"Dreams – a fragment of eternity coming into creation to alter it." John Paul Jackson
This past week John Paul made the above statement during our Teacher Training in the Understanding dreams and visions class. While I have had that understanding, I have never put it into words that were that clear. So how do dreams affect our lives?
Dreams can warn us – I have a friend who escaped with her family from Vietnam many years ago. The family had paid for passage on a boat leaving the next morning. Her mother had a dream that told her that boat wouldn’t be taking them away. She woke up, got the whole family up and they caught a boat that left that night.
Dreams can wash us clean of all the gunk that we’re exposed to.
Dreams can encourage us to continue what we’re doing, or encourage us to change our course of action.
Dreams spark creativity with in us. Did you know the sewing machine was created because of a dream? Dali was inspired by his dreams and Handel wrote the Messiah, and preformed in a new way, because of his dreams.
So how do you understand your dreams?
Begin by honoring them. They are there for a reason. Write them down. Seek out an accurate interpretation of them. This one’s a tricky one because there are lots of dictionaries and websites that say they’ll help, when in reality they only confuse the matter. How do you know you’ve gotten the right interpretation? You’ll know. Something will rise up within you and say “That’s it!”. And sometimes when an interpretation is correct, other parts of the dream or a similar dream will fall into place. You’ll know that “Ah ha” moment.
All the parts or elements of your dreams are in a language you will understand. For example. Lets say you had a dream about your dog chasing you and using these concrete resources you interpreted it to mean that you were being chased by something that wanted to hurt you. You hear the interpretation but it doesn’t connect with you. But by understanding your dream language, you understand that your dog is a good symbol. You realize that you are being chased by good. That this dream is about playing with your dog, the good that he represents, and you are encouraged and move through your day with confidence and a smile.
Need help understanding your dreams? Drop me a line and we’ll interpret them together!
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5 comments:
the dreams that confuse me are the ones where I wake up suddenly, knowing that I had a very disturbing dream, feeling a sense of urgency, that there is something I have to do right now. But I cannot remember anything at all about the dream.
Those dreams leave me feeling unsettled all day, as if there is something I should be doing, but I don't know what it is.
Any insight on what that means, and how to address it?
Troy - do you find that this happens when you are startled awake by your alarm clock or something else that interrupts your sleeping/dreaming? My guess is that's what is going on. A couple of things you can do:
1 - Teach yourself to wake up a a specific time everyday, unaided.
2 - Can't do that? Change your alarm clock to something that gradually wakes you up rather than startles you awake.
3 - Write down anything that you remember about the dream. Sometimes this act can bring the dream back and you can remember it and what you need to do.
4 - Go back to sleep, either immediately or later in the day when you take a nap, and ask the Giver of Dreams to take you back to that dream so that you can finish it. This will take some practice but you can get there.
My guess is that you have a destiny to fulfill and something has kept you from fulfilling it. If that's the case, you can take this question to the Giver of Dreams and ask for direction and help to achieve your calling.
Keep me updated. I look forward to hearing your progress!
So, you believe that God is the Giver of dreams. That He has His hand in each and everyone of them? I have heard of stories where people will pray, "Lord, if You have truly forgiven me for my sins, wake me up at 3:15 A.M. to show me." Being the scientist I aspire to be, I feel as if dreams are a way the brain resorts the days happenings, and if you have truly hoped that you would wake up at 3:15, your dream (and brain) will allow you to wake up at that time. They say also, that we only remember 1% of our dreams. Sleep studies have shown that especially males have a LOT of sexual dreams. Would God really allow this? These are some of my questions about dreams. Great posting, btw. I'm going to look into this and maybe I can write a blog on my perception of dreams sometime. But I like how your blog sparks curiosity and thought process! God Bless.
Marty - Yes I believe that God speaks to us in dreams and visions. One third of the bible deals with dreams and visions. Look at Daniel and his interpretation for Nebuchadnezzar or Joseph and his dreams and interpreting Pharaoh's dream. As a scientist you are focused on a literal language, but God speaks in a metaphorical language. How else does a cow equal a year, it did to Pharaoh and Joseph. I think you'll find that your dreams are very helpful to you, but you have to learn the language, just as you had to learn the language of medicine.
As for males having sex dreams. If you understand the metaphorical language of dreams, you would understand that most sexual dreams aren't necessarily about sex, but rather about the issue that sex addresses - intimacy. God is simply saying that He desires to have a close relationship with the dreamer. Most men are so literal they assume it's about sex, when it's more likely that they are so relationship anemic they need a reminder to spend time with Him.
Yes the brain processes the day and problems that we haven't been able to solve while we sleep. In reading the sleep studies you know that people can't fully rest unless they hit the REM or dreaming stage. So, if the brain is able to move to it's unconscious processing while our conscious brain is resting, and has the ability to hear what God is saying without the filters of the conscious brain, and comes up with a solution, is that any less possible than the brain coming up with an answer all by itself. Personally, the answers I get with the help of the One who created the universe are so much better than the answers I imagine my tiny little brain could come up with on its own.
If you want to remember more of your dreams, keep a pad of paper by your bed. When your woken by a dream, jot down what you can remember. I'll bet you'll find that you'll begin to remember more of your dreams.
Thanks for the comments. I do enjoy exchanging ideas and seeing life from other angles!
An interesting way to look at it. I CAN see your point, and it is normally very hard for me to accept an idea that I've already decided on. I need to do more research, but in the meantime, thanks for the answers!I can tell you are a gifted teacher ;)
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