Wednesday, October 21, 2009

What are your dreams trying to tell you?

I see dreams as a way our inner consciousness (aka. unconscious, soul, higher self, etc.), or the part of us that knows what is best for us, tries to communicate with our conscious mind. It communicates with symbols. There is new interest in symbols due to Dan Brown's recent book The Lost Symbol. I believe our ego defends our conscious mind against any communication that threatens it maintaining control and the status quo. But our ego renders our whacky dream content harmless and lets it pass through. So if we decode the symbolism or "interpret" the dream, we can understand what are inner consciousness is trying to say to our conscious mind. I call it "communication with self" and consider it the most pure guidance that we can receive.

I find Carl Jung the most helpful reference to understanding symbols am dreams and recommend his book Man and his Symbols. (Make sure you get the hardback edition with the cool pictures.) I do not recommend getting a dream dictionary that lists all of the symbols' meaning. Better to to a feel for the symbols' meaning by reading some Jung or Joseph Campbell (The Power of Myth is excellent). Or better yet... sit in a dream group with someone that understands symbols and dream interpretation.

So next time you have a really strange dream, ask yourself, "What is it trying to tell me?"

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