An omen of trouble among those around you. Watch carefully and help if you can.
Give tangible assistance, if possible; otherwise lend a sympathetic ear.
If one’s eyelids have little skin, or if they are bleared, or if they develop sores in the dream, they represent difficulties, agony, anger, sickness or distress. Eyelids in a dream also represent one’s defenses and protection. They also represent one’s teacher, brothers, sisters, family, wife, children, coffer, veil, guards, confidant or trustees. Eyelids in a dream also mean something to be overlooked. Having bleared eyelids in a dream means being in love. Ifone’s eyes are interpreted to represent his wealth, then they mean protection, or paying alms tax.
If the outer edge of the eyelid turns white in a dream, it means an illness affecting one’s head, eyes or ears.
(Also see Body’)... eyelid dream meaning
If a blind person smears his eyes with kohl in a dream, it means that he will miraculously recover his sight.
If one smears his eyes with a silver-white powdered mixture or antimony in a dream, it means that he will have two wives. 246 If one coats his eyelids with butter or lather in a dream, it means that he is pursuing an unlawful heterosexual, or a loathsome homosexual relationship. Beautifying childrens’ eyes with other than kohl or antimony in a dream means molesting them.
If one uses kohl as medicine for his eyes in a dream, it means that he will correct his religious performance and commit his life to a godly cause.
If his intention is made to beautify himself with kohl in the dream, it means that he is seeking material success, or worldly promotion.
If someone smears one’s eyes with kohl to the degree of blinding him in the dream, it means that he will defraud him of some money.
If a virgin girl or a widow places kohl over her eyelids in a dream, it means her marriage. Coating or encrusting one’s eyes with blood or ashes in a dream means corruption and a non-acceptable marriage, or an illegal marriage.
(Also see Makeup)... kohl dream meaning
The lower lip has more advantages than the upper lip in a dream.
The upper lip represents a close friend, or someone one depends on in everything. Anything that affects one’s lips in a dream, will manifest in any ofthe above. Lips in a dream also represent one’s wife, child, or relatives.
If one suffers pain from his lips in a dream, it means that such pain will come from one’s friends.
If one’s lips are chopped off in the dream, it means that he engages in backbiting others.
If only the lower lip is chopped off in the dream, it means that one may lose a helper or a provider.
If the upper lip is missing in a dream, it means that one’s life is void of blessings.
If the lower lip is missing in the dream, then it represents a dying wife.
If the upper lip is split in one’s dream, it denotes double the effects concerning the person who is understood to be meant in the dream.
If the lower lip is split or chapped in the dream, it means conducting a secret relationship with two women.lfit is the upper lip, it means having two friends.lfhis chapped lips heal in the dream, then it means reconciliation between two friends, or winning their consent regarding one’s opinion or decision.
If one’s upper lip is cut off in a dream, it means severing relationship with a close friend. Lips in a dream also denote relatives or kinship. Lips in a dream also mean recovering from an illness, or forcing ajealous friend to follow one’s directives, or hearing good news that will heal one’s heart. Lips in a dream also represent a door attendant, boys, guards, locks, knowledge, guidance, food, drinks, marriage, happiness, sadness, or keeping secrets. Having no lips in a dream means loosing any of the above, or one’s dream could mean a broken door, or loosing one’s keys, or perhaps it could mean the death of one’s parents, husband or wife. Lips in a dream also represent the livelihood of singers or musicians who play wind instruments for a living, or the livelihood of a glass blower.
If one’s lips look thin and rosy in a dream, they denote clarity of speech, guidance, good food, good drink and happiness. Thick lips with black or blue color in a dream represent laziness, languor, failure to present a verifiable proofor to bring a strong witness, or they could mean discomfort, or difficulty in earning one’s livelihood.
If a sick person sees his lips black or blue in a dream, it could mean his death. Closed lips in a dream represent one’s eyelids, a vagina, the anus, the banks of a river or a well.
(Also see Body’)... lips dream meaning
A stronger interpretation is to say that one who sees God’s Prophet (uwbp) in a dream has seen him in reality however his resemblance may appear. Whether the resemblance in the dream is known or not.” In a separate commentary, Shaikh Al-Baqlani added : “What AI-Qiigi ‘Iyaghas said does not contradict what ImamAl-Nawa wi has said.” This is because the first dream does not require interpretation, according to AI-Qagi ‘Iyag. In the second type of dream, that is discussed in Imam Al-Nawawi’s comments, one’s dream does require interpretation or analysis. This is to mean that since no Satan can impersonate God’s Prophet (uwbp), then whatever appearance he displays in one’s dream is true.
The meaning of God’s prophet’s saying : “For Satan cannot impersonate me,” implies that since God’s guardianship (‘Isma) is inviolable, and since God’s Prophet, upon whom be peace, is sacrosanct, then as he was protected during the time of delivering God’s message to humanity, he is still protected by the same guardianship after God Almighty took him back to Himself. Thus, whoever sees God’s Prophet (uwbp) in any appearance in a dream, it is as if has seen him in reality, regardless whether one sees him as a young man, or at the time of delivering his message, or as an old person.
If one sees him looking old in a dream, it means peace. Ifone sees him looking young in a dream, it means war.
If one sees him smiling in a dream, it means that one is truly emulating his traditions. Seeing God’s Prophet (uwbp) in his known and recognized appearance in a dream means that the one seeing the dream is a pious person, that his integrity is inviolable, and that his success is unquestionable. Seeing him (uwbp) in a dream frowning represents the ill state of the one seeing the dream. denotes the good religious standing of the person seeing the dream. Seeing him with some disfeatures in a dream, a deficiency or distortion in one’s application of his religious duties, for God’s Prophet (uwbp) is like a mirror that portrays the one standing before it.” In this sense, the person seeing the dream can God bless his soul. Like that, in the book of’Sh,arh al-Sh,ama-il’ of Imam AlTirmithi, it is also stated that Satan cannot impersonate God Almighty, His signs, prophets or angels. Ifsomeone suffering from distress sees God’s Prophet (uwbp) in a dream, it means that his difficulties will be removed.
