Later in the day, you can transfer the information to a dream diary – one specifically set aside for your dreams. In this diary note down the date of your dream, any people involved, the moods and feelings expressed, prominent colors, numbers, or shapes, the problems and conflicts encountered, prominent symbols or stories, information about the dream landscape, whether it was past, present, or future, and, finally, how the dream ended or the story of the dream. Refer to the Dream Types given previously to see if you can identify which type of dream you had.
With practice you will soon get the hang of remembering and writing down your dreams. Writing down your dreams will also help you see them from an outsider’s perspective and make it easier for you to connect dream symbols to your waking life. Read what you have written and see if you can figure out what your dreams are trying to tell you. Remember, it is the personal association your dream symbols trigger that matters the most. Your dream mind wants to bring to your awareness whatever is unconsciously holding you back, so constantly remind yourself of the importance of what you are doing.
If something surfaces that makes you feel uncomfortable you always have the choice to make changes in your waking life. Just because you dream about something terrible does not mean it is going to happen. Your dreaming mind is simply using alarming imagery to alert your attention to aspects of yourself or your daily life which are blocking your chances of happiness. The more you deal with uncomfortable emotions in your daily life the less alarming your dreams are likely to be. In short, frightening dreams only tend to occur when you have issues and problems in your waking life that are triggering them.
Writing down your dreams creates a fascinating record of your dream life for you to look back on in the future to see if there were any connections you didn’t see at the time. Identifying these connections in hindsight can make it more likely you will now notice them in the present.
Finally, be sure to use the entries in the A–Z Reader section of this book to help you unlock the meaning of your dream themes and symbols. But never forget that the best book you will ever read about dreams is the one you write yourself – your dream journal.
Dream-maker
The dream was always running ahead of me. To catch up, to live for a moment in unison with it, that was the miracle.
– Anaïs Nin
Some dream experts believe it is possible to take charge of your dreams and turn them into creative and helpful experiences that can help solve problems in your waking life. To do this you have to get your waking mind to work more fully with your dreaming mind; you need to think about what problem or issue you want your dream to resolve. This is a process called dream incubation. You are becoming your own Oracle!
Step-by-step Guide to Dream Incubation
1. Decide what you want to dream about, what you want your dream to resolve or help you with, and what question you want answered.
2. Write down your question or desired dream on a piece of paper as if you were going to send it to a friend – because that’s what your dream self is. Be as specific as you can, but don’t ask about silly or trivial matters, such as ‘Should I send someone a Facebook friend invite?’
3. Read this over and over again during the day and keep it in your mind, during the day and again as you get ready for bed.
4. Once in bed, read over the question again and ask your dreaming self to bring you the answer during sleep. Put the paper under your pillow or right beside your bed so you can reach it easily.
5. Tell yourself before you go to sleep that you will have the dream you want and trust yourself to dream the dream that you ask for.
6. Tell yourself you will remember your dream. Be prepared to write down the dream when you wake up and be open to whatever comes to you.
7. Leave your dream intention to incubate. What you are doing here is programming your dreaming mind or self – giving it a particular task to focus on.
8. Stop thinking about your intention to dream. Let it go. Relax and calm your mind before you sleep and don’t stress about whether or not you are going to have a dream. You may not always want to ask your dreaming self a question; you may simply want a happy, harmonious dream. If this is the case, think of a place or person you’d like to dream about – perhaps a vacation or loved one – write down a simple description and ask your dreaming self in the same way to give you a happy, inspiring dream.
9. Be willing to keep trying and to experiment as long as it takes.
See what insights your dreams bring you, and if you find dream incubation productive and feel confident enough in the wisdom of your dreams, you may want to use your dreams to help others. Let someone you know and trust give you a question they want an answer to. Then dream on it for them. Tell them what symbols your dreaming mind came up with for them to see if it offers them any helpful insights.
Dream-catcher
What if you slept, and what if in your sleep you dreamed, and what if in your dream you went to heaven and there plucked a strange and beautiful flower, and what if when you awoke you had that flower in your hand? Ah, what then?
– Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Asking your dreaming mind to send you answers to questions you may have can offer you intriguing insights. It may also encourage you to take your fascination with your dreams to even greater heights with a technique known as lucid dreaming.
Lucid dreaming is the ability to know you are dreaming when you are actually dreaming. Once you are aware that you are dreaming you can then take control of your dream and what happens in it. For example, you can decide to fly or visit any place you want in your dream. It’s an incredible high! You can quite literally move mountains and change the world to suit you. Anything is possible.
Knowing you are dreaming is one of the most spectacular and surreal experiences. It is also empowering. You see, if you can choose what happens in your dreams this can give you the confidence to begin to explore hidden potential in your waking life.
Most people have at least one lucid dream during the course of their lives, but lucid dreaming on a regular basis is rare. Everyone can learn lucid dreaming, but it takes a lot of focus, time and practice. There are certain techniques you can learn. Keeping a dream journal is one of them, as is performing regular ‘Am I dreaming?’ reality checks during the day to confirm whether you are dreaming or awake. But how to increase the likelihood of lucid dreaming is the subject of a book in itself. (If you have questions about lucid dreaming, please get in contact with me: see here.)
Eyes Wide Shut
Dreams are not meant to put us to sleep but to awaken us.
– Camille Goemans
Whether you decide to practice dream incubation or not, remember that any dream you have has the potential to take you into a world of mystery and wonder that can keep you spellbound for days trying to understand it. The dream interpretations that follow will help you unravel some of the mystery – but never forget that you are the dreamer and you do the dreaming, and that, in understanding your dreams, you can reach a better understanding of yourself.
Use the explanations offered in the pages that follow for the interpretation of your dream symbols and combine them with your own circumstances to work out an understanding of the likely significance of your dreams. In this way, your innermost feelings, hopes, and fears can be highlighted, hopefully resolving issues in your waking life and enriching it by revealing your hidden strengths and creativity.