Using dreams

« Prophets received ideas through dreams; the same happened to artists and scientists. Why not stop and consider this phenomenon, then?»

Every day we hide behind masks, so much that if we looked at a mirror we could hardly recognize ourselves. Therefore I think that true dreams are those we carry during our waking time. The night dream (especially if clear) is indeed a special event. If it is correctly interpreted it can let us understand what we do and how we are deep down.

Dreams are of different kinds. Each of them has its importance because it is the ‘flag’ of a particular status of conscience. As we said they can be of different kinds. The ordinary dream originates from the elaboration of daily events which, felt, thought or seen, have impressed our mind or imagination. The extraordinary dream, on the other hand, originates from the impression of ideas formed in the super-conscious. Therefore to be conscious of our inner elaborations is helpful in order to investigate the deep levels of our identity. This is why we shouldn’t neglect their importance, but rather consider them as symbols of our secret life. Surely to know ourselves is not a fast process. We must train for it. Dreams are among the factors to be considered; we should learn to remember them in order to interpret their symbolism.

Many people don’t remember them; therefore they think they don’t dream at all. It is not true, though, we all dream; animals as well. We should learn to consciously slow down a fundamental moment, going from the light sleep (where we still remember the dream) to the awakening (where the dream disappears). The quicker we wake up the earlier the dream dissolves. This happens because when we dream we use a part of conscience that doesn’t involve reason, which is in a status of quiet. When we wake up reason takes its space back and covers any oneiric trace. In order to stop dreams from dissolving we need organization and concentration. We also must remember that concentration is only a minor aspect of the will.

We can learn to hold the dream by repeating its memory during all the stages of exit from sleep. We should train to activate the attention in the stage of light sleep (where we can still remember the dream) and repeat its memory until we wake up (where the dream is dissolving). We should concentrate from the moment when the conscience of the dream still exists and, despite the emerging of the waking conscience, avoid abrupt awakenings.

It is not enough to remember a dream. We also must learn its language, which is what its symbols represent. Emotions, ideas and inspirations are several fruits of the same plant. The best option is to understand the plant in order to understand the fruit. The plant is the conscience (conscious, unconscious and super-conscious), which I have recently compared to a seismograph, able to register every movement inside us.

Inner life is the liveliest ‘Book’ we can have. Through dreams we receive directions and advice from parts of the conscience not yet linked with the physical conscience. It is important to build the links called ‘inner bridges’; until we don’t have them, though, we must make the most of the inner suggestions after checking on their reliability. The moral is that when the suggestion arrives we must decide if we want to welcome it and realize it or reject it and forget it. Here we are back on the subject of choices.

Life is a continuous source of occasions that we accept or reject more or less consciously. When we choose, we add or remove something from our lives. If we do it without controlling its effects, we have free choice, which is not Free Will, although they seem similar in many aspects. Free choice is not conscious of the future; it is based on the approximation, doubts and uncertainties of attempts with an unpredictable result. Free Will, on the other hand, is pure consciousness.

Athos A. Altomonte