INTERPRETATION OF DREAMS

Thinking about my dreams I wanted to write some overall "think-piece."

After 19 years(1986-2005) of collecting my dream experiences, collecting them episodically, for I collected only a few, some twelve A-4 pages; after attempting to recall and write down my dream experiences going back to the first year of my late childhood in 1953/4 when I was nine years old, some fifty years; after more than a dozen years(1992-2005) of attempting to analyse my dream experiences, what I would like to do here is extend the first essay I wrote on this subject in 2004 and which I revised in a second edition in 2005.

Lord Byron says dreams “look like heralds of eternity” and “Abdu’l-Baha often refers to the world of dreams to illustrate the existence of the soul, to illustrate that the soul is not dependent on the body, to illustrate the greater intensity of feelings, perceptions and happiness after the release of the spirit or soul from the body. But ‘Abdu’l-Baha also refers to “a confused medley of dreams,” “idle dreams,” and “empty dreams.” Dreams can also be prophetic. For ‘Abdu’l-Baha they foretold His own death.

“That truth is often imparted through dreams no one who is familiar with history, especially religious history, can doubt,” so it is said in a letter written on behalf of the Guardian. “At the same time dreams and visions are always coloured and influenced more or less by the mind of the dreamer and we must beware of attaching too much importance to them. The purer and more free from prejudice and desire our hearts and minds become, the more likely is it that our dreams will convey reliable truth, but if we have strong prejudices, personal likings and aversions, bad feelings or evil motives, these will warp and distort any inspirational impression that comes to us.... In many cases dreams have been the means of bringing people to the truth or of confirming them in the Faith. We must strive to become pure in heart and `free from all save God'. Then our dreams as well as our waking thoughts will become pure and true. We should test impressions we get through dreams, visions or inspirations, by comparing them with the revealed Word and seeing whether they are in full harmony therewith."” And in another letter written in a similar vein we find:"...The Guardian would suggest that you study very carefully the statement of Abdu'l-Baha in connection with the question of visions, dreams, etc., as Abdu'l-Baha has very fully explained this delicate subject. You will find references to this in `Baha'u'llah and the New Era,' `Some Answered Questions' and the Books of Tablets. The Guardian likewise has commented on this matter.

"Briefly, there is no question that visions occasionally do come to individuals, which are true and have significance. On the other hand, this comes to an individual through the grace of God, and not through the exercise of any of the human faculties. It is not a thing which a person should try to develop. When a person endeavors to develop faculties so that they might enjoy visions, dreams etc., actually what they are doing is weakening certain of their spiritual capacities; and thus under such circumstances, dreams and visions have no reality, and ultimately lead to the destruction of the character of the person."

It is not my intention to simply quote from the many sources of understanding on this subject, Baha’i and non-Baha’i sources, although I will do so from time to time. Time does not permit me to finish this essay here. I shall return to this theme at a later date.

Ron Price
March 25th 2005
:arrow: _________________________