How important are dreams to you?

The Cauldron's server is expensive and requires monthly payments. Please become a Bronze, Silver or Gold Donor if you can. Donations are needed every month. Without member support, we can't afford the server.

Or donate directly via Paypal

This message board is The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum's SMF Archive Board. It is closed to new memberships and to posting, but there are over 250,000 messages here that you can still search and read -- many full of interesting and useful information. (This board was open from February 2007 through June 2011).

Our new vBulletin discussion board is located at http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/ -- if you would like to participate in discussions like those you see here, please visit our new vBulletin message board, register an account and join in our discussions. We hope you will find the information in this message archive useful and will consider joining us on our new board.

[Go]

So yeah...  How important are dreams to you?  Religiously I mean. 

Personally I dream often and in great detail.  I don't often have dreams that I would consider to be predictive, and I have yet (I think) to have a Lucid dream.  Still, Dreams seem to be very important to my religious practice, though I don't always understand how to utilize them.  That's why I'm asking for some other perspectives on this.  What type of dreams do you have?  And how, if at all, do you make use of them?

Thanks, Go

[Mari]

Dreams are important to those in my trad as sometimes they're ways in which our deity speak to us. They're also how we make sense of the world around us - even if they're loopy and take a fair bit of interpretation.

[Go]

Dreams are important to those in my trad as sometimes they're ways in which our deity speak to us. They're also how we make sense of the world around us - even if they're loopy and take a fair bit of interpretation.

How do you go about interpreting?  Do you use symbols specific to your trad?  Books?  Divination?  Intuition?  Personally I've never felt dream books were all that helpful, as there are rarely entries for the stuff I want to look up. 

Go

[Mari]

How do you go about interpreting?  Do you use symbols specific to your trad?  Books?  Divination?  Intuition?  Personally I've never felt dream books were all that helpful, as there are rarely entries for the stuff I want to look up. 

Go

I have a couple of friends I run to for help when I get stuck, honestly. ROFL Dream books are mostly dreck, imho. Just because I'm dreaming about a train, thta doesn't mean I'm not getting enough sex.

[HeartShadow - Cutethulhu]

I believe that dreams *can* have significance, most of them are absolute meaningless defragmentation.

At least, I really hope that the dream I had this afternoon involving a bunch of weird feathers and running through the circus didn't have any deep meaning ....

[juniperrr]

So yeah...  How important are dreams to you?  Religiously I mean. 

I think dreams are very important. I have adventure dreams, wonderful flying dreams, boring dreams, scary dreams, lucid dreams and what Jung called Big Dreams, ones that changed my life. Many dreams are just fluff, but many are messages from your deeper self.

The language of dreams is made of personal symbology, dreams books, the dictionary kind with lists of symbols and the supposed meanings are useless. But dream books that outline various methods of personal interpretation can be helpful.

It was a reoccurring nightmare that got me to do some therapy which was extremely helpful in resolving old issues. I first remember having the dream when I was 4 years old. It was a part of myself that would not let me alone until I worked out the problem and deal with it, as an adult, and heal. I pay close attention to and enjoy dreaming very much.

[Mari]

At least, I really hope that the dream I had this afternoon involving a bunch of weird feathers and running through the circus didn't have any deep meaning ....

I hear that. Ihope the dream I had about John Travolta and me living in a trailer park doesn't mean a whole lot. ROFL

[Jenett]

What type of dreams do you have?  And how, if at all, do you make use of them?

I very rarely remember dreams - I've been logging them (religiously, actually) for a bit over 5 years. I will remember  several dreams within a 7-10 day period, about once every three months, and *very* scattered ones otherwise.

Many of those are pretty clearly 'brain working some stuff out about life' dreams - they have some obvious symbology, tropes, etc.

A couple have been very clearly religiously related. I know this because:

1) There's usually some timing-related reason (that goes beyond or is in a totally separate direction than stuff I've been working on recently.) For example, back when, I had a very clearly deity-interest dream the day before we were discussing deities in my Dedicant/Year and a Day classes. I got into class, had forgot what the topic was, and went "Oh, *duh*" rather noticeably.

2) There's usually some element that doesn't make sense to me, or that is outside my normal symbology.