If a prisoner sees him in a dream, it means that he will be released form prison. Ifone is living at a time of economic chaos, and if high prices are exploiting the people of the land, or if injustice is tyrannizing everyone, then seeing God’s Prophet, upon whom be peace, in a dream represents an end to such adversities. Seeing him in his beautiful, radiant and impeccable appearance as best described by his companions in a dream means glad tidings of attaining a successful conclusion to one’s life in this world and in the hereafter.
The state and clarity of one’s heart and how well polished is his own mirror determines in what appearance he may see him, upon whom be peace.
If God’s Prophet (uwbp) comes toward someone in a dream, or leads him in prayers, or if one sees himself accompanying him on the road, or if one eats something sweet from his blessed hand, or receives a cloak, or a suitable shirt, or if God’s Prophet promises him something, or prays for him, then if the one seeing the dream qualifies for leadership, and if he is a righteous and ajust man who commands what is good and forbids what is evil, and ifhe is learned and practices what he knows, and ifhe is a pious worshipper and a devout Muslim, he will then attain the station and company of the blessed ones.
If the one who sees the dream is a disobedient servant of God Almighty, it means that he will repent for his sins and return to his Lord.
If he is living in heedlessness, it means that he will be guided. Perhaps, he might attain his goals in acquiring knowledge, or learn how to reconstruct his innermost being to befit a human being who is grateful to his Lord. Ifone is fearing oppression, persecution, or loss of his property and wealth sees him (uwbp) in a dream, it means putting an end to such fears, for he is the best of intercessors to restore anyone before God Almighty. Ifone who follows innovations sees God’s Prophet (uwbp) in a dream, it means that he should fear God Almighty, heed to His warnings and correct himself and particularly if he sees Him (uwbp) walking away from him, or turning his back to him. Seeing God’s Prophet (uwbp) in a dream also means receiving glad tidings and happy news, or it could signify justice, establishing the truth, fulfillment of a promise, reaching a high rank amongthe members ofone’s family, or perhaps it could mean that one may suffer from their envy and jealousy, or leave his homeland and migrate to another country, or it could mean that he may lose his parents and become an orphan. Seeing him (uwbp) in a dream also could mean seeing miraculous events (Karamat), for his companions witnessed and testified to a deer greeting him, a camel who kissed his foot, the broiled leg of mutton talking to him, trees moving to give him cover, pebbles glorifying God’s praises in his hand, among countless miracles, including his Nocturnal Journey and ascension (Mi’raj) to the heavens to meet his Lord.
If an ophthalmologist sees him in a dream, it means that he will acquire great expertise in his field and become renowned in the land, for God’s prophet upon whom be peace, did return the eye of his companion Qutadah to its place and made his sight sharper than it was by God’s leave, after Qutadah had lost his eye during one of the battles with the unbelievers.
If a traveller in the desert sees God’s Prophet (uwbp) in a dream, or if there is drought somewhere, it means that rain will fall and springs will gush forth, as water gushed from between his blessed fingers when he placed his blessed hand over a half filled cup to quench the thirst of an entire army. Ifcalamities, starvation and drought has befallen a land and someone sees Him (uwbp) in a dream, it means that such calamities will be lifted and life will return to normal in that place.
If a woman sees him in a dream, it means that she will reach a high spiritual station, honor, righteousness, chastity, trustworthiness and perhaps be given a blessed progeny, or if she is wealthy, it means that she will spend her wealth on God’s path. Seeing him (uwbp) in a dream also means facing adversities, bearing patience and suffering from one’s enemy.
If an orphan sees him (uwbp) in a dream, it means that he will reach an exalted station and the same goes if a foreigner sees him in his dream.
If a physician sees him (uwbp) in a dream, it means that people will benefit from his medicine. Seeinghim (uwbp) in a dream also meansvictory over one’s enemy, or consolidating and paying one’s debts, or recovering from an illness, or attending a pilgrimage to God’s House in Mecca, or triumphing over one’s trials, or cessation of one’s adversities, or fertility of a barren land, or the pregnancy of a barren woman.
If a visitor to his mosque sees himself in a dream coming before God’s Prophet (uwbp) and finds him standing up, it denotes one’s correct religious standing, and it means that he will have commanding authority over the Imam of his time. Ifone finds him (uwbp) deceased in the dream, it means that a noble person from the family of the person seeing the dream will shortly die. Ifone sees the funeral of God’s Prophet (uwbp) in a dream, it means that a calamity will befall that country. Following his funeral procession up to his grave (uwbp) in a dream means that the person seeing the dream will yield to innovations. Visiting his grave (uwbp) in a dream means receiving a great treasure.
If one sees himself as the son of God’s Prophet (uwbp) in a dream, and even if one is not one of his descendents, it denotes one’s sincerity, true faith and certitude. Seeing God’s Prophet (uwbp) by one person does not exclude the remainder of the believers, but the blessings encompass all of them. Receiving something from him (uwbp) such as food or a drink in a dream means benefits and profits.
If one receives food which substance connotes negative circumstances, such as a melon or the like elements in a dream, it means that one will escape from a great danger, though he will toil and suffer from hardships during his trials.
If one sees that one of the limbs that belong to God’s Prophet (uwbp) has become his own in a dream, it means that he is following innovation and making changes in the laws God’s Prophet (uwbp) brought to humankind.
If one sees himself in a dream embodying the form of God’s Prophet, upon whom be peace, or wearing one of his garments, or receives his ring, or sword, then if the person is seeking to govern, he will attain that and the people will accept his leadership.
If one is suffering from persecution, or humiliation in the land, then seeing God’s Prophet (uwbp) standing in a dream means that God Almighty will grant him victory and make him rise above his enemies.
If one is poor, his needs will be satisfied, or if he is unmarried, he will get married.
If one sees him (uwbp) in a ruined place in a dream, it means that such a place will be rebuilt. Ifone enters a room and finds him (uwbp) sitting there in a dream, it means that a miraculous sign, or a major event will take place in such a locality. Ifone sees him (uwbp) making the call to prayers in a dream, it means that prosperity will spread in that place.
If one sees him establishing the prayers (lqamah) in a dream, it means that the Muslims will reunite and dispel their differences. Ifone sees him (uwbp) placing kohl over his eyelids in a dream, it means that he will find safety and correct his religious stand, or it could mean that one will study and become a scholar in the field of the prophetic sayings (Ah.adrth).
