I’ve written in past monthly topics about dreams, but this month I thought I would approach dreams from the perspective of “having a relationship” with your dreams, rather than just understanding and interpreting them. Having a relationship with your dreams is a different focus. It is a different approach. It means having respect for your dreams. It means thinking of your dreams as something you can have a relationship with. It is in many ways a paradigm shift from investigating your dreams, to entering into a dialogue with them.
For me personally, a much deeper respect and understanding happened when I began approaching dreams as sacred messages from other parts of me, and from beyond the veils of our normal reality. Rather than curiosities, they became sacred, holy, of great value and interest, even though I didn’t understand them. Respect entered into the experience. I began respecting the phenomena of having dreams, and so honoured them by having a dream journal and pen by my bedside each night. I would give thanks in the morning if a dream happened and I would write it down in my dream journal upon waking. By doing this I honoured my dreams.
Do not underestimate the importance of honour and respect. Honour and respect are symbols of your heart. The subconscious understands symbols. You are speaking the language of dreams and the language of the subconscious by doing this. Having a dream journal and pen by your bed is also a symbol. It is saying, “You are important to me. I honour your great dreams from beyond. I honour your wisdom. I honour your messages.” Writing your dreams down in the morning is also a symbol. Doing this is very powerful. It shows that you believe that these messages and symbols are worthy of being recorded. It is the beginning of your relationship with your dreams. You need not interpret them to have a relationship; you need only to honour them in this way. Interpreting dreams is another process. Next month we will explore that in greater detail.
Always the secret in interpreting dreams is to think of them as symbols and ask what the symbols represent to you. It is easier than you might think once you get the basics and have some practice, but well before this comes the ‘relationship’ part.
Your relationship with your dreams will grow and deepen the more you spend time together. Like a good marriage, when love deepens and expands beyond what either partner could have envisioned when they were first married, so too your relationship with your dreams will expand infinitely as you honour them, write them down, think upon them, and respect them as important parts of who you are.
Your dream journal will become a book of mysterious wisdom cloaked in the veil of symbolism. At first only tiny clues will reveal themselves, but the book will build from one dream to another, and you will begin to see patterns and repetitions and a larger story revealing itself.
“Seek and ye shall find” is a true maxim and law of the inner worlds, and you will be rewarded with insights and guidance by honouring, respecting and listening to your dreams.
“The Dew”
The “dew” is the term I use for the time just after you’ve awakened. That two to five minutes where you are still in the twilight world between asleep and awake. The dew is a very special and valuable time to review a dream and gain insight, or if there has been no dream, it is very conducive to gaining messages or insights from an inner, deeper perspective. Use the dew each morning to relax and drink in secret wisdom. Don’t rush yourself awake. Lounge and be lazy and indulgent in letting this stream play with you. Don’t try to do anything other than letting your mind wander between the waking and sleeping worlds. This can be a most enjoyable and pleasurable experience, not to be missed. Don’t rush to write down your dreams until the dew has finished. Enjoy the dew.
At night, before you fall asleep, you may ask for certain dreams if you have a particular problem you need answered. You can silently repeat what you need. Most times, however, just having your dream journal and pen handy is sufficient. Then of course in the morning you write down your dreams. These two simple practices will naturally develop a relationship between you and your dreams.
What will ultimately happen in that relationship is between you and your dreams. Each person has a different and unique relationship with his or her dreams. No two relationships are the same. But if you wish a sincere and authentic relationship, I suggest you approach your dreams with respect, dignity and sincerity. If you do, that is the way they will approach you.
