What exactly is the meaning of our dreams? By that I mean exactly, why do we have dreams? Are they just a jumbled regurgitation of yesterday's events to help us process our emotions, or is there some deeper meaning behind this existential experience?
Throughout recorded history mankind has always put some sort of value into a dream. For most of us, they are simply the easiest route to obtaining Divine guidance, inspiration and prophecy. Knowing no boundaries or belief systems, dreams infiltrate the night-life of every individual of every culture, race and nationality on Earth.
Even holy books are filled with their important roles and prophetic influences. The Bible, Bhagavad Gita, The Quran, Tao-te-ching, Talmud and Vedic texts are examples of Holy Books that use dreams to teach.
Although stating in several instances that dream interpretation is unreliable, the Urantia Book is actually quite replete in giving many chronicled examples of remarkable dreams and their influences on significant persons. Dreams helped these people do everything from mastering fears to prophesying coming events. In all actuality, these are exactly the kinds of things dreams do for us, and more.
Because they occur with almost daily frequency, dreams beg for our attention. As many of us exist in a most latent state of unwitting unconsciousness, we still benefit from dreams because they are like an interactive email sent from our Higher Self to our conscious mind.
The energetic message is translated in the mind and recorded in the brain as dream memories. One of the purposes of this daily/nightly interaction is to encourage us to wake up to the Higher Resource of knowledge inside of ourselves by showing us how to move through the daily problems that face us. This helps us to understand that our trials and triumphs are simply lessons asking to be viewed from a higher perspective.
Also alluding and hinting to the Source of our dreams are the prophetic dreams. Sometimes we are given glimpses of the future, but it is up to us to notice and actively set about discovering where such knowledge originates. The glimpse into a likely future is certainly remarkable, but what is infinitely more remarkable about Prophetic Dreams is the Source of such a gift.
What is the possibility that we could change our perception of what we call "life?" Have you ever considered or heard this phrase, "Life equals school?" There are many schools throughout the Universe, but a life on Earth is widely considered "expeditious learning." Earth life is, essentially, a crash course in Morality and Love; with lessons on both sides of the coin. We are here to learn that we are an infinite, creative energy or Love energy, and all of our hurts and disillusions are a result of failing to recognize our True Selves, while remaining in the ego.
The object of the game of life is not an achievement, a place, or a prize. The name of the game is growth. If we are not able to find ways to grow through our lessons, then that is absolutely fine because we will be presented with the same lesson again very soon. Actually, we will face the same lessons over and over again until we "get them." Once we finally understand, then we grow into acceptance and eventually, gratitude for the experiential knowledge. We are able to move on to the next step-plateau in the ascending learning process.
Young and old, we all learn at a different pace. Age and/or societal position aren't necessarily reliable indicators of wisdom. This is where the importance of dream interpretation can come into play in our lives. Regardless of where we are spiritually, if we choose to pay attention to our dreams, new possibilities and insight will abound. The important thing is that we choose it. New choices always create new possibilities.
Like prayer and meditation, dreams are a free guide to the Self, and they can expedite the relative swiftness by which we learn life lessons, if we will only pay attention. What is important is that we begin to develop our own personal method for dream interpretation, which consequently, brings us closer to real-time communication with our personal Thought Adjuster (Higher-Self ). When you get to that point, learning becomes exponentially more peaceful and serene.
Here is one remarkable dream I would like to share:
I find myself in a large office building. I am a rookie-trainee for the CIA, and I am in an empty room, which I feel is part of the training facility for this organization. There is a door to my left and a door to my right, and the wall in front of me has a large four panel window looking into the adjacent hallway. In that hallway I can see a stairwell descending from the floor above.
Suddenly, three people come running down the stairs. Two are women holding bows and arrows and one man is carrying a large sword. The looks on their faces tell me to prepare for battle as they race into my room from the door on the right. Fortunately I also find myself holding a sword, and I quickly disarm the two women by doing just that. I take their arms off. With bloody and gory fervor, I fight and chop the remaining man until he is defeated.
Astonishingly, everyone is still standing and alive. We are all just standing there looking at each other. We soon forget our weapons and instantly heal our wounds as we come together to laugh and share fight stories. We all shake hands and exchange niceties as if we have known each other for ages. Everyone exits through the door on the left, merrily talking and laughing over one another.
Just as quickly as it ended, three new fighters come down the stairs, and the same gory scene takes place again. While there isn't a trace of injury, again the interaction ends with a peaceful and happy remembrance. Then a 'third wave of three' comes down, and we repeat the process.
Perplexed, yet happy, I wake up.
Some important symbols:
Window An ability to see beyond a certain situation. Expanded vision or perception.
Inter-dimensional awareness.
Office Daily work life.
Door Opportunity for self discovery.
Left Intellectual and rational.
Right Giving, creativity and intuition.
Stairs Direction in life. Going up is the right direction and down is the wrong direction.
Arrow Aspiration. Energy directed toward a goal. A straight course for a swift and easy accomplishment.
Bow The power to set goals and the force to accomplish them. Flexible. Strength which can aim the arrow of achievement.
Sword Truth. Power. Symbol of the two edged sword of Karma. Honor, protection and search for truth, but also destruction and combat.
Fight Learn to verbalize and not suppress emotions.
Wound Often reflects an emotional wound. Feeling hurt and neglected, so this indicates a need to forgive someone, let go and return to your own creative center for fulfillment.
Laughter Do not take yourself too seriously. Relax and enjoy self and others.
Three Trinity. Mind-Body-Sprit harmony. Alerts us that the dream has a spiritual message.
This particular dream is a rhetorical allegory, of sorts, showing me that life is a school. We are taught by all people and all situations, so we should be enthusiastic because we are going to go through it anyway. It is important that we set goals and put energy toward our goals.
We need to learn the strength, focus and flexibility it takes to achieve them. Essentially the bow and arrow symbols hint at our power to create our own reality through the Law of Attraction. We are also here to search for Truth, being ever mindful of the law of Karma.
What we sow, we also reap; all of the time, every time. Even the harmful acts we manage to do to each other here in our material world-training facility feel painfully real, but the ultimate truth of our interconnected Love for one another remains.
The fighting symbol teaches us to talk about our emotions, rather than fight with aspects of the self. The wounds in the dream remind us we are here to learn Forgiveness. When all of the hoopla of our evolutionary lives is said and done, no damage we inflict on one another remains. Nothing is ever truly lost when our lives are over, and ultimately the truth of Love, our Source, will triumph. Fundamentally, this reminds us who we are.
As we can see, through a relatively simple dream, an enormous amount of information is being conveyed, but in a manner designed to really get our attention. Like I have said, if we want to learn some of the higher lessons being taught during these nightly "seminars," we must choose to pay attention and decipher our dreams.
We must choose with intent and the dreams will become more vivid. They will be laid out for you almost nightly, sometimes many per night. It is a very simple choice that can truly enhance our Love for the magic of life and create dazzling possibilities for the future.
Phillip Greene achieved a Bachelor of Science in Biology at the University of Oregon in 1996. After spending a 15 year career in Supply Chain Logistics Management, he now lives in the greater Los Angeles area where he pursues a creative career in writing and acting.
He is the Writer and Creator of 1111 iAPP A trained Clairvoyant Intuitive Psychic Medium, a trained Dream Interpreter and Author of the blog: "The Other".