How to use this Page

The Dreamers of Dreams by Addy Farmer 

We are the dreamers of dreams - Roald Dahl

My grandmother used to tell me that I was dizzy-dolly-daydream. She said it quite a lot and I began to wonder if this was a good thing, so I finally asked her what it meant.

She said that me being in my own funny little world was a bit frustrating for her; however, she thought that that dreamers were important. The important bit made me feel ten feet tall but with little idea of what she was on about since most of my mental meanderings were to do with going to Sweety Land where I could eat everything in sight or jumping into a puddle which took me to the seaside or rescuing a sad donkey/mouse/rabbit from certain doom.

A real donkey being rescued! Don't worry - he was fine and happy

Only in our dreams are we free. The rest of the time we need wages. Terry Pratchett

It was all a dream ...

And then, in dreaming,
The clouds methought would open and show riches
Ready to drop upon me, that when I waked
I cried to dream again. Caliban, The Tempest, Shakespeare

Don't let her in, you fool

knocking my knuckles through the glass, and stretching an arm out to seize the importunate branch: instead of which, my fingers closed on the fingers of a little, ice-cold hand. The intense horror of nightmare came over me: I tried to draw back my arm, but the hand clung to it, and a most melancholy voice sobbed, "Let me in—let me in!"

‘I have dreamt in my life, dreams that have stayed with me ever after, and changed my ideas; they have gone through and through me, like wine through water, and altered the colour of my mind. And this is one: I’m going to tell it – but take care not to smile at any part of it.’ the Housekeeper

Ill and bored with having to stay in bed, Marianne picks up a pencil and starts doodling - a house, a garden, a boy at the window. That night she has an extraordinary dream whereby she is transported into her own picture, and as she explores further she soon realises she is not alone. The boy at the window is called Mark, and his every movement is guarded by the menacing stone watchers that surround the solitary house. This story is creepy, disturbing and I realised that it echoed one of my own childhood nightmares where a witch lived in the house next door and I had to devise lots of ways to escape her attentions. 

Soooooo atmospheric and dreamlike in quality

How about Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. There is a door at the end of a silent corridor. And it's haunting Harry Potter's dreams. Why else would he be waking in the middle of the night, screaming in terror?

 

As with Agamemnon’s dreams, courtesy of Zeus (I've waited a long time to reveal that nugget of knowledge), Harry is also led astray by subconscious thoughts implanted by a villain. 

I love a spooky door

And, as if you ever needed an affirmation of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore’s wisdom, he also has something to say about dreams:

I cannot write about dreams without referring to Alice in Wonderland by the peerless Lewis Carroll

Lewis Carroll really took full advantage of the limitless possibilities of writing within a dream setting. The 19th century author used Alice’s ability to get lost in the dream state and make connections and observations in her real life – much like we all actually do when dreaming.

‘Yes, that’s it! Said the Hatter with a sigh, it’s always tea time.’

Then there's, Mary Shelley's, Frankenstein

With a head full of an evening’s talk of reanimation and galvanism, Mary Godwin did not sleep well: “My imagination, unbidden, possessed and guided me, gifting the successive images that arose in my mind with a vividness far beyond the usual bounds of reverie?.I saw the pale student of unhallowed arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together. I saw the hideous phantasm of a man stretched out?” She realized she had found her “ghost story.” “What terrified me will terrify others; and I need only describe the spectre which had haunted my midnight pillow.”

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

In June of 2003, suburban Arizona mother Stephenie Meyer woke up from an intense dream in which two young lovers were lying together in a meadow, discussing why their love could never work. On her website, Meyers says, “One of these people was just your average girl. The other person was fantastically beautiful, sparkly, and a vampire. They were discussing the difficulties inherent in the facts that A) they were falling in love with each other while B) the vampire was particularly attracted to the scent of her blood, and was having a difficult time restraining himself from killing her immediately.”

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

His horror classic also sprang into existence because of its writer’s graphic nightmares. In this case, a “fine bogey tale” tormenting him as he slept grew into one of the most famous and genuinely scary English-language novels ever penned — most especially considering its all-too-human antagonist and protagonist.

"In the small hours of the morning," says Mrs Stevenson, "I was awakened by cries of horror from Louis. Thinking he had a nightmare, I woke him. He said angrily, 'Why did you wake me? I was dreaming a fine bogey tale.' I had awakened him at the first transformation scene ..."

Stuart Little by E.B. White:

One of the most memorable and beloved characters from children’s literature entered into E.B. White’s subconscious in the 1920s, though he didn’t transition from notes to novel until over two decades later. From there, the tiny boy with the face and fur of a mouse became a classic.

The cover of the Fall 2015 Horn Book Guide is a beautiful Rafael López illustration from Drum Dream Girl by Margarita Engle (which, by the way, just won the Charlotte Zolotow Award). In this story, saturated acrylic-on-wood illustrations capture the island’s musicality and the surreal dream-images that inspire young Millo — a Chinese-African-Cuban girl who broke Cuba’s taboo against female drummers. It’s a stunning cover, and I’m proud and excited that the Fall 2015 Horn Book Guide bears it.

In the book, “dream” is used in the sense of a will or desire — Millo aspires to be a drummer.

In this issue of the Guide you’ll find more dreams-as-desire-and-will: Ira’s Shakespeare Dream by Glenda Armand tells the story of Ira Aldridge, an African American man who aspired to be an actor in 1824; Emmanuel’s Dream by Laurie Ann Thompson shows how Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah grew up to be a national hero and disabilities activist; and Henry Aaron’s journey to the major-leagues is described in Henry Aaron’s Dream by Matt Tavares.

But this cover has me thinking about actual dreams. I’m not the only one who finds the topic intriguing:

First, BBC Magazine wonders why people don’t talk about their dreams.

