I have a deep interest in Dream Interpretation. I believe that dreams allow us to access a part of our subconscious that would otherwise remain untouched. Only in the reprieve of sleep, where we document daily thought processes and preserve meaningful interactions are we able to open up the gate to our intuitive self, tap into our true essence and perceive things unseen. Dreams give direction by connecting both levels of consciousness on a plane where we are able to then decode inner meaning. Symbolism and imagery in our dreams is by no means a random collection of pictures and storylines. They speak truths about what we are really feeling about situations, how the world around us is truly affecting us even beyond our own comprehension.

“People convince themselves of false truths because of cognitive dissonance. When a verified piece of information threatens someone’s world view or self-concept, an uncomfortable tension occurs from having two conflicting thoughts, and the brain works to avoid discomfort by resolving the conflict. Because the actual facts cannot be changed, one either has to change their own mind, or continue to accept the false truths through reinterpretation and irrational behaviour – and the latter is typically much easier to do.” (via didyouknowfacts.com)

While we may convince ourselves of false truths, while we can be coerced into wrong beliefs or actions, I believe that there is always a true self; perhaps the spirit, an essence connected to the universe, untouched by human selfishness and pride. This true self needs to be connected to things that help it to grow into enlightenment and to be more aware of the things that nurture this truth within itself.

This realization has helped me through a lot and because of it I feel that I no longer have ‘nightmares’ in the true sense of the word. Instead, even when my dreams are less than pleasant, confusing and strange, I try to find the true meaning within them. I try to figure out how the explanations behind the symbolism and imagery match up to my waking life and how I can apply the lessons that my true subconscious self teaches my conscious self with the goal of merging the two.

The other night I had a strange dream. In the basement of my childhood home, and while sitting on the couch I saw something very tiny crawling across the floor. At first I thought it was an insect but the way it was crawling told me it must be something else. As I drew closer, I realized that it was an impossibly small bird, an extremely tiny version of the ones I grew up seeing in my backyard.

All of a sudden I started to see more and more birds coming down from the small window in the basement, they were flying all over, possibly looking for escape but quite frantic in an unusually enclosed space. When I went to investigate the window I realized that there was a nest perched on the window sill where the birds were supposedly being birthed from. Utterly confused, I picked up the smallest bird and ran upstairs to tell somebody. Calling up the stairs, I had barely rounded the corner before my fiancé met me and simply said “I know” while holding an identical bird in the palm of one hand.

“To see birds in your dream symbolizes your goals, aspirations and hopes. To dream of chirping and/or flying birds represents joy, harmony, ecstasy, balance, and love. It denotes a sunny outlook in life. You are experiencing spiritual freedom and psychological liberation. It is almost as if a weight has been lifted off your shoulders.To dream of birds on the attack means that you are being pulled into too many directions. You are experiencing conflict with your spirituality. If the birds are trying to break into houses, then it implies that you are not following your desired path in life. Others are meddling in your life and interfering with your life path.” (via dreammoods.com)

I always find that after researching a particularly vivid dream, I have a significantly elevated amount of clarity about the situation. There are things that I wonder about, things that I question within myself constantly, but after a dream research session it’s like I’m accessing the part of myself that can’t lie to protect feelings, even my own.

This dream in particular has shown me that I need to do more to nurture my life path. When my true self is telling me that there are things that are interfering with my life path I must take notice. The saying “Know better, do better.” has always stuck with me, and if the purpose of this blog is to be an outlet for the journey to self-realization then I must follow my own path, even if it doesn’t work for some others. Instead of trying to be the mediator in my own life, I need to take control of it. This dream has opened my eyes and now I see that my playing small really does not serve the world, and as I allow my light to shine, I will encourage others to do the same. And that is the real blessing.