DREAM INCUBATION

 

Health & Illness: Dream Study Class Five

Dreaming is powerful medicine. Our dreaming mind is a personal and well informed physician who can provide us with an accurate diagnosis of our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual condition. Most importantly our dream mind can show us what we need to stay well. Our bodies know what is going on inside them and they speak to us about this in dreams. Dreams after all LIVE inside our bodies which is why when we shift too quickly upon awakening, the dream drifts back to the nether world.

Ellen dreamed that a threatening intruder walked into her dream house and pointed a gun at her breast. She immediately sought medical help, and breast cancer was caught at its early stages.

Carol dreams that a large wolf appeared and said, “I am Lupus Wolf.” Her physician went to work and soon confirmed that her dream diagnosis was exactly correct; she had lupus. Lupus Wolf continued to appear in her dreams as a helpful guide showing the foods she needed to eat; warned her away from a medicine that would cause anxiety; and led her in future dreams to a healing garden, a place she found she could revisit to relax and imagine herself well.

Whatever our condition, the state and behaviour of animals in our dreams is often a effective guide leading us to what we need to do to follow the natural path of our energy-what we need to eat, how we need to move (or lie still), and how we need to read and interact with others.

Sometimes we can experience actual healing in a dream. People have met dream doctors who have performed operations, or did adjustments, or handed them medicine and they awaken cured.

 

Dreams show us the natural path of our energy.

The aboriginal people of Australia use telepathy to connect and communicate with each other regularly. They have a system of interpreting certain physical sensations into events and communications. For example: when they feel something in their hip, something important has happened to their mate; when they feel something in their upper arm something has happened to an in-law. The thigh is the son or uncle. A systematic, collective, physical grammar of extrasensory perception but it only seems to work for immediate family.

Native Americans gave special meaning to dreams. Dreams were used by almost every tribe to predict the future, manage psychological problems, heal sexual difficulties, and cure ailments. They believed Mother Earth was a real entity (deity) and a powerful source of strength. They believed it was during the evening hours that one could access the Creator, the ancestors, and inner guidance. They attributed great power to dreams. Most indigenous cultures around the world do.

It is believed among all the tribes of the Six Nations that if their dreams are not acted out a person would become very ill and possibly die.

The God of Healing in Greek mythology was Aesculapius. The most famous temple built in his honour was the Great Hieron, or sanctuary, at Epidaurus, and the method of healing practiced in this shrine was based on dreams. The sick that came to the temple were clothed in new, white garments, and their couches were placed in front of the statue of Aesculapius. While they slept, Aesculapius, it was believed manifested himself and prescribed the necessary remedies. In the morning, each patient related his dream to the presiding priest-physician, who put into practice the treatments suggested in the dreams.

Anything medical – doctors, nurses, hospitals, alternative care practitioners, medicine and herbs – relate to a need for healing.

Broken parts of anything may point to the illness itself – it’s location and the specifics of how it’s malfunctioning.

 

Sacred Shrines and Temples Were Places Where People Would Dream and Have Them Interpreted

Sacred Greek shrines such as Delphi, the Shrine of Apollo, and the Temple of Epidaurus were dream oracles, or places where the deities were thought to reveal the secrets of inner knowledge. It was to these shrines that the sick would journey, hoping that Asclepius, the god of medicine and healing, would appear to them in their sleep. It is recorded that Asclepius offered advice in the form of herbal remedies and, on occasion, awarded instantaneous cures. He was thought to appear to his patients in their dreams, mixing potions and applying bandages to the sufferers’ bodies and in some instances summoning sacred snakes to lick the ailing areas. Those desiring a cure would sleep among nonpoisonous snakes, as snakes were thought to be the symbolic carriers of healing. The association has carried forward in the modern caduceus, the symbol of two intertwined snakes signifying healing.

In the Yoga tradition, a coiled snake represents the kundalini life force embodied in the base of the spine. The kundalini energy is believed to be the potency of the universe manifest within the human being.

Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician and father of modern medicine, once said, “Some dreams are divinely inspired and others are the direct result of the physical body.” He believed that the appearance of the sun, moon, stars, and natural phenomena were significant to the understanding of a person’s health and well-being. If the sky in a dream was very clear, then the person’s body was thought to be functioning normally. If the stars were not clear or were falling from the sky, this signified a disturbance in the person’s health.

In ancient Greece dream interpreters were in GREAT demand much the same as medical doctors today.

