Divine Dreams
In chapter 14, I outlined a system for interpreting important dreams. I purposefully delayed discussion of the interpretation of divine dreams until the present chapter, for such dreams must be addressed in a most singular manner. Dreams provided to us by our personal deities require the greatest attention.
Why Should Divine
Dreams Be Obscure?
Our personal deities may send us puzzling dreams for a number of reasons. Perhaps the most important of these reasons is that we’re more likely to ponder an obscure dream than one requiring little interpretation. This period of conscious thought may well impress the dream’s importance on us, encouraging us to act on its message. We realize that there are many ways to express ourselves, and sometimes the indirect approach is the most effective. The deities seem to favor this approach.
Unfamiliarity with the messenger’s symbols and attributes may obscure an otherwise clear dream. The divinity certainly can’t be faulted for speaking in her or his own symbolic language. When we’re knowledgeable concerning the attributes of our messengers, such dreams lose much of their obscurity.
Additionally, keep in mind that many deities were once worshipped in great mystery rituals. The nature of these mysteries (such as the Eleusinian rites) is still unknown, for vows of secrecy forbade the worshippers from revealing them to outsiders. However, we do know that these rites were steeped in symbolic actions and invocations. Many of these took place within the most sacred precincts of the temples. If the deities enjoyed such symbolic rites in the past, they certainly may continue to utilize similar forms in communicating with their worshippers. Be prepared for the revelation of great mysteries if Demeter hands you a stalk of grain.
Recognizing Divine Dreams
Look for the following when determining if a dream was of divine inspiration.
The Messenger Appears in Her or His Usual Form
The messenger appears in the manner in which we normally visualize her or him. No words may be spoken. Such dreams are obviously divine. If a woman appears to a worshipper of Diana dressed in a white chiton, standing on the moon and shooting arrows into the stars, there can be little doubt that this is Diana herself, and that this is a divine dream.
The Messenger Appears in Symbolic Form
The Diana worshipper mentioned above may have a dream that includes, among other symbols, a white dog, an arrow, a forest, and moonlight. Her presence in the dream may not be as easily determined if these clues are recognized as divine symbols, so such dreams require careful study.
Realize that divine symbols may not seem to have extraordinary importance within the context of the dream itself. During a seemingly ordinary dream you may be handed a piece of bread. To a worshipper of Demeter, this will be the only clue of her presence.
Be alert to both ancient and modern forms of divine symbols. Chariots may be seen as cars; clay tablets as books and computers; flying in an airplane may be connected with a winged deity, and so on.
The Messenger Speaks Directly to You
The deity may say, in a human voice, “Despair not. You will soon be loved.” “You are already pregnant, though you do not yet know this.” “Find another love.” “Mix honey with water and take twice a day.” “The position will give you great wealth.” These dreams require no interpretation and are unquestionably of divine inspiration. Though rare, they do occur. You may not be able to see your deity, but hearing such words may be evidence enough.
A Deity Related to Your Messenger Appears
Some deities will send others to answer our questions, or more than one deity may appear. This may necessitate knowledge of the deities’ familial relationships. The absence of your specific messenger in a dream doesn’t indicate that it wasn’t of divine origin.
The Dream Was Received During Sacred Sleep
Not every dream that we experience during sacred sleep is divine, but at least one is usually of divine origin. Those that are received during sacred sleep have an edge over those that occurred at other times.
The Dream Is Related to Your Question or Request
This can be difficult to answer until you’ve interpreted its message. However, your intuition may make you aware that your dream is indeed related to your question. If two or more of these factors are true, there can be little doubt that you’ve experienced a divinely inspired dream.
Interpreting Divine Dreams
Unlocking the meaning of divine dreams is a tricky process. Our conscious minds are predisposed to dismiss dreams of great importance. Any suggestion that a dream may have been delivered to us by our messenger can set off sirens and flashing red lights in our waking consciousness: “Danger! Danger! This dream really means something! Better block it or make its message difficult to read.”
This exaggeration has been necessary to make a point: the conscious mind can have difficulty in coping with divine dreams. We may be the most spiritual, religiously active persons on earth, yet our waking minds can still bear shadowed corners of socially created doubt.
If you experience this problem, it might be overcome by retraining your conscious mind. Let it know that you know what you’re doing. Assuage its doubts by repeating specific statements every morning before you begin to interpret your dreams:
This dream is important to us.
This dream can assist us.
I want no interference.
