CAN DREAMS PREVIEW THE FUTURE?
Jacob Schwartz
What do dreams mean anyway? What are they telling us? Psychics and psychologists, and many wise people without formal academic training have been interpreting the meaning of dreams at least since Biblical times. Some people say dream symbolisms reflect the important events of the waking time before the dream. Others say dreams reflect our innermost feeling and attitudes that we may not want to acknowledge consciously. And still others say dreams allow us to transcend time and know our possible future.
Dreams that let you know what the future holds are called precognitive. These dreams are often symbolic, usually very vivid and often repeat themselves in one variation or another. Remember these dreams are not fixed, they don't have to happen. If you dream that an airplane you're scheduled to travel is involved in a crash, you can always change airplanes and warn the airline. If you dream that your car has a crash because of bad breaks, you can always get the breaks fixed. The dream may seem precognitive because subconsciously you know the car needs to be fixed, and your conscious mind needs the jolt of a tragic dream to shock you into action. These dreams are often simply warnings that something might happen unless certain actions are taken. The choice is yours. You have the free will to decide the outcome, the dream is the presentation of just one of many possible outcomes. In a spiritual sense, the expression of a Divine force has sent you light in the form of a dream to encourage your expression of free choice.
Message Dreams. Another form of a precognitive dream is the Message dream often featuring symbols from numerology, Tarot cards, animal symbols, I Ching coins, or regular playing cards. The one important difference between message dreams and precognitive dreams is that message dreams can help identify events of the past useful in the present, such as where a lost item can be found, or the real meaning of a recent visit from a friend or relative.
Accounts of Precognitive Dreams. But can dreams predict the future? They certainly did with some very famous people like the Egyptian pharaohs, Mary, St. John, Mohammed, Joan of Arc, President Lincoln, Mark Twain, Helena Blavatsky, and Jane Roberts, according to literature dating back to the Bible and before. Dreams foretelling future experiences have been recorded in scientific literature from parapsychology laboratories for the last century, especially through academic facilities in Durham NC and New York City NY.
While staying at his sister's house, Mark Twain dreamed he saw his brother Henry's corpse in a burial cask in the sitting room, a bouquet of white flowers on his chest, with a single red flower in the center. So disturbed was Twain that he quickly dressed intending to pay his last respects to Henry when he realized that Henry was then working on a steamship near Memphis. Hours later he learned that there was an explosion aboard the very same ship and when Mark Twain arrived in Memphis he saw his brother lying exactly as he had seen him in the dream.
Many people have reported dreaming about disasters like airplane crashes, car accidents, and assassinations before the events actually occurred. Abraham Lincoln dreamed of his death and told his wife and a friend about it shortly before his fatal encounter with his assassin. Lincoln was precognitive, a word use to describe an awareness of an event before it occurs, but perhaps this is a very limited concept. What may have takes place was that Lincoln temporarily left his rational, linear time-bound mind and became adept at knowing all time and all space. Let's say he transcended the limits of time, and his mind, physical or etheric, perceived another reality which scientists then and now cannot measure.
Telepathy in Dreams. One of the major findings from years of dream research at Maimonides Hospital in New York City and research centers in Durham, North Carolina associated with Duke University and later the Foundation for Research on the Nature of Man, was that dream telepathy usually occurs when the persons "sending" the message is under great stress, and the receiver of the message is in a relaxed sleep or waking state. For example, it is fairly common during war or natural disasters, and massive accidents that a sleeping parent or loved one of the victim suddenly awakes startled because of the vivid impression that their child or loved one has been injured, is frightened, or in intensive pain. Battlefield and accident scenes are seen by the loved ones in dreams too. Relaxation is the key to receiving telepathic impressions, even doing boring and routine things like driving along familiar roads, and doing domestic chores relaxes us enough to invite the thoughts and experiences of those close to us vibrating on frequencies harmonious to our own.
Do Dreams Reveal the Etheric Sense Organs? Have you ever dreamt in color, or sensed distinctive fragrances like those from a flower or perfumes or tobacco, or heard music in your dreams? Now, where do these sensual stimulations come from when our eyes are closed, when there is no music around, or fragrances? What part of the anatomy is sensitive to these things? Scientific responses to such inquiries are hypothetical and often contradictory. The absence of physical organs to detect dream content has given support to the presence of another body beyond the physical, what some call the etheric body. We can even have dreams when we're awake, with the help of calming routine activites, walking, or alcohol, drugs, meditation or even the deprivation of sleep.
Language Revision Necessary. Sometimes the terms used in the psychic world can overlap and create more confusion. For example, what is the difference between precognitive dreams perceived during a regular sleep period and a genuine psychic vision perceived while in trance or a telepathic experience received when we're doing some boring, routine activity during normal awake time like laundry, or vacuuming the carpet, or being in bed about to go to sleep or wake up. We call that telepathy or clairvoyance when that experience may simply be another variation of the sensitivity of the etheric body when we're dreaming. A dream that later comes true can be explained by changing our general attitudes about time and space. Suppose time were just a human creation, and suppose all time were really occurring now. Yes, now. At this very moment you can be in a place where people have a different calendar. You can be tapping into that world of timelessness when you have a prophetic dream. The term PSI has generally replaced terms like clairvoyance, telepathy, precognition, and so forth, the Greek letter psi representing all extra-sensory transferences between persons, unlimited by ordinary boundaries of time and space.
Both dreams and telepathy are certainly more abstract and allow access to a wider range of experiences than the normal waking state limited to the five senses, and a logical, rational mind in a community of others who believe reality is only what can be measured. The experiences in dreams and psychic trance cannot be measured, or repeated, very easily.
