What are dreams? Why do we dream when we are asleep? No one has been able to come up with a scientific reason for having dreams till date. The medical practitioners and the scientists have yet to identify the exact part of the brain where dreams originate. Although, there occurrence cannot be disputed, yet, there seems to be a veil drawn over this segment of paranormal since ancient times. Ever since man has existed on this planet, ‘dreams’ have reigned as one of the most intriguing experiences for human perception. One thing is certain, though. People, in all ages, have related the dream phenomenon to spirituality and higher energy. As per Greek mythology, the ailing people would live in temples and spend the whole time saying affirmations and prayers. They would stay in the temples for days and months together, waiting for those special healing dreams to come to them in their sleep, so as to know the cure for their ailments. They believed that spiritual forces would guide them in their sleep and let them know the cure for their diseases. There have been many recorded instances of people walking in to the temple with supports and walking out, fully cured, on their two feet. Even as per Eastern philosophy, dreams are supposed to be signs from the higher energy; they are guiding tools which help a person to make changes in his existing course of action. One just needs to have an open mind and be spiritually mature to understand, interpret and follow these signs.

Like human beings, animals, too, dream and in both the cases, dreams have been seen to be associated with REM (Rapid Eye Movement) during which the brain pretty much works like it does in the waking state. During the whole life span, a human being typically dreams for a time period equivalent to six years of his life time. Most dreams last for about 5-20 min and the longest ones are those which we have closer to the waking time. During REM, scientists have found out that the release of certain neurotransmitters from the brain is completely suppressed as a result of which motor-neurons are not stimulated. This in turn (sort of) paralyses the spinal cord for a while, which prevents any dangerous body movement in sleep. That is perhaps why we don’t actually start running when we get those chasing, flying or falling dreams. Our body has an antedote for every single disrupting pattern. How amazing!

Dreams have always been considered as messages sent by our higher consciousness to our ethereal mind and since there is no specific language for spiritual communication, it’s only through signs and symbols, such messages are conveyed. It’s important for a person to understand and interpret these signs so as to be able to follow them and alter his action in his waking life, if need be. Dreams are also said to be the messages from guardian angels to human beings so as to forewarn them of any approaching danger or remind them of any unfulfilled ‘karma’ which needs to be completed. Some dreams can be prophetic as they show us, in advance, certain events which are supposed to take place in future. Déjà vu is related to such dream occurrences. Simply put, there is a state which we reach in our sleep when our conscious mind merges with the subconscious and starts picking up the signals which we fail to recognize with our open eyes. Our consciousness travels beyond the linear time zone of our conscious mind and passes through grids / different dimensions, having a better understanding of the soul dynamics while moving in the hyperspace. This is the time when other souls also pass through the same grid and enter the same time zone which is why we remember having seen people in our dreams—the people whom we might have never known in our waking life. Dream time is supposed to be a time for the evolution of the soul as it matures while collecting information from the cosmos and knowing the ‘ultimate truth’ about the nexus between our consciousness and the cosmos as a whole. All this information gets fed in to our subconscious and we wake up every morning with a higher degree of maturity without even being aware of it.

Here I am making a mention of some of the commonly occurring dreams.

1. Anxiety dreams / nightmares:

Often accompanied with palpitation, sweating, racing pulse and a dry mouth. These are usually related to some kind of commotion existing in the waking life. You can, sometimes get a message from them and try to alter / make changes in the conditions prevailing in your life.

2. Recurring dreams:

These are dreams which you keep getting night after night or every few days. You should never ignore them as they, undoubtedly, try to tell you something important which might have some significance for you. Try to figure out the meaning yourself or share it with someone who can help you interpret but, in no case, ignore the signals.

3. Flying dreams:

These are indicative of your spiritual bliss and harmony. It can also mean that you are going to attain heights in some project you’ve undertaken or that your creativity is at its peak.

4. Spirit dreams

These are often guiding dreams in which spirits of those who have crossed over come to you to show you the way through some difficult situations. They might even ask you to do something which you were supposed to do but somehow overlooked.

5. Prophetic / precognitive dreams

These dreams forewarn you about the future events. You might even get a chance to alter some decisions if you are able to interpret your dreams. One person saw trains colliding in his dream and trusting his instinct, he cancelled his train travel which was scheduled the next day. It turned out that the train actually collided and got derailed.

6. Healing dreams:

In such dreams, you get an indication to take care of your certain body part. It can be a person pointing to some part of your body which might be having some ailment, without you being aware of it. You might even get a sign speaking of the cure for the same. Refer to Greek mythology anecdotes.

6. Lucid Dreaming

This is different from other dreams as here the person knows in his dream that he is dreaming. He does not get bogged down by the events occurring in the dream as he knows that he can change them as he wishes to. He has control over his dream even when he is a part of that dream. With training, a person can learn how to become a lucid dreamer. Hope the uploaded video will help.

Last but not the least: No matter how much someone tries to interpret your dream, only you know better what it means.