Dream Talking

Do you listen to your dreams? What are they telling you?

I had wonderfully vivid dreams this week, downright fantastical. They had a thread of transformation running through them, even though the content of each had nothing in common. I rely on my dreams to help guide me. I'll commonly ponder a question at bedtime then put it out of my mind before I fall asleep. Then I let my subconscious take over.

Powerful thing that subconscious. Tricky too.

Dreams speak to us in powerful, primal ways. Start with the language. Your dream consciousness communicates with you in symbols specific to your way of thinking. Forget all those dream symbol books - use the associations you've formed with images. For instance, a spider may mean danger to someone else, but for me spiders in my dreams stand for annoying work problems that are crawling at the edge of my mind.

Dream language can be very literal. If you find yourself troubled because you're "playing the field" or "whistling Dixie" you may very well find yourself literally doing these actions in your dream! When I review a dream I always watch for a play on words and what it might represent.

Sometimes I'll keep a dream log to track a series of dreams. I might not always see the answer in a single dream. Like a deep discussion with a friend, sometimes it takes some digging to peel back the layers of the issue. Sometimes it takes some distance from the problem - writing down your dreams then coming back to them a week later can provide some insight not readily apparent at first glance.

Finally, sometimes dreams are just dreams, bits of flotsam and jetsam in the current of our minds helping us restore order.

Sometimes dreams are more than dreams. In that twilight place between conscious and unconscious a doorway opens. These dreams have a special vibrancy - receive them as the gift they are.

Dear Lord, you are the great communicator, finding hidden pathways to our heart. There is always a channel through your love for us to reach those who've passed. I will forever be grateful that through my waking resistance you opened a door for my beloved mother to ease my pain; a beautiful dream of my mother in glowing white telling me that everything is fine. Thank you for that moment of grace and hope.

Majeeda Rosa