Which is, perhaps, answered by Sarah’s mother, Mrs. Matthiessen, on WBEZ’s This American Life. (Never talk about “your dreams. Nobody cares about your dreams.”)

RadioLab does what they’re oh so good at and delves into the science of dreaming.

This Guide issue also has dreams as I’ve been considering them: that space one inhabits in sleep. Sweet Dreams, Wild Animals! by Eileen R. Meyer highlights the sleeping habits of fourteen animals. The Vault of Dreamers by Caragh M. O’Brien follows a protagonist who enters a new boarding school but discovers the school is a cover for a nefarious experiment. In Kit Alloway’s Dreamfire, teen prodigy Joshlyn Weaver must teach her apprentice, Will Kansas, about dream-walking.

And Stick Dog Dreams of Ice Cream, which is, coincidentally enough, also what I do.

The post Dream, dream, dream appeared first on The Horn Book.

This week has been busy, moving furniture around two rooms, setting up new televisions and sound. It was all more than I thought it would entail. Despite what is left to accomplish, KLR will be back on track come Monday (4-5 reviews / M-F). I am looking for bloggers interested in joining a book blog …

Something that made me sad, then happy, then sad after my friend Nelson died was finding our email exchange about how he wanted to start writing again.

And thank you for thinking me a writer, or at least having the seed — I know that having the chops requires craft.  And craft requires time, sweat and not a little bit of Jameson’s.  I thought about what you said, though.  Maybe essays would be a start; the idea of writing the great American novel is outside both my ability and my reality.  I am starting to think that reading email for a living has reduced my attention span a bit too much for that level of dedication.  Sad, that.  But words will always fascinate and entertain me, so if they find a way to come out in a way that someone else would enjoy — that would be something.  Thankfully, some of them entertained you enough that summer to call me in the first place.

He sent this soon after the last time we saw each other in New York, in November 2012, right before Hurricane Sandy. I remember being so glad he was thinking this way. The letters he wrote to me while he was in the army — I’ve written about that era a few times — were a joy. I hoped he’d find his way back to the page.

Nelson and I first got to know each other in a high school writing class — the one I took my senior year that also led me to my friend Lili, who died ten years ago of pancreatic cancer, and to our teacher, Mrs. Kjos, who died of ovarian cancer in 2008. I guess this is what being in your forties is like.

Last night I dreamed that I was reading a collection of short stories Nelson had written, a book he self-published knowing he would die soon. In the dream he was still alive. Waking up this morning was the most bittersweet thing.

It’s not enough to just want something and hope that it will be delivered  to you on a silver platter. Unfortunately for most of us, life isn’t that simple. What we try to teach our kids is that you absolutely can achieve your aspirations, your goals, your dreams, but it takes work, persistence and determination. […]

At first glance, life on the icy floes may seem appealing. (Unless you reside in SE Queensland as I do with no real concept of what cold is until you have to live through ‘an unseasonably cold winter’ with little more than a cotton tee-shirt and a pair of bed socks). In Lulu’s world, there […]

Dreaming
सैर सपनों की दुनिया की …. आईए !! आज आपको सपनो की दुनिया की सैर करवाते हैं. सपनों की दुनिया का यह शहर किसी अजूबे से कम नही है. यहाँ आकर कभी हम बच्चे बन जाते हैं तो कभी बूढे. कभी नेता बन जाते हैं तो कभी हीरो बन कर जनता को ओटोग्राफ दे रहे होते है. कुल मिलाकर इस दुनिया मे आने पर हम कोई भी रुप धारण कर सकते हैं या कुछ भी अनहोनी होते देख सकते हैं.
सपनो की इस लाजवाब दुनिया के सफर मे सबसे पहले हमे अनु मिली. 40 साल की अनु सर्विस करती हैं और दिन भर बहुत व्यस्त रहती है. जाहिर है कि घर पहुंच कर बिस्तर पर जाते ही नींद की आगोश मे चली जाती होगी. अनु ने भी मुस्कुराते हुए बताया कि यकीनन उन्हें लेटते ही नींद आ जाती है और फिर Dreaming…

