How Dreams Can Guide Us

“Dreams are illustrations... from the book your soul is writing about you.” (~Marsha Norman)

Our sleeping dreams can be great teachers and guides in our daily lives. Sometimes these confused dreams of nighttime are teaching us in a subconscious way even if we don't "get it" consciously. Recently, I had a dream that was so symbolic of things I was going through, telling me how to deal with them, trying to vividly alert me how to react or proceed. If you have followed this blog over the last few posts, you know that I have been engaging in some difficult, yet ultimately liberating, detachment from some almost lifelong family patterns and issues.

A couple of weeks ago, during the crux of this process, I had a dream that was unclear and troubling in the moment, but became crystal clear to me when I recalled it the next day. It was an eye-opening parallel. In my dream, I recall having a problem with water pipes being clogged, causing my water supply to be barely a trickle and drying up quickly. I discovered that the pipes were clogged with vines, so I set about cutting and pulling the vines in an attempt to clear the pipes and return to full water flow. I kept working at it, but the more I worked, the less it seemed to help, as the water flow continued to diminish. I was frustrated as I continued to cut and clear, but then heard a voice that said, "It won't do any good to keep cutting because they will just grow back as quickly as you cut them, and will grow bigger. You need to replace the entire pipeline in order to get water. If you do not, you will have no life source flowing."

Wow. That was a moment of truth. In the moment of the dream, it was all about pipes and vines, but the next day, I understood this symbolism perfectly because, metaphorically speaking, I had always tried to fix the existing "pipes" to return the flow of water by removing the "vines", even though they only kept growing bigger and more invasive over time, coming back repeatedly in increasingly damaging ways. I was gradually cutting off my ability to connect to source, because those continuously choking obstacles that I could not eliminate were blocking that connection. Water is a source of physical of life, just as God is the source of spiritual life. If we block or slow the source, we cannot thrive, we cannot be fully alive in our greatest capacity. I was already aware that the obstacles around me had been blocking my spiritual connection to some extent, but this dream made it clear that the two could not continue in this manner...the blockages were winning by disallowing the flow. As I have stayed committed to detachment, my connection to spirit and spiritual gifts has come back in full force, or possibly even stronger than ever.

Our dreams tell us significant things, particularly when we are seeking a greater connection to Spirit. If we seek answers and ask for them, they will be revealed to us in many ways, including through our dreams. And while we may not always understand or even remember the dreams, they are at work in reminding us where we need to be and what is in our way. If we are sincerely ready to follow, the path will be shown to us.

Some believe that the dream state is part of our connection to the Spirit dimension, and that it is actually more "real" than our waking state of human existence. I tend to agree with this idea, and believe that dreams can provide so many answers, as well as momentary relief from the things that trouble us in our 3-dimensional existence. I receive a lot of communication from angels in my dreams, particularly at key stages in my spiritual growth. Whenever I follow the advice from my dream state, I find that the communication and connection in the waking state gets stronger.

So if you are seeking a greater connection, start with your dreams. Prior to going to sleep, ask that your dreams be used to reveal things to you. They are probably already being used that way, but asking for it can make them more of a focus for angels or spirit to communicate with you. Try to write the dreams down to see if they will later have meaning or become clearer to you. We have often been told to "follow our dreams," but perhaps we should do this in more ways than one. Apply the advice and guidance that resonates from your dream state, and it may help lead you to your greatest waking dreams, and everything you desire in your life.