Theories on the meanings of dreams are older than the profession of psychiatry itself. Dreams reach back to pre-biblical times, reflected and alluded to in ancient texts and artworks. In ancient times dreams were believed to be a window through which the supernatural and gods communicated with the living.

Some sleep researchers agree that dreams are one of the gateways to our subconscious mind. Many researchers believe that interpreting the symbology in your dreams can help to uncover answers and understanding in your waking life.

Many people believe that there are messages in their dreams that can not be received or understood when awake. Others believe that future events can be foreshadowed through the imagery of dreams.

How do we use the age old tool of dreams in our daily lives? Without meaning anything, dreams can help us process and sort through the material in our lives. When we dream in REM sleep our brain waves are working at a low frequency allowing all hemispheres of the brain to communicate.

As a gateway to the subconscious mind, dreams can be used as tools to understand difficult situations or uncover the solutions to problems. Those who report being able to utilize their dreams for this purpose do so by setting an agenda for the dream before sleeping. As they fall asleep, they ask their subconscious mind in very clear terms to provide an answer to their question. Focusing on this question as one falls into deep sleep is meant to open up the subconscious mind to produce answers.

Dreaming is universal and most of the world's human inhabitants have remembered or experienced at lest one dream. There are dream types that are more common than others universally. Teeth falling out, recurring dreams, dreams of being chased, and flying dreams are all dream archetypes reported throughout the world.

Dream dictionaries can be helpful in discovering what your dreams are trying to tell you. The drawback is that the dream dictionaries categorize and interpret the symbolism of dreams based on widely experienced human emotions. For this reason it is necessary to consider your individual situation and reality in addition to the larger symbolism of your dreams to truly decode your dreams with meaning.

By Trevor Johnson

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http://EzineArticles.com/?Decoding-the-Meanings-of-Dreams&id=1923764

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Is Success Killing Your Dreams?
“A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men”
Proverbs 18:16 (www.christianwalktoday.com)

How do you differentiate between your gift and your talents or skills?
Gift - 1) something you have a true passion for and could do 24/7 with or without reward or recognition. 2) the thought of never doing “this” makes you sad/depressed and you can’t imagine “this” not being a part of your life.

Talent - 1) you do this because you can 2) you have to be rewarded/compensated/recognized for it 3) if you do it, cool. If you don’t, you wouldn’t miss it.

Your talents are an illusion and can create a perception of truth. Also, your talents can be “dated”. You may possess a skill set that is in demand today and you can not give it away tomorrow. But your gift flows from you and through you effortlessly and never dries up, fade away, runs out, or ends. (”For the gifts and the calling of GOD are irrevocable“) Romans 11:29 (NKJV)

It’s time for all of us to LIVE and not just exist. Everything you need is already in you. (”You are already full! You are already rich!…“) 1 Corinthians 4:8 (NKJV)

To be in a position to “receive” what your gift is you must have the faith to believe GOD has a plan for your life. Then take the time to identify what would you do for free, would never get tired of doing, and it brings you joy, even when it comes with struggles and challenges.

To live in your gift, you must trust and believe that GOD will provide. You have to know that you will receive the provisions you need and the wisdom to make adjustments in your life to accommodate the changes in your career, your time, your friends, and/or your location to put you in a position to DO what you love and enjoy your life to the fullest. (”You will succeed in whatever you choose to do, and light will shine on the road ahead of you“) Job 22:28 (New Living Translation).  Visit www.christianwalktoday.com to view part 1 of this message. 

If not now, WHEN…

Christian Walk Today, Sheri Riley

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Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/christianity-articles/is-success-killing-your-dreams-1061810.html

We all dream. I believe that dreams can contain valid messages from God. In order for us to understand these messages, we must interpret our dreams. Below are seven foundational principles for interpreting dreams:

1. Most dreams are symbolic (including biblical dreams), so view them the same way you would view a political cartoon. Throw the switch in your brain that says, “Look at this symbolically.”

You can learn the art of communicating symbolically by playing the game “Pictionary” or “Bible Pictionary.”

2. The symbols will come from the dreamer’s life, so ask, “What does this symbol mean to me?” or, if working on another’s dream, ask, “What does this symbol mean to you?”

For example, Joseph was a shepherd, and he dreamed of sheaves and sun, moon and stars bowing down (Gen. 37:1-11). These images surround a shepherd boy who lives in the fields. Nebuchadnezzar, a king, dreamed of statues of gold (Dan 2:31ff), which surround kings who live in palaces.

3. The dream generally speaks of the concerns which your heart is currently facing. So ask, “What issues was I processing the day before I had the dream?”

For example, Paul was wondering where to go next on his missionary journey and had a dream of a Macedonian man motioning for him to come on over (Acts 16:6-11). Nebuchadnezzar was thinking his kingdom would go on forever (Dan. 4:28-33) and he had a dream of a tree being chopped off at the roots (Dan. 4:9-27). Once you know the thoughts that were on the dreamer’s heart when he fell asleep, it is much easier to draw out the meaning of the dream.

