Messages from our dreams can reveal our past, foretell our futures, and warn us of possible dangers. They can contain creative inspiration or assist in releasing blockages that we may feel. Dreams can also serve as a doorway to interdimensional travel and communication with loved ones who have passed on. They can be lead to greater healing, astral travel and soul-searching. In ancient times the survival of a tribe may have depended on the ability of dreamers to locate hunting opportunities.
The Andaman islanders, a shamanic dreaming people, saw in their dreams and in the behavior of animals that the 2004 tsunami was coming. They moved from their fishing villages up to the highlands to get out of its way, thus avoiding casualties by following the advice of their dreams. We can learn from them!
Many scientific discoveries have been inspired by dreams. For example, Einstein, when asked about the inspiration for his theory of relativity, replied that it came from a dream. Niels Bohr, who developed the theory of the atomic structure, also based his discovery on a dream. These are just a few examples of dreams that have informed leaps in scientific understanding.
The psychological study of dreams has its roots in the late 1800s. Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, encouraged his patients to talk about their dreams. Freud felt the dreams were a form of repression, wish fulfillment or both. “The interpretation of dreams is the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious activities of the mind.” ― Sigmund Freud, The Interpretation of Dreams (1900).
On the other hand, Swiss psychologist Carl Gustav Jung, taught that where archetypal images appear for people in life transforming situations. He perceived dreams and the unconscious as forms of creative activity that contain age-old wisdom. The function of dreams, in his view, is to complement consciousness with unconscious knowledge. Another psychologist, Fritz Perls in Gestalt therapy, introduced the idea that all elements of the dream reveal parts of ourselves.
Dreams can provide us with exceptional insights into life’s questions, inspiring and healing, each showing the way forward to achieving our real dream life potential. Active dreaming is perfect for dream circles, as well as one-on-one. I’m currently holding these online, and start with in-person workshops soon
Take a look at my website dreamlifenz.com where I have some exciting offerings. Sign up for a discovery session!
A new dreaming circle will be opening soon: Dreaming and the Avalon of the Heart.