Lesson Four: Dream Interpretation
Here we are, the last method and the last lesson, and I have saved the best for last. Of all the methods we have learned, this is the one I am particularly gifted with. When I was younger, friends would flock to me to be told what their dreams meant, and would then look at me in awe as it made sense to them. Even now, my cousin still tends to text me her dreams when she wants an interpretation. However, it all comes with a catch. I cannot interpret my own dreams; just others'.
So do not worry, you are in safe hands when learning about this last fascinating method of divination. So sit back, and prepare to enter the amazing world of dream interpretation! Perhaps you will be impressing your friends with your dream interpretation skills by the end of the lesson.
So do not worry, you are in safe hands when learning about this last fascinating method of divination. So sit back, and prepare to enter the amazing world of dream interpretation! Perhaps you will be impressing your friends with your dream interpretation skills by the end of the lesson.
What is Dream Interpretation?
Dream interpretation, also known as Oneiromancy, is a type of divination involving analyzing and attaching meaning to dreams. People who believe in dream interpretation believe that dreams are had during our sleep and then recalled once waking up to give us a sign or message. This message or sign could come from a higher power such as a god or from our own sub-conscience.
The earliest example of dream interpretation we know of is from the Babylonian story Epic of Gilgamesh. This story features a dream of Gilgamesh's eventually interpreted by his mother. Ancient Egyptian priests interpreted dreams, and in Ancient Greece they believed dreams were prophetic or omens. Artemidorus of Daldis believed dreams could predict the future but felt the dreams involved puns and by breaking up words. In China, a book on dream interpretation was written in the sixteenth century and asked deep questions about the state of one's minds in a dream.
In modern days, dream interpretation has become a part of psychology. Sigmund Freud argued that dreams were created by our minds as wish-fulfillment, fulfilling the wishes of what we had on our minds that day. He believed that the unconscious mind expressed itself through symbolism. Carl Jung believed that dream interpretation was much larger than just symbolism, much more complex just like the mind. There are many theories on the subject of dreams, their meanings, and interpreting them.
Religious beliefs also cite dream interpretations. The Bible had many examples of dreams being interpreted in ancient times, as many were said to have prophetic dreams and visions that were later interpreted to be a message from God. Medieval Islamic psychology laid out three kinds of dreams and divided dream interpretation into 25 different sections.
My own personal beliefs are that there are three kinds of dreams: prophetic dreams, normal dreams, and nightmares. Prophetic dreams are messages sent as warnings or to let us know something that will happen. I had one of these this past summer. I kept dreaming of my difficult student last year returning to school even though he was living with his dad who did not live in our city, and on the first day of school my principal informed me he did indeed show up. Normal dreams are what I consider to be dreams that can be interpreted. They might tell you something you're worried about or someone you're thinking of. Finally, nightmares are pretty obvious: they make us face our worst fears. Of course, these are my own beliefs but I thought it might help you to consider what you believe about dreams.
The earliest example of dream interpretation we know of is from the Babylonian story Epic of Gilgamesh. This story features a dream of Gilgamesh's eventually interpreted by his mother. Ancient Egyptian priests interpreted dreams, and in Ancient Greece they believed dreams were prophetic or omens. Artemidorus of Daldis believed dreams could predict the future but felt the dreams involved puns and by breaking up words. In China, a book on dream interpretation was written in the sixteenth century and asked deep questions about the state of one's minds in a dream.
In modern days, dream interpretation has become a part of psychology. Sigmund Freud argued that dreams were created by our minds as wish-fulfillment, fulfilling the wishes of what we had on our minds that day. He believed that the unconscious mind expressed itself through symbolism. Carl Jung believed that dream interpretation was much larger than just symbolism, much more complex just like the mind. There are many theories on the subject of dreams, their meanings, and interpreting them.
Religious beliefs also cite dream interpretations. The Bible had many examples of dreams being interpreted in ancient times, as many were said to have prophetic dreams and visions that were later interpreted to be a message from God. Medieval Islamic psychology laid out three kinds of dreams and divided dream interpretation into 25 different sections.
My own personal beliefs are that there are three kinds of dreams: prophetic dreams, normal dreams, and nightmares. Prophetic dreams are messages sent as warnings or to let us know something that will happen. I had one of these this past summer. I kept dreaming of my difficult student last year returning to school even though he was living with his dad who did not live in our city, and on the first day of school my principal informed me he did indeed show up. Normal dreams are what I consider to be dreams that can be interpreted. They might tell you something you're worried about or someone you're thinking of. Finally, nightmares are pretty obvious: they make us face our worst fears. Of course, these are my own beliefs but I thought it might help you to consider what you believe about dreams.
Dream Interpretation in the Wizarding World
Dream Interpretation was taught in Hogwarts' Divination class in the fifth year. Professor Trelawney believed it to be "a most important means to divining the future." Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown seemed to agree. Hogwarts students read the book The Dream Oracle by Inigo Imago. For homework, Professor Trelawney required students to keep a dream diary for a month. Harry and Ron in particular did not take this seriously, and they made up their dreams, deciding to make them tragic since Trelawney tended to predict tragedy. She made Harry and Ron continue their dream diary for another month after this.
How to Interpret Dreams
When I interpret dreams, I take the details in dreams and find their meanings. The meanings just come to me. However, there are many resources you can use to interpret dreams and find the meanings. There are many steps and advice on the Internet in particular, as well as how to learn to control your dreams. Some of the advice is:
Most of the suggested ways to interpret dreams have common themes: you must ask yourself many questions about dreams and look for connections to real life. Asking questions helps you to unlock the meaning and allows you to see the dream in a different way than you might have before you began.
In conclusion, the mind is an incredible organ. Much like all of the symbolism and literary devices in books that become laced into books effortlessly, dreams are created much in the unconscious way. Unlocking these meanings give people answers about themselves, and that is something special in my opinion.
- Write down your dreams, try to remember the feelings you were having, look for recurring themes and their connection to your daily life, and ask yourself questions.
- Look for symbols in your dreams and use a dream dictionary to look them up. Use with caution, though, sometimes these do not make sense, because your mind might connect symbols different from these when creating dreams. (I as well have used this often when trying to gain insight about my own dreams, sometimes with success and sometimes not so much)
- Connect dreams to your real life. Did you dream about something that happened today, or something that is going to happen soon? Your subconscious might be trying to prepare you for it or help you deal with it. (This is a similar method to what I use when interpreting others' dreams)
Most of the suggested ways to interpret dreams have common themes: you must ask yourself many questions about dreams and look for connections to real life. Asking questions helps you to unlock the meaning and allows you to see the dream in a different way than you might have before you began.
In conclusion, the mind is an incredible organ. Much like all of the symbolism and literary devices in books that become laced into books effortlessly, dreams are created much in the unconscious way. Unlocking these meanings give people answers about themselves, and that is something special in my opinion.
Well, there you have it. Our time together is done. You have now learned all twelve methods of divination and are now ready to predict the future. I hope you enjoyed both classes, and thank you for staying with me to the second class!