वैसे तो ज्यादातर सपने उठने के साथ ही भूल जाते हैं पर एक सपना है जो उसे अभी भी अक्सर दिखाई देता है. सपना है कि वो स्कूल की परीक्षा देने जा रही है और देर हो गई है. पेपर शुरु हो चुका है और वो घबराहट के मारे रोने लगती है तो उन्हे परीक्षा मे बैठने की इजाजत मिल जाती है पर समय कम होने की वजह से घबराहट मे उनकी स्याही की दवात गिर जाती है और सारी उत्तर पुस्तिका खराब हो जाती है. जब उनकी नींद खुलती है तो पसीने पसीने होती है. खुद को संयत करने मे उन्हे थोडा समय लग जाता है पर फिर खुद पर हंसी आती आती है कि इस उम्र मे ऐसे सपने कैसे आ जाते है.
सपनो की ही दुनिया मे एक और पति पत्नी कुसुम और विनोद का जोडा मिला. जोकि दस साल से विवाहित हैं. सपने की बात सुन कर दोनो मुस्कुराने लगे. कुसुम ने बताया कि पिछ्ले दो चार बार से उनकी आखं खुलती है रात को पति के चिल्लाने की वजह से. वो सोते सोते हाय, हाय बचाओ, बोल रहे होते हैं. कई बार तो उन्होने ध्यान ही नही दिया क्योकि वो खुद भी नींद मे होती थी सुबह उठ कर जब इस बारे मे बात करते तब विनोद को याद भी नही रहता कि वो किस वजह से चिल्लाए थे. खैर, एक रात विनोद के चिल्लाते समय कुसुम की आखं खुल गई. उन्होने तुरंत अपने पति को उठाया पहले तो वो गहरी नींद मे थे पर कुछ पल बाद उन्होने नींद मे ही बताया कि वो एक सूनसान रास्ते मे जा रहे थे और अचानक कोई बुढिया आकर उनका बैग खिंचने लगी. इसलिए वो डर के मारे चिल्ला रहे हैं. बताते बताते वो फिर से सो गए. बात बता कर कुसुम हंसने लगी तो पति महोदय ने कहा कि अपनी बात भी तो बताओ जब एक बार तुम भी चीखी थी. इस पर कुसुम ने तुनक के कहा कि शायद वही बुढिया उनके सपने मे भी आ गई थी.
इससे पहले की उनकी नोक झोंक और आगे बढती. हमने ही आगे बढने मे अपनी भलाई समझी. सपनो की दुनिया मे आगे हमे मिली 10 साल की मणि. मणि ने बताया कि बहुत सपने आते है. सपने मे कभी वो स्टेज पर गाना गा रही होती है तो कभी क्लास मे फर्स्ट आती है तो कभी दोस्तो के साथ जंगल मे खेल रही होती है. पर एक सपना भुलाए नही भूलता वो है कि एक रात वो सो रही है. कमरे मे घना अंधेरा है. अचानक दो तीन चोर आ गए. उसकी आंख खुल गई और वो डर के मारे पलंग के नीचे छिप गई. चोर वही घूम रहे हैं. वो चिल्लाना चाह रही है पर उसकी आवाज ही नही निकल रही. वो पूरे जोर के साथ मम्मी, पापा…!! चोर आए हैं चिल्लाए जा रही है पर मानो वो गूंगी हो चुकी है. उफ!! और जब आखं खुली तो इतनी राहत मिली कि बस!! बहुत डरावना सपना था वो. यह सपना शायद जिंदगी भर नही भूलेगा.
सपनो की दुनिया मे और आगे बढे तो 20 वर्ष की नाव्या मिली. उनसे पूछा तो एकदम से खुश होकर बोली कि सपने मे वो मिस इंडिया चुनी गई और अमिताभ बच्चन जी ने उन्हे क्राउन पहनाया. इतना ही नही रणबीर कपूर के साथ उन्होने फिल्म भी साईन की. शूटिंग भी शुरु हो गई थी. सब कुछ इतना अच्छा चल रहा था सब लोग उसके काम की उसकी खूबसूरती की इतनी तारीफ कर रहे थे कि उसी समय अलार्म बजा और वो गहरी नींद से जाग गई. बताते बताते वो उदास हो गई.
उनको शुभकामनाए देते हुए हम आगे बढे तो सामने से 30 वर्ष की दर्शना चली आ रही थी. उन्होने बताया कि बचपन मे एक सपना बहुत आता था. उनके घर के ड्राईंग रुम मे शो केस मे बहुत बडी गुडिया थी. कई बार उन्हे रात को सपना आता अब पता नही कि वो सपना था या सच्चाई थी कि वो गुडिया शो केस से बाहर निकलती और पूरे घर का चक्कर लगाकर वापिस शो केस मे चली जाती. सुबह उठ कर जब वो उस शो केस वाली गुडिया को देखती तो उन्हे लगता कि वो उन्हे देखकर मुस्कुरा रही है. यह सब देख कर उन्हे बहुत डर लगता पर उन्होने अपनी मम्मी को यह बात कभी नही बताई कि कभी उनका मजाक की ना बन जाए. अरे बाप रे! उनका सपना या हकीकत जो भी थी सुनकर तो हम भी डर गए और वहां से खिसकने मे ही भलाई समझी.
Dreaming ….  45 वर्ष की सुनीता मिली. सुनीता ने जो बताया वो भी काफी हैरान कर देने वाला था. उन्होने बताया कि करीब 4-5 साल पहले की बाता है. रात को जब वो सो रही थे तो सपने मे उनके स्वर्गवासी पिता नजर आए. वो गेट के बाहर हाथ मे कोई तोहफा लिए खडे थे.सुनीता ने बताया कि उन्हे देख कर वो बाहर आई उनसे वो तोफहा लिया और गले मिल कर बहुत रोई. फिर अचानक आखं खुल गई. अगले दिन उन्हे खबर मिली कि जो जायदाद का जो काम इतने सालो से अटक रहा था. वो फैसला उनके हक मे रहा और वो जीत गए. बताते बताते सुनीता भावुक हो गई.

Dreaming
सपने की दुनिया मे ऐसे और भी बहुत लोगो से मिले और उन्होने बहुत बाते शेयर की.कोई कहता सुबह का सपना सच होता है तो कोई कहता कि किसी मरे हुए इंसान को देख लो तो उसकी उम्र बढती है.किसी ने बताया कि सपने मे मोटी गाय को देखो तो फायदा और पतली गाय को देखो तो नुकसान होता है. सपने मे कोई बडी इमारत देख लो तो भाग्य उदय होता है इत्यादि इत्यादि!!सच, सपनो की दुनिया ही निराली है.
वैसे इस बात मे भी कोई दो राय नही कि सपने में सपने जैसा कुछ लगता ही नही. बिलकुल ऐसा महसूस होता है जैसे यह सचमुच में घटित हो रहा है. कोई हमेशा हमेशा के लिए इसी दुनिया मे रहना चाह्ता है तो कोई इससे तुरंत बाहर निकलना चाह्ता है. दुनिया भर के अनेकों मनोवैज्ञानिको ने भी सपने की इस दुनिया में झाँकने की कोशिश की, लेकिन इस रहस्यमयी दुनिया को जितना भी समझने की कोशिश की उतनी ही यह उलझाती रही.
इसी बारे मे जब हमने जाने माने मनोचिकित्सक से बात की तो उन्होने बताया कि सपने आना एक सहज प्रक्रिया है. अब सपने किस तरह के आते हैं ये हमारे मन पर निर्भर करता है. असल मे, कोई ना कोई बात हमारे दिलो दिमाग मे कही दब कर बैठी होती है जिसका हमे पता भी नही चलता और देर सवेर कभी ना कभी हमे सपने के रुप मे दिखाई दे जाती है.
जाने माने मनोविश्लेषक सिग्मंड फ्रायड के अनुसार हम अपनी अतृप्त एवं अधूरी इच्छाओं की पूर्ति सपनो के माध्यम से करते है. कोई जो भी कहे पर सपनों का संसार वाकई मे अनूठा, अदभुत और आश्चर्यजनक है …

