Written by Daniel L. Pettegrew
Did you know that in a 75-year lifespan, a human being will sleep more than 200,000 hours? That’s approximately one-third of a lifetime, and yet very few of us even scratch the surface of what our dreams are telling us. Why?
One of the main reasons probably has a lot to do with our social mores and “values” about the dream world. It is rare for a families or school programs to discuss or even encourage keeping a dream journal and sharing dreams at an early age – during those formative years when our minds are developing the most. This, along with discussing and encouraging our intuitive gifts and psychic experiences, mostly end up ignored or even shunned.
We end up giving much of our power away to others or belief systems that are impartial to dreams and the psychic realm. It’s like having a very special gift – a tool for creating a more expansive life of deeper awareness – that we have placed in a box and left in the attic, gathering dust.
But times are changing, and a shift is happening in which many people on the planet are waking up to these gifts, including the profound information available in our dreams.
Albert Einstein said, “The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.”
As a child, I experienced my first memorable dreams – one that was so powerful I awoke in the middle of the night, terrified. It had me locked in its grip – the images of that dream were so profound. It wasn’t until many years later that I understand the symbolism and message of that dream. But it was the beginning of something new for me.
As an adult, my dream interpreting skills did not happen overnight, but around the year 2000 I began keeping a dream journal and studying various books and information on dream symbols. But mostly I listened to my intuitive gifts – something that has always guided me in life. As I became more involved in understanding dreams, like learning a new language, I began to become more fluent.
Around this time, more and more people began to share their dreams with me, and I would help them understand the meanings. Sometimes the messages were simple, and other times they were deep and even life-changing. Often, the information I would translate for them would bring them to tears and give them a sense of joy – release that came in that magical “aha” moment when everything made sense.
Carl Jung said, “By giving attention to our dreams we are throwing light upon who and what we really are – not simply who we are as a personality, but who we are as a phenomena of cosmic interaction.”
So if you’re ready to amp up your life experience by opening up to your dreams and those “hidden” gifts you’ve stuck in that dusty box in the attic, then start by talking more about your dreams; type them into your computer or record them on a notepad you keep at your bedside. Tell yourself at bedtime that you are going to remember your dreams. It may not happen right away, but by reminding yourself regularly to remember your dreams, it will soon become a new habit, like a new language. You, too, can become fluent and bring greater awareness about yourself, others and the world around you – that great gift of your subconscious mind and the messages of your dreams.
“Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” – Carl Jung
Daniel L. Pettegrew is a dream interpreter, environmental designer, entrepreneur, writer and founder of the World Peace Gardens Foundation.
The World Peace Gardens Foundation holds nonsectarian gatherings every Sunday to promote world peace and sustainable living. Gatherings are at 11:30 a.m. at Green Valley Spa, 1871 W. Canyon View Drive in St. George. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.WorldPeaceGardens.org or call (435) 703-0077.
