Tag: Dream journal

Keep a Dream Journal

Keep a Dream Journal

By , About.com

Many Wiccans and Pagans put stock in dream meanings — for a lot of us, it’s important to keep track of what our dreams are telling us, because it may be important. Dreams can be prophetic, in that they may tell us of things yet to come, or they can be therapeutic, a way of our subconscious acknowledging problems that have to be resolved.

One great way to get in touch with your dreams and their meanings is to keep a dream journal. By keeping a dream journal, you can help yourself remember what you dreamed about even when the dream is no longer fresh. Also, you can begin looking for patterns and themes that may recur in dreams.

To make a dream journal, you’ll simply need a blank notebook. You can use a simple composition book, or if you’d like to use a fancier, journal-style book, that’s fine too. Keep this by your bedside.

When you wake up each morning — or even in the middle of the night — jot down as much as you can remember from your dreams of the night before. Your notes don’t necessarily have to analyze the dream, merely document what took place. Things to keep in mind when you’re writing your dreams down might include:

  • Did you meet any people? Who were they, and what did they say?
  • Did you travel anyplace? Were you in a house? Did you spend any of your dream outdoors?
  • What sort of natural occurrences did you see? Was there flooding, mountains, thunder, bright sunshine?
  • Was there something in your dream that seemed out of place, as though it didn’t fit in with the other parts of the journey?
  • How did you feel during the dream? Were you afraid, content, happy?

Later, you can go back through your notes and evaluate what you dreamed. Look for patterns and symbolism — there are a number of excellent dream dictionaries out there on the market which can help you determine the meanings of the symbols in your dreams. You can then use the information gained from your dream journal as a guidance tool.

Charm for Lucid Dreaming

Charm for Lucid Dreaming

 

Items You Will Need:

Peppermint

Light blue mojo bag

Cinnamon

Lemon balm

Calendula

Vervain

Hops

 

Instructions:

If you find you need a little help in lucid dreaming, or you want to learn the answer to a specific problem, this charm bag is a great tool It soothes the waking mind and helps your sleeping mind to focus. The ingredients can also be used to feel a dream pillows as well. Make or buy a light blue Mojo or talisman bag. Put in a pinch or two of each of the following:

Peppermint

Cinnamon

Lemon Balm

Calendula (Marigold)

Vervain

Hops

 

During the Full Moon, put the bag together, then consecrate and charge it. Make certain it is tied tightly. Before sleep each night, rub the bag over our third eye (center of forehead) and concentrate on the question, problem or situation. Then place the bag under your pillow. Continue to concentrate on the situation as you drift off. When you wake, jot down whatever you remember in your dream journal. Your question should be answered within the first few nights. This pouch can also help increase your skill at lucid dreaming, by keeping your mind focused on the fact that you are just dreaming.

Prophetic Dreams Spell

Prophetic Dreams Spell

Before You Begin: Be Careful This is a rather simple spell, but you are “playing with fire” before bedtime. Make sure you have extinguished all burning things before you cross into slumber. Sprinkle some Jasmine on your pillow, and make sure you have a dream-journal or the like at your bedside to record your dreams in, and brew a cup of mugwort tea. (NOTE: mugwort is unhealthy in large doses, so go easy, and consult an Herbal Reference book if you’re worried.) Light blue candles on your altar. If you want to gain insight into your passions or your loves, burn Damiana as well. Watch the smoke as it coils, and allow it to carry you off into the trance-like state that you spend most of the day avoiding. Say whatever comes to mind, appealing to the Goddess or God of your choice to guide your dreams. I usually say something like:

Blessed be the Lord and Lady, For they created the world, The earth to hold,
The sun to warm, The moon to guide, The spirit to dream.

Take sips of the mugwort tea as you repeat the words, gaze into the smoke, and when you feel yourself just about to “cross the line” blow out the candle(s) and say:

“So mote it be.”

Go to sleep. Dream away. Just remember, you don’t always get to hear what you’d like.

Spirit-summoning Dream Spells

Spirit-summoning Dream Spells

 
Dreams are the simplest, most convenient venue to converse with Spirits of all kinds. Responses to petitions of all kinds most frequently occur in dreams. The spirits may not wait for you to make the first move, often their initial approach to you comes in dreams. Maybe they’ve been approaching you for years but you’ve been unable to pick up the messages. Allies and familiars of all kinds reveal themselves to you in your dreams: another good reason to maintain that dream journal.

ASTRAL PROJECTION

ASTRAL PROJECTION

Astral projection (OOBE, out of the body experience)

is a popular area of occult literature; for traveling to see

other worlds and places while the physical body sleeps or is

entranced is an exciting notion. Astral projection is not

dangerous. It is as safe as sleeping. Most dreams are probably

unconscious astral projections, anyway. Although there has

been quite a bit written on the subject, astral projection

is difficult for many people. The main difficulty is the

tendency to forget dream consciousness upon awakening.

Accordingly, the successful practice of astral projection

requires work.

Modern psychology discounts the idea of actual OOBE

(that the spirit temporarily vacates the physical body).

However, the idea is very ancient. The Tibetans have an

entire system of yoga (dream yoga) based upon astral

projection. And here we have an important assumption: you are

involved in an OOBE (at least to a degree) whenever you

dream. What sets it apart from a full OOBE is your hazy

consciousness during the experience and poor recall

afterwards. Many people forget most of their dreams

completely. Learning astral projection requires a kind of

inner mental clarity and alertness.

Dreams are a door to the subconscious which can be

used for psychological and spiritual insight, and sometimes

for precognition. Dream content is influenced by external

sounds and sensations. For example, a loud external noise

(such as a train) will likely appear in your dream (if it

doesn’t wake you up!). Dreams are also influenced by events

of the previous day, by your moods, and by suggestion.

Everyone normally dreams 4 or 5 times a night (about every 2

hours). The longest dreams occur in the morning. Everyone

dreams. You are more likely to remember the details of your

dream when you first wake up. By keeping a dream diary you

will improve dream recall. Have writing equipment or a tape

recorder at your bedside for this purpose; also a light

which isn’t too bright. Suggest to yourself several times

before you go to sleep, “I will awaken with the knowledge of

a dream.” Then when you do awaken, move quietly (sometimes

just turning over drives the idea away). Remember first,

then write the dream down, and then add as many details as

possible. The next day check for objective facts and expand

if you can (by remembering ‘what happened before that’). Once

you start remembering your dreams in this way, it will

become easier to do so. (If you are unsuccessful at this,

and *really* want to remember your dreams, you could

arrange for someone to sit by your bedside all night long

with a dim light on. Then when he sees your eyes moving back

and forth — rapid eye movements, a sign you are dreaming —

he can wake you and ask for a dream report.)