Dreaming

 5 Astro tips to overcome bad, horrible dreams-5

अक्सर हमें नींद में सपने आते हैं। कई बार ये सपने इतने डरावने होते हैं कि आंखें खुल जाती हैं और हम डर से पसीने-पसीने हो जाते हैं। इन सपनों में कई बार हम परेशान बच्चे, भटकती आत्माएं, जंगली जानवर, अंधेरे रास्ते या किसी खतरनाक संकट को देखते हैं जिससे हमें भयंकर डर लगने लगता है। ज्योतिष के कुछ साधारण से उपाय करके आप इन डरावने सपनों से बच सकते हैं।

प्रतिदिन रात को सोते समय हनुमान चालीसा का एक बार पाठ करके सोएं, आपको बुरे सपने आना बंद हो जाएंगे।

यदि रात में किसी भी तरह का डर लगता हो तो अपने सिरहाने के नीचे एक पीपल की जड़ तथा उसकी टहनी का छोटा सा टुकड़ा रखें। ये दोनों ही सूर्यास्त से पहले तोड़े, सूर्यास्त होने की स्थिति में अगले दिन ही पेड़ की जड़ और टहनी तोड़े।

कभी भी उत्तर तथा पश्चिम दिशा में सिर करके नहीं सोना चाहिए। ऎसा करने से शरीर के मैग्नेटिक करंट में बाधा पहुंचती है और दिमाग बैचेन हो जाता है। अक्सर इन दिशाओं में सिर करके सोने वाले चौंक कर उठ जाते हैं। पूर्व को सोने के लिए सबसे अच्छी दिशा माना जाता है। इस दिशा में सिर तथा पश्चिम में पैर करके सोने से अच्छी नींद आती है और बुरे सपनों से भी निजात मिलती है।

सपने में यदि बार-बार नदी, झरना या पानी दिखाई दे तो यह पितृ दोष की वजह से हो सकता है। इसके लिए अमावस्या के दिन सफेद चावल, शक्कर और घी मिला कर पीपल के पेड़ पर सूर्यास्त के बाद चढ़ाने से आराम मिलता है। See more…

Dreaming

The post Dreaming appeared first on Monica Gupta.

Media Molecules's follow-up to "Tearaway" and "LittleBigPlanet" mines user-generated art to create endless dream worlds.

Quotes on Dreams from Pinterest

When my students do dreamwork (the recording and working with dreams to learn something from the dreams) on a regular basis, what I sometimes get asked is this: How do I know I am making progress in working with dreams?

This is a good question, because unless I am working with someone who knows a lot about dreamwork such as a dream mentor, the answers may not be all that apparent, especially in the beginning. However, in the long run, progress will definitely become more obvious because of the positive changes the dreamer will see in his or life.

Indicators of progress in dreamwork can be seen in the following:

• Dreams become more vivid and easier to remember. A beginner usually has difficulty remembering dreams. Just having the intention to remember dreams will often prompt the dreamer to remember his or her dreams. Need help in remembering dreams? See Tried and True Tips to Better Remember Your Dreams at http://wp.me/p45aiq-5B
• Dreams seem to “come” when one needs or wants them. Just making the intention to do regular dreamwork or participate in a dream class will often encourage the psyche to offer the dreamer a sudden outpouring of dreams.
• Discovering that dreams do respond to requests for information and wisdom with appropriate insights. Asking for a particular dream (Dream Incubation) and getting a helpful answer is truly empowering for the neophyte starting the study of dreams. It’s like meeting a powerful helper for the first time. This experience gives the dreamer confidence to ask for more help from dreams. For information on incubating a dream see Ask and You Shall Receive: Incubating a #Dream at http://wp.me/p45aiq-71
• Experiencing a lucid dream. A lucid dream is one in which the dreamer feels like he or she is awake and aware in the dream, all the while knowing it is a dream. Conscious choices can be made within the dream.  One feels one can create the dream.  Like dream incubation, this is an empowering to the dreamer.  Lucid dreams can be also be requested for or intended in order to heal, problem solve or gain information.
• Experiencing healing, a solution or guidance in a dream or through information received in a dream.
• Discovering and evaluating what contributions dreams have made. After recording dreams for a significant period of time, one can go back and review dreams to find how they related to events and experiences in waking life during that time. This can be an eye-opening experience of discovery when one sees that many dreams do come true, show the processes and transformations one is going through in life, and support and nurture the dreamer from a deeper source.

Dreams: A Pathway to the Soul Image via Pertash Koul

Do you feel out of touch with yourself? Do you feel that your culture is shallow and vapid? You are not alone. In 20 Diagnostic Signs That You’re Suffering From “Soul Loss,” Lissa Rankin, M.D., states that this is a very common malady in today’s world. She says not only individuals suffer from this but so do cultures. In my opinion, religions, and in particular, churches can also suffer from it. Whenever we, whether individually or collectively, have lost sight of what animates us, what makes us come alive or what drives us, we suffer from a form of soul loss.

