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With the advent of modern Psychology, and Sigmund Freud's now-infamous (and over-utilized) teachings regarding Dream Analysis, people began to set aside their long-held spiritual associations and connections to dreams, and the dreaming world. Although most psychologists do not rely soley upon Freud's theories, modern psychology still places an entirely physical point of view (i.e., the subconscious mind) onto dreams and dream interpretation, neglecting the spiritual aspect altogether.
Ancient peoples believed that the Dreaming World was in fact a distinct realm, separate and apart from the waking world. When one dreamed, messages were given in the form of rich and vibrant symbolism, which incorporated those aspects of their physical lives which they understood: the Animals, Nature, their loved ones, and their Gods and Goddesses.
Today we understand the complex nature of the brain, and how the subconscious plays a part in the shaping of our dreams. However, it is most important to remember that we as human beings are not entirely physical beings: our spirits, or souls, are an integral part of our etheral nature, and therefore, we would be doing ourselves a great disservice if we did not consider the spiritual aspect of ourselves in interpreting our dreams. Furthermore, just as human beings are both the physical and spiritual contained in one body, the Universe itself is a combination of the physical and the spiritual. When interpreting our dreams and seeking the spiritual aspects contained in them, we must remember that our spiritual essence is not self-contained, but is connected to a much higher, Universal spiritual source. Each person has their own way of defining the "higher source" of our spiritual nature, but regardless of your own label for Him, or Her, or Them, it would make little sense to exclude the higher aspect of our spirituality from our interpretations, and we should therefore seek to discern messages (if any) of a higher source in our dreaming. So in Dream Interpretation, there is a three-fold aspect to consider: the physical, or subconscious mind; the inner spiritual; and the higher spiritual source.
First, you must determine if you dream is literal, or symbolic. This is by far the easiest step in interpreting your dreams. If the images, events and people in your dreams are existant in your life, or at least on your mind at the time, the dream is probably literal. I refer to literal dreams as "cleaning house" dreams, because they often serve to unclutter the thinking processes regarding people or events in our lives,and tend to provide an clear analytical commentary on the events in your life. This is not always the case. However, you should be able to recognize an "obvious" house-cleaning dream when you have one. An extreme form of house cleaning would be dreaming about being chased down a dark alley by a madman, only a night or two after having watched a particularly gory horror movie. :)
If your dream does not fit into the literal category, you need to take a closer took at the symbolic messages in the dream. While can be difficult to decipher symbolic dreams at first, keep trying -- you will become more adept in time. It is helpful to keep records of the details of the symbolic dreams, and your attempts at interpreting them, for future reference.
Symbolic dreams come to us for several reasons. One, they can be a method for your higher self -- the soul or spirit -- to speak to you on a deep level about an important matter, which lays unresolved, and is hindering you from progressing; your very own built-in therapist and spiritual advisor. Two, and far less often, they can be prophetic in nature; a message given to you about upcoming events. (Do not immediately jump to the conclusion that every dream is prophetic -- most often they are not.)
Recurring dreams are most important, and should be compared for subtle differences. Recurring dreams reflect a need to receive a most important message -- either from the physical, or spiritual plane -- and for whatever reason, the message is not getting through, and the dream recurs. Some common reasons for recurring dreams are: (1) the dream is prophetic or precognitive in nature; (2) your higher self is desperately attempting to send you a message about needed growth or change; or (3) the dream is a result of a traumatic event which has left scars that now need to be healed.
There are many "standards" in dream symbolism (known as Universal Symbolism) which include things that are recognized and understood by everyone on a subconscious level, and have remained constant throughout time. I am not including a compilation of universal symbolism here, because I feel it is a mistake to rely solely upon universal symbolism in interpreting our dreams. There is an important distinction to be made between universal symbolism, and personal symbolism. Personal symbolism refers to things or events which are personally and distinctly important for you. Psychologist Carl Jung stated, "No dream symbol can be separated from the individual who dreams it." Bear this in mind as you attempt to discern the meaning behind your dreams. The same dream, dreamt by different dreamers, would likely have a different meaning for each person. So by all means go and purchase a recent book on dream symbolism if you are serious about beginning to interpret your dreams -- just don't consider it to be the final answer to all of your questions.
If you are to interpret your dreams, you will first learn how to remember them. If you do not normally remember your dreams, you need to train yourself to do so. If you practice meditation, try affirming that you will remember your dreams. Make positive affirmations that you will remember your dreams just before you go to sleep. Next, you should begin to keep a dream journal. It is not an easy practice to develop at first, but in time, you will learn to recall more and more aspects of your dreams upon waking. Keep a notebook or journal by your bedside, and record everything you can remember immediately upon waking. Do not try to form coherent thoughts or sentences, half-asleep as as you will likely be -- just write everything down as quickly as you can in brief, to-the-point words and fragments! Above all, be consistent and persistent, and in time you will become much more adept at remembering and interpreting your dreams; a little effort will reward you in understanding yourself on a much higher level. |
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