If a pregnant woman sees him (uwbp) in a dream, it means that she will beget a son. Ifone sees him (uwbp) having a black beard with no gray hair in it in a dream, it will bring happiness, joy and prosperity to one’s life.
If God’s Prophet (uwbp) is seen as an old man in a dream, it means strength in one’s life and victory over one’s enemy. Seeing him (uwbp) in his most exalted state in a dream means that the Imam, or the ruler of the country will rise in station and that his authority will expand.
If one sees his blessed neck wide, it means that the Imam is holding firmly to his trust. Ifone sees him (uwbp) having a large chest in a dream, it means that the Imam or the ruler of the country is generous toward his subjects. Ifone sees his blessed stomach (uwbp) empty in a dream, it means that the treasury of the country is empty. Ifone sees his right hand closed in a dream, it means that the Imam or the ruler of the country does not pay his employees, or distribute the collected alms tax.
If one sees his blessed right hand (uwbp) open in a dream, it denotes the generosity of the ruler and his compliance with the distribution of charities and alms tax as prescribed in God’s book.
If his hands are locked together in a dream, it means complications in the life of the Imam, or the ruler of the country.
The same will affect the life of the person seeing the dream, including suffering from distress and adversities.
If one sees his blessed leg beautiful and hairy in a dream, it means that one’s clan will become stronger, and his tribe will grow.
If one sees the blessed thighs of God’s Prophet tall in a dream, it denotes longevity of the Imamor the ruler of the country. Ifone sees him (uwbp) standing in the midst of soldiers and everyone is laughingandjoking in a dream, it means that the Muslim army will be defeated and humiliated in a war.lfhe is seen with a small army that is ill equipped and everyone is looking down in the dream, it means that the Muslim army will triumph in that year. Ifone sees him (uwbp) combing his blessed hair and beard in a dream, It means that one’s distress and adversities will be dispelled. Seeing him (uwbp) in his own mosque, or in any mosque, or in his usual place in a dream it means gaining power and honor.
If one sees him standing in the midst of his companions delivering a revelation in a dream, it means that one will acquire a greater knowledge, wisdom and spiritual understanding. Seeing the grave of God’s Prophet (uwbp) in a dream means prosperity and profits for a merchant, or the release ofa prisoner from his jail. Seeingoneselfin a dream as the father of God’s Prophet (uwbp) means that one’s faith will diminish and his certitude will weaken.
If a woman sees herself in a dream as one of the wives of God’s Prophet (uwbp), it represents her growingfaith. Ifone sees him (uwbp) looking into one’s affairs in a dream, it means that God’s Prophet (uwbp) is admonishing the one seeing the dream and commanding him to render his wife her due rights.
To walk behind him (uwbp) in a dream means following his (Sunnah) traditions in wakefulness.
To eat with him (uwbp) in a dream means that one is commanded to pay the annual alms tax (Islamic law) due over one’s money making assets, or liquid assets, gold, silver,jewelry, savings, etcetera, excepting one’s home or vehicle. Ifone sees God’s Prophet (uwbp) eating alone in a dream, it means that the one seeing the dream refuses to give charities and disdains to help those who ask for his help. In this sense, it is as if God’s Prophet, upon whom be peace, is commanding the person to give charities and to help the needy. Ifone sees him (uwbp) bare footed in a dream, it means that one has neglected to do his regular prayers.
To see him (uwbp) and to shake hands with him in a dream means that one is truly his follower.
If one sees his blood mixed with that of God’s Prophet (uwbp) in a dream, it means that one will marry a woman from among his descendents, or that one will marry the daughter of a great religious scholar.
If God’s Prophet (uwbp) gives someone some type of greens or herbs in a dream, it means that one will escape from a great danger.
If he (uwbp) gives him something fresh or honey in the dream, it means that one will learn the Holy Qur’iin and acquire a great knowledge and wisdom according to the amount he receives in his dream.
If one returns the gift to God’s Prophet (uwbp) it means that he will follow innovation.
To see him (uwbp) delivering a sermon in a dream means that he is commanding people to do good and to eschew evil. Ifone sees the color of his skin (uwbp) tan in a dream, it means that one will think about repenting from his sins and abstain from young people’s ignorance.
If the color of his skin is white in the dream, it means that one will repent for his sins and turn to God Almighty for acceptance.
If he (uwbp) reprimands someone in a dream, it means that one must refrain from innovation and follow the prophetic traditions. Ifone finds that God’s Prophet (uwbp) has died in a specific location in a dream, it means that the person seeing the dream will die in that same place and God knows best.
(Also see Visiting holy sites)... muhammad dream meaning
What happens when we sleep?
Why do we sleep? The answer is not as simple as it seems. We sleep so that our body can rest, we think at first. However, science has not been able to prove concretely that sleep is necessary for physical recuperation of the body. Experiments performed on rats have proven that when deprived of sleep, these animals die.
But human nature is not as simple as that of rats. Everyone knows people who barely sleep. The most extreme case, published in some scientific magazines, is that of a man who claims not to have slept since contracting a serious illness. In a similar vein, some individuals with a highly developed spirituality are able to remain conscious all night. We’re not referring to a student during exam time drinking coffee or taking stimulants to stay awake more than twenty-four hours straight. We’re talking about people who can achieve advanced levels of relaxation through deep meditation.
It is known that anxiety and lack of concentration increase considerably after a night or two without sleep. One theory related to sleep affirms that we sleep to conserve energy. However, another suggests that we rest to conserve our food stores, since when we lose consciousness, we repress the hunger mechanism.
How much do we sleep?
Sleep at different ages
In the course of his life, a person has, on average, 300,000 dreams. As we age, both the time we spend sleeping and the time we spend dreaming decrease gradually.
Newborns sleep almost all day, alternating hours of sleep with short spells of wakefulness. By one year of age, they sleep fewer sessions but for longer in total: they have cycles of 90 minutes of sleep followed by another 90 minutes of waking time. Gradually, the child will sleep more at night and less during the day. By 9 years of age, most need between 9 and 12 hours of sleep a day.
The average for an adult is between 7 and 8.5 hours. But after age 70, we return to the sleep phases of childhood and sleep fewer hours continuously.
There are arguments that even claim we have slept since ancient times in order to appear a less tasty snack for nocturnal predators (when we sleep, our body looks like a corpse).
