On Dreams

The mystery of dreams has long mystified and fascinated us. Theories abound about what dreams mean, what purpose they serve, and what role they play in our lives.  Whatever approach one takes to study dreams, trying to understand their true meaning requires a deeper study and self-reflection. Because a true study of dreams requires the use of higher form of wisdom and insight, this study relies upon the insights gathered through Anthroposophy and to a far lesser extent, the author's own experiences over time.

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The term "dreams" refers to a different state of consciousness when the human being, or "I", is no longer in a waking state. We feel tired and as a result go to sleep.  All of us accept this as an axiom without understanding the true reasons as to why a human being requires sleep at all.  This necessary cycle between waking and sleeping is a vital aspect of human existence when, after depleting its resources, the human being must somehow recharge itself. But what happens during this time, and why?

Spiritual studies and Anthroposophy reveal that the human being requires sleep because that eternal part of us that resides within the folds of the physical self must be recharged. It can only be recharged by higher, spiritual forces. For those mysterious forces to flow into the soul, we must temporarily abandon our physical form and return to the spiritual worlds; the same place from when we came prior to being born and shall return after we die. During this time, the physical form is sustained by divine beings who oversee human evolution.

Thus, it is that after our forces have been depleted during the day, we sleep and magically awaken to feel better - or at least we should. Fatigue caused by mental exertion, physical effort, illness, etc. all require the human being to be recharged and renewed for another day.

Behind this fact, lies a deeper mystery that Dr. Rudolf Steiner spoke of at length. Every day the soul cycles and is compelled to return to that eternal region where the individual can "recharge" and heal the damage - through thoughts, feelings, activities, or illness - that has been done by ourselves or others during waking life.  This damage occurs on multiple levels including our energy body (Etheric), the Astral body (our soul or light body which carries emotions, passions, etc.), and our physical body. The "I" appears to take a back seat during sleep and recedes into the background although depending on one's inner awareness, some people have greater memory and clarity of their dreams upon waking. 

These are Anthroposophical terms which can be confusing if not is no familiar with them. Regardless of the terms used, the eternal in us - the soul - leaves the physical form while sleeping and yet remains connected to it until it returns to the physical form to continue another cycle.

During dreams, a shift in consciousness occurs. A lot more goes on during dreams than just recharging. The soul expresses itself and has interactions on the spiritual planes in mysterious ways. Dreams are spiritual experiences that unfold in a different state of awareness. Dreams consist of images, symbols, and situations that often do not conform to our understanding of waking life or how one thinks and engages in the world. 

Upon falling asleep, human beings - any living being that has consciousness - experiences a subtle shift in awareness. The precise moment when the soul leaves the physical sheath, and yet remains connected to it, is not discernible. The "astral" and the "I" of the human being are two separate and yet interwoven aspects of each human being. They are reflections of one another. While I do not have data to support the claim that many of us do not remember our dreams, Dr. Rudolf Steiner informs us that most of our dreams are not remembered. If one reflects objectively upon one's dream life, one will frequently find that dreams are not remembered upon waking. However, we are having real spiritual experiences during that time regardless of our ability to remember our dreams.

While sleeping, our consciousness is subject to the laws of the spiritual worlds where thoughts, emotions, experiences, and forms that we created and carry within us emerge outwardly and can be observed by ourselves and others who occupy the same space. What was inner, becomes outer. What we are feeling, thinking, and willing - which is a deep mystery of the human soul - is apparent and observable. All sorts of impulses and activities occur that have substance and expression. These experiences are just as important as the experiences we have during our waking lives. On average, dreams consist of about 1/3 of the time of our lives.

Some researchers in the modern era have ambitiously endeavored to create universal catalogs of dream imagery, but I believe that these images can only be applied at a high level. For example, what a lion or cheetah means to one person may mean something different to another and the soul will manifest that image - or perceive it - in accordance with its own experiences and the situation upon which a lion or cheetah is experienced in a dream. In other words, a context is needed. However, in light of Anthroposophy, there is such a thing as an objective lion as a spiritual being. One must learn how to discern between the two. These applies to people, objects, and situations as well that we experience during dreams.

Dr. Rudolf Steiner, and others who have written on the matter of dreams in light of higher knowledge, inform us that dreams occur on different planes of the spiritual worlds that consist of lower, middle, and higher spheres. The lower astral plane, for example, is referred to as the plane characterized by many aspects including desires, feelings, and passions. It is the spiritual plane that is closest to the earth.

