This blog is dedicated to the writings of aeronautical engineer and time theorist J.W. Dunne (1875-1949). The focus is on Dunne’s writings about time and their widespread presence in popular culture.
Dunne and his influence are the subject of a research project, Dreaming the Future, headed by kitt price at Queen Mary, University of London, UK. The project is an experiment in how academic research and public engagement can influence each other from an early stage. Instead of conducting scholarly research and telling people about it afterwards, the aim is to talk about Dunne with as many different groups as possible, allowing these encounters to shape research questions and outputs.
Dreaming the Future seeks collaborators from all quarters. Perspectives, questions and comments on Dunne and his influence are welcomed from all readers, both within and beyond academic circles. International perspectives are especially welcome.
This project is committed to keeping an open mind about whether or not precognitive dreams are possible. The intention is not to prove or disprove Dunne’s theory, but to show that belief in dreaming the future is a rich cultural resource that is still serving readers, writers, film-makers, philosophers and psychologists today.
Genuine and fictional accounts of precognitive dreaming are welcome: please use the contact form. You may also wish to submit non-fictional accounts to Anthony Peake.
J.W. Dunne: dreaming the future 
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Hi, I have been working on a biography of Dunne for several years now. Then last year the Science Museum acquired his extensive archive of professional papers, from drawings of his aeroplanes to unpublished angles on Serialism. To date I have waded about half way through it. You can see some of my findings at http://www.steelpillow.com/blocki/index.html Let me know if there’s anything you’d like to know more about.
Fantastic! Thanks Guy. I am also working on a finding aid for the papers, starting from the non-aviation side. Would be wonderful to chat.
@Katy, Have dropped a line to your QM email but got a form reply saying you don’t do Fridays.
Hello.
I can definitly report of a dream which was a forecast of some tenth of years experience.
With 18 years I had a dream in which there was a man clothed in the coat of a bear depicted on a red background.
And there in the dream was a name: Nils.
Twenty years later I was on a course in Copenhagen and there was a book with a cover of a man clothed in the coat of a bear on a red background.
And there was a girl, I was interested in, and she had a friend with name Nils.
At return from the course I saw in a bookstore a book with the title “Experience with time” which I bought.
So for me there is no doubt, that at least some important events are fixed in our future.
And if this is so than it is of paramount importance to understand the nature of time better.
In the last years I translated “serialism” partly into German on my website “www.eagate.de” and tried to understand more and more this theory.
Glad to her from You
eberhard
Does anyone know anything about The Time Club? It met in the late 1930’s and early 1940’s under the chairmanship of the psychologist Eric Graham Howe to discuss Dunne’s theory. I have been unable to find out anything about it beyond the fact that it existed.
Hello Mark. Thanks for asking about this. There is a reference to Major Douglas being involved in the Time Club in the papers of JW Dunne which are now held by the Science Museum at Wroughton. I will ask Guy Inchbald and another colleague if anyone knows any more. regards kitt
The note to which Kitt refers was made by J.A. Warner Allan in 1934. I recall it as being trivial. Although my rummage through Dunne’s papers was not exhaustive, I found no significant reference to the Time Club. Nor have I found any trace of it in contemporary writings, i.e. I have found no evidence that it had any significant influence or lasted for any length of time. Other theories of Time were also prevalent around then, such as Ouspensky’s cyclical model, so it may be that the Club had a wider focus. Where did you hear about it and can you tell us any more?
Thank you Kitt and Guy for that response. I recently published an account of the life and work of the artist Charles Paine – reviewed here: https://haji-b.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/charles-paine-his-life-and-work-by-mark.html
In a list of his industrial and educational experience compiled some time during or shortly after the war Paine includes this: ‘Dr. Eric Graham Howe: Dunne’s Theory of Time. Under the Chairmanship of Dr. Howe demonstrated to the Time Club, the time factor in relation to Colour, Form and Colour, Morality and Reality, I and Me.’ The last two are books by Howe, illustrated by Paine, pub. respectively 1934, 1935. That is the only source of my information apart from a poem of 90 lines written by Alexandra Burns on 11th October 1945 and titled ‘The Cosmic Law Portrayed’. She adds the following comment: “Written after seeing an abstract portrayal of the Cosmic Law in action on a drawing board by Charles Paine. For Charles Paine the artist who has seen God.” This may possibly have been at a meeting of the Time Club. .
