Edgar Cayce on Dreams
Cayce
was able to obtain virtually an unlimited amount of knowledge
on an unlimited number of subjects. One of these subjects
was
dreams
and
dream interpretation.
Cayce was able to astound people by interpreting their dreams
and giving them insight into their psyche, lives and even
past lives. Cayce revealed that dreams are actually journeys
into the spirit world.
Edgar
Cayce once said, "Dreams, visions, impressions, to
the entity in the normal sleeping state are the presentations
of the experiences necessary for the development, if the
entity would apply them in the physical life. These may
be taken as warnings, as advice, as conditions to be met,
conditions to be viewed in a way and manner as lessons,
as truths, as they are presented in the various ways and
manners."
Each night
the average person spends approximately ninety minutes in
a dream state. Some of us can remember all or most of our
dreams, and others have trouble remembering even a snippet
from one of our nightly sojourns.
The dream
state is an experimental playground which gives you a chance
to explore and express emotions without the usual inhibitions
you may display in your waking life. Dreams provide an avenue
of expression for that part of yourself that knows both
your history and your potential as a spiritual being. They
are another way the universe provides guidance about relationships,
careers, and health problems. Through dreams you may find
answers to your spiritual questions and even receive encouragement
to some challenge in your life. While some dreams may allow
you to release bottled emotions from your day's activities,
others can lead to profound insights in a psychological
or spiritual way.
However,
Carl Jung
said dreams are "the main source of all of our knowledge
about symbolism." This means that the messages you
receive from your dreams are expressed symbolically and
must be interpreted to find their true meanings.
Mark Thurston,
executive director for
Edgar Cayce's research foundation
and author of the book,
Dreams: Tonight's Answers for
Tomorrow's Questions,
says, "A dream symbol is the very best way for your
unconscious self to communicate to your conscious self.
The particular image chosen - be it an object, a person,
an animal, or whatever - has shades of meaning and personal
associations that make it the best communicator of some
truth about yourself."
Ancient
Chinese tradition held that it is your spiritual soul which
creates your dreams and leaves the body to travel to other
realms and meet other souls. They and other ancient cultures,
including the Greeks, erected dream temples for seekers
to find guidance about their lives. Many times purification
rituals as well as other rites of preparation were performed
by the seeker prior to entering the temple and the dream
state. Upon awakening, the seeker consulted with the temple
dream interpreters.
Cayce believed that our dreams
serve several functions. Somatic dreams - dreams referring
to the body - are extremely important to be mindful of.
Very often dreams will offer solutions to health problems.
For example, one man was plagued with food allergies for
many years, but was unable to find the source of his discomfort.
Then one night he went to bed and he dreamed of a can of
coffee. He quit drinking coffee and his symptoms disappeared.
Jung says
that rarely do the symbols in dreams have just one meaning.
And when interpreting the messages in your dreams, he suggests
going with your first hunch, relying on your intuitive abilities,
before applying more rational methods of dream interpretation.
Cayce
also believed that deceased friends and family members do
occasionally visit us in our dream state. These occurrences
may offer direct communication with those people or allow
us to resolve our feelings about their death. The person
may also represent some aspect of ourselves.
One man
reports that occasionally he hears a voice in his dreams.
This voice usually is loud and strong and is not associated
with any characters in his dreams. "Typically, I'm
told something very specific to do or not to do," he
relates. "I know this is God speaking to me - loud
and clear. And I know I'd better listen."
Morton
Blumenthal, who received more dream interpretations from
Cayce than anyone else - often reported dreams of a disembodied
voice, which offered counsel. Cayce usually indicated this
was input from the Creative Forces, God. For example, in
one dream, Blumenthal dreamt of a figure leading him by
the hand, and a voice which said, "The Lord will lead
you - but you must ..." He had forgotten the rest of
what was said to him, but Cayce interpreted it as follows:
"As
in this, as is seen, again and again, the entity receives
that reassurance of the higher forces guiding, guarding,
and directing the entity in its actions, as it were, with
the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night."
Blumenthal
also had a fascinating dream in which God came to visit
him. To the dreamer's surprise, God was a modern businessman.
Cayce's interpretation pointed out that God was someone
with whom we can "do business." God is not only
transcendent but also actively involved in human affairs.
It was a powerful message and, in a sense, a wonderful revelation
from the divine.
More Cayce on Dreams
The following is an excerpt from the excellent book by
Harmon Bro
entitled
Cayce on Dreams.
During
the dreaming state of sleep, we experience the different
levels of consciousness and receive input from the different
realms of the spirit world. Through dreaming, we have
special access to our spirit within. According to the Cayce
readings, there is not a question we can ask which cannot
be answered from the depths of our inner consciousness when
the proper attunement is made.
A dream
may be of a physical, mental, or spiritual nature and may
deal with all manner of psychic manifestations. These include
telepathy, clairvoyance, prophetic visions, out of body
traveling, remembrance of past lives, communication with
beings in other realms including deceased friends and relatives,
spirit guides, angels, Christ, and even the voice of God.
Dreams can also give invaluable information on the status
of the body.