Dreams and holding on to a dream are some keys to recover the soul’s enlivening power in our waking life. Dreams come from the soul itself and speak for the soul and its needs. It is no wonder that so many individuals suffer soul loss when they don’t value their dreams and don’t make an effort to remember them or work with them. Institutions lose soul when they lose sight of the founder’s vision or dream for that organization. This is particularly true of religions and churches which become social clubs or babysitting stations for kids when the ties to a deep spiritual connection have been broken or not promoted among the followers.

Therefore, a remedy for recovering from soul loss is studying about dreams, learning both how to work with them and learning from them:

Individually, this means keeping a dream journal and doing dreamwork on an on-going and consistent basis.

Collectively, this means studying and learning from the dreams and visions of the founders. Institutions can recapture their original dynamism by going back to the basics, to be once again inspired by the founders, learning what defined the organization and why it was started in the first place.

Dreams and visions are all about purposes of soul and how soul presents itself in the world. What is your true dream? In that you will find your true inspiration.

In Dreams: A Way to Listen to God Morton Kelsey says, “…the Church has developed no theory that can bring the spiritual world closer to human beings.” This is a powerful statement. One would think that it would be a primary function of Christian religions to do this. Instead, the mainline Christian churches have traditionally offered biblical and theological studies which provide intellectual and cultural understandings of Christianity, but have moved away from experiential forms of spirituality which might let us personally “taste and see” the glory of God. I think this is one reason so many people have left mainstream Christianity to explore yoga, meditation and other experiential approaches to connecting to something greater.  Yet, as Kelsey points out in his book, dreams have always been part of the Judeo-Christian tradition, and he heartily recommends using them as a spiritual methodology to bring the spiritual world closer to us.

It’s not like the spiritual world isn’t trying to contact us. It does so nightly in our dreams! But how few people make an attempt to remember their dreams, and of those who do, how few make it a practice to honor, record, reflect and learn from their dreams?

One only has to pick up a Bible and see the frequent references to dreams and the important role they played in shaping people’s lives. People who could interpret dreams, like Joseph and Daniel, were held in high esteem because it was thought that God spoke through dreams. In the Bible, the information received in dreams is shown to be very important such as in predicting times of flood or famine or helping a person in need. Joseph, the husband of Mary, was one of many who received an important message in a dream. He was told to not worry in taking Mary as his wife since the child she had conceived came in a most unusual way. All these characters in the Bible worked with and let dreams shape their lives—even when their lives depended upon it.

Perhaps, if we let God into our lives through our dreams, our lives would take on a much greater meaning and significance compared to the trivial and myopic views we hold in an uninformed waking life that is often driven by the demands of others as well as egoistic and material needs.

Hippocrates of Kos taught about dreams indicating illnesses.

This raises the question of how do you know if a dream might manifest in waking life? From nearly forty years of dreamwork, I have made these observations about my own dreams. You might see if they apply to your own.

1. Very realistic dreams tend to manifest in waking life. If I have a dream that is realistic and probable, i.e., I am driving my own car and not some fantasy car, then it probably has something to do with manifesting something in waking life. For example, any physical ailment which I knew about ahead of time in dreamtime presented quite literally and showed up later on a medical test as when years ago I had a dream in which a voice said I had blood in my stool. A medical test actually concurred with that even though a later colonoscopy proved it was nothing to worry about. This rule applies also in cases where the symbolism is present but there is a clear resemblance such as dreaming of having overflowing pipes and end up having diarrhea. This is possible because there is a close proximity to the symbol and waking reality. In fact, Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, said much medical and diagnostic information of this sort could be gained from similar dreams.
2. Somewhat surrealistic or unrealistic events may be relating events in the far off future. Years ago I had a series of dreams in which I was traveling around Hawaii with my brother. At the time I was living in Massachusetts, and so the possibility of this happening seemed a little far-fetched. The island’s scenery was stylized in my dream, not being typical of a specific place on any of the islands. Yet, as I read my dream journal years later, I found that after I moved to Hawaii, we did travel around the island of Oahu as we did in the dream, and we shared certain concerns that showed up in those early dreams.
3. Very surrealistic dreams tend to be making a statement about the interior world of the dreamer. Really bizarre, odd or unusual objects in places they don’t usually belong, such as a rare or extinct species of owl in a refrigerator, are most often aspects of the dreamer and need to be looked at as such by asking, “What about me is like this owl?” or “What about me is like the refrigerator?” In this type of dream, I personally have not seen a close or frequent connection to events or objects manifesting in waking life such as opening the refrigerator and finding a rare spotted owl perched next to the orange juice.

Gustave Moreau, Hesiod and the Muse (1891)—Musée d’Orsay, Paris

Meeting and possibly making love with a very attractive person in a dream is a quite common dream theme, no matter whether it is someone we know in waking life or a mysterious lover who only populates our dreams. In the dream, these encounters are often marked by passion, beauty, and wonder so vivid that upon waking we feel driven to act on the dream—no matter if the person is someone in waking life who is unavailable, a poor choice or someone we don’t know or haven’t even encountered yet!

The importance of the dream is not so much the person referred to but the energy that is evoked in the dream. Powerful energy does, indeed, need acting upon and that is what the dream is asking us to do. However, before going and doing something foolish or regrettable, the thing to remember is that the dream is all about the dreamer. That highly attractive and lovely soul you are encountering is perhaps an aspect of your own loveliness or quality, and it is that which is asking you to recognize in yourself!

Example:

In the dream you are falling for a writer who is physically attractive and highly competent as a writer. Before you go associating this person with someone you know who is a writer, you might ask yourself: Have you thought about becoming a writer? Do you have writing skills you haven’t developed? If so, this dream perhaps is telling you that the profession would be attractive to you and that you would be competent at it! It is like your muse inviting you to this possibility.

