Dreams: A Glimpse into the Subconcious

Most people have a similar experience with dreams. You have an extremely memorable dream that feels completely real and then 5 minutes after you wake up, you forget it. Dreams are a phenomenon that many scientists and psychologists have strived to understand, and while there is no scientific evidence that dreams actually mean something or tell something about a person, many people believe that dreams are an insight into a person's personality and subconcious mind. Dreams are a result of our brainwaves while we sleep and can be induced by a variety of factors like stress, medications, memory consolidation, alcohol, sleep deprivation, and many other factors. Dreams often serve as a "rehearsal" for something that will occur during the daytime. I have become a lot more aware of my own dreams lately and when I seem to dream the most. A lot of times I dream before an exam or a big presentation the next day. Sometimes I have literally answered questions that I come up for myself while I am sleeping and not realize it until I wake up. A lot of my dreams are stress induced. However, for some reason I remember my dream from last night and it was influenced by none of those things. I had a dream that I had some plastic surgery done to me and I have never considered plastic surgery in my life. It was just something that came up. 

I have never thought of my dreams as having any connections to my spiritual self or a pathway to something beyond my physical body. I have usually rationalized it to biological reasoning and the wonders of the human mind. However, since this class is a class on Witchcraft, I did some research to find out the importance of dreams in spirituality and witchcraft and what dreams represent for practicing modern witches. 

For witches, dreams are seen as a bridge between the physical and spiritual realm with dreams serving as messages from the divine, higher forces, or even the versions of our future selves speaking to us. Witches might aim to study a common theme among dreams, the symbols they might see, and the vivid visions that they experience. A common dream in witchcraft is the dream of prophecy where witches get a glimpse into their future from a vision they have in a dream. They are sometimes seen as guidance telling a person that they are going in the right direction in life. 

Dreams and witchcraft also make a great connection with the cosmic world. Witches might call this "astral" or "spirit" work. Witches believe that while the body is resting, the soul can leave the physical world and enter into another dimension where they might interact with spirit guides or ancestors. They might offer a source of wisdom and learning. Another concept of witchcraft in dreaming is shadow work. Shadow work is a practice of witchcraft that involves exploring the darker and unconcious parts of a person to explore things that one mind hide out of shame, fear, or regret. Nightmares might be viewed as a sign to face fears or the uncomfortable, or to confront deeper emotions.

While dreams are certainly an interesting topic that is still being explore by many scientists, one could say that dreams are simply a natural biological process of our brain. To witches, there is no coincidence about dreams and all dreams have a deeper meaning that reflects events in our current lives and possible futures. 

Comments

  1. williams.dan76October 23, 2024 at 8:41 AM

    Interesting and informative reflection on dreams. Dating back to ancient and classical times, there was generally little distinction between a witch and a seer, someone who could foretell the future. Such abilities were considered magical. I am glad that you made the connection to dreams. Since Freud started exploring dreams as indicators of the subconscious, interpreting dreams has become a part of pop psychology, if not pop culture. But I had not thought much about the use of dreams in contemporary witch lore. Really a thoughtful blog.

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