There are theories to suit everyone, but we shouldn’t forget the fundamental: for almost all of us, sleeping is a relaxing and pleasant experience that lasts between six and eight hours each night, an experience that is utterly necessary to “recharge the batteries” of our bodies.
It’s no coincidence that we choose nighttime to sleep. In the darkness our vision is reduced, the world becomes strange, and as a result, our imagination runs wild. Our minds remain occupied with images (that is, dreams). At night, our eyes don’t work, but we have a need to create images. If for some reason we are deprived of sleep, the following nights our dream production increases, since we spend more time in the REM phase (the period of sleep when oneiric thoughts are most active). Therefore it seems evident that we need dreams to live.
Some ancient civilizations believed that dreaming served, more than anything, to be able to dream. They were convinced that oneiric activity wasn’t the result of sleeping, but rather the reason for it. Some scientists, however, don’t share the theories of our ancestors when it comes to the reason behind our dreams.
There is a scientific school of thought that asserts that oneiric thoughts are simply a neurophysiological activity that comes with sleep. According to this theory, when we sleep we generate spontaneous signals that stimulate the sensory channels in the mind. The brain transforms these signals into visual images and induces the dreamer to believe that he is living real experiences.
Up to that point, perfect. But, why do dreams have such an interesting narrative? Why do they so often express metaphoric language? Why do they narrate stories that directly affect us? There is no concrete or scientific answer to these questions.
Percentages of REM sleep
Cold-blooded animals never dream; the cold temperatures at night cause them to hibernate and all their vital functions, including the brain, slow down. Only when the sun comes out or the temperature rises to an acceptable level do they recuperate all vital functions. The only cold-blooded animal that has shown signs of dreaming is the chameleon.
On the other hand, we know all warm-blooded animals dream, since REM-phase activity has been detected in all of them. Birds dream only about 0.5% of the time they spend asleep, while humans dream up to 20% of the time. There are exceptional cases, such as that of the Australian platypus, that never dream.
Other theories suggest that dreams serve to eliminate unnecessary facts from memory, since we can’t store everything that happens every day. According to this thesis, at night we erase the “archives” we don’t need, just like a computer. The sleeping mind tests the process of erasing in the form of dreams, which would explain why they’re so difficult to remember. There are obvious limitations to this theory if you keep in mind that, occasionally, oneiric thoughts work creatively (they go beyond the information that we give them). These don’t have much to do with the merely “hygienic” function that the aforementioned scientific community claims. Often, dreams don’t eliminate the useless leftovers of daily experiences. Quite the opposite: they give them a surprising new shape, so when we wake up, we can reflect more deeply on their meaning.
The phases of sleep
Even though we don’t realize it, when we sleep at night we pass through four different phases of sleep. Each phase is distinguished by the deepness of sleep. That is, when we are in phase 1, it is a fairly light sleep; during phase 4, we reach maximum intensity.
When we go to sleep, we enter a period in which we gradually pull away from the exterior world. Little by little, our sleep deepens until finally (phase 4) our breathing slows and becomes regular, our cardiac rhythm slows down, and our body temperature decreases. Therefore the body’s metabolism also reduces its activity.
More or less an hour after falling asleep, your body has already gone through the four phases. At this point you begin to go back through the levels until you return to phase 1. This brings along an increase in respiratory and cardiac rhythm. Parallel to this, brain waves once again start to register an activity close to that of consciousness. You are therefore in a moment of transition, demonstrated by the fact that at this point the body tends to change position.
All signs indicate that any noise might wake us. But that’s not the case: since your muscle tone has been reduced, this is actually the moment when it’s most difficult to regain consciousness. At the same time, your eyes begin to move behind your eyelids (up and down and side to side). This ocular phenomenon, which anyone can observe easily, is known as the REM phases, which stands for “rapid eye movement.”
Certain areas of the brain are associated with different functions and human skills, translating external sensory stimuli into a well-organized picture of the world. In dreams, those same stimuli produce different reactions. If a sleeping person hears a sound or touches something repulsive, those stimuli will probably be integrated into their dream before they wake up.
The REM phase
The REM phase is particularly important for those interested in dreams. All studies indicate that during this brief spell (from five to ten minutes) we typically experience the most intense oneiric activity. Some of these studies, done in a sleep laboratory, have observed that eight out of ten individuals relate very vivid dreams when woken up right at the end of the REM phase. These periods alternate at night with what we could call non-REM phases, that is, periods when no ocular movement is registered.
How many times do we reach a REM stage at night? It is estimated that each cycle is repeated four to seven times. As the hours pass, each phase gets longer. This way, the final REM stage might last twenty to forty minutes. On average, an adult enjoys an hour and a half of REM sleep each night, although for older individuals it may be less than an hour and a quarter. Babies, on the other hand, remain in the REM phase for 60 percent of the time they spend asleep.
In any case, let’s make this clear: not all dreams are produced during this period. It has also been demonstrated that humans generate images in other stages. However, these are dreams of a different quality, since during the non-REM phases, our oneiric activity tends to generate only undefined thoughts, vague sensations, etc. Nothing close to the emotional content that characterizes dreams produced in the REM phase.
The oneiric images produced in the most intense phase (REM) are more difficult to remember. One method to remember them consists of waking up just after each REM phase.
As we’ve commented already, those who wish to read their dreams have to first do the work of remembering them. If we want this work to be 100 percent effective, we can use a method that, although uncomfortable, almost never fails: wake up just after every REM phase. If you want to try this method, set your alarm (without music or radio) to go off four, five, six, or seven and a half hours after falling asleep. You can be sure that if you wake up just after one of the REM phases you go through each night, you will enjoy vivid memories.
This is the process used in sleep laboratories, where oneiric activity is studied through encephalographic registry of electrical brain activity.
The people in the study—who are volunteers—sleep connected to machines that register their physiological reactions (brain waves, cardiac rhythm, blood pressure, muscle activity, eye movement, etc).
At certain points during the night, these reactions indicate that, if you wake them, they will be able to tell you what they dreamed. This is because the phase that produces the most intense dreams (REM) is characterized by a physical reaction easily observed: the rapid movement of the eyes of the dreamer.
With this method, sleep laboratories can collect proof of precisely
when subjects are dreaming. And given that oneiric images are difficult to remember, the lab techniques have been a great advance in dream research. Some experts assert that thanks to the scientific advances of the second half of the twentieth century, we have learned more about sleep processes in the last fifty years than in all the history of humanity.