Dr. Steiner referred to the higher planes, or what we consider Heaven to be in the Christian context, as  "Lower Devachan" and "Higher Devachan." There are higher planes beyond those planes that are not perceptible to the modern human mind. As a soul moves beyond the lower astral plane, either after death or while dreaming, ts experiences vary . All individuals who pass through the gate of death move through and exist within the same astral planes and can interact with souls who are dreaming.

The astral planes, or spiritual planes, are living spheres. They are populated by myriads of souls that are both incarnate and discarnate. Angels, archangels, and higher divine beings who oversee human evolution move throughout the spiritual planes in accordance with their activity and missions. Animals of all types, companions, friends, and those who have recently departed - and are awaiting rebirth - occupy the same planes.

This may give the impression that the higher planes are crowded. Based on experienced, there ere more "populated" areas. However, the spiritual worlds are eternal and the concept of space in the physical world does not carry over well into the application of the eternal. The spiritual planes are structured and infinite. Regardless of the precise location that any soul may find themselves on the spiritual planes, the presence of higher angelic beings is sensed and these individuals guide human and world evolution on our unique paths and missions. 

The physical plane is the lowest region of human experience and is tertiary. However, in addition to the higher spheres which are refer refer as "Heaven" in the Bible, Dr. Rudolf Steiner also discussed a "subsensible" sphere where destructive forces and beings exist that have a necessary place in the evolution of the cosmos. Regardless, everywhere in the spiritual worlds are living souls - both incarnate and discarnate - who interact with one another and human beings with whom we often come into contract with while we sleep. 

In the higher planes - or worlds - there are many mansions. These "continents" are perceptible as fields of light separated by black voids of nothingness - emotions, ideas, activities, thoughts, and experiences flow from soul to soul, the world, and the cosmos. Knowledge - as well as transformative and sustaining forces - flow from regions and through souls of all levels of existence. These living forces of the soul and spirit have creative and destructive energy within them based on the application of one's will and the state of one's disposition. These manifest during dreams. Thought control, feeling control, and the application of movement during one's life manifests as both higher and lower expressions of the soul while we dream.

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(1)  "...our soul goes out in sleep from our physical and etheric bodies (energy body), and enters a world not subject to the laws of nature. That is why dreams are a mockery of those laws. We enter an entirely different world — a world to which we grow accustomed in sleep, just as when, awake in our physical body, we accustom ourselves to the world of the senses. 

This different world is not governed by our laws of nature; it has laws of its own. We dive into this world every night on going out of our physical and etheric bodies. Dreams are a power which forcibly opposes nature's laws." 

- Rudolf Steiner, https://rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA227/English/RSP1966/19230822p01.html  *Parenthesis are the author's.

(2) "The dream we have as we go to sleep and the dream we have just before waking both draw on the experiences of the day, break them up and give them all sorts of fantastic forms — at least we call them fantastic from the point of view of ordinary consciousness. The dissolving of a salt in a liquid is a good simile for the kind of thing that happens inwardly in a dream."  -Rudolf Steiner, https://rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA227/English/RSP1966/19230822p01.html

(3) "In the time between going to sleep and waking, when our astral body (feeling body of passions, desires, and emotions) is no longer subject to these laws (natural laws of the outer world), and we are in a world where the force of gravity, the law of energy, in fact all laws of that kind have ceased to be valid, the way is clear for those moral impulses which down here, during waking life, can find expression only under the constraint of the world of the senses and its ordering. 

Between sleeping and waking the Ego lives in a world where the moral law has the same force and power as the laws of nature have down here. And in that world where in sleep it is set free from laws of nature, the Ego can prepare itself for what it will have to be doing after death." -Rudolf Steiner, https://rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA227/English/RSP1966/19230822p01.html  *Parenthesis are the author's.

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Thus, it is that the laws of nature - that is the outer laws of the physical world - "dissolve" when a person transitions into a higher sphere of consciousness which occurs during dreams.  A similar transition occurs during death and meditation when the boundary and interference of the ego which is tied to the physical form, which necessarily finds its inputs from the outer world through the senses and the mechanics of the intellect, is bypassed on its way to the inner world of the soul. The center where God is which is the bridge to the spiritual within us. The dream, like meditation, is the bridge and the portal to the eternal in each human being; that which we are before birth, carry within us during life, and lives on after death.

As one crosses the first gate of inner consciousness, which manifests in dreams, symbols often emerge before us. These symbols are the subjective reflections of our souls which Buddha referred to as "Samskara." These are residual unpurified aspects of perception that need to be deciphered. This does not imply that these symbols are illusory. Rather, we must learn how to decipher for them for what they are which requires discernment, research, and reflection. 