3) Sometimes, but not always, these dreams include people in real life (something my regular dreams rarely do - or if it's somene I know in real life, in a non-religious-relevance dream, it's almost always someone I knew in grade school, or someone I know only very slightly (and not in my local community.) If it's a religiously significant dream, if someone I know shows up, it's someone I know very well, usually in a religious context. (My HP shows up in my dreams periodically, for example, usually in a role that makes me think it's a handy-stand-in in my brain for religious teaching/discussion.)

Not all of this stuff is deity related: I've had a particular animal/symbol showing up intermittently in my dreams for about 6 years now which I think is a person who's going to come into my life eventually, rather than a deity. Those have a different feeling to them, but still have some unusual symbology.

[Altair]

I think dreams are very important. I have adventure dreams, wonderful flying dreams, boring dreams, scary dreams, lucid dreams and what Jung called Big Dreams, ones that changed my life. Many dreams are just fluff, but many are messages from your deeper self.

What Juniperr said.

My dreams tend to be very vivid and fanciful (SF or horror, usually), often with dramatic plotlines. Once I had a dream that was freakily precognitive (though I didn't realize its meaning until later), the morning of 9/11.

I'm wary of overinterpretation. I enjoy my dreams so much, I don't want to dissect away the mystery. I let them come as they will, and take whatever messages I can intuitively from them.

They're very important to me spiritually, without having any formal place in my pagan "practice"...but then, there's very little formalized about my approach to my paganism.

[Journey]

So yeah...  How important are dreams to you?  Religiously I mean. 
Personally I dream often and in great detail.  I don't often have dreams that I would consider to be predictive, and I have yet (I think) to have a Lucid dream.  Still, Dreams seem to be very important to my religious practice, though I don't always understand how to utilize them.  That's why I'm asking for some other perspectives on this.  What type of dreams do you have?  And how, if at all, do you make use of them?

I wish there was a separate forum for dreams on this board, there are often so many questons about them.

Dreams are important. However, I think that about 99% of all dreams reflect what is going on in a persons life. Only a small percentage are visits from spirits, glimpses into the future, or other psychic episodes.
Others may disagree, I know.

I have many dreams a night and usually understand them. (Although sometimes I swear they are just my imagination having some fun - I'm taking a cow in a red swimsuit to a swim lesson?)  I have had lucid dreams, visits from the spirit world, predictions of the future, astral travel, you name it. But the bulk are just good old fashioned figure out your life type dreams.

I never really thought of dreams as having religious significance, other than for receiving answers to some questions. I once sat bolt upright in the middle of the night because I had received an answer to a question I had.

The problem I do have with receiving psychic information in dreams, is that it robs me of real sleep, and I can be dead tired for days when too much is going on psychic-wise while I sleep. Fortunately, it doesn't happen all that often.

[Aasha]

What type of dreams do you have?  And how, if at all, do you make use of them?

I've kept a dream journal for about two years now.  Interpretation-type dream books haven't been of much value to me.  My subconscious mind doesn't want to follow any rules of symbolism.  

I am planning to put to work my skill with lucid dreaming.  My hope is to develop a meditation-type atmosphere during a dream, with the goal of facilitating deeper communication with my patron goddess.

[Star]

I believe that dreams *can* have significance, most of them are absolute meaningless defragmentation.

That's pretty much my perspective too.  Are dreams a medium through which the Gods might communicate with us?  Sure.  But I think probably 99% of them are just our brains defragging, and I don't think I've had a dream that's been a Message yet, myself.

[Allstar]

So yeah...  How important are dreams to you?  Religiously I mean.

Working with dreams is my latest endeavor.  I really want to be able to have frequent lucid dreams as I'm hoping it will be a way to work with animal totems and spirit guides, etc.  Just something I've wanted to experiment with for a long time.  We'll see how it goes though.

[juniperrr]

Working with dreams is my latest endeavor.  I really want to be able to have frequent lucid dreams as I'm hoping it will be a way to work with animal totems and spirit guides, etc.  Just something I've wanted to experiment with for a long time.  We'll see how it goes though.

I do not have spirit guide types of dreams, although occasionally I has some sort of non human entities show up in flying dreams who want to show me around. They are generally very pleasant energy and we have a lot of fun. I have learned that when I dream of large spiders, I am repressing something in RL and I need to get to work on who I am letting take advantage of me. I do hope that doesn't make spiders my totem! They give me the heebie jeebies. I have never had a dream that foretold the future.