If you actually know a writer in waking life that you think this dream symbol represents, you may want to pursue the relationship in real life if the person is available emotionally or otherwise. That person may have a lot to teach you about writing and life itself. The good news is that if this person is a jerk in waking life, or is married with three kids, or you are married, you can still nurture that wonderful energy by recognizing that it is part of you—you can value it by learning about the craft of writing, starting writing, and getting feedback on your writing. Your love will blossom to fruition with the development of a whole new aspect of yourself and you will have avoided a possibly disastrous relationship!

Where Does Self-Respect Come From?

5 Signs You’re Not Respecting Yourself by Vironika Tugaleva  is a good article about the negative behaviors that can pull us down, indicating that our self-esteem is plummeting. If these behaviors become habitual patterns they can be very self-destructive and undermine our relationships with other people.

Usually these behaviors manifest because, for any number of reasons, we are not in touch with our true self, and so don’t respect who we are.  Dreamwork and accessing intuitive insight are great tools that can counteract any tendency to disrespect ourselves because the on-going practice of these exercises can lead to a healthy awareness of who we truly and uniquely are at the deepest emotional and spiritual levels. These exercises tap us into the root of our being and nourish us with information that gives the bigger picture, the grander vision and the substance of things. They can also give us specific answers to problems and concerns we may have. Instead of being buffeted around by the questionable and often enslaving pressures and opinions of those around us, we are fed by healing truths that are custom made for each of us in a way that meets the problem at hand while preserving our innate goodness and integrity.  The end result is that we can behave in a manner that is worthy of respect, both from others and from ourselves!

Example: When I start to feel jealous of someone’s life, thinking it is better than mine, I can ask for a dream will give me guidance on how I can get more out of my own life, being very specific in the questioning to indicate what makes me jealous of someone else and what I might need to fulfill my own life. Asking for a dream to help resolve an issue is called incubating a dream (Ask and You Shall Receive: Incubating a Dream), and it can become one way to work through an issue.

The same can be done by an intuitive meditation such as the Inspired Heart™ Meditation. Prior to doing the meditation I can ask for insight to come. During the meditation I observe the breath and quiet the mind. I then make a heart connection, and receive the insight that comes.

No matter if I work with a dream or in a meditation, the occasion may become a turning point in my life that encourages me to face my feelings, and work towards resolving my issues based on information I have received from a profound inner source and not someone’s opinion or outside pressure. With regular practice I will find that such empowerment will lead to a healthy self-respect. I will come to experience that I am a Child of God, fed and cared for by divine sources, and placed on this earth for an important purpose that only I can serve.  What better basis for self-respect can there be?

Where Does Self-Respect Come From?

5 Signs You’re Not Respecting Yourself by Vironika Tugaleva  is a good article about the negative behaviors that can pull us down, indicating that our self-esteem is plummeting. If these behaviors become habitual patterns they can be very self-destructive and undermine our relationships with other people.

Usually these behaviors manifest because, for any number of reasons, we are not in touch with our true self, and so don’t respect who we are.  Dreamwork and accessing intuitive insight are great tools that can counteract any tendency to disrespect ourselves because the on-going practice of these exercises can lead to a healthy awareness of who we truly and uniquely are at the deepest emotional and spiritual levels. These exercises tap us into the root of our being and nourish us with information that gives the bigger picture, the grander vision and the substance of things. They can also give us specific answers to problems and concerns we may have. Instead of being buffeted around by the questionable and often enslaving pressures and opinions of those around us, we are fed by healing truths that are custom made for each of us in a way that meets the problem at hand while preserving our innate goodness and integrity.  The end result is that we can behave in a manner that is worthy of respect, both from others and from ourselves!

Example: When I start to feel jealous of someone’s life, thinking it is better than mine, I can ask for a dream will give me guidance on how I can get more out of my own life, being very specific in the questioning to indicate what makes me jealous of someone else and what I might need to fulfill my own life. Asking for a dream to help resolve an issue is called incubating a dream (Ask and You Shall Receive: Incubating a Dream), and it can become one way to work through an issue.

The same can be done by an intuitive meditation such as the Inspired Heart™ Meditation. Prior to doing the meditation I can ask for insight to come. During the meditation I observe the breath and quiet the mind. I then make a heart connection, and receive the insight that comes.

No matter if I work with a dream or in a meditation, the occasion may become a turning point in my life that encourages me to face my feelings, and work towards resolving my issues based on information I have received from a profound inner source and not someone’s opinion or outside pressure. With regular practice I will find that such empowerment will lead to a healthy self-respect. I will come to experience that I am a Child of God, fed and cared for by divine sources, and placed on this earth for an important purpose that only I can serve.  What better basis for self-respect can there be?

Superman by Ross
Fair Use
Scan made by the original uploader User Tgunn2.

Chances are someone told you, “I had a dream about you.” All of us dream during sleep and we often dream about people we know personally. Since many people remember their dreams, they may mention a dream about you, even if it is weird, sexual or frightening. In these cases, the dream conversation can be unsettling to both the dreamer and the one dreamed about. For example, let’s say that Tom is a project manager who supervises a technician named Raymond on a big project.  Tom has the following dream which he relates to Raymond:

Tom sees Raymond wearing Superman’s attire and flying over tall buildings.

Responding to Dream Information

On hearing this dream, Raymond, on one hand, feels happy about the dream because it seems to reflect that his boss holds him in high esteem, feeling he can do anything. On the other hand, it makes Raymond uneasy because they both are about to start a really challenging project, and Raymond wonders if he can live up to his supervisor’s unrealistic imagery of his abilities. If Raymond is interested in pursuing this remark to get better insight into his boss and their relationship, he might say something like, “It sounds like you think I am very capable. Thanks for your confidence in me. While I always try to do my best, remember I’m not Superman. ” That’s probably as far as most people would take the conversation. Added insight can be gained, however, if the person being dreamed about understands:

• You Can’t Interpret Another Person’s Dream
• The Dream is About the Dreamer
• The Dream Has Many Levels of Meaning

Raymond needs to understand that you can’t interpret another person’s dream. The dream is about the dreamer, in this case Tom. The key to understanding the dream is to understand what Raymond means to Tom, and if Tom isn’t willing to share this perception, Raymond really can’t know the real or full meaning.  Raymond may get clarification on the dream by asking, “Do you really have such a high opinion of what I can do?”

