The Importance of Dreams
Late at night, the world sleeps. Everything is heavy with silence; even the trees and the mountains seem deep in slumber. A million miles away, they dance amongst the stars, journey into unknown galaxies, experience the mystical, the chaotic, the surreal. Those people limited by boundaries when the sun is up -- handicaps, prejudice, fear, reputation -- are limitless when night falls. The moment your head falls on your pillow you are standing at the edge of a sea of possibilities.
Yes, I know for a fact that dreams are important.
People have always been amazed and fascinated by the world of dreaming. Since the 1800s there have been records of unusual practices involving dreams. These include conjuring up spirits, traveling to other dimensions, and seeing your soulmate... all within a simple dream. It's unfortunate that in today's society that which is unusual and unexplained is not acceptable. But there is no reason to let social hang-ups hinder your quest to understand and lucidly explore your dreams. You are only a bed, a blanket, and a pillow away from anywhere in the universe.
There will be mornings when I awake with the memory of a dream that had in every respect the authenticity of reality. People in my dreams whom I have never seen in my waking world will linger in my memory. Perhaps you, too, have awoken from a dream that impacted you so much it seemed real -- so much it remains etched in your mind to this day. The transformation of a thought from imagination to memory alone is an astounding occurence.
Dreams are one of the few paranormal phenomena which scientists can't explain, but can't deny, either. Granted, they can tell you a bunch of things about brain waves and sleep patterns and REM. But these words cannot explain how a sleeping mind can create whole new environment, double-ended conversations, nonexistant human beings with physical apprearances and complex personalities, memories of things that never happened, storylines... all as you are going along. Even the most simple mind will have these intricate dreams. But you are not just thinking these things up, you are then animating them and becoming a part of the scenario. What's this hype about "virtual reality"? You have it right at your hands, built in, waiting to be used!
It's difficult to prove the value of dreams to someone who hasn't experienced it yet. But I can promise you that you will benefit from listening to them. I would never have believed it until it happened to me. Your dreams can reveal things about you, things about your past... and things about your future. Once you find your dreams portaying scenes from tomorrow instead of yesterday it certainly "opens your eyes"!
A dream is the mind's escape. Suddenly you aren't thinking about taxes, bad grades, sick relatives, obnoxious neighbors. Between the time you go to sleep and the time you awake, you are a totally different person in an alternate reality where the only conflicts that exist are the ones your mind wants to create.
Give yourself the chance to understand your dreams. You will be amazed at how much you never knew about the world around you... and more importantly, about yourself. The only reason left for you to not open the door to your dream-mind would be that you are afraid of what you'll find behind it.