Why Dream Work Matters
Why dream work is important and how it can help you in your spiritual journey.
During a difficult time in my life, I had a dream of myself standing in a barren, dried-out land. Standing in the middle of this landscape, feeling shocked, and also sad, a white fox came walking up to me. We stared at each other and then the fox turned to walk out of the barren, desert land and I started to follow. I awoke in amazement, as it was one of the most vivid and impactful dreams I had in a long time. And I kept asking myself, what did it mean?
The feeling of that dream was so intense and impactful, that I couldn’t believe it was just a nonsensical dream and that I shouldn’t think more about it. I went on a journey, looking into the symbolism of the land, the fox, the colors, etc., and got some good insight into it. But no amount of internet searching could give me exactly what I was looking for, and it catalyzed me deeper into my spiritual work, eventually leading me to my shamanic studies where dreamwork is a foundation.
Some people have a natural inclination or connection with their dreams. Others have a harder time remembering their dreams and may even think they don’t dream! This is actually not true, and research has found that we dream every single night whether we remember it or not!
The beliefs around why we dream vary, and there is no consensus, but some commonly accepted reasons that have been explored by scientists, psychologists, and philosophers include:
Some scientists believe that dreams help our memory operate properly, or that they help us self-heal and process emotions while also making space for memory (almost like a cleaning process for the brain)
The parts of the brain that trigger dreams rest in our emotional centers of the brain, not the logical centers
Forgetting dreams as soon as you wake is very common and normal (but you can train yourself to remember them more often)
Some believe that dreams inspire creativity, and there are numerous inventions and world-changing ideas that have been “dreamed up” during the dream time like the Periodic Table and the Theory of Evolution, not to mention many world-famous songs and stories (Frankenstein, Yesterday by the Beatles)
Blind people can still dream in images (which speaks to the power of dreams!)
Many of these points were explored over 2,400 years ago by Plato and other philosophers! Though at this time, they believed that dreams were either sent from god or from the divine, and others were false or sent by demons and part of the process of dream interpretation was determining which it was.
Overall, what this means is that:
Suppressed emotions are likely to come up in your dreams because they are resting in our subconscious and dreams are triggered by emotions
Some medications, recreational drugs, and foods can cause nightmares, unpleasant dreams, or influence intense dreams
Dreaming about health issues can sometimes prove true (so pay attention to dreams where you have a health issue, teeth issues, etc., and get them checked out!)
Those dreams about health issues can also signify spiritual, emotional, or psychological distress, so if you are healthy, look at your psychological and emotional state
In the dreamtime we may be accessing a deeper wisdom that has the potential to show us the solution to a problem, the next step, or to flag what we need to do to move on.
Dreams give us a window into the subconscious, what we suppress or stuff down and what we fear. They can also communicate to us where we are feeling lack, trauma, or have unresolved wounds. Dreams have a knack for showing us what we are avoiding in our lives, whether that be situations, feelings, people, or life changes. Therefore, learning to connect with your dreams and work with them is a powerful tool for self-development and healing.
We all have some abilities in dreaming that we can utilize to better understand ourselves and bring more joy and satisfaction to our daily lives and enhance our spiritual work.
Traditionally, dream work was more valued and respected in many cultures around the world. Dream interpretation and dream sharing were seen as valuable to the well-being and learning of the community and could even help people take in ancestral knowledge or advice. In some indigenous cultures, dreams are viewed as a unique and individual communication with Spirit (Source, God) and that each person is honored to experience. Further enhancing the connection experienced with Mother Earth, Source, and our Ancestors. How beautiful is that?
From a shamanic medicine perspective, our dreams are communications from our spiritual self or dreamer self (as well as ancestors or past selves). Learning to listen to our dreams, share them with others, and work with them in an intentional way is a practice that honors our whole self, our spiritual development, and different healing paths. It is used as a tool to better understand our journey, to seek the wisdom that often gets quieted by logic and the outside world, and to walk a path of deeper alignment.
An important note about dream interpretation is that the meaning of dreams and symbolism is heavily influenced by a person’s culture, belief system, and life experiences. Circling back to my dream about the white fox in the barren, desert land, for example, the white fix symbolized mysticism, magic, and playful mischief, calling me to re-awaken this side of myself amidst a rather dry and unmagical life at the time. However, for some, foxes symbolize slyness and trickery, and they have been hunted and killed around the world. Consider that an internet search about the meaning of your dream could yield different results if you are reading a religious-based site compared to a spiritual one, or the consultation with a dream book could have completely different explanations than what you read online. Some explanations may resonate, and some may not. And so much of what we gather from our Dreamtime is based on the individual meaning we associate with each element, as well as how we feel when we wake (whether we remember the events of our dream or not).
This is why I encourage people to think about the specifics in their dream (like objects, animals, people, environments, etc.) and assign their own meaning to them, based on what is brought up specifically for them, rather than do an internet search immediately to tell you. The other benefit of this is that it further develops your dreaming skills, increasing communication from your dreams, and putting the agency and power back into your own hands. For example, a white fox is a symbol of needing a connection to the divine light (which I easily pinpointed in my dream and that enhanced the strong emotion I had when I awoke) and that I didn’t need to do an internet search to validate what I already knew.
If you are really stuck and don’t understand what you are dreaming, you can set the intention as you lay in bed, to receive communication that you will understand. You can also check your dream books, symbolism books, or the internet, or pull a tarot or oracle card for assistance or if you want it, validate that your sense is on the right track. Dreamwork does not have to be a chore, it can be fun and a part of your spiritual exploration in an accessible way. Using support that already exists can be a tool while you learn interpretation for yourself and begin to harness this wisdom within you.
Learn the Basics of Dream Interpretation and enhance your dream recall and dream communications!
If you want to learn more about working with your dreams, increasing dream recall, or how to set intentions to draw specific dream messages, consider my Dream Work Mini Guide here.
I also partner with a beautiful brand of specially blended, crystal-infused sleep, dream, and morning ritual drinks from Despierta https://www.despierta.one/. You can use my code DIVINE10 to get 10% off and incorporate the blends to assist with deeper sleep and dreaming.
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The Astral Traveler blend made with Blue Lotus Flower and Mugwort is my personal favorite and makes it even easier to take the herbs I love to work with for dreaming and dream communication!
I host monthly dream sharing circles online! Every third Monday of the Month, you can join me as your guide into the realms of dreams. We will do dream interpretation in a safe and inclusive circle, learn how to understand our dreams better and what herbal allies can help, as well as what tools can assist (dream pillows, room clearing etc.) Open to anyone, regardless of your experience with dreamwork, a listing of current dates is here on my events page.