Whether
you dream every night in glorious Technicolor detail, or whether you're one of the many people who claim they don't dream
at all, one thing's for certain - science says that everyone dreams, and for
as much as one third of their time asleep, which equates to two or three hours per night. Even animals and birds dream. Robbed
of vital dreaming activity through sleep deprivation, disturbances, and stress, both people and animals become irritable and
disoriented - and will catch up and balance themselves by dreaming excessively the first chance they get.
There
are tribes in Malaysia who take dreaming quite seriously. Each morning at breakfast, each family member shares his/her
dreams and discussion ensues. This way they can tell where they are headed physically, spiritually and emotionally.
Tribal people are more spiritual than we are in western civilization and we in the west are simply beginning to understand
and see how their beliefs and rituals can be good and healthy.
Where
psychologists and psychiatrists are concerned though, dreaming is not new. For them it is a way of knowing their patient
(or rather have their patient get to know him/herself). There are great benefits in recording your dreams. As
a matter of fact, in my workshop on dreams, I strongly suggest to the attendants that keeping a dream journal is very important.
Personally
I keep a dream journal; when I awake I write down my dreams as I recall them, and at the end of each page, I add my own analysis
of that dream. Several weeks or months later, I go back and read through my dreams and their analysis and come up with
a better analysis. Why? Because I've learned as time passed why I dreamed what I did. As the saying goes "There is no
sight like hindsight".
Dreaming
is healthy. Dreams are always symbolic and mean more than the image your sub conscious throws at you. Never take your
dreams at face value. There is always a message connected to your dreams, and that message is not necessarily what it portrays.
There
are many books on dreaming but they offer only universal symbols. The real symbols can only be unscrambled by you, the
dreamer.
YOU
CAN PROGRAM YOURSELF TO DREAM:
For
instance, upon retiring do a short meditation and remind yourself in your meditation that you will remember clearly what you
dreamed. As you awaken refreshed, you will remember and be able to write your dreams down in your journal.
Below
is a dream meditation you can do at bedtime:
Make
yourself comfortable;
Close your eyes and bring yourself to your special place;(the one you built in your first meditation on this site)
See
yourself speaking to your Angel;
Ask
your Angel to tell you which dreams are more important to remember;
OR
Tell
yourself as you relax that you want to remember all of your important dreams;
See
yourself relaxing more and more as you go to sleep.
The
following morning you should be able to remember some of your dreams. This takes practice, especially for people who
say they never dream. Try and try again until you begin to remember dreams. Always write them down in your journal.
As your learn about dreams you also learn about yourself, but you must be honest and learn not to push away symbols you'd
rather not see. Face them and you'll see that they are only paper tigers and that the real meaning gives you a more
indepth reading on the amazing YOU!
Happy
dreaming!
Love
Rachel-Light
For further information on dreaming you may contact Rosemary Trainor at www.intuitivedreaming.com to purchase her latest CD on dreaming entitled: "Intuitive Dreaming;
An aspect of meditation".