Editing the Destiny Tape. Many people not so famous have dreams which they want to share with others, dreams portending events both tragic and joyous. So, instead of having to decide who is telling the truth about such dreams, and who is making up accounts of precognitive dreams for whatever reasons, a system has been established to account for such dreams. The purpose is to acknowledge the validity of a dreamer's precognitive ability. And to use such knowledge to change unpleasant futures, to edit one of the tapes of destiny.
Four criteria are important. First, the dream should be reported to a credible witness before the event. A postmark on a letter to a dream laboratory, often found in the psychology departments at colleges and hospitals, can serve as proof if the letter is unopened and sent in advance cooperation with the laboratory. Some institutions that can verify your dreams are listed at the end of this article. Secondly, the time interval between the dream and the event should be short. Third, the event should be unexpected at the time of the dream. The description should be of an event in detail, and not only symbolically, to happen. And lastly, the details of the dream and the event should tally.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Does everyone dream? Yes. Laboratory studies show that our most vivid dreams occur during a type of sleep called Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. During REM sleep the brain is very active, the eyes move back and forth rapidly under the lids and the large muscles of the body are relaxed. REM sleep occurs about every 90 minutes. The final REM period may last as long as 45 minutes.
Why do people have trouble remembering their dreams? Some people have no difficulty in remembering several dreams nightly, although others recall only occasional ones or none at all. Nearly everything that happens during sleep, including dreams, is forgotten by morning. There is something about the phenomenon of sleep itself which makes it difficult to remember what has occurred and most dreams are forgotten unless they are written down, or tape recorded. Sometimes a dream is suddenly remembered later in the day or on another day, suggesting that the memory is not totally lost but for some reason is very hard to retrieve. Sleep and dreams are also affected by a great variety of drugs, medications and alcohol. Further, stopping certain medications suddenly may cause nightmares. Discuss with your physician the effect of any drugs or medications you are taking.
How can I improve my dream memory? Before you fall asleep, remind yourself that you want to remember your dreams. Keep a paper and pen or tape-recorder by your bedside. As you awaken, move as little as possible and avoid thoughts about your upcoming day. Record all of your dreams and images, as they can fade quickly if not recorded. Any distractions will cause the memory of your dream to fade. If you can't remember a full dream, record the last thing that was on your mind before awakening, even if you have only a vague memory of it.
Do dreams have meaning? Although scientists debate this issue, most people who work with their dreams -- attending the Dream Theatre as they call it, find that dreams are very meaningful. Dreams are useful in learning more about the dreamer's feelings, thoughts, behavior, motives and values. Many find that dreams can help them solve personal problems, find missing items and relatives and friends. Further, artists, writers and scientists often get creative ideas from them.
How can I learn to interpret my dreams? The most important thing to keep in mind is that your dreams reflect your own underlying thoughts and feelings, and that the people, actions, settings and emotions in your dreams are personal to you. Some dream experts theorize that there are typical dreams and dream elements that persist across different persons, cultures, and times. Usually, however, the same image or symbol will have different meanings for different people. For example, an elephant in a dream can mean one thing to a zoo keeper and something quit different to a child whose favorite toy is a stuffed elephant. Therefore books which give a specific meaning for a specific dream or symbol, or 'dream dictionaries', may not be helpful. By thinking about what each dream element means to you or reminds you of, by looking for parallels between these associations and what is happening in your waking life, and by being patient and persistent you can learn to understand your dreams. It can be helpful to keep a dream diary and reflect on many dreams over a long period of time to get the truest picture of your unique dream life.
What does it mean when I have the same dream over and over? Recurrent dreams, which can continue for years, may be treated as any other dream. That is. one may look for parallels between the dream and the thoughts, feelings, behavior and motives of the dreamer. Understanding the meaning of the recurrent dream can sometimes help the dreamer resolve an issue that he or she has been struggling with for years.
Is it normal to have nightmares? Nightmares, very common among children, are most often connected with stress, traumatic experiences, emotional difficulties, drugs or medications, or illness. However, some people have frequent nightmares that seem unrelated to their waking lives. Recent studies suggest that these people tend to be more psychic in general, sensitive, trusting and emotional than average.
Is it possible to control dreams? You can often influence your dreams by giving yourself pre-sleep suggestions. Another method of influencing dreams is called lucid dreaming, in which you are aware you are dreaming while still asleep and in the dream. Sometimes people experience this type of dreaming spontaneously. You can increase lucid dreaming, and thereby increase your capacity to affect the course of the dream events as they unfold. Some things are easier than others to control, and indeed complete control is probably never possible. Some professional dream workers question the advisability of trying to control the dream, and encourage learning to enjoy and understand it instead.
Who Can You Share Precognitive Dreams With? Remember, there are both legitimate and caring persons who honestly want to help you validate precognitive dreams, but there are others ever so eager to sympathize with a frightening dream and then promise to remove the negativity by performing alleged "spiritual" services, such as prayers and candle burning, for exorbitant sums.
Some of the more helpful and caring places include:
The Association for Research and Enlightenment (also known as the Edgar Cayce Foundation), P. O. Box 595, Virginia Beach VA 23451.
The Foundation for Research on the Nature of Man, Box 6847, College Station, Durham NC 27708.
Lucidity Institute, P. O. Box 2364, Stanford CA 94309 (for very realistic lucid dreaming premonitions).
Dream Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; also the Hospital Sacre Coeur Dream Laboratory, 5400 boul Govin Ouest, Montreal H4J 1C5, Quebec, Canada.
Psychical Research Foundation, Duke Station, Durham NC 27706
American Society for Psychical Research, 5 West 73rd Street, New York NY 10023
Parapsychology Foundation, 29 West 57th Street, New York NY 10019.