DREAMS - Our dreams come from our inner and deeper Selves to (1) give us feedback on how we are living respective our Ideals and principles; (2) keep us in balance mentally, physically and spiritually; and (3) providing guidance for living our daily lives. Each night we have 7 to 8 dreams as we move in and out of several cycles of REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep for a about an hour and a half of dream time. The language of dreams is a symbolic language that can be interpreted. The symbols are both personal and universal in nature and come from the Unconscious Mind. We know that the Unconscious Mind is amendable to suggestion and that an individual can get its cooperation by (1) setting your Ideals and principles; (2) having a sense of purpose; and (3) simply asking for help by affirming a program.

TECHNIQUES

REMEMBERING: Keep a notebook and pencil (or tape recorder) by the bed. Suggest to yourself before going to sleep that you'll remember any IMPORTANT dreams. Get enough sleep. Affirm that your dreams will be a medium for communication and guidance. Repeatedly affirm to yourself that you are willing to deal with and be open to WHATEVER needs to be dealt with. Expect the unexpected.

INTERPRETATION: Dreams are very 'self-centered' and are primarily concerned with your own inner and outer personal world even when involving or seemingly about others. Other people in our dreams almost always relate to aspects of us or our relationships. Note your state of mind and feelings upon awakening. Try to relate the dream to a 'theme' or give it a 'title'. The opening of the dream sets the stage for the rest of the dream even if the scene changes. Look for puns and cliché’s. Note what characteristics people in the dream remind you of. Note directions (“left” is receiving or the future; “right” is giving or literally "the 'right' choice"; “up” - making progress & “down” - losing ground); colors (example, “red” - warning or energy); numbers; location; clothing; etc. What objective or subjective qualities do the characters convey? Pictures and ages of children may indicate something rooted (begun) in the past. If nothing seems to make sense, ask for a clarifying dream and also keep in mind that the dream may be precognitive and is dealing with some future event. Health issues in dreams should be taken seriously and if things check out health wise, then look at it as being symbolic. Purchase a good dream dictionary and add your own personal symbols to it. Don't become too attached to 'programming' your dream life (getting tomorrow’s lottery number), but allow spontaneity and allowing the ‘spirit’ to move.

DREAM TYPES

CLEARINGHOUSE DREAMS - Sorting out the cares, concerns and events of the previous day. They
usually occur early in the night. The more important dreams tend to occur toward morning.

FRUSTRATION DREAMS - Falling (perhaps not living up to your standards), being chased (running away from a problem that you need to face). Nightmares generally reflect feelings of not being in control of some area of your life. For example; being stung by bees (too busy?); a car that's out of control (who’s driving? He/she may be controlling you); dreams about dying and death are usually symbolic of endings, new beginnings, transitions and/or rebirth.

TEACHING DREAMS - Showing you something about yourself, relationships or environment. For example; discovering a room in your house that you didn't know existed filled with beautiful works of art may indicate an innate creative potential you were not aware of. Problems with teeth or gums indicating dental problems or symbolic of gossiping (bad-mouthing someone). Again, dreams with health related themes should be taken literally and checked out. If everything is okay, look to a symbolic interpretation. Sometimes a loved-one on the other side or someone from a Higher Realm will literally come to visit you in a dream.

PRECOGNITIVE DREAMS – It has been said that nothing of any consequence happens to an individual that is not first foreshadowed in a dream. There is much scientific evidence that everyone is at least to some degree unconsciously psychic or you may be unconsciously picking up information in your day-to-day activities too subtle for your conscious mind to recognize. The dream may be literal, but is usually symbolic in nature due to the fact that the dream is trying to give information that may help the dreamer change an outcome; or see / accept a situation differently. Since precognitive dreams can sometimes ‘see’ a long time into the future, it is necessary to get into the habit of recording dreams and reviewing them periodically. The unconscious can be 'programmed' by suggestion to get intuitive information (stocks & lottery numbers?), but also affirm that God's Will be done.

PROBLEM SOLVING DREAMS - Before going to sleep, contemplate and pray about a problem. Ideally, try to resolve the problem in your conscious mind to the best of your ability and then ask for a dream giving insight and / or confirmation concerning your decision in the matter. Ask the same question over a period of several nights before moving onto another issue.

LUCID DREAMS - A Lucid Dream is a dream in which you become consciously aware that you are dreaming. If that happens, it may be possible to control the dream and have some really extraordinary experiences. Upon becoming lucid, try meditating within the dream state. Lucid dreams can sometimes be induced by looking at your hands in the waking state and affirming that you are aware that you are dreaming. When you see your hands in a dream, it may induce lucidity.

DREAM INCUBATION - An individual or a group of people may decide to "incubate" a dream for another person who is seeking answers.

SOME COMMON SYMBOLS

HOUSE is your life or body and the rooms represent areas of life: Kitchen is diet or where you 'cook' (plan) things up; bathroom is hygiene and elimination; basement is subconscious storage (forgotten memories); first floor is the physical; second floor is the mental; attic is soul; roof relates to highest ideals; living room is your daily life; the front of the house is your public life and the rear private life

CAR represents your mental (mind) or physical (body) vehicle: the motor is 'motivation'; steering is the 'direction' your life is going; tires are usually a pun on being 'tired'; keys relate to your 'getting started'; muffler problems are talking too much; the driver is the person in control of you; brake problems may indicate being out of control; radio - being tuned in; name of car ('Dodge', 'Accord', Taurus - bull);

BODY is the vehicle of our consciousness: Hair is thinking and thoughts; feet & shoes give insight into our understanding; hands are service and 'grip'; clothes relate to personality and how you want to project yourself or how you're seen; wallet / purse relate to identity & self worth; sex is intimate relations or who or what you’re ‘in bed with’.

ANIMALS are characteristics of self: Spider relates to entanglements; insects indicate irritations; dog relates to qualities of faithful or unfaithfulness; cat is "cattiness"; bird is the heart center; snake is temptation, evil or the kundalini.