety and Rodger replies that terror is the perfect cure for anxiety.

Rodger ends by telling us about his workshop series that begins January 14. Details and register here:

JewishSpirituality.org/courses-programs/seeing-into-the-life-of-things-imagination-and-the-sacred-encounter/

BIO: Rodger Kamenetz founded Natural Dreamwork, an international group of twenty dreamwork practitioners. His sixteen books of poetry and prose include The History of Last Night’s Dream featured on Oprah Winfrey’s Soul Series and The Jew in the Lotus, an international bestseller. His new book is Seeing into the Life of Things: Imagination and the Sacred Encounter.

Kamenetz.com

TheNaturalDream.com

This show, episode number 343, was recorded during a live broadcast on December 27, 2025 at KSQD.org, community radio of Santa Cruz.

Previous Dream Journal convo with Rodger Kamenetz:

Bring Your Dreams to Life with Rodger Kamenetz

Intro and outro music by Mood Science. Ambient music new every week by Rick Kleffel. Archived music can be found at Pandemiad.com. Many thanks to Rick for also engineering the show and to Erik Nelson for answering the phones.

SHARE A DREAM FOR THE SHOW or a question or enquire about being a guest on the podcast by emailing Katherine Bell at [email protected]. Follow on FB, IG, LI, & YT @ExperientialDreamwork #thedreamjournal. To learn more or to inquire about exploring your own dreams go to ExperientialDreamwork.com.

The Dream Journal aims to:

A dream can be meaningful even if you don’t know what it means.

Winter Solstice is the time of year to go within. How have your dreams been nudging you into a new alignment?  Today is a rare all call-in show! No guest, just YOU. 

We host six dreamers on the show today starting with Sylvia from Ontario who describes a dream where a crow climbs into bed with her, comforting her. Then Steve shares about the latest in his evolution of journeying dreams where he has gotten to the ocean and is trying to go deeper, but the waves keep pushing him back.

We take a call from Chris from Felton who shares a dream  in which two beautiful fish are thriving in a mucky, disgusting pond. And then we get a call from local poet Jenny D’Angelo in which she meets a man who to her was like a mythic image of wholeness.

After the break, we take a call from Lisa from Pleasanton who shares a dream of laughter with a man on a train who helped her look through the wallpaper. We take our final dream from Kathy from Corona who called us on her birthday to tell us her dream of an old handle-less basket that exploded with butterflies, leaving her with a feeling of exultation and delight. Happy birthday, Kathy!

May your holidays be cozy and your new years healthy. Thanks for being a Dream Journal listener! Warmly, Katherine

This show, episode number 343, was recorded during a live broadcast on December 20, 2025 at KSQD.org, community radio of Santa Cruz.

Intro and outro music by Mood Science. Ambient music new every week by Rick Kleffel. Archived music can be found at Pandemiad.com. Many thanks to Rick for also engineering the show and to Erik Nelson for answering the phones.

SHARE A DREAM FOR THE SHOW or a question or enquire about being a guest on the podcast by emailing Katherine Bell at [email protected]. Follow on FB, IG, LI, & YT @ExperientialDreamwork #thedreamjournal. To learn more or to inquire about exploring your own dreams go to ExperientialDreamwork.com.

The Dream Journal aims to:

A dream can be meaningful even if you don’t know what it means.

The Dream Journal is produced at and airs on KSQD Santa Cruz, 90.7 FM. Catch it streaming LIVE at KSQD.org 10-11am Pacific Time on Saturdays. Call or text with your dreams or questions at 831-900-5773 or email at [email protected]. Podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms the Monday following the live show. The complete KSQD Dream Journal podcast page can be found at ksqd.org/the-dream-journal/.

Closed captioning is available on the YouTube version of this podcast and an automatically generated transcript is available at Apple Podcasts within 24 hours of posting.

Thanks for being a Dream Journal listener! Available on all major podcast platforms. Rate it, review it, subscribe, and tell your friends.