What do we dream?
A wide study done in France on the subject of dreams produced these results:
Hypnagogic images: between waking and sleep
As we’ve seen, throughout the night our sleep is divided into four distinct phases. But what happens just before we sink into the first phase? Are we still awake? Not exactly. In the moments when our mind decides between wakefulness and sleep, we begin to lose contact with the world around us, without the characteristic physiological changes of sleep.
This intermediate point has been called the “hypnagogic state” by psychologists. This is a period when, despite the fact that we’re not asleep, our brains generate images that can sometimes be very beautiful. In some ways, these images rival those found in our dreams.
Hypnagogic images of great visual beauty evaporate like bubbles when we wake up and are barely remembered.
However, the hypnagogic state cannot be considered a truly oneiric state. Among other reasons, the scenes produced in this phase are unrelated to the episodes with a more or less coherent plot that characterize dreams.
In the hypnagogic state we produce unrelated images that hardly connect to each other and that, unlike dreams, are not linked to our daily experiences. This phenomenon occurs not only before sleeping but also in the moments before waking up, when we are not yet conscious enough to be aware of them.
Sometimes, before falling asleep we also experience a curious sensation of floating or flying, or we may see very sharp scenes, with a clarity comparable to that of real visual experiences. These types of images, like dreams, evaporate like bubbles when we wake up and we barely remember them, which is a shame because their beauty slips from our minds. In any case, unlike oneiric thoughts, the hypnagogic state is little use for understanding the messages our subconscious wants to send us, and we should value it more for its beauty than its transcendental content.
Salvador Dali, painter of dreams.
To remember them you must not lose consciousness during the apparition. That is, you must observe the process of the hypnagogic state without falling asleep. It seems simple but it is not, because you must submerge yourself in sleep while the mind remains aware of the events happening in its interior. With a little luck, we can see some of the marvelous “paintings” of our private museum.
The surrealist artists of the 20s and 30s knew all about this. This is how Salvador Dali, fervent lover of hypnagogic scenes, turned to what is known as “the monk’s sleep.” He went to bed with a large iron key in his hand. With the first dream, the key would fall to the floor and he would wake up suddenly. In his mind he recorded the hypnagogic images he would later transfer to the canvas in his masterful style.
The seven “chakras,” or centers of subtle energy in the ayurvedic hindu medicine (1).
The nadis according to Tibetan tradition (2).
The meridians of traditional Chinese medicine (3).
If you have difficulty retaining the hypnagogic state, try centering your attention on a concrete point. For example the “third eye” of the yogis (that is, between your eyes), in the area of the heart, or in the top of the head. These three positions are, according to the philosophy of yoga, the centers of subtle rather than physical energy in the human body. You need a place to direct the mind. Another trick to hold attention without effort is to think abstractly about the name of the object you wish to see. This doesn’t mean you have to “create” the images; you just have to induce its appearance during the hypnagogic state. Entering through meditation is also very useful and beneficial.
Sometimes, the hypnagogic scenes are not as pleasant as we would like, but we must confront them in order to strengthen our ability for self-control. If they persist, try following the previous advice. Think abstractly about the name of what you want to see, resisting the temptation to construct it in a certain way from the conscious mind.
The main advantage of the hypnagogic state is that it brings us progressively closer to our deep Self . . . and all that helps to understand and better benefit from dreams.
The same subject can have very different meanings depending on the circumstances and personal situation of the dreamer.... why do we dream? physiology of dreams dream meaning
The technique of “lucid dreaming”
Broadly speaking, this type of dream permits the dreamer to consciously participate. That is, realize suddenly that they are dreaming and that they can use the elements of the oneiric scene to their advantage or whim. In this aspect, lucid dreams have a greater potential for creativity; it is the ideal occasion to invent, conceive, and formulate without any type of limit or restriction. The main course of these dreams are the curative properties they offer. The life of any individual can be improved by sleeping, since making direct contact with unconscious material makes it easier to discover oneself and progress interiorly.
But what is a lucid dream? You may have experienced it before. You are sleeping and your mind enters into a dream in which a stranger, for example, yells at you to go home. The inverosimile of the situation makes you suddenly say to yourself: “This is a dream.”
Lucid dreams are very stimulating, above all because they allow the dreamer to control their reactions within the oneiric episode, even if it is a nightmare.
Experts define this phenomenon as “prelucid oneiric activity.” But this situation can manifest in a much more evident form. In this case, you not only know you are dreaming, but you can also use your conscious to change the dream as you wish. In the example given, you could ask the stranger who he is, or why he is throwing you out of your own house.
It must be said, however, that oneiric lucidity is not common, even though surveys have reported that 70 percent of people claim to have had this type of dream at some point. It is possible that many are confusing lucid images with prelucid ones, in which they only had the vague sensation of dreaming.
Keeping the conscious awake for a long time as you navigate your oneiric oceans is complicated. When one has lucid dreams, normally you either wake up shortly after, or quickly fall back into an unconscious state. Lucidity is only intermittent. And once you’ve had a dream of this type, it could be years before you experience another one. This exceptional character is why many people consider lucid dreams to be the most stimulating, above all because they allow the dreamer to control their reactions within the oneiric episode, even if it is a nightmare.
Unfortunately, not much is yet known about this type of oneiric process, although it is believed to occur more frequently in the early morning hours, since this time period makes it easier for the individual to realize that the mind is conceiving something improbable or outright impossible (for example, seeing yourself lift an airplane with one hand).
Are lucid dreams beneficial? Of course, since the individual who experiences them, upon realizing their mind is conscious, has the satisfaction of the sensation of freedom increasing as their self-control does. In this sense, some experts go beyond and claim that when one has learned to control oneiric events, it is much easier to solve daily problems and face anxiety. Lucid dreams, therefore, can contribute to our spiritual growth.
In another way, their potential can help us to treat the most terrifying nightmares. Lucidity allows you to face the threatening images in order to understand them, not obliterate them. According to some psychologists, such as the reputable American analyst Gayle Delaney, the best way to deal with a nightmare is not to turn it into a pleasant dream. Quite the contrary, those who dream lucidly have a better option: directly ask the oneiric characters that so terrorizes them what it is they want, or what they represent.
