Posted by giveawayboy on January 29, 2003 at 12:06:47:
In Reply to: Dream and Interpretation (?) posted by j on January 29, 2003 at 09:31:23:
NOTE: THIS IS NOT TO HIJACK OR DETRACT FROM JASON'S STRING. IF ANYTHING IT IS TO COMPLEMENT IT AND TO HELP OTHERS NAVIGATE
Jason knows I love dreams. I especially love dreams where mundane things like bessemer converters and school buses and ragtag animals loose from the zoo become vessels of profound meaning. still, i offer this handy dream warning. (Jason knows that none of what I am about to say is directed at him, and he also knows, that I am very GLAD that he posted his dream, which to me works well WITH OR WITHOUT his interpretation. Still, I want to give my little dream warning so here goes:
*****BILL'S HANDY DANDY DREAM INTERPRETATION WARNING*****
1)Dreams are nice. Be open to them.
2)Dreams can be helpful tools. Learn how to use them.
3)Dream can be abused or misread. Don't do that.
4)Dreams are part of reality. However, they are at a different speed than realtime. Learn the difference.
5)God is Lord of all. He is Lord of the waking world and of dreamtime.
6)Allow for error in interpretation. It is quite possible. Infact, don't force interpretations. Learn the images and principles that come to you from dreamtime. These will be invaluable tools to you in waking reality once you learn to read them in harmony with your waking life as well. Remember everything is held together in Christ. Keep your focus on Christ and not on your dreams. Be circumspect. This means you are always looking around trying to see things as they actually are.
7)Try to stick w the actual images, words and feelings of the dream and try not to delete or add images, words or feelings. Keep a pad by your bed. When you wake up practice writing those images and experiences and words and feelings or smells, sounds, etc. that flow to you out of the dream world. Don't force antying. There is no need to do this. A dream is simply a dream. It is not to be taken as an oracle, although sometimes a dream can convey God's messages to us. Still, don't make the dream the central focus ever.
8)If a description of a dream doesn't seem to make sense, allow it to NOT make sense. There is no need to interpret every dream.
9)If a description of a dream does not seem complete, allow it to NOT seem complete. There is no need to interpret every dream.
10)Anything of import that would come to us in a dream will be revealed to us ultimately by God so don't make the dream the be-all-to-end-all. There is no need to interpret every dream.
There are some little guidelines. At the same time, taking the warning, know that I am the first person to encourage folks to keep dream journals and to take dreams seriously. God frequently uses dreams. You can use my warning as a guideline, but remember it is a guideline to allow you more freedom to navigate and even enjoy the dream world. It isn't a warning to make you fear it. So, have fun and learn this language.