Dreams
Dreams is the subject that I am most fascinated about and have come to learn an immense amount of information from as well as personal experiences. We have been experiencing dreams are entire life and yet we do not know what they totally mean. They are mysteries and enigmas that we experience every night (or day) as we drift off to sleep. Many cultures and religions have made their own hypothesis and theories to what dreams are and many debates have risen from the meanings of dreams. So, what are dreams?
What are Dreams?
We see dreams as images that play in our minds as small movies or a story, but there has been many debates as to what dreams really are. Sigmund Freud (Psychologist) refers dreams as to repressed emotions and desires that the mind has. Freud's theory of dreaming comes from his theory of "ego collapse", which is where the Id and Superego coverge upon the Ego to release repressed emotions and desires through dreams. Freud's theory states that dreams are created from the hardships of daily emotional repressions, denial, and/or regressions that have been bottled up.
Jung (another Psychologist) created a method much like Freud's, but instead he hypothesized that dreams are the defense mechanism from physical experiences that we do not wish to handle and we do so through dreams. His theory was that dreams were the repressed actions we wished to do from a former or forgotten experience we once had. Another person who debated about dreams was Cayce, whom believed that dreams were actually the process of the body's "self edification", or the way of bulding one's mental, spiritual, and physical well-being. Cayce also believed that there is five levels that dreams have: the body, the subconscious, the conscious, the superconscious, and the soul. He believed that dreams resolve around all these and if interpretted correctly will tell one how to solve a problem in their life or tell one of what new potential they have gained.
Another theorist was Evans who believed that dreaming was when the brain shut itself down from sensory and motor neural pathways so that it can reorganize and re-process the events from one day. Evans hypothesized that dreams are fragments of what is being processed and reorganized through the brain. Sounds much like a computer to me! My theory on dreams after experiencing and studying them for so many years is that dreaming is the process in which your astral body stretches its feet out and leaves the body for time of its own while the body rests. While the soul is "out" it still has a pseudo-connection with the body and travels throughout the ethereal plane. Many times a person may not remember their dreams because the process was so quick or unimportant that the mind doesn't recall it.
Can I Interpret My Dreams?
Dream interpretation is a very difficult subject to get in for it requires a lot of recalling of your dreams in detail and knowing about yourself. Many people have written books on how to interpret dreams, but in truth dream interpretation is a personal thing that you need to do. Yes, there is people who could help you interpret your dreams, but they need to know you well in order to do so. The symbols, surroundings, events, and people in your dreams all have a personal meaning that your soul experienced in the ethereal plane. Freud's theory of dreaming also is that the things you see in your dreams are aspects of yourself. Personally I do not believe that because I have seen people in my dreams that I personally do not know but do in my dreams. To interpret a dream what you need to do is get a pencil and a notebook and when you go to bed and dream try your hardest to remember it. When you wake up write down as much as you can remember in the order it happened and then review it. Like I said dream interpretation is a difficult task and takes a lot of thought in order for it to work correctly.
Dream Levels?
When we dream there are different levels of how we dream. Sometimes we might be at such a low level that we might not even recall what we have dreamed. Other times we might be at a level where we remember or dreams and have the ability to control them.
- Level 1 "No dreams": At this level the astral body is anchored by the body and left in a comatose state. Here dreams are so diminutive that we do not remember them upon awakening.
- Level 2 "Shadows": The astral body is still anchored but not in a comatose state. Here the astral body is only able to view the outer ethereal through the body, which is why in these dreams everything seems fragmented and grey in color.
- Level 3 "Natural dreaming": This is the stage where we commonly dream at. Here the astral body has left the body, but is confined to a certain distance. Here we can remember dreams vaguely and lucidity is rarely reached at this point.
- Level 4 "Lucid fragments": In this point of dreaming you have developed a small level of spiritual/ethereal awareness (Lucidity level 1-2). Here your astral body is freed from your body, but the mind has made little etheric connection with the astral body.
- Level 5 "Lucid dreaming": In this point of dreaming you have developed a heightened awareness to your dreams and can alter the perception and conditions of your dreams (Lucidity level 3-4).
- Level 6 "Ethereal awareness": This is the highest peak of dreaming which runs into the highest level of lucidity as well (Lucidity level 5). Here you are so aware and in control of your dreamscape that it seems like you are living in a parallel world that shifts just by your thoughts. At this level it is said that one can travel to the astral.
