Wednesday Whatever – Dreams & A Dream Pillow

Why Remember Your Dreams?

Your dreaming mind has access to information that is not readily available to you when you are awake. Your dreams may reveal your secret desires and subconscious feelings. In remembering your dreams, you will have an increased knowledge about yourself, bring about self-awareness and self-healing. Dreams are an extension of how you perceive yourself. They can be a source of inspiration, wisdom, and joy.

You don’t have to interpret your dreams in order to solve your problems. But just as there is the saying that “Death cures cigarette smoking,” you might find that listening to your dreams may help you solve your problems before you run out of time. Dreams are always “true”—it’s just that what they mean isn’t always what we think they mean. Sometimes a dream gives a warning of danger, but if you pay attention to the dream and change your ways the danger won’t necessarily happen. And most often a dream’s meaning will be metaphorical, not literal.

For example, a woman may dream that her husband is having a sexual affair, but it would be a mistake to conclude that her husband is really having an affair. The dream is simply providing the woman graphic evidence that she somehow feels betrayed by her husband. Once she acknowledges that feeling, she can then start examining her life consciously—and honestly—to find out why she feels betrayed and what she needs to do about it. All dreams essentially tell us one important thing: “Wake up!” That is, just as you must wake up from a dream to remember it, the dream itself is telling you to “wake up” to the truth that you try to hide from others—and from yourself. Of course, there is a positive as well as a negative side to remembering and interpreting your dreams.

The negative side is that you may come across a side of yourself that you really don't like or are afraid to know about. You may discover that you aren't (always) the "Miss Goody Two Shoes" or "Mr. Nice Guy" that you profess to be during the day. You may discover that your childhood was not all ice cream, roller-skating and amusement parks. You may end up shedding light on dark places and recall secrets long repressed. This can be scary stuff.

The positive side is that you go through a metamorphosis or catharsis and become - you. You become the “you” that you were always meant to be. You will become truer to yourself and therefore, you will find that you are happier. Learning to recall your dreams may help you become a more assertive, creative person. In remembering your dreams, you are expressing and confronting your feelings. Remembering your dreams can help you come to terms with stressful aspects of your lives. But this may be easier said than done. Five minutes after the end of the dream, half the content is forgotten. After ten minutes, 90% is lost. Dreamers, who are awakened right after REM sleep, are able to recall their dreams more vividly than those who slept through the night until morning. Obviously, remembering your dreams is vital to interpreting them. So, how can you better remember your dreams?

How To Remember Your Dreams

When beginning the steps towards interpreting your dreams, many people find it helpful to keep a notebook – a dream journal, if you will – right next to your bed with a pen or pencil. As soon as you are physically able, begin your journal. Write down your dream as soon as you remember it. Write down everything you remember, even if it doesn't make sense. Most often, the parts that don't make sense or are out of place are the most valuable. Every detail, even the minutest element in your dream is important and must be considered when analyzing your dreams. Look closely at the characters, animals, objects, places, emotions, and even color and numbers that are depicted in your dreams. Ask yourself, "What does this remind me of?" Write down the first thing that comes to your mind. This will likely be the real situation in your life that is symbolized in the dream. What did that real-life situation make you feel like? If this is the same feeling represented in your dream, you're on the right track. Often when there is more than one part to your dream (more than one story line) that usually means there are two things your subconscious is trying to tell you.

Remember that we have between four and seven dreams per night. If you wake up from a dream, write it down. Don’t roll over and go back to sleep. If you don’t write it down, you’ll never remember it in the morning! At the very least, you can jot down the basic premise of the dream and go back in the morning to fill in the rest of the details such as feelings, etc. Suggest to yourself every night as you fall asleep, "I will remember my dreams." Say this over and over. Your subconscious will act on this subtle suggestion. Practice keen observation in your dreams through self-suggestion prior to sleep. When a problem confronts you, you might want to ask by prayer for guidance to be sent to you through your dreams. Trust your instincts! If something seems important, it probably is. Try not to let your logical side take over.

So you’ve got your dreams down on paper. Where do you go next? The next step would be interpretation.

Taken in part from How to Interpret Your Dreams

 

Making an Enchanted Dream Pillow
Dream pillows have been around for centuries. They are filled with herbs and scents that enable the user to sleep peacefully. I am a very lucid dreamer and get most of my wisdom and insight during dream time. I have friends who complain that they can never remember their dreams, and have asked me on many occasion if there is anything I can recommend. With that need in mind, I have come up with a twist on the dream pillow. Why not include magical herbs, stones, or oils to affect the dream-state? Here's what I've come up with:

Constructing The Pillow:
Be sure that the herbs you use have a strong scent. Try to incorporate no more than two herbs within a pillow.

You will need

• 1 yard of natural fabric that has a looser weave. This will make 4 to 6 pillows,  depending on the size (if you don't use them all yourself, they make great gifts).
• Herbs and Stones to Use:
  • To remember your dreams:
  • Herbs: Mugwort, bay, rosemary, lavender, catnip (flowers of these herbs is best).
  • Stones: Adventurine, Celestite, Amethyst, and Fluorite.
  • To guard against nightmares and spiritual evil:
  • Herbs: Rosemary, valerian, frankincense, and lemon balm.
    Stones: Onyx, Obsidian, Moldavite, and Turquoise.
  • For more lucid or vivid dreams:
  • Herbs: Flowers of Mugwort, mint, lavender.
    Stones: Rudilated Quartz Crystal, Aquamarine, Tiger-eye, and Carnelian.
  • For dreams of love or romance:
  • Herbs: Flowers of roses, yarrow, lavender, crepe myrtle, violets, dill, coriander, and basil.
  • Stones: Ruby, Garnet, Rose Quartz, and Red Jasper.
    For dreams of peace and guidance:
  • Herbs: Leaves of sage, sassafras, mullein,  pine needles, and chamomile flowers.
    Stones: Amethyst, Celestite, Opal, and Moonstone.

Cut the fabric into squares. Take two pieces of the fabric, and sew them together on three sides. Turn the fabric inside out so that the loose stitching is on the inside. Stuff in the herbs and/or stones through the open side and stitch them in. The pillow will be placed inside your regular pillowcase when you sleep. If you want to add a little punch to your enchanted pillows, magically charge them under a waxing or full moon, and do it on the day or hour appropriate to the pillow's purpose.

 

Disclaimer: No one involved in this blog or its contents may be held responsible for any adverse reactions arising from following any of the instructions / recipes on this list. It is the reader's personal responsibility to exercise all precautions and use his or her own discretion if following any instructions or advice from this blog