This experience can not only help transform the evil figures into friendly characters, but also allows one to discern what parts of the dreamer’s personality are represented by the original threatening images. With proper training, the individual will report feeling more secure and confident upon waking.
How it all began
The term “lucid dream” was coined by Frederik Van Eeden in 1898, using the word “lucid” in the sense of “mental clarity.” So we can say that a lucid dream is one in which “the dreamer becomes conscious that they are dreaming.” This definition, given by the researcher Celia Green in 1968, is the most widely accepted today. In any case, the
study of this type of dream has been ongoing since Ancient Greece. In the fourth century BC, Aristotle makes the first written reference to a lucid dream in his Treatise on Dreams: “When one is sleeping, there is something in the conscious that reveals that what is present is nothing more than a dream.”
In 415 AD, Saint Augustine used the story of a lucid dream to justify life after death. Later on, in the seventh century, Tibetan Buddhism studies the yoga of dreams, in which the monks train themselves in lucid dreaming as part of their spiritual development. Despite these precedents, the study of lucid dreams, as we understand them today, does not emerge until the nineteenth century, by the hand of Marquis d’Hervey Saint Denys. This researcher published the book Los suenos y como controlarlos (Dreams and how to control them), in 1867. In this, he demonstrated that it is possible to learn to dream consciously. This fact converted him into the founder of the first line of study on lucid dreams, although his discoveries were put into doubt by many researchers afterward.
In lucid dreams we are conscious that we are dreaming.
The sensation that time has passed, in a normal dream, is due to the sudden change of setting. In a lucid dream, however, the critical sense of the dreamer makes them question passing of time they did not live. Much more systematic and objective than Saint Denys, was the English psychologist Mary-Arnold Forster (1861–1951). In her book, Studies in Dreams (1921), she describes techniques of lucidity and control over dreams she herself experienced. The researcher was especially interested in “learning to fly” in lucid dreams, a practice which she had done since childhood.
Another very important aspect of her work was her nightmare therapy. She learned to recognize that her terrifying dreams were “just dreams.” So she helped many children overcome their nightmares through lucid dreaming, teaching them techniques to change an unpleasant dream to a pleasant one. The fact that she criticized many Freudian theories, especially those about pretending and censorship, relegated her brilliance to obscurity. It wasn’t until many years later that the true value of her discoveries was recognized.
Meditation is a good resource to stimulate lucidity in dreams.
Through the techniques of lucid dreaming, we can overcome nightmares by transforming them into pleasant and agreeable dreams.
The lucid dream, today
Modern research on lucidity has advanced a lot in the last fifty years and has come to dismiss old theories. Traditionally, it was thought that dreams happen in a moment, although long stories occurred within them. However, after studying in a lab the subjective experience of the dreamer, in all cases the estimated time of the lucid dream was very close to the real time (LaBerge, 1980–1985). The sensation that more time has passed is due to the sudden changes of scenery during dreams. In 1982, a study by psychologist Stephen LaBerge and William Dement demonstrated that, in the lucid dream, respiration was controlled voluntarily. They confirmed it with three lucid dreamers, who could breathe rapidly or hold their breath during the experiment without suffering any alteration of the dream.
On the other side, one of the most common themes of lucid dreams is sexual activity. LaBerge, Greenleaf, and Kedzierski (1983) completed a pilot experiment on the physiological response in lucid dreams of a sexual nature. The experimental protocol required the lucid dreamer to make ocular signals at the following moments: when he entered lucidity, when the sexual activity of the dream began, and when he experienced orgasm. The investigators discovered that the body reacts the same sexually during a lucid dream as it does while awake.
The situations, characters, or objects that are present in dreams but impossible in real life are precisely those that awaken the dreamer’s critical sense and brings them to lucidity. “The Meaning of Life,” Hipgnosis.
Meditation is also a good resource to stimulate lucidity in dreams. Before going to bed, find a quiet place and sit in a straight chair or on the floor with your legs crossed. Close your eyelids until only a faint fringe of light enters your eyes, or close them entirely if it won’t make you sleepy. Then, try to relax for five minutes (as you practice, you can lengthen the sessions). Concentrate in a single stimulus, focusing your attention on a specific spot. When you finish the exercise, go directly to bed, trying not to lose the relaxation you attained. Meditation will help you concentrate as you sleep, allowing you to recognize the incongruencies in your oneiric thoughts. This is the starting point of lucid dreaming.
Another method for inducing this type of dreams consists of proposing to complete some sort of assignment while you sleep. When dreaming, you will try to finish this job, something that will remind you that the activity you are doing (if you do in fact dream about what you proposed to) is nothing more than a dream.
A variation of this technique (also implies taking on a task) consists of leaving a glass of water in the bathroom and eating something very salty before going to bed. If you follow this method, you are likely to be thirsty but, given that your body is reluctant to get up and go to the bathroom, the displacement will end up incorporated in your dream. The coincidence will make you realize you are dreaming.
When in daily life, if a person, feeling, or thought appears repetitively, there is a greater chance you will dream of it. The content of dreams is always influenced by the content of your day. The more often you do a certain task, the more likely it is to appear in dreams. Therefore, if you ask yourself “am I dreaming?” frequently, you will end up asking this question in dreams. The problem comes when the sensation of reality in dreams is so strong that it tricks you. It is necessary to repeat the reality test we show later on.
Dr. Consuelo Barea notes that there are two primary techniques to induce lucid dreaming at night. It has to do with self suggestion and direct entry into dreams without losing consciousness, which comes from Tibetan yoga.
The number of times that stimuli repeat in a dream has a great impact on the content. However, the same happens with the quality of these stimuli. An event that impresses you, that hits you hard, that causes a big impact, is much more susceptible to appearing in your dreams, even if it only happened once. The way in which people talk to you or in which you receive information can be very suggestive and enter directly into your unconscious.
The prospective memory is a variation of this ability. It consists of giving yourself an order, forgetting it, and then completing it when the opportune moment arrives. We see an example of this memory in people who are able to wake up without an alarm at the hour they want. When the order of oneiric lucidity is given intensely and with force, it can directly reach the unconscious. Some people are able to have a lucid dream just by hearing about it for the first time; this seems interesting, but it’s more useful to educate one’s prospective memory, so that one knows how to give the order effectively.