What is Lucid Dreaming?
Lucid dreaming is when you become aware of your dreaming and your dream surroundings. When you naturally dream you have no rationalization to what is a dream and what is not. Sometimes something impossible can happen in a dream which could trigger your awareness of your dream and therefore you achieve lucidity. Lucid dreaming is a wonderful experience for us all because in lucid dreams you have control as to what happens in your dream and the choices to what you can do. There are different levels of lucid dreaming that each have a different effect as to what you can do in your dreams. These levels do mingle with the different dream levels but these levels listed here are the different levels of lucidity.
- Level 1: This level of lucidity means you have above average awareness to your dreams. Level one lucidity you might remember a bizarre act that couldn't happen in the prime realm. At this level of lucidity you have a better dream recall rate, but no ability to modify your dreamscape.
- Level 2: At this level of lucidity you know you are dreaming and have knowledge to what your surroundings are. This level is common amongst average people, but at this level you still do not the ability to control or modify your dreamscape.
- Level 3: This level of lucidity is the level where you have complete awareness of your dreams and the ability to minorly change them. This is the level where people are able to willingly fly and recall their dreams fully.
- Level 4: At this level of lucidity one is so aware of their dream that they can recall things in complete detail. This level of lucidity is very rare to achieve and if you manage to achieve this level you can control your dreams fully and even prolong them.
- Level 5 "Complete spiritual awareness": This is the highest peak of lucidity one can achieve. At this level you are so adept in your lucidity that you seem to be living in a parallel world that changes from a meer thought of will. It is said at this level of lucidity one can go from the dreamscape and into the astral by APing (Astral Projecting) in the dreamworld. This level of lucidity is very very rare.
What's so good about Lucidity?
When one lucid dreams they are aware of that they are dreaming. When the body sleeps the soul temporarily leaves the body with a pseudo-connection and wanders the ethereal dreamscape. The ethereal is a misty and obscured realm and that is why when we dream we see things as hazy. Sometimes the mind and body are so unaware of the soul's activities that it doesn't recall dreams or it might recall very little. So, what is so great about lucidity? That's a good question! We were born into the prime realm (or physical realm) and we have adapted to this reality. When we sleep our mind cannot determine what is a dream or what is reality. On the other hand sometimes if the mind is aware enough it will notice an impossible or very bizzare situation in a dream that makes it become aware that the soul has temporarily left and them makes an etheric connection to the soul. So, lucidity is when the mind and soul become whole like the mind and the body. When we are awake the mind, body, and soul are one and we can see things clearly and we rely on our senses to determine what's real and what's not. In lucidity the mind and the soul are one making a non-physical image of our detailed self. Here we are aware of the ethereal dreamscape and can perform actions at the whim of a thought or force of will. To me lucid dreaming and lucidity is a process of spiritual awareness.
Pagan Dream Magick
Many Pagans believe that the use of magick in or out of dreams can alter the conditions and visualization of certain dreams. I personally have never used dream magick, but I do know a good chunk of information on it since I happen to have an extensive knowledge on the ethereal and dreams. Remember that using dream magick is a very erratic practice so make sure you have the right tools and have everything prepared coorectly.
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In dream magick these are the mostly used colors that seem to enhance the effect of the spell. You may use any color you wish, but these few are the most commonly used.
- Blue: This is the most widely used dream color because blue is the color of the mind and ethereal. Blue in dream magick is a very powerful color.
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Black: This color is used in order to protect one from negative spirits or when using a spell that induces nightmares.
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White: Used for protection, cleansing, and for the enhancement of your astral senses.
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Purple: This color is used for dream recalls and remembering details in dreams.
-Gemstones/Crystals-
I use gemstones on a regular bases for many dream-related activities. Gemstones are very strong when it comes to dream magick and here is a list of a few good gemstones and crystals to use for dream magick.
- Alexandrite: Helps in staying corporeal in dreams, which means your dreams last longer.
- Amethyst: Helps in dream recalls and prophetic dreams.
- Calcite: Helps in dream concentration.
- Jacinth: A good crystal for strengthing your ethereal aura.
- Lapis-Lazuli: Great if you achieve lucidity level 4-5. Used in enhancing astral projection.
- Quartz: Good in making dreams more sharper and clearer.
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