Robert Moss
Encyclopedia
Robert Moss, born in Melbourne (Victoria
) in 1946, is an Australia
n historian, journalist
and author
and the creator of Active Dreaming, an original method for working with dreams and imagination.
He was educated at Scotch College, Melbourne, Canberra Grammar School and the Australian National University where he gained a BA (1st class Hons.) and subsequently gained an MA. He was a lecturer in Ancient History at the ANU in 1969-1970.
. From 1970-1980, he was an editorial writer and special correspondent for The Economist, reporting from some 35 countries. He edited The Economist's weekly Foreign Report from 1974-1980, and wrote for many other publications, including The Daily Telegraph
, The New York Times Magazine
, The New Republic
and Commentary
. He was a regular commentator on international affairs on British television and the BBC
World Service.
In a paper presented to the International Institute of Strategic Studies in 1971, Moss was one of the first to identify the emergence of international terrorism. He expanded his paper into his first book, Urban Guerrillas, published when he was 25. From 1971-1980, he was a visiting lecturer at the Royal College of Defence Studies
in London. Moss drafted a speech for Margaret Thatcher
in January 1976 warning about the Soviet military build-up. In response to this speech Thatcher was labelled the "Iron Lady" by the Soviet Army newspaper Red Star.
He was awarded the Freedom Prize of the Max Schmidheiny Foundation at the University of St. Gallen in 1979.
Moss co-authored the novel The Spike with Arnaud de Borchgrave
; it became a best seller in 1980.
Moss became a full-time writer and published a series of best-selling suspense novels including Moscow Rules and Carnival of Spies.
Out of these experiences he wrote a series of historical novels and developed the practice he calls Active Dreaming, an original synthesis of contemporary dreamwork and various methods of journeying and healing. A central premise of Moss's approach is that dreaming isn't just what happens during sleep; dreaming is waking up to sources of guidance, healing and creativity beyond the reach of the everyday mind.
He introduced his method to an international audience as an invited presenter at the conference of the Association for the Study of Dreams at the University of Leiden in 1994.
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
) in 1946, is an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n historian, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and the creator of Active Dreaming, an original method for working with dreams and imagination.
Early life and education
Moss survived several life-threatening bouts of illness in childhood and traces his fascination with dreaming from this time.He was educated at Scotch College, Melbourne, Canberra Grammar School and the Australian National University where he gained a BA (1st class Hons.) and subsequently gained an MA. He was a lecturer in Ancient History at the ANU in 1969-1970.
Journalism and international affairs
In 1970, he started PhD research at University College, London, but soon accepted an invitation to join the editorial staff of The EconomistThe Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
. From 1970-1980, he was an editorial writer and special correspondent for The Economist, reporting from some 35 countries. He edited The Economist's weekly Foreign Report from 1974-1980, and wrote for many other publications, including The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
, The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine is a Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of The New York Times. It is host to feature articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors...
, The New Republic
The New Republic
The magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
and Commentary
Commentary (magazine)
Commentary is a monthly American magazine on politics, Judaism, social and cultural issues. It was founded by the American Jewish Committee in 1945. By 1960 its editor was Norman Podhoretz, a liberal at the time who moved sharply to the right in the 1970s and 1980s becoming a strong voice for the...
. He was a regular commentator on international affairs on British television and the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
World Service.
In a paper presented to the International Institute of Strategic Studies in 1971, Moss was one of the first to identify the emergence of international terrorism. He expanded his paper into his first book, Urban Guerrillas, published when he was 25. From 1971-1980, he was a visiting lecturer at the Royal College of Defence Studies
Royal College of Defence Studies
The Royal College of Defence Studies is an internationally-renowned institution and component of the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom...
in London. Moss drafted a speech for Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
in January 1976 warning about the Soviet military build-up. In response to this speech Thatcher was labelled the "Iron Lady" by the Soviet Army newspaper Red Star.
He was awarded the Freedom Prize of the Max Schmidheiny Foundation at the University of St. Gallen in 1979.