4. The meaning of the dream must be drawn from the dreamer. Realize you know nothing about the dream, but through dependence upon the Holy Spirit and the skillful use of questions, you can draw the meaning of the dream out from the heart of the dreamer.

As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams (Dan. 1:17).

Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out (Prov. 20:5).

5. The dreamer’s heart will leap and “witness” and say, “Aha!” when it hears the right interpretation, so never accept an interpretation that does not bear witness in the dreamer’s heart.

6. Dreams reveal but do not condemn. Their goal is to preserve life, not to destroy it (Job 33:13-18).

7. Never make a major decision in your life based only on a dream without receiving additional confirmation from the other ways that God speaks to us and guides us (peace in our hearts, the counsel of others, illumined Scriptures, God’s still small voice, prophecy, anointed reasoning, etc.).

As I discuss in the classes of the Christian University and Online Bible College where I teach, dreams can help us to understand certain aspects of our lives, gain direction and guidance for decisions, and contain messages from God. So, it is good to take the time to recall and interpret our dreams.

Mark Virkler is with Christian Leadership University. CLU is a Christian University and Online Bible College offering Christian education including Christian counseling and Christian theology seminaries and offers certificates, undergrad, Masters, and Doctorates in the various Christian colleges of CLU.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/christianity-articles/seven-foundational-principles-for-interpreting-dreams-1062469.html

In our waking life, we go to places for a reason. We go to the cinema to watch a film (and possibly to hold hands with our date), we go to the park to take the day off and play a ballgame with friends (or ogle good-looking people), we go to the beach to dig our toes in the sand and take a dip in the waters (or again, ogle good-looking people). There is always a reason, one way or another.

In these days of busy lifestyle, few of us waste time going to places where we have no business. Which is why we should be thankful that when we dream, we have the luxury of going to places we have never been before.

And, just as in our waking life, it follows then that the places we go to in our dreams have an underlying meaning as well. Below is part two of Dream Interpretations of venues you find yourself in during your sleep.

Desert

Ordinarily, deserts are barren and lonely places. In a dream, they imply a state of being lost and wanting to arrive home or be found. But the great spaciousness and emptiness of the desert landscape can also be beneficial; it signals a silence and meditation your life may be needing.

Airplane

Airplanes symbolize flight, freedom, and escape from the mundane. So if you dream of being in an airplane, whether or not you have a fear of heights, it just means you need to face those fears of the unknown and be thankful for their possibilities. If you dream of being the pilot, then this is a good sign: it is an undertaking and journey which you have taken complete control of.

Backyard

Backyards are fenced-in spaces outside our houses which we don't want neighbors to see, or intruders to trespass. Thus, to dream of sweeping in a backyard, for instance, means you want to cleanse that part of you which you fear is laid bare to the public.

Bridge

Crossing a bridge means an inevitable transition in your life, a shift in lifestyle, belief, location, relationship, etc. Observe the sturdiness of the bridge, or if it shakes under your weight. Also, look at the water below if it's calm or treacherous, or if it is an abyss instead. All these are signs of your readiness to cross over.

Church

Church are obviously holy places, which in a dream means you are reevaluating your life and want to lead a more spiritual one. Dreams of being inside a church always is a sign of good luck. An alternative interpretation is that you are questioning authority in your life, as churches and religion in general operate on authority.

Kitchen

Kitchens in dreams evoke either hunger, not just for physical nourishment, but spiritual as well. If you dream of yourself cooking in a kitchen, filling the room with a warm, inviting aroma, it just means you are taking an active role in your life.

Hell

We all have our personal versions of hell, and it does not necessarily have to be the commonly-thought of underground place with burning sulfur and demons with spears. If you dream of being in a hellish place, you could be feeling guilt from a sin you may have committed, or else, it is a premature punishment you are imposing on yourself, even if you haven't really done anything wrong in the first place. Hell is a place of self-censorship, so take it easy on yourself.

Hospital

It depends whether you are the one confined in a hospital, or you are only visiting a sick friend. Hospitals in dreams are signs that make us aware of our mortality, and of course, our health. Also, a sense of authority and properness operates inside a hospital (uniforms, schedules, SOP's, dosages, doctor's orders, etc), and your little visit there in your dream implies a confrontation with authority you might be avoiding or looking forward to.

Field

Is it a barren field, or a lush green one? To dream of spacious fields imply a whole world of possibilities and potential for you, as if the ground is all prepared for new plantings. Then again, the saying “the grass is always greener on the other side” can also come into play here.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/motivational-articles/dream-interpretation-of-places-in-your-dreams-part-2-125254.html

Author: Neoli Marcos

About the Author:

Neoli Marcos writes for PsychicGuild

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