Interpret Your Dreams
Many books have been written, classes have been taught, and dream analysts have opined about the meaning behind dreams. Like many other things in life, I think that it helps to have guidance on how to interpret your dreams, but dream interpretation is most effective as a do-it-yourself (DIY) project. Sure, you might be able to read about common symbols in dreams and have that resonate with you. But symbols, I feel, are directly correlated to personal experience. So, in your dream state, you’re probably not going to receive esoteric symbology that requires a lot of research, analysis, and interpretation UNLESS you’re the type of person who thrives on solving a puzzle.
Dream Categories
My personal perspective is that dreams loosely fall into two categories:
- Messages
- Comic Relief
Messages
I feel most dreams are message dreams. Messages can come from your higher self, loved ones in spirit, Angels, or guides.
- Many people work through issues in their dreams by allowing their higher self to give guidance.
- Loved ones will often use your dream state to communicate their love for you or to help you solve an issue that is of concern.
- Angels use your dreams to reinforce their presence and their unyielding love and support for you.
- Teachers and guides will use your dreams to teach you lessons and guide you in life decisions.
Comic Relief
I feel the remainder of your dreams are purely for enjoyment. Have you ever awoken giggling or smirking at the silliness of a dream you just experienced? Doesn’t it set the course for your day to be a little more positive and a little more appreciative of the small things for which you can be grateful? Life isn’t all seriousness, work, and drudgery. It’s actually a lot of fun. Sometimes dreams provide no other purpose than to provide a little comic relief and lighten your mood.
DIY Tools
You only need three tools for this do-it-yourself project of interpreting your dreams.
1. Dream Journal
I resisted this guidance for a long time. I didn’t want to maintain a journal to write down my dreams, analyze my dreams, and review my dreams for past patterns. The guidance I had received regarding another journaling requirement sounded like a lot of work to me. Quite frankly, I rejected the idea because I already had enough to do, and it didn’t sound to me like the pay-off was worth the effort.
However, I embraced the idea of a dream journal when I realized I was making it too hard. Dream interpretation doesn’t need to be a doctorate-level thesis project. I recommend you use a simple one-subject spiral notebook and keep it and a pen readily available near your bed. When you awake from sleep, jot down the most important details from your dream(s).
How do you know what you should focus on as the most important details from your dream?
2. Ask!
One of the biggest reasons I resisted a dream journal is that I was taught that I needed to do a lot of analysis, look for symbols, compare my dream summaries over a period of time, and basically struggle to discern the meaning. One day it dawned on me, that instead of trying to figure it all out on my own, I should ask the spirit(s) who orchestrated the dream to tell me what the dream meant.
So that’s what I do.
While I’m still in bed, groggy, I ask, “What is the most important part of that dream?” or simply, “What does that dream mean?” Guess what?! When I ask that question, I get an answer. I no longer try to write down every little detail I can remember from each dream. I only document the most important aspect(s).
And if spirit doesn’t answer my question? Well, then, I assume it was a “comic relief” dream, and I don’t worry about it. I trust that if the information is important for me to know, and I don’t understand the message on spirit’s first attempt, spirit will try again.
An Example From My Life
The other night, I woke up in the middle of the night worrying about something. I asked Archangel Michael for specific help on this issue and then fell back asleep. The next morning, I woke to a very long and complex dream with a lot of characters from past and present, with lots of details that could have easily been interpreted as symbolic. In that dream, I made a phone call, but it was a minor side note in the dream. In fact, I didn’t really remember that a phone call had been part of the dream until I asked, “What did all that mean?” I was instantly reminded that in the dream, I had called Kent on his cell phone. However, in my groggy post sleep, pre-awake state, it occurred to me that the phone number in my dream was NOT my husband’s telephone number, so I instantly knew that the telephone number was my message. I wrote that number down in my dream journal and noticed a repeating pattern. I intuitively knew that was the number I needed to focus on. I consulted a book about the meaning of numbers and found this:
63 – The ascended masters are helping you with the daily aspects of your life. Ask them for help, and then be open to receiving the assistance that they bring to you in the form of ideas, guidance, and unexpected gifts. –Excerpt From: Angel Numbers 101 by Doreen Virtue
I’d forgotten my request in the middle of the night, until it dawned on me at that point that Archangel Michael had sent the message to let me know that he heard my request in the middle of the night and was working on it. How perfect is that?
3. Meditation
I encourage you to experiment with meditation and self-hypnosis . You can either do a simple meditation on your own (example below) or use one of the many guided meditations commercially available for this purpose.
Dream Meditation
- Prepare for bed.
- Turn out the lights and lie on your back with your spine straight, eyes closed, hands either by your sides or comfortably resting on your abdomen.
- Take three breaths, in through your nose, out through your mouth. Have the intention of bringing into your body on the inhale everything you need to support your body, and on the exhale, have the intention of letting go of everything you no longer need.
- When you finish breathing, ask for protection in whatever way you wish. You can ask Archangel Michael to watch over you, or your gatekeeper, or a loved one.
- Then pray with gratitude for the day that has just finished, your life in general, and anything else for which you are grateful.
- Then set the intention for your dreams. Do you want help with something? Do you want your loved one to visit you? Do you just need a break from the reality of your life? In your own words, set the intention for your dream(s).
- Thank your spiritual team, relax, and go to sleep.
Final Thoughts
Dreaming is a natural and necessary aspect of our lives for overall optimal health. You can benefit simply by enjoying the rejuvenating process each night. However, if you want to take advantage of the purpose of dreaming, it’s really not that hard to understand and utilize the messages that are readily available in your dreams.
Don’t make it hard.
It doesn’t have to be another item on your ‘to-do’ list to check off. Instead, consider it a gift that you can either open or not. If you choose not to open the gift, nothing bad will happen. However, if you choose to open the gift, you might find treasure beyond your wildest imagination.
Sweet dreams!
Do you have to be born with the ability to contact spirits or guides? Of course, I see people who are just born with a talent to see spirits and interact with them. Is this because they’re able to control their energy to see those spirits?
We are all born with the ability to communicate with spirit. Some people have a higher natural aptitude, just as some people have a higher natural aptitude for athletics, analytical thinking, or artistic expression. However, any person can learn to develop psychically. Like any skill, the more you practice, the more accomplished you will become in communicating with spirit. There are a number of psychic development classes available–both in person and over the internet. If you would like to explore communicating with spirit through automatic writing, I encourage you to consider our “Channeling Demystified” self-directed class, available for purchase on our website at this link. https://www.eclectichorizons.com/products/
My best to you!
Cindy