All
subconscious minds are in contact with one another. Through
the subconscious, dreams may place us in attunement with
those in the physical realm or those in the spiritual realm.
We may be visited in the night by discarnate entities for
many reasons: they may seek to give us assurance about their
well-being in other realms of existence; they may come seeking
our aid through prayer; they may come to bring us information
which may be very helpful or limited; or they may come to
influence us with their own desires or perspectives, which
may be helpful or harmful. For example, there are dream
reports of deceased relatives appearing and giving instructions
about where to find a will or a lost object.
The events
we experience in the third-dimension are, as it were, a "past
condition" because this dimension is simply a projection
or a reflection of what is being built at another higher
level. Therefore, when we tune into these higher levels,
as we may in dreams, we become aware of what is being built,
and what may be projected into the physical in the future.
Nothing of importance happens to us that is not foreshadowed
in our dreams. Which is not to say that all dreams are precognitive
or that the exact detail of everything we experience is
given earlier in dreams. However, the word "foreshadowed"
suggests that we may glimpse and be warned of what we are
building now which may come into manifestation later. We
call these dreams "precognitive" or "prophetic."
Just as
the angels spoke to people in dreams in the times of the
Bible, the spirit world still speaks to people to this day.
Some people came to Cayce with dreams of Christ. None was
told that it was simply his imagination, but all were assured
they were indeed in touch with him.
There
is no dimension of human life, whether social, financial,
emotional or physical, mental or spiritual with which the
dream may not on occasion deal. Dreams may encourage or
reprimand, instruct or deceive, inspire or seduce, guide
or confuse. The potential for an immense array of experiences
in consciousness is always there. What we actually receive
depends upon our attitudes, motivations, the measure of
our attunement, and the extent to which we have made applicable
what was received in earlier dreams and in waking experiences.
Many people
came to Cayce to have their dreams interpreted. An example
was the dream of a young man about his father-in-law, who
had recently taken his own life. In the dream a voice commented:
"He is the most uncomfortable
fellow in the world."
Then the dreamer
was shown his own baby crying for food. The image
was to convey the dead man's hunger for guidance and spiritual
sustenance, said Cayce. The next night the dreamer heard
the man's own voice, together with "a wandering impression
of restlessness." The voice said:
"I seek rest.
I want to leave and be with my family down there."
Again Cayce said the dream contact
had been authentic, showing the dreamer how much his prayers
were needed for the father-in-law, who was still an "earthbound"
discarnate. He added that the reason the discarnate was
turning towards people in earthly life was that "the
lessons are learned from that realm, see?" It was a
point Cayce often made, that souls who had once entered
the Earth had to learn their final lessons in the Earth,
where will is called into play in a fashion different from
existence on other realms.
Yet contact between
the dead and the living can be joyous. Sometimes it occurs
because the dead want to show the living what death is like,
to take away their fear and grief. Exploring the possible
reality of such contact, one dreamer had her side pinched
by a discarnate friend, so vividly that she screamed in
fright, while another had his toe pulled when he asked for
it - and did not ask again.
One dream took a
man inside the brain of a woman dying of cancer, a relative,
and showed him precisely what a relief death was, when it
finally came. A later dream also showed him how a
soul feels when awakening to consciousness after death.
Discarnates are not
only rewarded by recognition from the living, they can experience
the joy of teaching the living. They can also, in relatively
unusual cases, work directly with the living for the fulfillment
of worthy causes. The dead differ from the living
only in this respect: they are in a permanently subconscious
state because the conscious mind of the physical body no
longer exists. But the body is an expendable shell, and
all else is intact. On the astral level of existence, the
subconscious mind replaces the conscious mind of the soul,
and the superconscious replaces the subconscious.
Hence, in dreams,
we find that communication with those who have passed on
is more logical than the average person is able to comprehend.
The following are more excerpts from spirit communications
in dreams as told to Edgar Cayce and interpreted: One man
related to Cayce:
"Both my mother and
father [deceased] came to me and were so glad to see me,
but then they told me my sister had committed suicide."
Cayce replied in
trance:
"This dream presents to the
entity, through the mother and father both dead, the thoughts
being entertained by the sister because of dissatisfaction
to meet properly the conditions in her life. And as seen,
the father and mother depend upon you to so instruct, to
so direct, and to so counsel your sister. Give the sister
spiritual counsel so that she may better understand, thereby
enabling her to grow; otherwise, detrimental experiences
will destroy her. Suicide is in her mind. Remember, too,
that
thoughts are deeds in the mental
realm, and they increase or mar the activities of the higher
self." [136-70]
A woman related to
Cayce this dream:
"I dreamed my mother
told me I should warn Aunt Helen against an accident between
an automobile and a streetcar. My mother then became ill."
Cayce replied in
trance:
"This is a warning.
Tell Aunt Helen about it. If she observes the warning, and
stays out of automobiles and streetcars until the waning
of the moon, it will not happen. Warn her, then, for this
is a direct communication from one in the spiritual realm
to one in the physical realm. This attunement is made when
the conscious mind is subjugated, as in meditation or in
sleep, and an attunement with the universal forces is established.
