But a dream
The meaning behind the subconscious
Dreams might seem like a bunch of random, wacky scenes and images playing in our head while we’re catching forty winks. Wacky? Sure. But random? Absolutely not.
Dreams are messages that come through to us while we’re asleep that hold powerful insight into our waking life.
From a psychological point of view, dreams are our subconscious thoughts. When we sleep, our thoughts transfer into dreams and therefore what we see holds subliminal information that’s been locked inside our head.
And from a mystic point of view, all human beings are psychic and we tap into our sixth sense, so to speak, in dreamland.
Whichever angle you look at it from, what both sides agree on is that our dreams hold invaluable meaning and we must analyse them in order to understand the message they’re trying to send to us.
DREAM CATEGORIES
In order to properly interpret our dreams, we first need to figure out which category it falls under. It’s not just the content of our dream that’s important, it’s also the structure that it takes, which is outlined in these categories:
DAYDREAMS
Although they’re only half-dreams, as they occur while we’re conscious, daydreams are still considered dreams that can provide us with powerful insight. Some daydreamers are able to use their awakened dreams to formulate visions that can be as potent and accurate as if they were asleep.
EPIC DREAMS
Have you ever had a dream that stays with you in such vivid detail from start to finish? Where you can recount what happened as if it was something that happened to you in real life the day prior? That’s an epic dream. Also known as a cosmic dream, for its connection to the cosmic realm, these dreams stay with us because, if interpreted properly, they have the power to make epic changes in our lives.
HEALING DREAMS
While all dreams are designed to offer healing, this category means it in the literal sense as it prompts us to take action on a medical or health issue in our waking state. The symbols we see in our dream could point us to a particular problem that we either weren’t aware of or something we’ve been ignoring that we need to treat ASAP.
LUCID DREAMS
Ya know those dreams where you know you’re dreaming? That’s a lucid dream, because, well, you’re lucid! Some experienced dreamers have even developed the ability to control their actions within the dream so they’re controlling the narrative of dreamland, so to speak.
NIGHTMARES
Dreams that leave you shaking in fear when you awaken. They range from the horror dreams, like having monsters, zombies or other terrifying creatures chasing you, to the classic old arriving somewhere and realising you’re not wearing any pants nightmare. The best way to banish nightmares is to analyse every piece of them, see what it’s trying to tell you, then address your fears in your waking life.
PROPHETIC DREAMS
It’s believed that when we’re dreaming, the innate psychic abilities that all humans possess is unlocked, so often times our dream is actually a prediction of a future event. This could either be literal, some people have actually received visions in their sleep, or metaphorical, meaning you need to analyse the different things you see and figure out what it symbolises as it could be a warning of an upcoming occurrence.
RECURRING DREAMS
If a dream ever comes to you more than once, then that’s a pattern known as a recurring dream and you should absolutely pay attention to it as it’s trying to tell you something important. View it as a message that’s coming through from the spirit world, trying to help you move past a certain trauma or change something in your waking life that you may not have even been aware of.
COMMON DREAMS DISSECTED
Remember how I said earlier that dreams can be analysed from a psychological perspective and a psychic perspective? Here’s what some of the most common dreams are telling you from either POV (they’re both equally important!).
YOUR TEETH FALL OUT
Psychological interpretation: This is your pent-up anxiety coming through in your dream, which is why the dream is so graphic. This is a warning to work on your mental health and relieve any anxiety or stress.
Psychic interpretation: You’ll soon have an unpleasant experience, could be an encounter with a shit person, an illness, or an embarrassing moment.
BEING BACK IN SCHOOL, TAKING A TEST
Psychological interpretation: You’re having a difficult time at work and it is evoking memories of being stressed at school, which was our first form of work.
Psychic interpretation: If you’re just going about your business at school and taking a test with no result, it’s a reminder to stay the course and things will be sweet. If you fail, it means your ambitions are set too high. If you pass, you’ll ace your current goals.
HANGING OUT WITH A CELEBRITY
Psychological interpretation: Although the celeb might feel random to you, it’s never random. Look up the movies / TV shows they’ve been in, the songs they’ve released, their recent social media posts and so on, as you may find that a part of their life that relates to you has been lingering in the back of your mind.
Psychic interpretation: You’ll soon have an embarrassing social blunder, maybe you’ll accidentally like a stranger’s photo on social media or you’ll trip over in public.
BEING CHASED BY SOMETHING
Psychological interpretation: This denotes the feeling of being chased in real life, perhaps by a debt, an addiction, an ex, or something of that nature.
Psychic interpretation: You’re escaping discomfort and will soon find yourself in a happy position in your life and with your friends and fam.
RUNNING LATE
Psychological interpretation: You’re rushing to meet the deadline of something in real life and it’s taking over your waking (and sleeping) thoughts.
Psychic interpretation: You’re being irresponsible with money, or you’re about to make a poor financial decision.
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DREAM FAQ
Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about dreams, but were too afraid to ask.
How do I interpret my dreams?
Some dreams linger in our mind, and some start to fade over time, so I suggest keeping a dream journal where you write down everything you remember in great detail the moment you wake up. Once you’ve pieced it together, figure out which category of dreams it falls under, then look up what the symbolism means so you can interpret what it’s telling you.
Why don’t I ever remember my dreams?
Although everyone dreams, not everyone is able to retain memories of their dreams when they wake up. Studies have shown that this has to do with who you are as a person, what your day-to-day activities are like, and what kind of sleeper you are. Typically artistic people who are anxious and therefore light sleepers tend to recall their dreams more than those with an analytical brain who are deep sleepers. That being said, everyone does dream, and it’s possible to develop dream recall if you work on it by keeping a dream journal and focusing on remembering your dreams as soon as you wake up.
Why do I keep having nightmares?
As you will have noticed from the above dream meanings, nightmares are linked to real-life stress. So if you’re stressed and anxious in your waking life, those thoughts are going to carry over into your dreams and develop as nightmares. There are other factors that are believed to cause nightmares, including eating late at night and taking certain medications as these can cause the brain to become more active.
How do I stop having nightmares?
Practicing good sleep hygiene can help with ceasing nightmares. Try going to bed at a regular time and create a comforting, tranquil atmosphere in your bedroom with calming music, lavender, and anything else that soothes you. Avoid drinking alcohol and caffeine, or eating heavy food too close to bed time. Also try putting your phone down at least an hour before bedtime. Basically don’t do anything to disrupt your sleep patterns so you can drift off to dreamland peacefully.
