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Dreams have been considered important throughout history. In the Bible dreams are
seen as prophetic messages and the Ancient Greeks believed that dreams were
messages sent from a god. In Europe in the Middle Ages it was thought that dreams were
prophecies or signs of an internal struggle. More recently dreams have been given less
importance except by a minority. For example, Freud considered dreams to show the
secret wishes of the soul or inner self and he gave great importance to self knowledge.
Although the content of our dreams may not be scientifically meaningful, much research
has been done about dreams as it’s something that we all do, although not everyone
remembers their dreams. Dreaming occurs in cycles of sleep that last an average of
ninety minutes. So, in every night of eight hours sleep you can experience four or five
periods of dreaming. However, it seems that as the night progresses you dream for
slightly longer periods of time, which probably explains why your most memorable dream
will be just before you wake as it is the longest and most recent.
Most dreaming appears to be the brain sorting out information it has received over the
last few days, possibly longer. But occasionally you will have a dream that is not the
normal brain sorting function and this is the type that could be one of the following -
Problem solving when asleep, or more often as you are waking is very common as this
is a time when the brain is relaxed and able to connect to the subconscious where
everything you need the answer to is held. Your subconscious is the connection between
your physical and spiritual sides, but the conscious mind is the part normally in control.
For me, many ideas come to me in my dreams and I feel compelled to write them down. I
know they are or will be important to me one day. I have great confidence in my ability to
listen to my subconscious but, like everyone else, I do let my other senses take over
when I am awake.
Lucid dreaming happens when the conscious mind gets involved in what should be the
realm of the subconscious. Although many people are natural lucid dreamers it is
possible to learn how become one. However, it can be difficult and requires much
patience. When you first become aware that you are dreaming you will probably suddenly
wake up as your conscious mind takes over. You may be able to tell when this is
happening because the dream will start to lose its colour, focus or sound. It is probably
best not to attempt to change the dream at this point but instead just learn to get used to
the feeling of recognition that you are not awake. Once you get used to this happening
you should then have a go at changing something. This is a good tool to have at your
disposal if you ever have nightmares. To help the process along it is useful to keep a
dream diary and every morning write down as much as you can about your dreams as
soon as you wake up. By writing in the first person and the present tense you should be
able to start recognising reoccurring dreams or parts of dreams. This recognition seems
to be the beginning of the lucid dreaming process.
Sleep paralysis or Old Hag is the ultimate nightmare. This dream is said to be caused
by sleep paralysis where you are still conscious but the protective paralysis of dreams
that stops you acting out what you dream about prevents you from moving. In the Middle
Ages it was believed that this type of dream was caused by a witch or hag coming into
your bedroom at night. From this comes the term hag-ridden which is used to describe
someone who looks as if they aren't getting enough sleep. The word nightmare is also
connected to this dream as mare comes from the Old English word for a demon, and a
nightmare originally referred to a demon that came to visit you at night. So why do people
still dream of a hag? I dreamt of a hag before I had heard of this type of dream. So why
wasn’t it something more specific to me? I haven’t been able to answer these questions.
Dreaming is a useful way of problem solving where the solutions are either within yourself
or from outside of yourself like from your . It is important to write down any
information you get from your dreams as quickly as possible so the content is not lost or
distorted over time. You may even find that you are receiving information about things
that are yet to happen like a . It may also be that the information is symbolic
and needs to be interpreted. This is often easier after a short period of time has elapsed
so by keeping a dream journal you can refer back to it and discover the meaning, if any.
Don’t be worried if you are unable to work out any link between your dreams and what is
happening in your life at that moment as not all dreams are meant to be deciphered. But
by building up a dream reference you will gain a better understanding of yourself and
how your own dreaming patterns work, which is very useful.
When keeping a dream journal it is important to remember that not all dreams are
messages and most are just the brain sorting out the information it received during the
day or last few days. I think of these as sorting dreams. To make sure your dreams are
not affected by external influences try to avoid the following well before you sleep -
Certain foods can affect some people like chocolate or cheese etc. By avoiding these
you will be more likely to have natural dreams and the longer you can do this the better
your dreaming will become.
When recording your dreams it is important to note down all important aspects, including
things that you may not think are important at the time. The sooner after waking you can
do this the more accurate your recall will be. It may be worth adding headings to your
journal to include the following -
Sorting dreams - it is important to record dreams like this in order to gain more
experience in recognising dream types.
Putting all this down on paper will enable you to discover the meaning of your dreams
which is an important part of your spiritual knowledge that should be used. Dream
interpretation is not easy and reference to good dream dictionaries may help, but
ultimately the interpretation will be individual to you. When interpreting symbolic
meanings always use what feels right. Traditional meanings are normally opposite to the
literal meaning. For example, to dream of danger is a good omen. Could this be because
you are subconsciously aware of possible danger so will be better prepared to avoid it? It
makes sense.
seen as prophetic messages and the Ancient Greeks believed that dreams were
messages sent from a god. In Europe in the Middle Ages it was thought that dreams were
prophecies or signs of an internal struggle. More recently dreams have been given less
importance except by a minority. For example, Freud considered dreams to show the
secret wishes of the soul or inner self and he gave great importance to self knowledge.
Although the content of our dreams may not be scientifically meaningful, much research
has been done about dreams as it’s something that we all do, although not everyone
remembers their dreams. Dreaming occurs in cycles of sleep that last an average of
ninety minutes. So, in every night of eight hours sleep you can experience four or five
periods of dreaming. However, it seems that as the night progresses you dream for
slightly longer periods of time, which probably explains why your most memorable dream
will be just before you wake as it is the longest and most recent.