I would caution to begin gently. I remember the first few lucid dreams I had were terrifying. I was walking down a drawbridge to a castle, and then I became panicked because I was so very awake I knew I was sleeping in my bed, yet I also knew I was walking down to this castle. I was very confused because I was so very awake and dreams are not rational, I was trying to make logical sense of being in two places at the same time. I felt like the universe was turned upside down. I tried to wake up and I couldn't, the usual night terrors paralyzed sensation. So I lay there just screaming in my dream until I finally woke up. I stopped all lucid dream work for a while, did more research and found with practice when panicked I could calm myself down by repeating You are Dreaming, You are Dreaming and then go with it. By taking it in small steps I became used to the weird sensations. But it did take practice, I had no idea what I was getting into when I began.

Every so often I feel an ONG (Obviously Not Good) presence, a dark, heavy and dangerous energy in my dreams. Lucid dreaming has the advantage of being aware and I often just banish the energy with a quick incantation. Last time the energy was huge (it is usually not a form, just a very real and malicious presence) I simply asked my patron Goddess for help. Sekhmet just steps into my dream and puts an arm around me as I walking down this path through a canyon. Instantly all ONG energy disappeared. I woke up feeling better than I have for a while.

[dragonfly_high]

So yeah...  How important are dreams to you?  Religiously I mean. 

Thanks, Go

Well, one of my patrons introduced himself through a dream.  That's also the main way we talk. (I'm very stubborn and ignore stuff around me. lol family say that I'm like a mule. You need a 2x4 to get my attention) So I figure he talks to me like that cause it's the only time he's sure I'll stop and listen. 

Otherwise, my dreams are pretty crazy, so I don't give them much attention.  My patron has a certain 'feel' about him, so when I get that vibe, I know it's not a normal dream.

[Tags:]

Jump to: Please select a destination: ----------------------------- About The Cauldron ----------------------------- => Rules and Regulations => Cauldron Announcements ===> Volunteers Needed: Site Assistants and Projects => Introductions => Board Questions, Suggestions, and Feedback => Chat and CauldronMUX Support => Test Board ----------------------------- Religion and Philosophy ----------------------------- => Paganism For Beginners => Books and Other Resources => Pagan Religions => Pagan Spirituality => Gods, Goddesses, and Mythology => Worship and Ritual => Holidays and Festivals => History and Religion => Faith in Everyday Life => Philosophy and Metaphysics => Non-Pagan Religions and Interfaith Discussions => Miscellaneous Religious Discussions ----------------------------- Magic and the Occult ----------------------------- => Magic and the Occult for Beginners => Witchcraft, Hoodoo, and Folk Magic => The Western Magical Tradition => Chaos Magic => Lodges and Other Magic Organizations => Miscellaneous Magical Discussions ----------------------------- Special Interest Groups & Special Discussions ----------------------------- => Special Topic Discussions => Chavi Memorial Chronic Illness SIG => General SIGS ===> College Pagans SIG ===> Cooking SIG ===> Divination SIG ===> Home and Garden SIG ===> Pagan Parents SIG ===> Teen Pagans SIG => Religious SIGS ===> Asatru and Heathenry SIG ===> Cauldron Cill ===> FlameKeeping SIG ===> Hazel and Oak: A Celtic Polytheism SIG ===> Neo-Druidry SIG ===> Reformed Kemeticism SIG ===> Ta Hiera Hellenic Polytheism SIG => Book/Media Discussion Boards ===> Academic Book Discussions ===> Pagan Religion Book Discussions ===> Magick Book Discussions ===> Fiction Book Discussions ===> DVD/Video Discussions ----------------------------- Life, the Universe, and Everything Else ----------------------------- => Pagan Announcements => Prayer and Energy Requests => News and Politics ===> Religious News ===> Non-Religious News ===> Political Discussions => Social Discussion Boards ===> Art, Poetry and Writing ===> Books ===> Computers and the Internet ===> Crafts and Hobbies ===> Family Life ===> Gaming ===> Health and Medicine ===> Humor and Quizzes ===> Music, Television, and Film ===> Pets ===> Science and Technology ===> Sports and Recreation