It’s time to open up to your imagination and become an active dreamer.
In The Inner World of Night Dreams, Marc J. Gian will teach you easy techniques to remember your dreams and understand the meaning of numbers, colours and recurring imagery. Whether you’re a first-time dreamworker or experienced practitioner, here are some tools to engage your mind and prepare yourself for dreaming.
A ritual for first-time dreamers
If this is your first time setting up a time to remember your dream or do dreamwork, let’s turn it into an initiation into the world of dreams. If possible, try to start dreamwork on the night before a day off work. This will allow you more time to work with the dream in the morning.
About an hour before bed, find a quiet spot in your home where you can be with yourself and be receptive. Know that you are starting a journey that will allow you to experience a different viewpoint, to see in many directions, and at the same time be perfectly present with what is.
Allow yourself the freedom to relax, to breathe, to be present with yourself. Know that you are more than your daytime roles; you came into this world with many purposes beyond your vocation. Part of the “school of life” is to integrate the aspects of the self, heal relationships, take better care of your health and needs, grow into wisdom, and use that wisdom for your daily life. By reading your dreams you are moving toward being self-authoritative and wise.
Remember, this is the start of something new. In order to become proficient, you need to take it slowly but steadily.
Tea
Drinking a cup of tea in the evening can help to soothe the nerves, calm the mind, and create a sense of peace, allowing receptivity and openness. Teas can be especially beneficial for those who are new to remembering dreams.
Herbal teas that are particularly suited to relaxation and dreamwork include:
- Mugwort: Known to aid in dream recall.
- Chamomile: Best known as a soothing tea. It may also be beneficial for those who have nightmares.
- Melissa (also known as lemon balm): Used for millennia for improving mood and relaxing the nervous system. Several recent scientific studies have looked into the effects of melissa on memory. It’s possible that it may assist those who want to remember dreams more vividly.
Essential oils
Aromatherapy and essential oils can be used to aid in relaxation before retiring to bed. Essential oils that can assist in quieting the mind include lavender, palmarosa, Roman chamomile, geranium, and vetiver. There is a variety of simple and effective ways to use essential oils. They include diffusing the oils, applying them to specific areas of the body (especially acupressure points), and the palm inhalation technique.
A sample blend for diffusion to relax and calm the mind:
- Electric, mist, or candle diffuser (I prefer the mist diffuser)
- 3 drops palmarosa oil
- 2 drops geranium oil
Fill the diffuser with water and add the essential oils. Turn on the diffuser or light the candle, then breathe in and relax.
Upon awakening
We are habituated to forget our dreams upon awakening. Often when we begin to awaken we are crossing the bridge between the world of night dreams and our waking world. It is during this time that many of us are most aware of our night dreams. This is a very precious time. Most often, we simply notice the dream for a moment then go on with our day. It is imperative that we are present for this experience and be with the dream before getting out of bed. Otherwise, we focus on getting ready for the day—getting up, going to the bathroom, making coffee, brushing our teeth, etc.—and in so doing we forget our dream.
When you are starting to work with dreams, it is essential to record the dream as soon as possible, writing it in the present tense, and starting to work the dream. As you gain more experience, you will be able to start your day while you keep the dream in mind. I often work with my dreams over my morning coffee…
Discover more tools for dreamwork and begin to understand to meanings of numbers, colours and images with The Inner World of Night Dreams by Marc J. Gian. To get more great blog posts like this one - direct to your inbox – be sure to sign up to our mailing list here.