The power of dreams

I was sitting with a man made of glass. He was a very sad man.

I wish I could remember more of the dream - these were the words I jotted down quickly in the middle of the night on the pad of paper I keep next to the bed.

Do you remember your dreams? Do you think about them, wonder what they're doing for you? Are they a form of mental digestion, do they help release emotions you try to rein in during the day? Are they messages from your soul or higher self, encouraging you to seek health and wholeness, showing you how? Or perhaps they are separate realities. I've always loved the idea of dreamtime, that while we sleep, we travel to another universe.

Who knows what they are or what they mean? I expect there's a little of all of the above in most people's dreams. One thing sleep researchers know for certain is that if we don't dream, we become psychotic. We have to dream in order to be healthy. That fact intrigues me. If my dreams keep me out of the loony bin, I want to remember the content and at least try to glean some wisdom from the vast recesses of my unconscious mind. Oh yeah.

For those who are interested in beginning to explore the layers of possible meaning in dreams, I highly recommend Anne Hill's fantastic little book, What to Do When Dreams Go Bad. I'm sure if you get the book there will be a link to her website. She has helped me out with a couple of serious dreams, consulting with me by phone. Thank you Anne!

Try to avoid reading books that spell out exactly what every dream symbol means. Dreams are highly personal. Sometimes in a dream, a cigar is just a cigar. Instead of looking it up, check in with yourself. How did you feel in the dream? Ask yourself how you would describe the cigar to an alien from another planet, someone who would have no clue what a cigar is or what it might signify. It's an interesting technique. I also like inserting "part of myself" after every noun, "ego part of myself" after "me" or "I."

The ego part of myself picked up the matchbox part of myself and lit the cigar part of myself.

Yikes!

There are many ways of working with dreams. They are worthy of notice and respect. And they can be great guides, clueing us in about topics and issues that the conscious mind part of myself has decided are not worthy of notice. Dreams are powerful, and they are free! Check them out.

Sleep well tonight, and sweet dreams. Shalom.