This is also an illustration of the ability of those in
the spiritual realm to see the future." [136-48]
Perhaps the most
common dream experience in spirit communication according
to Cayce is related by the message which in essence says:
"I am fine and
happy. Your grief, however, is holding me back and making
me sad. You can help me greatly by trying to overcome your
sorrow. You must stop grieving!"
Dream Analysis Tips
from Edgar Cayce
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Keep a notebook beside the bed. Record your
dreams as soon as possible after waking.
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Suggest to yourself every night as you fall
asleep, "I will remember my dreams."
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If you wake during the night, write down
the main symbols, and the entire dream will
usually come back in the morning.
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Practice keen observation in your dreams
through self-suggestion prior to sleep.
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Look for these components in your dreams:
the setting, the people, the action, the
color, the feeling, and the words.
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Work on analyzing your dreams every day,
otherwise their progression will be difficult
to assess.
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If dreams are illogical, three reasons are
possible: |
1. |
Only the fragments of the dream
have been recalled. |
2. |
The dream is reflecting something
illogical in the dreamer's life. |
3. |
Mental blocks have erased your
recall. |
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If you are unable to decipher an important
dream, suggest to yourself, before your
next sleep, that the dream repeat itself
more clearly.
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Nightmares, which bring with them an inability
to move or cry out, usually indicate the
wrong diet. To end the nightmarish dreams
change your diet.
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Dreams that are unchanged through the years
indicate the dreamer's resistance to change.
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Dreams of ill health can be either literal
or symbolic warnings. |
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When a problem confronts you, ask by prayer
for guidance to be sent to you through your
dreams.
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Be practical in your interpretations. Always
look first for a lesson. What have you refused
to face or been ignoring?
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Observe carefully recurrent dreams, as well
as the serially progressive ones. These
often illustrate progress or failure.
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Dreams are the reaction of the inner self
to daytime activity and often show the way
out of the dilemma. So relate them to current
activity, because dreams may be retrospective
as well as prospective.
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Dreams come to guide and help, not to amuse.
They direct your attention to errors of
omission and commission and offer encouragement
for right endeavors. They also give us the
opportunity to pray for others and to help
them bear their burdens.
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If you receive an unusual message, reduce
it to common terms. See if the symbolism
of the Bible can be of help in interpreting
the dream.
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Look for past-life experiences in your dreams.
These manifest themselves not only in color,
but in the proper costume and setting of
their period. They come to warn you against
repeating the same old mistakes; to explain
your relationship and reactions to certain
people and places; to reduce your confusions;
to enable you to better understand life.
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Do not fear conversation with the so-called "dead"
in dreams. If the communication is one-sided,
it denotes telepathy. If both participate,
it may be an actual encounter of bodiless
consciousness.
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Dreams are primarily about self. Only a
few dreams relate to family, friends, and
world events.
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Watch for mental telepathy in dreams. |
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Remember, persistence is necessary to learn
any new language, and dream symbols are
the forgotten language of the subconscious.
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Give daily thanks to God for all things
and use daily prayer to improve the quality
and reception of your dreams.
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Edgar Cayce on How to Interpret
Your Dreams
It
would seem that sensory experiences are permanently recorded
by our subconscious mind, even though we remain consciously
unaware of them. Under hypnosis, eyewitnesses to a crime
are able to recall detailed facts that they had previously
been unable to remember. Asleep or awake, the subconscious,
like the tape recorder, registers continuously. This is
because the senses are awarenesses of the inner self which
never sleeps. This may also explain why associations with
some symbols appearing in dreams are difficult to interpret
they are not consciously observed.
Dreams symbols, such
as a house, a bird, or a friend, always represent much more
than that which first meets the eye. This is why the beginner
can benefit from help received from those who have made
a serious study of dreams. Carl Jung voiced much the same
thought when he said that, if one understands symbols, one
can understand the dream as much by empathy as by formal
analysis.
The ideal, however,
is for the individual himself to learn to understand his
dreams by writing them down. Dreams are more easily understood
in series. Dream researchers have discovered that three
or even four of the dreams each night often relate to the
same basic problem or subject, but in different symbols.
It is also helpful
not only to pray for guidance, but also to learn to meditate.
Meditation, which is the art of listening with the ego subdued,
improves the clarity of dreams, expands the consciousness,
and encourages extrasensory perceptions by breaking down
the barriers between the conscious mind and the subconscious
and superconscious.
Perhaps the most
fundamental aspect of symbology is that it is a universal
language, teaching and preserving permanent basic truths.
What shorthand is to words, symbology is to ideas. This
is especially true of religious concepts.
According to Edgar
Cayce, the Book of Revelation is a compilation of the Apostle
John's dreams and visions while he was in exile. It illustrates
his growth in consciousness as he sought, through meditation
and prayer, to fully comprehend the manifestation of the
Holy Spirit in his life.
The
following are many of the dreams symbols Cayce encountered
from all those who came to him to have their dreams interpreted.
Each dream symbol and its meaning are given. If you cannot
find the dream symbol in the list below, visit the
Edgar Cayce Dream Dictionary website.
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