Hey Beth!
Hey Beth,
Sorry for the delayed response. It's not that this is tedious for me at all. In fact, I rather enjoy these message boards, the only problem is that they can become quite addictive and time consuming, so I had to discipline myself in terms of my personal time management. I've been really busy the past few days, but now that I've finally got some free time, I'd be happy to answer your questions...
"Prophetic" dreams for me, have always had a very vividly coherent and almost crystal clear quality to them, unlike other dreams which often times can appear hazy, grainy, fuzzy and/or distorted.
As a hardworking skeptic, always in search of rationally-based explanations to otherworldly phenomena through the tools of logic, reason and common sense, I try very hard to maintain a healthy, balanced lifestyle in ALL that I do (which includes getting a full 6 to 8 hours of sleep, proper diet and exercise, avoiding any and all intoxicating substances, etc). By living this kind of lifestyle, I can therefore more easily eliminate those dreams which would indicate a causal relationship (for example, dreams caused by recreational drugs or even legitimate prescription medicine, alcohol, funky food ingredients, the day's events, etc.) and focus on the ones which no causal relatioship can easily be established.
To get more in-depth information on dream interpretion, I would strongly suggest a visit to your local library or bookstore under the "New Age/Metaphysical Studies" section. A NOTE OF CAUTION: This perhaps goes without saying, but be VERY careful in the material that you choose to investigate and/or purchase! There is an overwhelming plethora of dubious crackpot nutcases who claim to posses a "special" kind of knowledge about these so called "magical" powers they claim to possess. Most of the material produced by such woo-woos is poorly researched, very subjective, anecdotal, and lack the proper scientifically-based research which would otherwise make them more credible, rationally sound and sensible authors. Be responsible, but more importantly, be discerning. Choose to read someone who has a PhD in clinical psychology over someone who has very little, if any, educational credentials at all. Dream interpretations can be very fun, enjoyable and educational, but don't allow it to drastically effect and pervert your judgement skills with regard to day to day issues. Choosing what you want to eat for lunch based on a dream you had is one thing, but making a major life-altering decision (such as buying a new home, choosing whom you want to marry, etc.) clearly requires the sound, intelligent and well informed advice of a qualified, competent professional.
Please don't misunderstand me. There's nothing wrong with being a believer, so as long as you don't let your belief turn to fanaticism. And by the same token, there's nothing wrong with being a skeptic, so as long as your skepticism doesn't turn to bitter cynicism.
As a final suggestion for further reading, here's an excellent source that I occasionally turn to: "The Dreamer's Dictionary from A to Z: 3,000 Magical Mirrors to Reveal the Meaning of Your Dreams," by Lady Stearn Robinson and Tom Corbett. (New York: Warner Books, 1974)
I know, the title might sound a little kooky, but the material inside is very well written with a skeptical slant. Here's an excerpt (from pages 13 to 14 from my edition):
"To interpret your dreams, you must bear in mind that the first step is to learn to distinguish between a valid prophetic dream and one that has no subconcious or clairvoyant significance.
Dreams of a prophetic nature usually occur during the deepest part of your night's sleep; mostly between 2am and 7am. By this time, digestion has usually been completed, your body muscles are relaxed, and your mind is mainly free of the day's events. Dreams which occur under these circumstances are generally worth your efforts at interpretation.
Persistent or recurring dreams can be traced, almost invariably, to some physical or psychological cause and as a rule have no prophetic significance. However, a dream that recurs only two or three times is a different matter and should be seriously considered.
Dreams which have no significance are: Those that you have after you have overeaten or overindulged in alcohol before going to bed, those that can be traced to external physical conditions, such as a man who dreamed he was being attacked by a tiger and awoke to find that his bridgework had somehow come out and his teeth were passing into his thigh. Or a dreaming of being adrift on a floating iceberg only to wake up realizing that the head had gone off and your blankets are on the floor."
Well, that's about all I can write for now, but do check out the book when you get a chance. There's some rather decent material inside that I'm sure you'd find helpful.
And don't worry; feel free to ask more questions if you so desire, that's what these message boards are for. I might not be able to answer them promptly, but rest assured that when I do, I'll be as thorough as possible. Or someone else may simply answer them for you before I even get the chance.
