Do You Listen to Your Dreams?
By James and Robin Capers
Dreams are a language of communication (Jung, 1964). That language is composed of symbols. Some dream symbols are smells, emotions, and sounds but most are visual.
Dreams take place in the mind. Not the conscious mind but the less conscious mind. Dr. Sigmund Freud called the less conscious mind the subconscious. Dr. Carl Jung called it the unconscious.
The language of the unconscious mind is intentionally not processed through the logical, left hemisphere nor the creative, right hemisphere of our brain. Dream language is informal and less structured, but it is still a language, and its purpose is communication.
Some people regard dreams as a very real means for God to communicate with humankind. About one-third of Jewish and Christian Bibles’ content recounts dreams, visions, and the resultant actions of the people who believed their dream and vision messages (Riffel, 1990). Between the 9th and 5th centuries BC, Prophet Joel quoted God:
(2:28) After this, I will pour out my Spirit on all humanity. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. (Complete Jewish Bible, Joel 3:1)
In the 5th to 4th centuries BCE, Plato had a strong understanding of the spirit realm and incorporated it into his philosophies (Republic, 439 e3–4). Unfortunately, as happens cyclically through time, students begin to think they are smarter than their elders, whom they consider superstitious rather than logical. Why does this happen?
It appears to happen because students follow the teachings of Aristotle, the student of Plato who was the student of Socrates. Aristotle limited knowledge. He premised that valid knowledge is only attainable through tangible means such as the five senses and reason (Riffel, 1990).
Since the Dark Ages, Western society has bought into Aristotle’s philosophy with its denial of anything that cannot be observed with the five senses or reason (Riffel, 1990). Those denying the spirit realm have included leaders of the Christian religion. This begins with the pope as the seat and controlling authority of Roman Catholicism and the Western world. This resulted in Western society regarding dreams as meaningless and increasingly considering the spiritual realm invalid.
By the 1800s and in the early stages of limited Aristotelian thinking, even Freud held the belief that dreams are simply random thoughts (Jung, 1964). However, his colleague, Jung, realized that one of his dreams had nothing to do with Freud’s interpretation (Jung, 1964). From that initial insight, Jung began considering his dreams had continuity and purpose.
Jung developed and taught the concept that dreams are the unconscious mind’s method of bringing balance to the psyche. He determined the characters in our dreams most often represent different parts of our personalities (Riffel, 1990). To Jung, dreams have value and meaning when we learn to interpret their symbols and thus identify our out-of-balance parts.
In modern times, increasing numbers of people believe their dreams are communications from God (Riffel, 1990). This perception and belief have ignited passion and desire within these individuals to accomplish feats of significance.
Interestingly, Robert Lewis Stevenson wrote a book based on one of his dreams (Riffel, 1990). Einstein attributed his mathematics- and physics-shattering theory of relativity to a childhood dream. In the realm of warfare and the welfare of thousands or even millions of lives, General Patton received military direction from dreams.
Jung said, “Eternal truth needs a human language that alters with the spirit of the times” (Jung, 1966, ¶ 396, p. 196). In our present world, entire societies exist that hold dreams in such high regard that they share theirs communally (Riffel, 1990). This is evidenced in Western society by the increasing use of dreams and dream symbology in the fine and film arts.
References
Jung, C. G. (1964). Man and his symbols. London: Aldus Books.
Jung, C. G. (1966). XVI: The Practice of Psychotherapy. NJ: Princeton University Press.
Plato (n.d.). Republic IV.
Riffel, H. (1990). Dreams: Wisdom within: Unlocking the mysteries of the dream world. Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image.