Dreams: Regular vs. Spiritual

Dreams are the moments the mind gets to distract, express, and replenish itself. In the world of dreams, anything is possible. Sometimes the views are fantastic, more beautiful than what we encounter on a daily basis. Sometimes we have conversations with people only to forget what they say to us when we awaken. Other times, we are naked and embarrassed, or lost and chased.

Often, as your body slowly tingles back into your daily reality, there is a question that suddenly rises with intensity. That question is: Was it real? Was what I just dreamt real? Did that really just happen? The question of what is real has been debated by philosophers and scientists for ages. Instead of getting into that extremely profound and dense question now, let’s simply things like this: regular dreams versus spiritual dreams. When we wonder whether a dream was real, the question we are asking ourselves is: Did I just go through that? The I in the previous question is the consciousness, the soul, the who you really are. This question comes up because the dream felt real, as real as the physical existence, and so we are left wondering where the boundary between the physical and spiritual really is.

But here, think of dreams as a series of photographs. Your typical or regular dream is an amalgamation, a collection, of the images and moments of the day/s. And so, the dream is limited only to what the mind has managed to capture. Even the people in dreams, whether they are friends or family, will seem limited. It is like looking into a school kid’s shoebox project, it reflects everyday life on a small, limited scale. People’s actions will seem repetitive and there won’t be a fluid communication between you and them. You can recognize a being entering your dreams because you can recognize a consciousness. There is a moment where you realize this person you are talking to is more alive than the surroundings, more sentient, and there is intentional communication. He or she will say things to you that you would not have thought of, that is how you know you are communicating with another consciousness. You will think to yourself, “Hey, I didn’t think of that. You’re right.” So when that being provides some sort of unexpected insight you will know that he is not you, that he is not a part of your imagination. If the messages or conversations were coming from within you, from your subconscious, then you would see only yourself. You would see your reflection or you would be alone in your dreamscape travels.

The reason you remember your dreams more and are able to control them more when you go to sleep at your regular time is because of your body’s natural rhythm. Your body has enough time to rest and so the sleep process is not being rushed or cut short.

Another way to tell whether your dream was a spiritual travel or if it was a regular dream is repetition. If you have the same dream over and over, chances are that your subconscious and/or your body is trying to tell you. I say chances because there is the possibility that a repeating dream has a spiritual connection; for example, past life memories and premonitions.

Dreams always have something, some message, whether mundane or spiritual. So explore both possibilities and follow your instinct, your intuition, to find the truth.

Namaste.