Symbols, feelings, hopes, fears, ideals, words, and behaviors that emerge during dreams are how the soul finds expression in alignment with spiritual laws. It is important to remember, however, that these reflections carry both higher and lower aspects (in terms of a moral foundation and how we perceive things) of our soul. This quality of perception often varies from person to person in subtle ways.

To understand the strange behaviors of our dreams, a person who endeavors to understand the deeper forces or our souls - and thus the deeper forces and karmic necessity of our lives - needs to understand the "language" of the soul. It is an education and an intuitive journey. Dreams are a fundamental aspect for he or she who seeks to "know thy self"; a central theme in the ancient Mysteries. In light of Dr. Rudolf Steiner and Anthroposophy, Edgar Cayce, Carl Jung, and those who have made progress on the path of seeing beyond the veil of the physical world, the fact is that much is hidden from our consciousness during our waking lives.

The known and hidden forces, thoughts, feelings, habits, and impulses of the human being manifest in dreams. In dreams, it frequently occurs that the "I" is separated from the soul which is housed in a physical form. During our lives, the soul is clothed with in a worldly identity - or lower Ego - that was built up during life. It finds its path to transformation, fulfillment, and reformation through this temporary form.

Dr. Steiner observed that after death, the experiences of our dreams are merged with our "I" and we become fully aware of everything that occurred during our waking and dream lives and how our decisions, dreams, and inner experiences shaped us into what we are. Through spiritual-dream experiences, the soul is preparing for its future life after death when a great transformation occurs and we are raised to a higher stage of consciousness.

During dreams, objects which normally appear be in proportion and relation to one another based on the laws of physics, weight, movement, and gravity often do not appear that way. Our activity and perception are influenced by states of awareness and consciousness which influences our memory; both objective and subjective. The greater a person's clairvoyance, the greater is her or his memory and consciousness during dreams. Subjective dreams are mysterious, symbolic, confusing, and even disorienting. If constructive and inspired by genuine ideals, values, and virtues, the soul typically awakens feeling renewed and well.

Conversely, if a soul behaves against spiritual ideals, or bears a grudge towards another, the experience may be reflected back upon them in any number of ways. Emotional venting, for example, or ranting amongst one's private thoughts will always produce negative side effects. For example, a person may gossip or insult someone (either true or untrue) in thought or verbally thus resulting in some form of harm.  

Later, during a dream, the offender may find themselves stranded and observe someone hurling rocks or objects at them, thus making them feel the same thing that they projected upon someone else. Or, the offender may find themselves being lectured or guided by someone and awaken to guilty feelings as they though they had wronged someone. It could also be that two people may find one another while dreaming and offer an apology. This is an objective experience between two souls.

Thoughts, words, deeds, and feelings are transmitted across the physical and spiritual worlds with the same intensity and intent upon which they were created. They must be faced by each soul at some point. Thus, we should consider these dream experiences as moments of reconciliations to get us on the right path especially if awaken feeling guilty or shameful. These frequently come through as directions given to us by those who helping us on the path of life which can flow through to us in dreams.

Symbolism, or subjectivity, is a preliminary stage of perception. When objective, experiences, beings, and activities appear before the soul in dreams as they truly are. This follows for perception in our waking lives as well. While it cannot be measured - except by those who have ascended to a higher and objective form of wisdom and vision - a substantial amount of our perceptions of things is rooted in a form of subjectivity either positive or negative.

This is an outcome of a disposition rooted in self control and maturity. It is at that moment of clarity and objectivity that beings appear to us who occupy the spiritual worlds. These interactions occur with divine guides, the deceased (of all stages of change), and those who are also dreaming somewhere in the world with whom we may have a relationship OR may have a relationship in the future.

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These four aspects of the human being (Ego, astral, etheric, and physical) are interwoven in a unified experience during that day. While dreaming, we find ourselves observing things from two perspectives and at other times from a single, unified one. Thus, we may observe our "astral" form from a distance at times from the perspective of the first person, and at other times we may be moving about in the first person in a unified way.

It is certainly confusing at first pass, but these terms as given to us through Anthroposophy and other forms of higher wisdom, give form and definition to activities that are not well described in common vernacular. As a result, we should consider that Dr. Steiner's observations and lectures are not based on a "model" but observations of human behaviors from a higher perspective (through supersensible vision) by one who has passed through higher stages of initiation. Dr. Steiner was observing human behavior as a true scientist with the fully opened eyes of the spirit. Dr. Steiner described these aspects and experiences of the human being as fundamental to everyone.

So, dreams are the windows to the soul that work within and along the activities, forces, and impulses of the human being that guide us on the path of life.

