Dreams

If you know me well, you probably know that one thing that I've always been fascinated with is dreams. I'm not much of a reader, but I do have several books about dreams. And while "decoding" a dream does interest me, I'm more curious as to why we dream. I have researched it, and the answer that I found is no answer at all. No one seems to know for sure. There are theories, but nothing that can be proven. And what controls our dreams? Is it God? Does he sometimes speak to us through our dreams? I have had several dreams that seemed to be nothing but a message from God. But again, something that can't be proven.

I am always trying to remember my dreams, hoping that they will lead me to realizations that I would never have consciously. My dreams seem to come in "chunks." For example, about a year ago, I wanted something so bad that I could hardly stand it. And my dreams around that time were all "wishful dreams." Almost every night, I would dream that I had attained what I had been wanting for so long. I never knew if it was just wishful dreaming, or if it was a glimpse into the future, showing me what I would one day have. Of course, I hoped for the latter, that's a whole other story in itself.

This may sound weird, but I love to dream. Let me explain why. When I have a problem, my natural strategy is to think. A lot. And when I can't find an answer, I always wonder what I'm missing. Seeing "the big picture" is hard for me sometimes, because I am so detail-oriented. Sometimes the only way I've been able to take a step back and see what I'm missing is through dreaming. Why? Because dreams are your brain's way of making sense of and organizing all the information it collected recently while awake. I'm not saying that everytime I've had a problem I just went to sleep and woke up with the answer. That would be nice! It has actually been an extremely rare occurence, but not non-existent. I actually have a book that is mostly about lucid dreaming, which some people believe in and some don't. Lucid dreaming is controlling your dreams via your subconscious. For example, telling yourself before you fall asleep that you want to have a dream that you are flying, and then having that dream once you enter the REM state of sleep. The book actually has mental exercises for you to do before bed that will help you control your dreams. I never tried any of the specific ones, but I did get into the habit of telling myself "I'm going to remember my dreams tonight," and for months, I did! I would remember at least one dream I had every night for months. And even now, I tend to remember my dreams most of the time. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but before knocking the whole lucid dreaming thing, you should try it. I am still fascinated by it. I guess it all has to do with how much we believe in the power of our minds. To me, it's something that should never be underestimated. Who knows? Maybe you'll remember your dreams tonight, just from reading this blog. ;)

Love,
Me