Dreams are an amazing tool, an often untapped resource for guidance in daily life. I’ve been fascinated by dreams since childhood when I had reoccurring fear-filled dreams about cats. In college, I learned of traditional cultures where parents asked the children about their dreams every morning at breakfast.
My curiosity about dreams continued until I found the spiritual teachings of Eckankar. One of the aspects that most attracted me was the emphasis on using dreams for spiritual unfoldment in our daily lives. For 23 years I have kept a dream journal. This practice has helped me immensely to remember my dreams and solve the day-to-day challenges of life.
A few years ago I was having health problems. One of the symptoms was a terribly congested head requiring constant nose blowing. Health practitioners weren’t able to help me.
After four months of this, I suddenly remembered that I could ask for dream guidance. Before bed, I asked my inner spiritual teacher to give me an answer to my health problems in my dreams. That night I had three dreams. Each of the dreams had something to do with food. I woke up the next morning and knew that food was the key.
I fasted and by noon that first day, my head congestion began to clear for the first time in months. I knew I was on the right track. After two days of fasting, I could breathe out my nose again. Thus began a journey to discover what foods I could and couldn’t eat.
Dreams can also assist us in overcoming our deepest fears. With the sudden death of my mother when I was young, I unintentionally closed my heart to finding a love partner. After many years of spiritual growth I finally allowed true love into my life. I married my beloved, Dale.
Recently I had a dream where Dale and I were in a long line with other people waiting for an event. The line moved forward about ten yards and I went with it. I turned to speak to Dale and he wasn’t there. I thought he had likely gotten involved in conversation with someone and hadn’t noticed the line moving.
I called his name. Then I heard someone else call his name. I knew in that instant there was something terribly wrong. I could see he had fallen to the ground. I started running towards him and it felt like I was moving in slow motion. When I finally reached him, I cradled him in my arms. He was cold to my touch and I knew he was dead.
The dream immediately shifted and Dale and I were walking and talking together as if nothing had happened. The transition was seamless. He told me a friend had reminded him that he had been sick at the last event. We acknowledged it would have been good for him to have seen a doctor to check it out. Then I woke up.
Normally a dream about Dale dying would have woken me in tears. But instead, I awoke with a sense of awe. I had just been brought face-to-face with my greatest fear. I was given the precious opportunity to experience the truth; there is no death. Although in the dream Dale’s physical body had suddenly died, I was still with him as Soul.
You, too, can tap the rich gold mine of your own dreams for help in daily life. Learn to overcome your fears, get guidance on how to live your best life, or get answers to your deepest questions. Every area of our life can be assisted through dream study.
If you would like to explore the wonderful world of dreams and other spiritual experiences, you may attend a free event on “Spiritual Experiences: Have You Had One?” Join others and share your stories from 3-4:30 p.m. Saturday, July 10, at Dunn Brothers Coffee, 329 W. 15th St., Minneapolis. For more information or to pre-register, you may call 952.906.3447 or visit www.eckankar.org.
I like to ask my children about their dreams/ They are so telling.