Ideas, feelings, colors, and scenes colored by the travails of love, anxiety, regret, anger, stress, goals, ideals, and yearnings often appear outwardly during dreams. Reminders of our life's mission manifest in dreams that were planned prior to being born. These often unfold at specific intervals of our lives. What was inner becomes outer.  Sometimes memories are presented to the soul, provided to us by divine guides and helpers who share the astral plane with us.  Forces, ideas, and divine guidance are given to us during dreams. Additionally, opposing forces can also  work upon and misguide us. Thus, it is important to consider and reflect carefully upon what we dream.

The materialistic impulse which pervades the world today typically brings darkness to our dreams. Only living thoughts, feelings, and genuine ideals enable us to have a clear dream life. Souls often appear before us in dreams as light forms; sometimes as they are in life - if they are also dreaming - while others appear in a form that they occupied before they died. Discarnate souls can assume masked appearances. It may be that discarnate souls cannot pierce through the interference of a dreamer which may be chaotic and confused, and thus may appear as masked or at a distance. It often requires a lot of patience and effort for our deceased loved ones to reach us in dreams.

Then, there are moments when discarnate souls appear objectively in their true form to us in dreams. This is much easier when the dreamer is at peace and centered; free of encumbrances. Negative aspects such as anxiety always create a barrier and require extra effort by those trying to reach us.  Thus, they pick moments which can appear to the dreamer as a mystery. Regardless, all of us have interactions with deceased loved ones, divine guides, and even old companions with whom we may never have known during our lives. They may not be consistent interactions and we may not always remember them upon waking, but they do occur.

People who are alive in the physical world and dreaming can have common shared experiences or discussions. Oftentimes, these interactions go unnoticed and are not remembered by dreamers upon waking. Thus, it is important to write down one's dreams as messages are frequently passed on to a dreamer from those in the spiritual worlds which more frequently occur from loved ones and colleagues who have passed through the gate of the spirit. These often occur just after falling asleep or just before waking when memory is at its strongest.  

Songs, comments, locations, names, etc. are frequently passed along to the soul during sleep and follow us in the coming days and even years of our lives. Songs are frequently shared between souls who have passed through the gate of death as inspiration or to inspire a connection. Thus, it makes sense to look at the lyrics of songs that are passed along to discern if there is a deeper message.  Most of us have experiences with those who have passed through the gate of the spirit more often than we think.

For example, someone may be thinking of a deceased loved one and they might have a dream where they receive a phone call from that person. They pick up the phone, and the deceased loved one informs them quite clearly that "I am doing well", "don't worry about me", etc. The dreamer awakes quickly and remembers it. This is typically a genuine experience from a deceased loved one who is trying to get a message through using familiar symbols.

Another fact of the astral plane, and this applies to all of us while we dream, is that thoughts, feelings, experiences, yearnings, and ideas resonate in the soul and are outwardly perceivable as colors, images, and forces.  It is also important to consider that those who have passed through the gate of death communicate differently. We use words as a primary form of discourse. However, souls occupying the astral planes who have passed through the gate of the spirit often communicate through images, feelings, discussions, and living forces that bring insights, ideas, and direction to our lives. They often use thoughts and the application of will to guide us and communicate with one another.

The traditional notions of privacy, in terms of thoughts, feelings, and experiences, must be discarded as they no longer apply in the astral-spiritual dream experience. Our thoughts, foods we ate, notions, and ideas are visible to those who approach us during dreams. Our most personal aspects are visible. In addition, there is a giving back process - and taking in process - during our dream lives of what we project that is constructive or destructive.

Physical experiences can follow us while we dream. Dr. Steiner quoted specific examples of people who experiences symbols that were reflections of purely physical events; small or large. For example, he quoted a person who had a cavity and in a dream observed a massive stone block with a burning hole in it.  Ultimately it is up to the dreamer to develop an intuitive perspective, vocabulary, and informed disposition on what they are observing, feeling, thinking, and doing in their dreams. 

Since leaders possessing genuine insights are not easily found in today's world, we should first rely on ourselves through self-education through informed sources such as a Dr. Rudolf Steiner, Edgar Cayce, and others. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, the experience of dreams is the result of a shift in consciousness which allows the soul to leave the physical form and enter into the spiritual worlds; also known as the "astral plane." During that time, the human being is frequently renewed and recharged assuming that high levels of anxiety, worry, or illness are not interrupting the restoration process.  During dreams, we give back our constructive experiences, thoughts, and feelings to those who can benefit from them, and receive in turn healing forces and guidance from those concerned about our personal lives and our karma which has brought us to this point in time in the world; a moment which is destined to evolve and change.