Moss co-authored the novel The Spike with Arnaud de Borchgrave
Arnaud de Borchgrave
Arnaud de Borchgrave is an American journalist who specializes in international politics.Born in Belgium to Audrey Dorothy Louise Townshend, daughter of Major General Sir Charles Vere Ferrers Townshend, and Belgian count Baudouin de Borchgrave d’Altena , head of Belgium's military intelligence...
; it became a best seller in 1980.
Moss became a full-time writer and published a series of best-selling suspense novels including Moscow Rules and Carnival of Spies.
Interest in dreaming
In 1986, Moss felt the need to get away from the commercial fast track and moved to a farm in upstate New York, where he started dreaming in a language he did not know that proved to be an archaic form of the Mohawk language. Helped by native speakers to interpret his dreams, Moss came to believe that they had put him in touch with an ancient healer – a woman of power – and that they were calling him to a different life.Out of these experiences he wrote a series of historical novels and developed the practice he calls Active Dreaming, an original synthesis of contemporary dreamwork and various methods of journeying and healing. A central premise of Moss's approach is that dreaming isn't just what happens during sleep; dreaming is waking up to sources of guidance, healing and creativity beyond the reach of the everyday mind.
He introduced his method to an international audience as an invited presenter at the conference of the Association for the Study of Dreams at the University of Leiden in 1994.
Core techniques of active dreaming
- The "lightning dreamwork" process, designed to facilitate quick dream-sharing that results in helpful action; the use of the "if it were my dream" protocol encourages the understanding that the dreamer is always the final authority on his or her dream.
- Dream reentry: the practice of making a conscious journey back inside a dream in order to clarify information, dialogue with a dream character, or move beyond nightmare terrors into healing and resolution.
- Tracking and group dreaming: conscious dream travel on an agreed itinerary by two or more partners, often supported by shamanic drumming.
- Navigating by synchronicity: reading coincidence and "symbolic pop-ups" in ordinary life as "everyday oracles".
Early Writings on International Politics
- Urban Guerrilla Warfare (International Institute for Strategic Studies, 1971).
- Urban Guerrillas (Maurice Temple Smith, 1972).
- Spain: Between Past and Present (Economist Brief Books 1972).
- Chile's Marxist Experiment (David & Charles, 1973).
- The Collapse of Democracy (Maurice Temple Smith, 1975).
Suspense novels
- The Spike (with Arnaud de Borchgrave) (Crown, 1980)
- Death Beam (Crown, 1981)
- Monimbo (with Arnaud de Borchgrave) (Simon and Schuster, 1983)
- Moscow Rules (Villard, 1985)
- Carnival of Spies (Villard, 1987)
- Mexico Way (Simon and Schuster, 1990)
Historical fiction
- Fire Along the Sky (St Martin's Press, 1992) (Expanded second edition, with the love letters of Lady Valerie D'Arcy, Forge,1995)
- The Firekeeper (Forge, 1995)
- The Interpreter (Forge, 1997)
Works on active dreaming
- Conscious Dreaming (Three Rivers Press, 1996)
- Dream Gates: A Journey into Active Dreaming (audio; Sounds TrueSounds TrueSounds True is a multimedia publishing company based near Boulder, Colorado. It was created in 1985 by Tami Simon. The company has published approximately 1,000 titles, including spoken-word audio recordings, books, music, filmed events, multimedia packages and online educational programs from...
, 1997) - Dreamgates: An Explorer's Guide to the Worlds of Soul, Imagination and Life Beyond Death (Three Rivers Press, 1998)
- Dreaming True (Pocket Books, 2000)
- Dreamways of the Iroquois (Destiny Books, 2004)
- The Way of the Dreamer (video; Psyche Productions, 2004)
- The Dreamer's Book of the Dead (Destiny Books, 2005)
- The Three "Only" Things: Tapping the Power of Dreams, Coincidence and Imagination (New World Library, 2007)
- The Secret History of Dreaming (New World Library, 2009)
External links
- Website of Robert Moss
- IASD (International Association for the Study of Dreams) Member Page for Robert Moss
- Interview with Robert Moss on "The Secret History of Dreaming" by ReadTheSpirit.com