 

Dream Incubation

Researchers believe that 300-400 temples were erected in ancient Greece for the purpose of practicing dream control. These temples, thought to be in existence for more than 1,000 years were used as facilities for physical and emotional healing. Within these temples help was evoked from the gods. Hypnos, the god of sleep, was said to fan mortals, with his wings to induce slumber. Then Zeus would give Morpheus, the god of dreams, warnings, prophecies, and inspirations to send to humanity via the winged messenger, Hermes.

Incubation occurred when a person slept in a sacred place after going through a ritual of purification. The purification usually involved abstinence form alcohol, meat, and sexual relations, along with an offering made to a selected deity.

Four of the oldest civilizations – China, India, the Middle East, and Egypt-have left records indicating their use of dreams.

Dream incubation was widely practiced in Egypt from 4000 BC to 2000 BC. The Egyptian Pharaohs held dreams in great esteem, believing they were vehicles of guidance from the gods.

In the Middle East, the practice of istigara was used tot receive a dream that would answer a question. The istigara was a special dream prayer said just before falling asleep.

 

Old and New Testaments Describe How Dreams Reveal God’s Will

The Old and New Testaments mention that God’s will would be made known through the dreams and visions of the prophets – approx. 20 well documented accounts that refer to divine guidance being given through dreams. In some cases these dreams changed the course of destiny. Moses was instructed to listen for God in his dreams. “Hear now my words. If there be a prophet among you, I, the Lord, will make myself known to him in a dream.”

In ancient Japan, dream incubation was practiced in both the Buddhist and the Shinto temples. Several Buddhist temples were famous as dream oracles. The procedure for obtaining a visionary dream was as follows:

1. There was to be a period of abstinence.
2. A journey to the holy site where an offering was given.
3. The dreamer would remain for a period of either 7, 21, or 100 days. These numbers were considered significant!
4. The dreamer would sleep adjacent to the inner sanctum awaiting a special dream. (It was believed that the divinity lived in the inner sanctum)

 

 

Colours

It was not until quite recently that colour began to be thought of as merely decorative or entertaining. In our herstory colour was considered one of the most important symbols in the world. The profound meaning of each colour was an integral part of all ancient civilizations that were involved in dream exploration. Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, China, and Tibet, as well as the traditional cultures of Native Americans and even medieval Europeans, used the power of colour.

Researchers have discovered that certain colours trigger similar responses in people regardless of their cultural background. Colour psychology cuts right across divisions of nationality, race, and culture similar to music. We have different shades and hues of the seven major colours in your dreams. The clearer the colour, the more accurate the meaning of the symbol. The muddier the colour, the more that area is blocked for you.

 

Red: First Chakra

First Chakra at the base of the spine. Drive for existence and survival is represented by red. Red stimulates the physical body to respond and act in an assertive manner. It stimulates the heart and increases the vibratory rate. It increases appetite, sexual energy, and relates to sensations of pleasure. Our perception of time is stretched out when we are exposed to red (bad for waiting rooms!)

Emotionally it relates to anger (muddied red suppressed anger). It relates to direct action, will and power. Strength, courage, steadfastness, health, vigor, sexuality, and danger.

When it appears in a dream it can be vitalizing and stimulating and can assist in overcoming inertia, depression, fear or melancholy. It’s great to those who fear life, and are inclined to escape. If you feel not grounded because you dwell on the future, having red in a dream will help root you in the present, in the NOW. It supplies energy and motivation necessary to reach and accomplish goals. Red is the doing colour – the get the job done colour.

 

Orange: Second Chakra

Our drive for social acceptance. Warm, stimulating colour. Lighter and higher in vibration than red, so the energy translates to broader fields in the body. Stimulates involvement with assisting in group and social functions, rather than concern with self-survival. Happiness, and used by the clowns the world over. Stimulates optimism, expansiveness, and emotional balance. It relates to the herding instinct, ambition, agitation, restlessness, exploration, pride, movement of sexual energies toward the thought processes that bring about an interest in politics.

Orange is a social ray. It pushes the conscious to rise above the self. The drive for fellowship.

 

Yellow: Third Chakra

Intellectual. Relates to your thinking process. Logical, clear thinking and left brain activities. Yellow helps us to respond with mental discrimination, organization, attention to detail, evaluation, active intelligence, discipline, administration, praise, sincerity, harmony. Gives heightened expressions and freedom which translates to joy within a dream.

Yellow in your dreams will gradually release the tension centered in your solar plexus. When we harmonize with the yellow ray, no problem will remain unsolved under the scrutiny of our intellect.

 

Green: Fourth Chakra

In our dreams this represents security. Corresponds to the heart chakra. It is the balance between the warm, extroverted spectrum of red, orange, and yellow and the cool introverted colours of blue, indigo and violet.