The process of training in lucid dreaming requires a gradual increase in oneiric experience. It is possible to advance suddenly to a much higher level of lucidity and control but, if this happens by chance, without having worked for it, you will not be able to maintain this achievement. Advances remain fixed when you work for lucidity, persisting with the techniques for induction. Then, the accomplishments are incorporated with your normal oneiric repertoire. In this way, you can reach a point where, in non-lucid dreams, you still act spontaneously, following the lessons learned from lucidity. For example, if you train yourself in lucid dreams to confront an oneiric character that terrorizes you, you will end up responding bravely to this person automatically, even if you are not having a lucid dream.
When in daily life, if a person, feeling, or thought appears repetitively, there is a greater chance we will dream of it; this happens because the content of dreams is very influenced by the content of our waking day. “El voyeur” (The voyeur) (Carles Baró, 1996).
This practice will give you the keys to discover all that worries you in waking life and ends up represented in worry dreams and nightmares. Upon practicing with oneiric lucidity, you will learn to reap maximum benefit from this source of inspiration and creativity.
In the box we show the steps to follow to train yourself in lucid dreaming. The information comes from the studies of Dr. Consuelo Barea that appear in her book El Sueño Lúcido, (The Lucid Dream), published by this same editorial.
Practicing lucidity gives us the keys to discovering everything that worries us and stalks us in nightmares.1. Development of induction techniques. Practice some of the techniques described earlier with the intention of having a lucid dream (for example, self-suggestion). You can practice it during the day, before going to sleep at night, or in the morning before a morning nap.
2. Gradually increase the level of oneiric astonishment.
The objective is to reach Level 3 through practice of the prior techniques.
3. Reality test. Once you’ve reached at least Level 1, you must get used to practicing the reality test in a dream. This can be visual, of laws of physics, or temporal. To do so, question for a moment the reality or coherence of that which you are seeing or what is happening, according to your notion of time and space. If you find something strange in the evaluation of one of these factors, it will set off an alarm for you.
4. Prolongation of lucidity. Once you’ve reached lucidity, you must extend the time as much as possible to better obtain more information. The way to do this is by internal dialogue with the people in the oneiric scene, and with the thoughts you have during the dream.
5. Control. When you’ve achieved lucidity for a while and it seems like it will continue, you can begin to practice control:
The Kabbalists associate dreams with the central symbol of their tradition: the Tree of Life. “Tree of Life” (Gustav Klimt, 1909).... lucid dreaming dream meaning
If you see yourself fishing, what did you catch? A small fish indicates small Booty: a big fish, big booty.
The fisherman is trying to catch the content of the soul. Since ancient times, in China fish have been a sign of fertility. As far back as Babylonian times, fish appearing in dreams were considered phallic symbols. According to 2nd century dream interpreter Artemidorus, a dead fish represents lost hope.
The fish is also a Christian symbol.
The point when Spring entered the constellation of the fish coincided with the beginning of Christianity.
The salmon of wisdom is part of Irish mythology.
In psychoanalysis, the fish is a symbol of male sexuality- According to Jung, if you are the fish, you can renew yourself in the Water (emotions). Also, according to Jungian psychoanalysis, the fish is the symbol of wholeness. It symbolizes the total person of the dreamer and, more to the point, the emotional side of sexuality. Jung also believed that fish are like thoughts and hunches, which surface from the unconscious.
(In the fairy tale “The Fisherman and His Wife,” we find the 44 wishing-fish.”)... fish / fisherman / fishing dream meaning
If they are green, however, it is likely that you harbor feelings of envy. (See GLASSES)
In the mystical tradition, the eyes are a symbol of higher consciousness.
It is believed that people have a third eye located above the eyebrows, in the center of the forehead. It perceives other dimensions and spiritual realities. In fact, it coincides in its placement with the gland of the brain that produces the chemicals to control consciousness. Many say that, centuries ago, this eye was real but, eventually, ended up being buried in the forehead. In fact, a species of lizard from New Zealand still has this third ocular member on its head.
EYES
analysis of a dream
Angela dreamed: “I was sitting in a park reading a book, when I noticed dozens of eyes flitting around. They were the size of a pea and had small wings on their backs—like flies. At first, it made me laugh; they were of all different colors and kept blinking, closing and opening their small, long- lashed eyelids. But soon I began to feel harassed. They kept watching me intently, they would slip between the pages of my book. I decided to go home, but the eyes began flying after me, determined not to leave me be.”
Angela’s dream is closely related to her profession as an actress. When she had this dream she had to shoot her first nude scene and felt very insecure. She knew that during the shoot there would be many people watching: director, cameraman, makeup artist... and she worried she was not up to the task. The book reflected her desire to prepare well for the moment, to study and rehearse well all the techniques for a convincing, professional performance. However, the eyes stalking her at all times, preventing her from reading, was a message warning that her unconscious fear could stop her.
At the time of the scene, Angela remembered the dream and understood it perfectly. The thought made her smile and immediately relax. She forgot about the eyes all around and concentrated on her role. The scene went well in the first take, and when the director shouted: ‘Cut!,’ everyone applauded.... eyes dream meaning
Robert A. Monroe (1915-1995), former television executive of Westchester County, New York, attracted widespread interest in OBEs from both the public and the scientific community when he published his account of OBEs in Journeys out of the Body (1971). His interest in OBEs had been triggered in 1958 when he began having spontaneous OBEs in his sleep. In his book, he described the experience as follows: "In 1958, without any apparent cause, I began to float out of my physical body.
It was not voluntary; I was not attempting any mental feats. It was not during sleep, so I couldn’t dismiss it as simply a dream. I had full, conscious awareness of what was happening, which of course only made it worse. I assumed it was some sort of hallucination caused by something dangerous—a brain tumor, or impending mental illness. Or imminent death. It occurred usually when I would lie down or relax for rest or preparatory to sleep—not every time but several times weekly. I would float up a few feet above my body before I became aware of what was happening. Terrified, I would struggle through the air and back into my physical body. Try as I might, I could not prevent it from recurring."
