by Christopher Michael
Have you ever sat in your backyard and just stared at the sky? During the day the clouds bend and twist into shapes and faces. It’s easy to get lost in your thoughts as they drift by. My favorite time to gaze and wonder is when the stars come out. On the clearest of nights, you can see so many different stars and sometimes catch a falling one. A good long stare always preps my mind to enter the dream state later that night. The endless possibilities that exist in the night sky also exist in our night minds.
I approach my dreams as an opportunity to learn, listen and observe what is happening around me. Many questions have been answered in dreams and many questions remain as I wake up. No matter what happens I am always ready to go back the next night.
Nor am I alone. Dreams can help with the creative process, say dream practitioners. Glory-Anne Jones, a certified clinical and transpersonal hypnotherapist at Euphoreje in Latham, recently started writing a book. “Everyone has worries and problems and they don’t know where to go for answers. The character in my book was able to come to life by me setting the intention before going to sleep of receiving information and waking up with how to put it together and how to make it happen,” she says. “It’s all these dreams coming together to give us the answers. When you dream, your subconscious mind is open and becomes the doorway to anything.”
Dreams can also be a way for us to connect with those who’ve passed, say mediums who regularly communicate with the deceased. The Windbridge Research Center in Tucson, Arizona has done extensive research into mediums. One study concluded that mediums’ experiences of communication with the deceased is a mental state different than fabricating information or recalling facts previously obtained.
“Visitations are special and give us the opportunity to connect with those that have passed,” says Deb De- Celle, a medium Spirit Tree Connections Clifton Park. DeCelle has connected me to my grandmother and a close friend, both of whom have crossed over. She gave me specific information that only those people knew about.
The ability to spend time with people that have crossed over is a wonderful part of dreaming. We are able to spend time with grandparents, aunts and uncles, and old friends. Those moments are special and filled with so much love. To look at them, converse with them and hug them is an incredible journey. After those experiences, I always wake up feeling their presence and love with me. I am sure it is their way of reminding me that their love lives on in me and that I share it with all of those in my life.
In one dream, for instance, a friend’s loved one visited me to let me know that he was okay. I remember a dream where I was hiking high up in some snowy mountains. It was cold so we stopped in a small log cabin with a fire inside. While warming up, the door swung open, and in walked my friend’s dad. He had recently passed away and he looked so happy and content to be hiking and adventuring. The giant smile on his face let me know he was okay. Someone is waiting for you to visit them in dreams; be open to it. Set the intention of being with this person before you go to sleep.
Some people have the ability to “lucid dream,” a dream state in which the person is aware they are dreaming while they are dreaming. Back in June, I dreamt that I was in the woods walking down a driveway leaving a house. As I walked down the driveway I kept hearing a strange sound and realized the sound was snow crunching under my boots. I instantly said to myself, “It’s summer, you must be dreaming.”
As soon as I had that revelation, the dream took off, literally. As I became aware, I decided that I wanted to explore, so I flew straight up above the trees into the amazing starlit sky and soared above the beautiful evergreen forest. It was the most wonderful experience and I revisit that scene in my mind often. If you notice something out of the ordinary while dreaming, this is your clue to wake up while dreaming and see where it takes you.
“There are no boundaries in dreams and the possibilities are endless on where they can take you,” DeCelle says. “Dreams are the subconscious’ way to help us explore and have visitations. They are vivid and give us time to connect with those who have passed over.”
Dreams are personal, they are full of lessons and if we pay attention, we can learn and grow from them. Your dreams are the key to your universe. Pay attention, watch and listen.
“It’s easy to take information from a dream because it’s inspired by what’s inside of you,” says Jones. “Dreams allow us to see how we are getting lost and to find a way out of that. There are so many answers in our dreams. We can find reassurance in dreams and know that we’ve got this.”
Tips to help you remember your dreams:
- Keep a notebook next to your bed and write them down immediately upon waking
- Record your thoughts in Voice Memos on your phone
- Set an intention to remember before you go to sleep, every night
- Remembering your dreams takes practice, don’t give up