It stimulates feelings of love, balance, harmony, peace, brotherhood, hope, growth, and healing. Green in a dream is beneficial for any deep, brooding feelings of regret – it is a very healing colour in dreams. It helps to overcome limiting attachments. The abundant, replenishing forces of nature. Healing for doubt and insecurity.

 

Blue: Fifth Chakra

This is a concept colour. The throat chakra. It stimulates you to seek inner truth, attain inner peace, emotional security and to live out your ideals. It is a colour of idealism, patience, and endurance. Blue in a dream represents inspiration, creativity, spiritual understanding, faith, and devotion. Memories of the past, gentleness, contentment, patience and composure. Sincerity with self and others.

 

Purple: Sixth Chakra

This is the brow chakra (actually I think of this as indigo). It symbolizes intuition and is the colour most closely associated with dreams.

It is one of the primary colours signaling that you are having a dream of psychic awareness and intuition.

 

White: Seventh and Last Chakra

Imagination and the crown chakra. It’s vibrations are the fastest and have the highest frequency in the colour spectrum. Divine realization, humility, and creative imagination. It is purifying like snow. It encompasses all colours. White has the energy and powerful to transform the focus of the imagination.

 

Number Symbolism

• One – independence, new beginnings, individuality.
• Two – couple, balance of yin/yang, relating.
• Three – self expression, the Trinity, mind, body & spirit, openness.
• Four – productivity, organization, wholeness.
• Five – activity, impulsive, energetic, changing, curious.
• Six – self harmony, number of balance.
• Seven – inner life and wisdom, mystical number meaning wisdom, seven chakras, seven heavens of the Hawaiian kahumas, symbol of birth and rebirth, sacred vows, tendency towards spiritual ritual, path of solitude.
• Eight – material wealth, abundance, infinity.
• Nine – selflessness, number of completion and endings.
• Ten – Wholeness, perfection.
• Eleven – Self-illumination, intuition.
• Twelve – power within wholeness, twelve disciples; twelve planets; twelve months.
• Twenty-two – self mastery, all things are possible.
• Thirty-three – inner sanctuary, spiritual teacher, one of the master numbers of the universe.

 

If they aren’t listed above check with numerology. Or add the numbers together or see if the number corresponds with an important number in your life.

 

Animal Symbolism

• Coyote – prankster and mischievousness
• Owl – transformation & wisdom
• Bear – healing & strength
• Horses – power, health

 

Watch for how these symbols change over a dream series – you often see this with animals – changing from kittens to a full grown cat or lion, puppies to dogs, healthy to injured. Talking animals are especially important!! We are talking animals (Freud)

 

Other Common Dream Symbols such as Household Items, Buildings and Clothing

• Houses – our body and psyche.
  Example: Dreaming of a beautiful white house waiting for us. It is beautifully furnished and larger than the one in which we presently live – upon moving in we discover that there are strangers living there.
  Different levels of the house differing levels of the psyche – consciousness in the upper floors – the penthouse the Higher Self – lower floors the deeper layers of the unconscious.
• Schools – need to learn more lessons and you aren’t as smart as you think you are – you are acting immature.
• Bathroom – the need to cleanse oneself of something harmful.
• Office Buildings – work life – professional life.
• Hospitals – a physical imperfection or the necessity for correcting a mental or emotional ailment.
• Grocery store – diet.
• Bank – spiritual treasures or an aspect of your financial security.
• Railroad station – a trip or a change of the spiritual journey in life.
• Airport – high ideals and endeavours because a plane takes us up into the heavens.
• Hotel – temporary or transitory state.
• Forts – our defense against attack and symbolize a defensive stance in waking life.
• Churches, cathedrals and temples – refer to your spiritual life or the god within.
• Cars – the physical body because the body is the mechanical vehicle- the means of transport of the eternal you, the soul.
• Clothes – our state of mind.
• Faces & features.
  Ie. Large mouth – you talk too much or you have a big mouth.
• Loose teeth – loose or careless speech, False teeth – falsehoods or angry words, braces – control your words,
• Hair – extension of our thoughts, kinky hair – straighten out your thinking.
• Standing up – stand up and be counted. Be upright!
• Sitting down – sitting down on the job or relax.
• Walking on a road or path – path of life.
• Flying – astral projection or rise above your problem.
• Swimming – spiritual activity.
• Singing or hearing beautiful music – activity of divine forces in self.
• Getting married – literal or union with higher self. Integration.

 

 

Dreaming of Your Spirit Guide

Central to most native tribes was the concept of a guardian or guide whom one could access while awake as well as during a dream.

Their dream friends were as real as their waking friends.