All very enigmatic. I am as intrigued as you are, but cannot add any more to what I have already said. I’ll certainly keep an eye out.
Thanks.
I am fascinated by the works of the author of this website and the commenters here. This is my first time getting into the research and realm of exploring about Time. So, it would be so helpful if you could help me head start and provide me with a bit of basic knowledge about research in this subject. Thanks!
Regards,
Sumit Dubey
iamsumitd@gmail.com
Hello Sumit and thanks for dropping by. What aspects are you interested in – experiments in precognition? Dreams? Theories of Time? Or perhaps all three…? A good place to start is J.W. Dunne’s book An Experiment with Time if you haven’t already had a chance to look at that. Anthony Peake has a new book coming out on precognitive dreams soon. Current research by Caroline Watt at Edinburgh University (https://www.ed.ac.uk/profile/caroline-watt) is also well worth checking out. If you have more specific interests or queries, please just let us know!
Firstly, thanks for your kind reply. On to the matter, I am interested to explore the realm of Time in the following order; experiments in precognition, dreams, and theories of Time. I will gladly check out the helpful resources you have linked me to. May I know what researched are you people doing, and can I take part in it?
Hello Sumit! My own research is currently focused on the history of precognitive dreams. I have published one article so far, which you can read here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369848614000867
Dunne’s precognition experiment is something that anyone can participate in – you will find the instructions in his book An Experiment with Time.
Guy Inchbald (website: http://www.steelpillow.com/blocki/index.html ) is writing a biography of Dunne and this will cover the experiments as well as the many other aspects of Dunne’s work.
You are also really welcome to contribute on here by adding replies to the pages that interest you.
Thanks for the links, I’ll check them and let you know. I am currently reading his book and will see how I can participate and contribute to his researches in the realm of precognitive dreams and psychology. Would you tell me more about how you are conducting your research?
Hi Sumit, my research is mainly in archives – those of J.W. Dunne, J.B. Priestley, and the Society for Psychical Research. I am also looking for archives outside the UK.
Anthony Peake’s new book presents some of the Priestley material: https://www.anthonypeake.com/product/time-rose-garden/
If you are interested in participating in dream research, you may find the International Society for the Study of Dreams a good place to start. There are various dream projects that you can join in among IASD members. They also have an annual, online Psi Dreaming conference: http://www.asdreams.org
Is it free to join International Society for the Study of Dreams?
Hello again Sumit.
IASD has an annual charge for membership and you can see the rates here:
https://www.asdreams.org/annual-individual-membership/
However the National Dream Center runs a precognitive dream project which anyone can participate in for free: https://nationaldreamcenter.com/therapy/precognition/
Yes, I can recommend “An Experiment with Time” as the most rational and comprehensive staring point, despite it being ninety years old. Dunne constantly updated it – I have thirteen editions on my bookshelf and another in eBook! I would recommend you get an edition from the Third on, especially the Hampton Roads 2001 edition (with a preface by Russell Targ).
Another fascinating and more recent take on precognition (and psi in general), which I also thoroughly recommend, is given by Sean O’Donnell in “The Paranormal Explained”, Pub. Lulu, 2007. Even if you do not accept his main thesis, it will really set you thinking!
Thanks for your suggestions. Well, is there any way I can take part in your research or writings?
My research is mainly historical – I am working on a biography of Dunne. I think you will find it more helpful to follow Kitt’s suggestions.
I knew this was going to happen.