You needn’t feel silly speaking to your mind. You have talked to it (and trained it) throughout your entire life. Repeat this statement, then get down to the work of unlocking the dream’s message.
1. Was the dream’s overall tone that of warning? Of impending danger? Of peace? Comfort? Excitement? (This may determine whether the dream was positive or negative.)
2. What is the dream’s basic form? Revelatory? Instructive? Educational? (This may determine whether the dream was prophetic or simply informational.)
3. What was your emotional state during the dream?
4. Which dream actions are directly related to your messenger? (Some parts of dreams may not be of importance, or may be of lesser importance. This can usually be determined by the context in which they take place.)
5. Were you handed anything in the dream by your messenger? If so, what was this object? (These symbols represent powerful connections with your personal deity, and may be the heart of the dream’s message.)
6. Was any object specifically pointed out to you? A drawing, a painting, an animal? If so, did you gain an understanding of the object thus seen? (Such symbols may also be of great importance.)
Once these questions have been answered, make a list of the dream’s most important symbols (as described in Chapter 14). Don’t limit this to only those symbols that you believe are divinely related to your dream; list them all, in the order in which they occurred. Consult your personal dream book for insight into these symbols. (See Chapter 14.)
Now, finally, compare the dream’s content with your dream question. Examine the symbols. Are there any obvious or subtle connections between your question and the dream? If you inquired about a job, do symbols of employment appear? If so, are they presented in a positive or negative light?
Following these steps should allow you to extract a divine dream’s message. If difficulties arise, overcome them with your intuition, and trust yourself.
A Few Examples
I recently had a dream in which I picked up a book that was of immense interest to me. I flipped through the pages and was quite thrilled with the subject matter (which was written in English), but, upon closer inspection, contained only masses of jumbled, incoherent information. I also looked hard at the price, which was written in pencil and said “URIlOORUR.” I read this (within the dream) as the book’s price tag: $100.
During interpretation the following morning, I realized that this was a divine dream. A goddess (probably Nisaba, the Sumerian goddess of writing and wisdom) was informing me that the book on which I was laboring lacked structure and contained too much information. The letters that I saw on the inside front cover twice (or, perhaps, thrice) spelled the word Ur (an ancient Sumerian city state). The high price tag was indicative of this dream’s great importance, and the fact that it was written in pencil I easily equated with the stylus used for writing cuneiform in ancient Sumer.
This was a short dream, but it made a great impression. It was also sandwiched between several other dreams. If I hadn’t been alert to searching for clues, I might have missed this goddess’ message (which was quite helpful—and absolutely correct). In another recent dream, a door appeared on my messy living room floor. I equated the door with keys, and therefore with Gaea. (Gaea is the ancient goddess of the earth who is today associated with ecology. Her name is increasingly being used to refer to the Earth herself as a living, sentient being.) I realized that this dream was a hint from Gaea to clean my house. This example should make it plain that even divine dreams aren’t always concerned with shattering predictions or major problems; they can also be gentle reminders.
Challenges
Dreams That Bear No Direct Relation to Your Question
There may be mornings on which you can find little or no connection between your dream and your dream question. If you’re certain of the dream’s divine nature, consider the possibility that you’ve received a message concerning a more pressing matter. Such dreams are usually quite significant. Our personal deities can send us other dreams than those that we’ve requested if they’re of greater importance. Repeat your dream question another night.
Doubt
If you’re unsure that you’ve successfully decoded your divine dream, repeat the question on a successive night and explain that you’ve had trouble understanding the message. A new, clearer dream may be presented to you.
Using Divine Dreams
In chapter 9, I briefly mentioned the importance of actually using the information received during sacred sleep. Asking a divine being for advice is far different from asking a friend. A friend can convey her or his feelings, recite knowledge about the subject, or relate past experiences. The goddess (or the god), however, is the possessor of all wisdom. Fully following her advice is likely to prove quite fruitful. Following it only halfway will be less so. Ignoring it, “forgetting” it, or claiming to be too busy to incorporate its message will accomplish nothing.
You may receive the same divine dream on several occasions for a number of reasons:
Asking for a dream gives us the responsibility to utilize its advice. We may have many excuses for failing to do this: fear of change, doubt, or a busy schedule. Such reasons can certainly seem quite compelling. If you don’t know what to do, if you doubt the wisdom of your possible future actions, or are frightened of change, ask for another divine dream during sacred sleep. This may well soothe your worries and more sharply define your course of action.
Recognizing divine dreams, extracting their messages, and acting upon their advice are integral aspects of sacred sleep.