In his books, Monroe sets out an astonishing range of experience, some of which was unpleasant and involved meeting entities or thought forms that attacked him. He also described an overwhelmingly powerful energy: meeting the astral forms of other humans and sexual experiences on the astral level. He outlines his belief that there were various levels of existence in the OBE state. Locale I is earth, the here and now. Locale II is the infinite astral plane where everyone goes to sleep and dreams, and where countless entities exist. <p>Locale III transcends space and time and is a parallel universe. In his writings, Monroe described a technique for triggering out-of-body states and here is a brief description of it:
If Monroe’s theories are correct, the implications for dream interpretation would be enormous. Even though surveys suggest that one quarter of the population believes they have had an OBE, recent research on OBEs has been inconclusive. This may be because OBEs vary from individual to individual. Laboratory tests have been equally inconclusive, even with individuals who claim to be able to project out of body at will. Tests with animals have been a little more promising, with kittens showing a change in behavior during out-of-body efforts to comfort them; skeptics, however, argue that this was achieved through telepathy or clairvoyance. Although OBE’s cannot be disproved, to date there has been no solid evidence that anyone has actually left their body during sleep or while dreaming.... journeys out of the body dream meaning
Freud, who greatly influenced the field of psychology, believed dreaming to be a ’safety valve’ for unconscious desires, but it was not until the 1950s that scientists were able to study sleep and dreaming and come to some of their own conclusions.
In 1953, Eugene Aserinsky of the University of Chicago noticed that the eyes of sleeping babies moved beneath their eyelids at certain regular intervals. This led to the discovery of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep periods, which occur at roughly sixty to ninety minute intervals throughout the night, and contain the dreams that are the most vivid and most often remembered. Since then, EEG recordings that monitor brain activity during sleep have been used to map the various stages of sleep. Scientists soon realized that the strange, illogical experiences we call dreams almost always occur during REM sleep. Whilst most mammals and birds show signs of REM sleep, reptiles and other cold-blooded animals do not. REM sleep begins with signals from an area at the base of the brain called the pons. These signals travel to a brain region called the thalamus, which relays them to the cerebral cortex—the outer layer of the brain that is responsible for learning, thinking and organizing information. The pons also sends signals that shut off neurons in the spinal cord, causing temporary paralysis of the limb muscles.
If something interferes with this paralysis, people will begin to physically ’act out’ their dreams—a rare, dangerous problem called REM sleep behavior disorder.
REM sleep stimulates the brain regions used in learning. This may be important for normal brain development during infancy, which would explain why infants spend much more time in REM sleep than adults.
Like deep sleep, REM sleep is associated with an increased production of proteins. One study found that REM sleep affects the learning of certain mental skills. People taught a skill and then deprived of non-REM sleep could recall what they had learned after sleeping, whilst people deprived of REM sleep could not.
Some scientists believe dreams are the cortex’s attempt to find meaning in the random signals that it receives during REM sleep. The cortex is the part of the brain that interprets and organizes information from the environment during consciousness. It may be that, given random signals from the pons during REM sleep, the cortex tries to interpret these signals as well, creating a ’story’ out of fragmented brain activity.... the science of dreams dream meaning
Every 90 minutes or so your eyes move rapidly around under your closed eyelids. At the same time your brainwaves become highly active, almost as though you were awake. It’s during this period of what is known as ‘Rapid Eye Movement’ or ‘REM sleep’ that you dream. In the early part of the night, which is when sleep is deepest, the REM periods are quite short, lasting only a few minutes at most. Towards morning, as your sleep becomes lighter, the REM episodes become longer. The last dream you have just before waking up can last for as long as three-quarters of an hour.
During REM sleep, your body is immobilized. This means that if you have a nightmare where you try to run away or cry out, you feel para¬ lyzed. People who walk and talk in their sleep usually do so between periods of REM sleep when the body is once again able to move.
Although some people have a natural facility for remembering their dreams, particularly those with emotional, creative or introverted personalities, few can bring back the whole experience whilst others recall little or nothing. Accurate dream recall is not easy. You learn it, as you learn any skill, by developing an interest, maintaining your enthusiasm and following a routine.
If you have a stressful lifestyle, try not to watch television late in the evening. Instead, spend a few minutes relaxing quietly and letting go of the day’s concerns. If you find it hard to switch off, light reading can be helpful and alcohol and coffee late at night should be avoided. They
are known to inhibit dream recall, as can sleeping pills. Keep a pen and a notebook within easy reach of your bed. Leave this special notebook open and write down the date as a signal to your subconscious mind that you intend to remember a dream.
As you start drifting off into sleep, tell yourself: Tonight Ishall have a dream and remember it in the morning.’ When you wake up, lie still and keep your eyes closed. Allow your mind to stay relaxed, drifting back until you recapture a fragment of a dream. Even a single image is better than nothing. As soon as you remember anything, write it down, however trivial it seems. Make it a habit to write something - even a note of the mood you woke up in is better than nothing. It’s important to do this first thing, before you get out of bed. The simple act of changing your position in bed can be enough to make a dream disappear without trace. A loud alarm clock can have a similar effect. Do remember that no skill is acquired overnight. Be patient and persevere.... how to remember your dreams dream meaning
Most of the dreams you remember occur during the REM stage when the brain is fully active. After about ten minutes of REM you enter stages two, three and four again, and keep moving backwards and forwards through the sleep cycle. As the cycle continues, however, the REM phase gets longer and longer with the longest phase being around thirty to forty-five minutes. Of all your dreams during all the stages of REM and NREM (it has recently been discovered that we can dream then too), the final REM stages are the ones you are most likely to remember.
Because sleeping and dreaming are so crucial, your brain may sometimes demand the sleep it needs so that you don’t get into mental or physical overload. That’s why you may sometimes drop off for no apparent reason when you’re traveling by car or train, or watching TV.
Research on sleep-deprived animals shows that sleep is necessary for survival. For example, whilst rats normally live for two to three years, those deprived of REM sleep survive only about five weeks on average, and rats deprived of all sleep stages live only about three weeks. Other studies have shown that subjects repeatedly awoken during REM—which means they were deprived of dreams— become anxious, bad tempered and irritable. This suggests that sleep is vital for physical rest and repair, and REM sleep, when we are most likely to dream, is essential for our emotional well-being. Therefore, although we still aren’t sure about the whys, whats and hows of sleep and dreams, it’s possible to conclude that the reason we sleep is to dream.... rem sleep dream meaning
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