While the dream may mean that Tom does have a high opinion of his technician, Raymond, and thinks he can tackle many tasks; however, on a deeper level, it may also mean that Tom has been feeling uncertain about tasks he needs to accomplish and he is using Raymond’s abilities as the standard for excellence. At a still deeper level, and taking the dreamwork method of all things in the dream are part of the dreamer, the dream may also symbolize some issue or new awareness that only belongs to Tom, having little to do with Raymond personally.  Perhaps Tom realizes he is getting better at tackling the technical aspects of his own job.  Tom’s perception of Raymond may have been the catalyst to awaken this new and powerful energy within himself!  By comparing himself to his able employee, Tom realizes he, too, can soar.

So while Raymond may take his supervisor’s dream as a compliment, Raymond should not make too much of his supervisor’s dream in thinking it pertains just to him. More than likely, it also has to do with something new happening within Tom, and if Raymond is sharp he will be on the lookout to see changes in his boss.

Dreaming for Another

The answer is a definite “Yes!” In fact, studies done by Henry Reed, Ph.D. of the Edgar Cayce Institute for Intuitive Studies have shown that dreams are very effective when they are intended to help another person. Dr. Reed has even demonstrated in The Dream Helper Ceremony that a group of dreamers can intend to have a dream that will help a member of their group—and can even do so without that member even conveying the nature of his or her issue! The group of dreamers report dreams that can give more helpful information, often diagnose the issue, or possibly provide a solution for the member seeking help. These dreams also, at the same time, offer an important message solely for the person who dreamed the dream. On doing this exercise in my dream classes I found the same results among the class participants.

Why? It seems that empathy is at work here on the part of the dreamer. The intuitive dreaming mind is naturally, and all along, creating problem-solving solutions for the dreamer. This is its nature. In order to keep helping the dreamer and to answer the request to help another, the dreaming mind apparently creatively comes up with a dream scenario that will match the needs of both the dreamer and person being dreamed for. The dreaming mind thus intuits both the needs of the dreamer and the person being dreamed for! So, don’t be shy. Ask for a dream (Dream Incubation) that will not only help you with an issue but will help someone you know who has a problem.

Déjà vu: How could I be here before?

After nearly forty years of recording my dreams, and having so many dreams of being in strange places and meeting new people that become manifest in waking life, I am almost convinced déjà vu is an experience of remembering something or someplace previously seen in dreamtime, and the memory surfaces from the long-forgotten, or possibly never-remembered dream when waking reality mimics the earlier experience in dreamtime. I was first made aware of this dual reality when I was in college and had a dream just after my roommate became engaged.

Dream:
I dream of attending my college roommate’s wedding in a white church I didn’t recognize in waking life. The dream is vivid and clear in every detail, especially the completely white color of church exterior, the unusual reddish brown design inside the church and the fact that I am taken to the church in the groom’s parents’ white car, sitting in the right rear seat.

On waking I completely forgot about the dream because I wasn’t in the habit of recording my dreams at this stage of my life. When the day of the wedding arrived approximately six months later, and we were about to go to the church, I was told to ride in the groom’s parents’ white car. As I looked at the car, I suddenly I recalled the dream and remembered I had seen this before, been here and done this! I got goose bumps. Reality then played out according to my dream. I was told to sit in the right backseat, exactly where I was in the dream. On the way to the church I suspected the church would be all white on the outside and inside would have that unusual reddish brown design. And sure enough, it did.

Déjà vu suggests a Similar Dreamtime and Waking Reality

Edgar Cayce and others have stated that in dreamtime we get a foreshadowing of all the important events in our life before they become manifest in waking life. It is in dreamtime where we make choices that may eventually play out in waking time because dreamtime puts us into the future to prepare the way for us. That is one reason why Casey is quoted as saying “Dreams are today’s answers to tomorrow’s questions.” It’s like we are given a trial run. If we are dream-aware, we can make use of this test case scenario. If not, it’s as if we are programmed to follow through with the same decision in waking life as we made in dreamtime.

Living Twice in this Life

This concept of living our life twice, in dreamtime and waking time, is hinted at in popular culture with the James Bond theme song sung by Nancy Sinatra,

“You only live twice or so it seems
One life for yourself and one for your dreams.”

While some may interpret this to mean we live two different lives, one in our dreams (perhaps daydreams) and one in waking life, and these realities might not necessarily match in quality or enjoyment, my experience indicates that night dreams pretty well do match waking life—unless I consciously NOT make a decision I made in dreamtime because I didn’t like the outcome I saw in the dream. However, this type of decision-making requires knowing what was dreamed about and remembering it, perhaps many years after the dream! To me, this is what is meant by getting answers about the future from the dream. If you liked the outcome of your choice in dreamtime, go with it. If not, make another choice.

So the next time you experience déjà vu, consider that you may have passed this way before—in your dreams, and your dreams were preparing you for this experience.

A Dream Scene: Hopes Rising or a Plane Taking Off?

Dream: I am in a plane that is taking off from a bumpy runway. The plane is bouncing around and it makes me nervous.

In this case, the dreamer might think the dream refers to a plane ride he might be taking tomorrow or sometime in the future and the takeoff could be hazardous. While that might be one possible interpretation, leaving it there without further reflection will quite often miss the mark, losing a much more important meaning of the dream altogether.