Most dreaming appears to be the brain sorting out information it has received over the
last few days, possibly longer. But occasionally you will have a dream that is not the
normal brain sorting function and this is the type that could be one of the following -
- Problem solving
- Lucid dreaming
- Sleep paralysis or Old Hag
- Past life memory
- A visit from
Problem solving when asleep, or more often as you are waking is very common as this
is a time when the brain is relaxed and able to connect to the subconscious where
everything you need the answer to is held. Your subconscious is the connection between
your physical and spiritual sides, but the conscious mind is the part normally in control.
For me, many ideas come to me in my dreams and I feel compelled to write them down. I
know they are or will be important to me one day. I have great confidence in my ability to
listen to my subconscious but, like everyone else, I do let my other senses take over
when I am awake.
Lucid dreaming happens when the conscious mind gets involved in what should be the
realm of the subconscious. Although many people are natural lucid dreamers it is
possible to learn how become one. However, it can be difficult and requires much
patience. When you first become aware that you are dreaming you will probably suddenly
wake up as your conscious mind takes over. You may be able to tell when this is
happening because the dream will start to lose its colour, focus or sound. It is probably
best not to attempt to change the dream at this point but instead just learn to get used to
the feeling of recognition that you are not awake. Once you get used to this happening
you should then have a go at changing something. This is a good tool to have at your
disposal if you ever have nightmares. To help the process along it is useful to keep a
dream diary and every morning write down as much as you can about your dreams as
soon as you wake up. By writing in the first person and the present tense you should be
able to start recognising reoccurring dreams or parts of dreams. This recognition seems
to be the beginning of the lucid dreaming process.
Sleep paralysis or Old Hag is the ultimate nightmare. This dream is said to be caused
by sleep paralysis where you are still conscious but the protective paralysis of dreams
that stops you acting out what you dream about prevents you from moving. In the Middle
Ages it was believed that this type of dream was caused by a witch or hag coming into
your bedroom at night. From this comes the term hag-ridden which is used to describe
someone who looks as if they aren't getting enough sleep. The word nightmare is also
connected to this dream as mare comes from the Old English word for a demon, and a
nightmare originally referred to a demon that came to visit you at night. So why do people
still dream of a hag? I dreamt of a hag before I had heard of this type of dream. So why
wasn’t it something more specific to me? I haven’t been able to answer these questions.
Dreaming is a useful way of problem solving where the solutions are either within yourself
or from outside of yourself like from your . It is important to write down any
information you get from your dreams as quickly as possible so the content is not lost or
distorted over time. You may even find that you are receiving information about things
that are yet to happen like a . It may also be that the information is symbolic
and needs to be interpreted. This is often easier after a short period of time has elapsed
so by keeping a dream journal you can refer back to it and discover the meaning, if any.
Don’t be worried if you are unable to work out any link between your dreams and what is
happening in your life at that moment as not all dreams are meant to be deciphered. But
by building up a dream reference you will gain a better understanding of yourself and
how your own dreaming patterns work, which is very useful.
When keeping a dream journal it is important to remember that not all dreams are
messages and most are just the brain sorting out the information it received during the
day or last few days. I think of these as sorting dreams. To make sure your dreams are
not affected by external influences try to avoid the following well before you sleep -
- Alcohol
- Cigarettes
- Coffee
- Drugs
- Any other type of stimulant
Certain foods can affect some people like chocolate or cheese etc. By avoiding these
you will be more likely to have natural dreams and the longer you can do this the better
your dreaming will become.
When recording your dreams it is important to note down all important aspects, including
things that you may not think are important at the time. The sooner after waking you can
do this the more accurate your recall will be. It may be worth adding headings to your
journal to include the following -
Sorting dreams - it is important to record dreams like this in order to gain more
experience in recognising dream types.
- Problem solving - these dreams are very useful for answering questions about
your daily life and show a strong ability to use your spiritual knowledge. - Lucidity - lucid dreaming shows a strong connection between the conscious and
subconscious mind. Tapping into the subconscious is an extremely valuable asset. - Animals - these are normally symbolic and traditionally snakes are warnings and
spiders good luck, apart from tarantulas which signify health problems. However, if
you have a spider phobia the meaning may be individual to you. - People - if you dream of someone very vividly it may be a message
from . If this is the case the setting may be a garden or other quiet
place. - Places - the setting of your dream is always important to the meaning and may
indicate a visit to or - Sounds - make sure your conscious mind is not incorporating what is happening
around you into your dream. Any buzzing you hear could be connected
to - Smells - this is a very strong sense in the physical world so any awareness of this
sense being stimulated in a dream is highly significant. - Feelings - any physical or emotional sensations should be recorded.
- Words - make a note of any words you hear, see or feel as their meaning will be
important, but this may not become clear to you until a later date. - Colours - the more vivid the colour is the more significant it will be.
- Flying - may indicate
Putting all this down on paper will enable you to discover the meaning of your dreams
which is an important part of your spiritual knowledge that should be used. Dream
interpretation is not easy and reference to good dream dictionaries may help, but
ultimately the interpretation will be individual to you. When interpreting symbolic
meanings always use what feels right. Traditional meanings are normally opposite to the
literal meaning. For example, to dream of danger is a good omen. Could this be because
you are subconsciously aware of possible danger so will be better prepared to avoid it? It
makes sense.
Mind, Body & Spirit - Dreams
Dreams happen when our subconscious takes over and brings
knowledge to us that is suppressed by our conscious mind.
is also able to contact us whilst we are dreaming as
our physical restrictions are reduced.
Dreams happen when our subconscious takes over and brings
knowledge to us that is suppressed by our conscious mind.
is also able to contact us whilst we are dreaming as
our physical restrictions are reduced.
