The Stories Our Dreams Tell

When you go to sleep at night, do you dream? Do you remember your dreams? Some of us remember our dreams very clearly. Some do not remember any; therefore probably think that they do not dream. We all do dream; however our connection with our dreams is rather personal and different; for that reason, if we are open to the information, we receive it, accept it, and recall it. Sometimes we are not; and therefore we do not remember.

If you remember a dream, do you look into what it may mean? Did you ever look into any of your dreams? Or do you consider them to be unimportant?

In the past, I remember sharing my dreams with friends or relatives. Most of us who remember dreams do that. Some of us do go to astrologists or even fortune-tellers to find out what our dreams might mean. Sometimes if we have a negative dream or a nightmare, we are uncomfortable with what we have seen in the dream, and we would like to get rid of the residue feelings. However, usually we do not know what to do with them.

Is there a more accurate method that we can use to interpret dreams? Is there a method to help us overcome feelings of fear and worry after a nightmare? There are many books on dreams telling us what each shape, image or concept might mean. Yet, are these interpretations accurate? And what could be the benefit of analyzing our dreams anyway?

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According to Kabbalah, the mysticism of Judaism as it is sometimes called, our dreams are the messages of the consciousness, messages of the intelligence of the universe. According to Kabbalah, our three dimensional universe is only 1% of the universe that really exists. The other 99% is not visible to us through our five senses. However, we are able to access that 99% by various means. When we talk about our 6th sense, we are talking about tapping into that world. A dream is one form of such a connection.

Going one step deeper, according to Kabbalah, sleep is the food of the soul. We usually believe that sleep is needed for our body to rest and repair itself. According to Kabbalah, sleep is the time when a large portion of our soul leaves our body and connects with the 99% universe and rejuvenates itself. It is compared to charging our cell phone or notebook computer at night.

During the sleep state, the soul seems to have access to the universal intelligence and therefore has access to the past, the present and the future. This connection to this complete knowledge, or God as we might call it, both feeds the soul and provides information in a language that we call dreams which we are able to use in our three dimensional world.

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First of all, to be able to use this information, we need to remember our dreams. Here are a few suggestions to remember and record your dreams:
Always keep a notebook and a pen or a pencil by your bed.
When you wake up from a dream at night, do not think that you will still remember it in the morning when you wake up, no matter how clear it may be in your mind at the time. Write it down in as much detail as you can immediately.
When you wake up in the morning with a memory of a dream, write it down first thing before you get out of bed, again with as much detail as you can. If you delay writing, I also can assure you that you will not remember it later on.
Before you go to bed, set the intention to remember dreams that are important for your growth and that may be of help.

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Ok, we wrote down our dream; what will we do with it now?

The main text of Kabbalah, the Zohar defines dreams in various levels. Some dreams are a continuation of our three dimensional reality, our day. For example, when we have a fever, we may be dreaming of a fire. These kinds of dreams mean that we have not been able to detach from our daily worries and issues.

To clear the negative emotions and thoughts of the day, we are asked to “take out the garbage” every night. How we do it?

Before going to bed, take a few minutes looking into your day.
Ask yourself how you behaved during the day.
Could you have been more helpful to others and how?
Did you act out of impatience or selfishness in any event?
Could you have been more loving to the people that you came in contact with?
What actions can you take in the days to come not to repeat the same behaviours?

Looking into the events and the emotions of the day allows us to release these emotions. You may also repeat an affirmation such as: “I am releasing all the negative thoughts and feelings that do not bring me peace and that do not support my growth”, or “I am releasing all thoughts and emotions that do not truly belong to me.” You could also image these feelings being washed away under a beautiful waterfall or by a shower of light.

As some dreams are from the 1%, some dreams could be direct messages and in a way forecasts of the future. Looking into dreams may provide us with information about ourselves as well as offering a possible course of action.

Kabbalists recommend that we tell your dreams only to people that love us. Because they believe that dreams do take shape according to their interpretation. A story is told about a man who lived in Jerusalem about 2000 years ago. At that time, there were 24 dreams interpreters in the city. According to the story, the man went to all 24 of them and shared the same dream and heard 24 different interpretations. As a result, although each different, all 24 interpretations came out to be true.

The main text of Kabbalah, the Zohar, says about this: “A dream contains truth and lies; hence, the words of interpretation prevail over everything, in that they determine whether the true or the false part shall prevail.”

Kabbalists request us not share our dreams with people we do not know or with people that we can not totally confide in. Also, a comment that comes from a worrisome and pessimistic person, may leave that energy attached to our potential future. Again, on this topic the Zohar says: “Thus, a man’s friend should affirm the good interpretation, and so all will be well.”

Goods dreams are thought to be signs that good things will surely happen. However, bad dreams or nightmares are thought to be warning signs, rather than confirmations that bad things are to happen. After a bad dream, a person is recommended to give charity, to some help to others and make sure to act lovingly and do acts of kindness, preferably starting immediately the morning after the dream.

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Of course, Kabbalah offers a lot of information about life, about the universe and about us as human beings. There are many methods and techniques we can use to improve the quality of our lives, as well as learning about our dreams. The universe offers us so much information. Kabbalah is one of the sources you might want to look into.

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And for a final note on dreams and life, I’ll repeat what my grandmother used to say: “Always expect the best to happen, and your days will turn out to be just perfect.”

With best wishes and love,
Z.
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Affirmation of the Week:

“The greatest gift I can give myself is unconditional love.”
By Louise L. Hay, The Author of Meditations To Heal Your Life.
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Quote of the Week:
“I’d rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck.”
Emma Goldman
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Suggested Reading:
“Power of Kabbalah” By Yehuda Berg.
The Turkish translation of this book is sold under the name “Kabala’nın Gücü”.