Dreams are a reflection of what is really going on with us while we're walking around going about our lives. Dreams show us things that are deeply unconscious, things that we probably aren't thinking about all day long while we're at work, at home, spending time with our family, or planning our next vacation.
Our dream life can act as a system of checks and balances for what is going on with us. Dreams can be a useful insight into our deepest desires, fears and more. We can even teach ourselves, with a little practice, how to actively participate in our dreams and control our dreaming process. This can deepen our sense of awareness and understanding both when we're dreaming and awake.
Why should we care? They're just dreams. Here are three pretty good reasons.
1. We get to look deeper into our own personal psychology, what makes us tick.
2. Uncover the root of fears that might be holding us back from achieving our goals or living a happy, full life.
3. Save money on psychics by unlocking all the answers about our past, present, and future just by paying some attention to our unconscious. This brings things into consciousness...and that's just the beginning of the good stuff!
So lets get started. The exciting news is you get to practice dreaming every night! Things you'll need:
1. A pen and notebook by your bed. (Write down your dream as soon as you wake up. Jot down what happened and how you felt about it. Don't worry about it making sense, just get it on the paper.)
2. PJ's and your bed. (For sleeping comfortably!)
3. An introspective book. (For pre-sleep inspiration)
My favorites bedside reads are:
Breakdown: Look up any topic and it will give you insight into interpretations, from a sampling of 3,000 dreams combined with common dream images.
Favorite Take-Aways: So many interpretations of the airplane dream. Attacking aircraft: feeling attacked by doubts, self-criticism, or outside critics. Being grounded: sense of not getting anywhere. Difficulty landing: difficulty achieving a goal. Plane falling rapidly: "pit" feeling that one gets when feeling anxiety about the outcome of a situation. Dreaming of famous people: Desire to be noticed and acclaimed for your potential. Man, maybe that's why everyone is addicted to tabloids and celebrity culture.
Breakdown: Become a fly on the wall and a front row participant simultaneously for the teachings of Don Juan, told through the personal experience of Castaneda. The key concept is seeing, Don Juan's version of the living, growing, mystical experience of life, where there is true perception of reality and of oneself. This is a perspective-changer book.
Favorite take-away: Don Juan's instruction to practice seeing your hands while you sleep. This technique of Don Juan's teaches lucid dreaming. It seems un-attainable until you try it a few times!
Break Down: Osho teaches how to understand and use our instincts for individual growth and development. It deals with the difference between the intellect and realm of the spirit.
Favorite Take-Away:
"When the body functions spontaneously,
That is called instinct.
When the soul functions spontaneously,
That is called intuition.
They are alike and yet
Far away from each other.
Instinct is of the body--the gross;
And intuition of is of the soul--the subtle.
And between the two is the mind, the expert,
Which never functions spontaneously.
Mind means knowledge.
Knowledge can never be spontaneous.
Instinct is deeper than intellect and
Intuition is higher than intellect.
Both are beyond the intellect, and both are good." - Osho
These are all just tools, ideas, and suggestions for dream interpretation and lucid dreaming (that's the finding your hand one).
All the good teachers say to go with how you feel about your dream and start from there. Use your intuition to guide you. Let other information, like the dream dictionary or other popular interpretation methods, or even what your friends have to say, inform you second. Take ownership of your unconsciousness. No one else will completely understand or be able to experience your exact dream.
Ok, time to share. I had a dream last night that I was strapped into the front of a roller coaster that was free flying. It had no structure attaching it to the ground. I was flying fast through a large open field surrounded by sky, lakes, and mountains. At one point the roller coaster was diving me into a sharp rock on the water. I realized I was dreaming and pulled myself out of the potential crash and continued soaring through the sky and over the fields.
My Interpretation: I'm at a big transition phase in my life right now that is really exciting, invigorating, and also scary. I feel free and inspired for the most part but I also feel like trouble and danger creeps up on me fast (the big scary rock that was going to crush me). Luckily I can do something about it (soar back into my vast field!).
Your Turn! Let me know!