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155 12 Women and Dream Interpretation in Contemporary Iran PAR ISA R AHIMIAN In my experience as a woman growing up in the Islamic Republic of Iran, it has not always been easy for me to find positive and empowering portraits of feminine spiritual energy. In a patriarchal society such as Iran’s, one can clearly observe the unequal treatment of men and women in many areas of life. Beyond that, there is an underlying imbalance of masculine and feminine energy that is not always as noticeable at first glance. The hidden aspect of patriarchy has an even wider effect on men and women alike and the society as a whole and yet is often overlooked. In a quest for equality for men and women, an understanding of the way a culture relates to the masculine and feminine and the channels through which these energies are expressed is crucial, for otherwise any changes would take effect only at a superficial level. This is where dream traditions come into the picture, since dreaming is an important expression of the feminine in traditional Iranian culture. In this chapter I explore the dream traditions practiced in Iran, especially among the women who are the main holders and bearers of these traditions. Limitations An important factor to consider here is the limitations on this kind of a study. Although the majority of people in Iran are Muslims and the government is Islamic, it would be a mistake to generalize the findings of my research about the Iranian culture, or any other Muslim culture for that matter, to the entirety of Islam, and vice versa. I think Islam or any other religion is a worldview and a set or rules and practices, and each culture takes that framework and shapes it in a unique way. Thus the reality of daily life  156 PA R ISA R A HIMI A N and traditions of one Muslim community might differ greatly from those of another. In other words, the dominant religion of a region is only one factor in shaping the structure of its culture. The second factor to consider here is that the Iranian culture contains within itself many subcultures, religious practices, and even local languages, each having its own unique traditions. Even with all these complexities to consider, I think we can still find that dreaming is an important expression of the feminine aspect of this culture. In other words, although the specific way each subculture practices dreaming might be different, dreaming still acts as a common thread in expressing the feminine side of the culture as a whole. A Visit to Iran In the summer of 2006 I traveled to Iran to visit my family and conduct research on the practices of dream interpretation in contemporary Iranian society. I stayed about five months, mainly in Tehran, the capital of the country. I also visited cities such as Isfahan, Hamedan, and Kermanshah. Of these places I stayed longest in Isfahan, where my family is originally from. Isfahan is one of the oldest cities in Iran and is located about four hundred kilometers south of Tehran. Twenty-five hundred years old, this city was the capital from 1598 to 1722 and is known for its great historical monuments such as the old bazaar, which is still producing an amazing variety of artistic and handcrafted works. My trips to Hamedan and Kermanshah were much shorter. Hamedan is situated approximately 30 kilometers southwest of Tehran, on the slopes of Mount Alvand. Hamedan is one of the oldest cities not only in Iran but also in the world, dating back to several centuries before Christ. Kermanshah is located 190 kilometers west of Hamedan, and between the two cities lies a temple dedicated to Anahita, the goddess of water and beauty who was worshiped in ancient Persia. Unfortunately, a visitor today finds most of the temple destroyed, with no evidence of any serious attempt at reconstruction in many years. From my research I found that before the Iranian Revolution in 1978–1979 a team of anthropologists was working on the reconstruction of the temple, but the effort was put on hold shortly after the shift in governments. Nevertheless, if it weren’t for their work more than thirty years ago, the once-magnificent temple would be a complete ruin. Local people have begun taking stones lying around the temple and using them to build their houses, a process that naturally accelerates...

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