One of the major milestones for dreamworkers in learning about dreams is to realize that the dream is about the dreamer and what is going on within the dreamer. That is why dreams have been called the Royal Road to the Unconscious. Genuine dreamwork takes us on this royal road. It provides ways to understand and nurture a deeper relationship with one’s own Self. Fortunately, nowadays, dreamwork methods have been developed to help us mine the hidden meanings of dreams which pertain to what is happening within the Unconscious regions the dreamer. One of these established methods for working with dreams is Fritz Perls’ approach of viewing everything in the dream as part of the dreamer.

How to Work with the Dream as if it was “All About Me”

In this approach, I would work with the dream about a plane taking off from a bumpy runway as follows: I would ask myself what part of me represents the plane, what part represents the runway, and what is “bouncing around” in my life? I might associate the plane with my hopes for a new project that is taking off in my life, I might associate the bumpy runway with the bumpy start of the project and the “bouncing around” may stand for my feelings about the whole affair. In this case, my unsteady feelings are challenging the hopes for something developing in my life. For me to move forward in a healthy manner, perhaps the dream is helping me by warning me that I need to pay attention to this project and to my feelings about it—or a disaster could result and I may have many regrets about being part of the project. The dream, then, is calling my attention to a real problem in my waking life right now and not some possible future development. It is saying that within me there is a growing unease about this project.

Sometimes dreams do concern events outside the dreamer but most of the time my experience has been that dreams are always about the dreamer so while dreams may pertain to outside events, they also suggest a parallel metaphor within the dreamer—and this issue is often the difficult one to deal with, and the one most overlooked by the dreamer.

Caduceus: The Healing Rod of Asclepius

With nearly 40 years of dreamwork experience, one thing I can say for certain about my dreams is that the archetypal energy of healing at all levels, spiritual, psychological and physical has been expressed in myriad symbols, processes and themes, indicating to me that the primary purpose of dreams is to heal and make whole.

The Benefits of Working with Dreams to Heal

Learning to recognize when and how healing is at work within is a fascinating aspect of the study of dreams. It was one of the first benefits I clearly saw from keeping a dream journal. (See my blog 6 Health Related Benefits of Keeping a #Dream Journal.) As I grew more adept at working with dreams, I learned that they could be used to diagnose, treat and monitor the progress of any kind of ailment. Over the years, I learned to request information about a piece of health information prior to getting the specific lab results to verify the accuracy of that test. I have found my dreams to be up to this point in time 100% accurate and I have been doing this for more than ten years. And last but not least, I saw healings take place within my dreams which then manifested in my body.

How to Become Adept at Working with Health-Related Dreams

If you want to become adept at exploring your health from the dream perspective, do the following:

1. Keep a dream journal and be faithful in recording all the dreams you can remember, even the most minor and insignificant. Many years ago I had an obscure “one-liner” dream which conveyed the cryptic message, “Everyone is working to develop a method of self-healing.” I knew nothing of what this meant at the time but many years later, I saw it would become one the main purposes of my life, and “everyone” referred to all aspects of me!
2. Read the groundbreaking book by Patricia Garfield, Ph.D., The Healing Power of Dreams, which gives researched information on how symbols occurring in dreams relate to the body and its state of health. She gives many of the commonly occurring symbols for health in dreams.
3. In addition the to common symbols for health and healing; learn your personal dream vocabulary. (See Recognizing Your Personal Dream Vocabulary.) What are your unique symbols for health, healing and healers that appear in your dreams?
4. Notice and reflect on all images, processes and symbols relating to health, the medical field, therapists and healers. What are they telling you?
5. Learn to request specific health information from dreams (Dream Incubation.) (See Ask and You Shall Receive: Incubating a #Dream.)  For example, ask what particular foods do you need to eat to get healthier?
6. Request healings to come in dreams.
7. Test your dream findings with your medical lab tests or a doctor’s diagnosis.  If your dream tells you one thing, and a doctor another, get a second opinion.

Many doctors now are beginning to see the helpfulness of dreams in staying healthy.  My doctor always takes my health dreams seriously and so should yours!  Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, is said to have learned about the value of dreams and their relationship to health at an asclepion, an ancient type of hospital which was dedicated to the god of healing, Asclepius.  The caduceus, the symbol of medicine which comes to us from this ancient era, depicts snakes wrapped around the rod of Asclepius.

A Connection of Energy Fields

From Asian cultures we learn that the body is essentially an energy field connected directly or indirectly to all other energy fields in the universe. Because all fields are interconnected, they are capable of transferring information and energy. That means we have access to an infinite amount of information. We are all aware of how we receive and send information through the five senses of taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing.  But what about the so-called sixth sense?

Receiving and Sending Intuitive Information and Energy

Many of us are not so aware how we can send and receive information and energy through intuition in the form meditation and dreams. The intuitive images, sounds, feelings, and sensations that we pick up spontaneously or receive in dreams and meditation are identifying symbols for unique, relevant information and energy within and without us that can be used to help ourselves and others. Any of the senses can be a vehicle for an intuitive message because our bodies are wonderfully designed to transmit information through the five senses as well as the sixth sense of intuition. Just as we pick up data through touch, sight, hearing, smell and taste coming from outside us, we can register intuitive data coming from within us through those same senses.

Sending intuitive information and loving energy is very much like using our senses to send and receive information about what we see or hear except we do it in an intuitive, altered state of awareness such as meditation, deep prayer or dreams. In these states we intend to receive or to transmit information or energy, and it happens! We can intend to have dreams that will help someone else by giving deeper understanding, clues to resolution or a diagnosis of the issue. While in meditation or prayer, we can send healing energy and even information to someone through the imagination and intention.

When you think of the body as a bundle of energy in addition to it’s amazing physical capabilities, it is truly amazing.