| THE MESSAGES IN YOUR DREAMS by Jahnel Bailey, Contributing Writer |
I believe in the power of dreams. I'm not talking about the hopes / aspirations kind of dreams. Although those are powerful too. I'm talking about the images, emotions, sensations, and experiences that fill our minds while we sleep.
From childhood I felt that my dreams held messages that were relevant to my waking life. It was intuition. I was fortunate that my inclination to decipher my dreams was supported by my family. I frequently went to my mother, father and grandmother to share and ask for insight into the meaning of my dreams. As I grew older and began to keep a journal, I shared my dreams there. I realized I had a few different types of dreams:
Future: In these dreams, I see or experience a future event, place or situation. Sometimes the dream occurs years beforehand. I think of them as "mile markers" in my life. And feel they are God's way of letting me know I am on track.
Revelation: These dreams reveal something about myself to help me navigate a current or near team situation or circumstance. It might reveal a subconscious fear, a behavior or mindset blocking my ability to achieve a goal, or even insight about my inner emotional state. They always bring awareness to me about me.
Guidance: These dreams are intended to provide guidance on my life path. They are full of symbolic images and messages to help me.
I used to buy dream books or search online dream dictionaries, but often couldn't make heads or tails of my dreams using them as the sole means of interpretation. What I have learned is that dream interpretation is PERSONAL. The sense of what an object or situation means in YOUR dream is based on YOUR life, relationships, emotions and experiences.
You see, the same image can have different associations for different people. Let's look at a few examples:
- For me, this reminds me of summer camp as a young girl ' childhood friends, nature, exploring.
- For someone else (Person 1) who is an avid fisherman, it may call to mind a fishing trip ' outdoors, freedom, relaxation, hobby.
- For another person (Person 2) it may call to mind a lonely time ' isolation, sadness.
- Me: My grandmother love yellow roses and I sent them to her every year on her birthday when I was an adult. ' Grandmother, love, family, safety
- Person 1: Flowers saved from a funeral spray. ' loss, grief, transition, sadness
- Person 2: Floral photography ' creativity, hobby, passion, self-esteem.
- Me: My childhood teddy bear ' love, comfort, security
- Person 1: Lifelong desire to travel to Australia ' adventure, travel, new places, excitement.
- Person 2: Childhood dream to be a zoo keeper ' heart's desire, innocence, love of wildlife.
Here's how to get at the meaning in YOUR dreams:
Write it down: It's good to capture the things that stand out immediately upon waking. Keep a notepad or journal on your nightstand so it is close by. Be sure to make note of things you saw, things that happened, who was in it, where it took place, implied messages, etc. You can review this dump later when you are more awake, and it may bring new ideas to mind.
Clarify your feelings: Pay close attention to the emotions you had and how you felt. Your emotional and physical response can give you insight to help interpret a dream as well.
Take notice: Does anything stand out from the dream: images? Messages? themes?
Stay alert: Pay attention to echoes of themes, messages or even scenes/situations/circumstances from your dream in your waking life.
Go with your gut: Your "gut reaction" is just your intuition talking. If you somehow just KNOW the dream means x or is instruction to do y, you are probably right.
Ask a confidant / trusted source: This could be a best friend, family member or spiritual leader, however there is no one more trusted than God. Pray and ask God to reveal / clarify the meaning of the dream. Look at how the prophets often did it in the Bible: tell God what you saw and ask for insight, clarity, confirmation even of what it means.
These are 6 strategies I have learned over the years. May the guidance and insight from your dreams, help you to fuel and manifest the gift God created you to be in the world.
Jahnel Bailey
DrStandley.com Contributing Writer
www.alignedandonpurpose.com
www.facebook.com/alignedandonpurpose
Jahnel encourages and inspires people to live their best lives. She is a reiki master and natural born cheerleader. Her blog www.alignedandonpurpose.com is dedicated to motivating and elevating people in mind, body and spirit.
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