Dream Works

Sometimes we feel we're 'stuck' in life, and maybe even feel a little confused about what we really want to do in life. It isn't impossible to figure it out, and one way of accomplishing this is by interpreting your dreams. We dream about one to four hours every night, and if we take the time to do the work, these dreams can be deciphered, allowing us to connect the dreams to our inner needs.

When dreaming, the subconscious part is telling our conscious part what it is that we need to work on. Even though dreams tell us what we need to do, dreams use imagery, not logical thoughts, to convey messages to us.

It is suggested that we write ourselves notes on cards, telling ourselves that we are going to remember a dream tonight, and keep looking at that note, throughout the day. It may also be a good idea to hang it by the clock, or somewhere that we are bound to see it several times a day. 

We should also have a notebook, or a recorder, by our bedside. When we wake up, and the dream is fresh in our mind, we write it down quickly. Try to remember the details, as these are usually crucial.

First, write down the first image that we see. This could be a person, object, situation, color, sound, or speech. Then determine how we feel about it. Does anything come to mind when we see the image? Usually the image will inspire several associations. 

We then need to decide which of these associations we feel strongest about, or has the most energy. Focus on one that really "clicks," or has the most energy. We must try to connect the dream to our inner selves what part of us feels like that. If we then write down the parts of our lives that correlate with the dream, this will help to interpret the meaning behind the dream.

The next step is to try to "honor" the dream by talking about it, re-analyzing and basically just trying to figure out what our subconscious part is telling us.. 

Usually it is best to try to interpret the dream in parts, and then putting the parts together, to get the whole picture. This is called dream integration, and is a crucial to figuring out what our dreams truly mean. This usually cannot be done very quickly.

Keep in mind that dream images are associations, and those associations are parts of our inner selves. These parts need to be put together, and understood, before they can be used to help further our personal growth and understanding of ourselves.

As a final note, there are many books (and e-books,) covering the interpretation of dream images, but try not to follow them too closely. They are perfect for use as a guide. But not every image means the same thing, every time. With that in mind, go grab your notebooks, and start dreaming!