Do you remember your dreams? Have you had dreams of flying or falling, exploring a castle with winding staircases, being chased by a large animal, your teeth falling out? All these are fairly common dreams. Do you wonder what they could mean, or if they mean anything? What difference could it make in your life if you understood their meaning. Let us help you discover the answers to these questions and open a whole inner world.
Many people think they don’t dream because they don’t remember their dreams.
When asked, “Do you remember your dreams?” The friend I was talking to responded quickly, “Oh no, I don’t want to. They’re too crazy and scary when I do remember them.” Many people disregard dreams as unimportant and meaningless. They are like Scrooge in Charles Dickens’, “A Christmas Carol”, who quipped, “more gravy than grave”, upon remembering a ghostly dream; just chalking it up to nothing more than something he ate.
“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
– BUDDHA
Actually our nighttime dreams are very important messages from our sub-conscious inner self. Dreams can give us valuable guidance, help to solve a problem, inspire, or comfort. There are recorded examples of famous artists, scientists, inventors and leaders who were guided to great discoveries through their dreams. There are many great works of art, scientific discoveries and inventions that have enriched our lives, which would not have been made if the artists and discoverers had not remembered their dreams. However, even what you may consider the most mundane or trivial dream can help you understand what happened in your experience yesterday or answer questions and give insight.
It is of vital importance to know how to interpret the message of your dream. The language we dream in is a picture-symbol language. When we know what the images we see mean it is like learning a new language. Suddenly those crazy dreams have meaning. An intuitive person can usually discern some meaning by realizing that everything in the dream is about the dreamer. The persons you see in your dreams are really some part of yourself, not actually that person.
At the School of Metaphysics one of the first and most important things we teach is dream interpretation. The first night of class I was instructed to get a dream journal and keep it by my bedside with a pen. The practice is to write in it every morning upon awakening. Even if I don’t remember a dream, I write the first thoughts I have upon awakening. After doing this for a while I began to understand myself better through the messages my dreams were giving me.
One of the first things we learn is that we always dream.
If you are asleep and in a REM cycle, you are most likely dreaming, but there are many reasons why we don’t always remember the dreams. Sometimes we experience what dream analysis call a ‘drought’ in our dream recall. Even those of us who regularly remembering dreams can go through periods of not remembering.
The School of Metaphysics has a list of ways to help remember your dreams. This list of suggestions could be helpful for anyone who wants to remember your dreams more clearly or enrich self-understanding.
- Tell yourself you value your dreams; have a desire and expect to remember them.
- Envision yourself remembering dreams. See yourself recalling your dreams and sharing them with friends.
- Keep a dream journal and pen by your bedside. Write in your dream journal as soon as you wake.
- Affirm, “I remember my dreams” before you go to bed.
- Learn and practice dream interpretation. Go to YouTube and search for “dream interpretation” videos.
- Awaken slowly, if possible.
- Set your alarm to gradually rise in volume, if possible.
- Do not eat an hour or two before going to bed.
- Take B vitamins, especially B12.
- Try to think in pictures when problem-solving or thinking about your day.
- Be consistent about the suggestions above.
Some of these may not make sense or you may find that you would like further help. Many books on dream interpretation could help or at least provide some entertaining theories.
