Spirit Space: Inner Space

Dreams are so important that if a human is deprived of the dreaming process they soon become mentally disturbed and disoriented. Even those that do not remember their dreams have at least three to five dreams during a normal sleep period. All dreams have one thing in common --- they contain a message. Dreams are messages from ourselves to ourselves. Some are more understandable than others, offering obvious literal messages, others seem to be full of hidden symbolism and have to be translated. Once translated into practical terms it is possible to be guided along a path that leads to truly understanding yourself. They highlight problems and circumstances in your life, present any questions you may have, show vignettes of future events, aid in healing the body, warn you, inform you, enlighten you and inspire you.

Several things take place during the dreaming process. You process all the bits of information that you were subjected to during your waking hours. You receive guidance from the real self, usually relaying some concept that is important for you to recognize at that particular time in your life. You review past experiences that may lend some insight into a present situation and you catch glimpses of future events. The interesting thing is that all these bits are intermixed into a jumble of disjointed pictures. It makes for an amusing and somewhat confusing series of dreams.

Dreams are there to provide us with information, inspiration and solutions that can be revealed to us in no other way. If we are focusing on, for example, attaining prosperity in our lives the direction may very well present itself as we sleep. Can we afford to ignore this advice?

Everybody dreams, but not everyone remembers their dreams. It is comparatively easy to learn to remember your dreams. You start by positively programming yourself before you retire at night by simply saying, "I want to remember my dreams". Again, we are reinforcing our intent to our subconscious mind. It then helps to participate in some creative visualization by imagining that you are waking up in the morning, remembering your dreams and writing down every detail. It make take several nights to convince your stubborn consciousness that you are serious, but it will come in time.

Once you begin to remember your dreams, it is of the utmost importance that you begin to write them down. At first you may only remember bits and pieces. Write down anything you can remember. The rest will come in time. We, as a species, tend to start projects with enthusiasm only to let them slide after a very short while. Your subconscious remembers this, in fact has been trained by you to do exactly this, and will test your desire to the maximum. Don't become disheartened. Like meditation, it only takes practice and determination to succeed.

How do you interpret your dreams in order to clarify them? The best book of dream interpretation that you can read is the one you write yourself. In fact, it is the only one that will define your personal dream language. It will not take long for you to discover the meanings of the symbolism in your dreams once you have started your Dream Diary. Remembering, recording and acting upon your dreams will open a door into a magical kingdom.

Your Dream Diary:

Select a notebook and pen that are special in some way, and use them exclusively for your Dream Diary. Place them beside your bed where they will be easily accessible.
Make a commitment to write in the diary everyday whether or not you remember your dreams. If you have not recalled a dream, write in your diary "I don't recall my dreams but I will tomorrow".
Be sure to place the day of the week, the date, the approximate time of the dream, the sequence in which the dream occurred (first, second, third etc.). Recurring dreams have a habit of appearing on the same day of the week. This is important to track.
Write down your dream as fast as possible. They are fleeting memories, so don't worry about whether they are in the exact order they occurred or not. You can rearrange them as you analyze them.
Make it a point to note your mood upon awakening. This will add valuable information to the interpretation.
Write down any objects, people, buildings, animals, numbers, etc., that you can remember, no matter how strange they seem. This will prove to be your dream dictionary.
Colors that stand out are important. For example, the color of a garment, house, sign, person, animal etc. Write them down.
Conversations should be written down even if you can't remember all of them. This is usually a message you are trying to get to yourself.
Any travel, whether it be walking, running, swimming, flying, driving a car or truck, airplanes, riding a bike, horse or other animal, being carried, traveling with someone else who is in control of the vehicle or any other form of traveling are especially important to the interpretation. Note the direction you are traveling, the condition of the roads, the weather conditions and anything else that reflects how you are traveling.
If you feel there is any association to a previous day's events, for example, a movie you saw, an article you read, a person you saw etc, write it down.
Special people will appear in your dreams, a deceased family member, royalty, movie stars, wizards, magicians, religious figures, and many others. These are of extreme importance in interpretation.

There are several types of dreams: nightmares, precognitive, problem solving, healing, inspirational and educational. Some are very literal, others clouded in symbolism. Figuring out which type of dream you have had is at first frustrating. It will soon become exciting and easy, so don't become discouraged.

Interpretation is an art in itself. It comes with practice, patience and a collection of your own dreams. We will be there to give you a helping hand if you need it. You will soon begin to see the pattern in your dreams and you will always be the best one to interpret your own dream. Above all, remember to take action on your dreams for they will guide you on a wonderful path of discovery.