Later....
Hey Beth,
Sorry for the delayed response. It's not that this is tedious for me at all. In fact, I rather enjoy these message boards, the only problem is that they can become quite addictive and time consuming, so I had to discipline myself in terms of my personal time management. I've been really busy the past few days, but now that I've finally got some free time, I'd be happy to answer your questions...
"Prophetic" dreams for me, have always had a very vividly coherent and almost crystal clear quality to them, unlike other dreams which often times can appear hazy, grainy, fuzzy and/or distorted.
As a hardworking skeptic, always in search of rationally-based explanations to otherworldly phenomena through the tools of logic, reason and common sense, I try very hard to maintain a healthy, balanced lifestyle in ALL that I do (which includes getting a full 6 to 8 hours of sleep, proper diet and exercise, avoiding any and all intoxicating substances, etc). By living this kind of lifestyle, I can therefore more easily eliminate those dreams which would indicate a causal relationship (for example, dreams caused by recreational drugs or even legitimate prescription medicine, alcohol, funky food ingredients, the day's events, etc.) and focus on the ones which no causal relatioship can easily be established.
To get more in-depth information on dream interpretion, I would strongly suggest a visit to your local library or bookstore under the "New Age/Metaphysical Studies" section. A NOTE OF CAUTION: This perhaps goes without saying, but be VERY careful in the material that you choose to investigate and/or purchase! There is an overwhelming plethora of dubious crackpot nutcases who claim to posses a "special" kind of knowledge about these so called "magical" powers they claim to possess. Most of the material produced by such woo-woos is poorly researched, very subjective, anecdotal, and lack the proper scientifically-based research which would otherwise make them more credible, rationally sound and sensible authors. Be responsible, but more importantly, be discerning. Choose to read someone who has a PhD in clinical psychology over someone who has very little, if any, educational credentials at all. Dream interpretations can be very fun, enjoyable and educational, but don't allow it to drastically effect and pervert your judgement skills with regard to day to day issues. Choosing what you want to eat for lunch based on a dream you had is one thing, but making a major life-altering decision (such as buying a new home, choosing whom you want to marry, etc.) clearly requires the sound, intelligent and well informed advice of a qualified, competent professional.
Please don't misunderstand me. There's nothing wrong with being a believer, so as long as you don't let your belief turn to fanaticism. And by the same token, there's nothing wrong with being a skeptic, so as long as your skepticism doesn't turn to bitter cynicism.
As a final suggestion for further reading, here's an excellent source that I occasionally turn to: "The Dreamer's Dictionary from A to Z: 3,000 Magical Mirrors to Reveal the Meaning of Your Dreams," by Lady Stearn Robinson and Tom Corbett. (New York: Warner Books, 1974)
I know, the title might sound a little kooky, but the material inside is very well written with a skeptical slant. Here's an excerpt (from pages 13 to 14 from my edition):
"To interpret your dreams, you must bear in mind that the first step is to learn to distinguish between a valid prophetic dream and one that has no subconcious or clairvoyant significance.
Dreams of a prophetic nature usually occur during the deepest part of your night's sleep; mostly between 2am and 7am. By this time, digestion has usually been completed, your body muscles are relaxed, and your mind is mainly free of the day's events. Dreams which occur under these circumstances are generally worth your efforts at interpretation.
Persistent or recurring dreams can be traced, almost invariably, to some physical or psychological cause and as a rule have no prophetic significance. However, a dream that recurs only two or three times is a different matter and should be seriously considered.
Dreams which have no significance are: Those that you have after you have overeaten or overindulged in alcohol before going to bed, those that can be traced to external physical conditions, such as a man who dreamed he was being attacked by a tiger and awoke to find that his bridgework had somehow come out and his teeth were passing into his thigh. Or a dreaming of being adrift on a floating iceberg only to wake up realizing that the head had gone off and your blankets are on the floor."
Well, that's about all I can write for now, but do check out the book when you get a chance. There's some rather decent material inside that I'm sure you'd find helpful.
And don't worry; feel free to ask more questions if you so desire, that's what these message boards are for. I might not be able to answer them promptly, but rest assured that when I do, I'll be as thorough as possible. Or someone else may simply answer them for you before I even get the chance.
Later....