If we think, feel, and behave constructively during our waking lives in accordance with genuine ideals, we can give something back while we dream. For example, Dr. Steiner discussed in his lectures that delivering genuine spirit readings - including those who in his works - can greatly benefit those who have died. Genuine spiritual facts and truths that he revealed through is works enable us to find a path back to those with whom we are connected which follows when we dream.

We should never discount our dreams, but endeavor to build a memory of experiences so we can learn and allow them aide us on the path of life. If we have erred, and a dream brings that fact back to us, then let us use that information to heal others and take corrective action. If a message or information comes through from divine messengers, loved ones, or colleagues, it is a good idea to write it down and reflect upon its true meaning. Was it straightforward or symbolic?  Do not discount if it appeared to be confusing and meaningless, but rather look for correlations and how the symbolism may apply in our lives in the future.

Forces such as inspiration ("spiritus" or "divine breath") and helpful direction for leading a productive life often flow through our dreams and can helps us, others, and the world. If we allow them to flow through us, we can reach our highest potential and lead more balanced lives. 

For continued study on the nature and complexity of dreams, I recommend a review of Dr. Steiner's works, Edgar Cayce, and dream researchers such as Carl Jung.

(1)  From early till late he is occupied with his work and his daily experiences; he makes use of his intellect and his outer senses. He lives and works in what we call the waking state. But that is only one state; between waking and sleeping there is another. In this state he is aware of pictures, dream pictures, passing through his soul. These pictures are not directly related to the external world and ordinary  reality. We may call this the dream-state, and it is interesting to study how it takes its course. Many people suppose that dreams are nonsense, but this is not so."  -Rudolf Steiner, https://rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA095/English/RSPAP1986/19060902p01.html

(2) "When in sleep a man is out of his physical and etheric bodies with his Ego and astral body, he finds himself within the being who goes through repeated lives on Earth. What gives inner strength to the sleeping man, what above all is inwardly active in his being, is the Ego together with the astral body. These need not be limited to memories of experience in the life just over, but can go back to other lives on Earth." https://rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA227/English/RSP1966/19230822p01.html

(3) "Everyone is familiar with the external characteristics of the upsurging  and ebbing life of pictures arising in dreams. I shall speak of a few of  these characteristics only. The dream arises as the result of some  definite instigation. Firstly, there are dreams which have been instigated by the senses. A dream may arise because a clock is ticking away beside us. In certain circumstances the pendulum-beats become the trampling of horses, or  perhaps something else. 

Certain sense-images, therefore, are found in the dream. I lay particular stress on this, for dream-experience bases itself upon numerous impressions received by the outer senses. But what works upon the outer senses never works in the dream in the same form as in the ordinary waking life of day. The sense-impression is always  transformed into symbolism — a transformation that is actually brought  about by the life of soul." -Rudolf Steiner, Manifestations of the Unconscious Dreams, Hallucinations, Visions, Somnambulism, Mediumship, GA 67 https://rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA067/English/Singles/19180321p01.html

(4) "...if we...examine dreams of this (first) type, we find that the pictures derive their whole character chiefly from the nature of the man himself, from the individuality of his ego. (Only, we must  not study dreams like the psychiatrists who bring everything under one hat.) 

If we have an understanding of dreams—I say, of dreams, not of dream-interpretation—we can often learn to know a man better from his dreams than from observing his external life. When we study all that a person experiences in such dreams we find that it always points back to the experience of the ego in the outer world." -Rudolf Steiner, https://rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA234/English/RSP1931/19240208p01.htmlf

(5) "...for example, a man dreams of seeing a row of white pillars, one of which  is damaged or dirty; he wakes up with this dream and finds he has  toothache. He then sees that the row of pillars ‘symbolises’ the row of  teeth; one tooth is aching, and this is represented by the damaged or, perhaps, dirty pillar. Or a man may wake up dreaming of a seething stove and find he has palpitation of the heart. 

Or he is distressed in his dream by a frog approaching his hand; he takes hold of the frog and fords it soft. He shudders, and wakes up to find he is holding a corner of his blanket, grasped in sleep. These things can go much further. A  man may dream of all kinds of snake-like forms and wake up with intestinal pains." -Rudolf Steiner, https://rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA234/English/RSP1931/19240208p01.html 

(6) "It is the course of the dream just that which does not interest ordinary consciousness and which I can only call the dramatic quality of the dream—that  begins to interest us most. We see behind the scenes of dream-life and,  in doing so, become aware that we have before us something related to  man's spiritual being in quite a definite way. We see that, in a  spiritual sense, the dream is the human being, as the seed is the plant." -Rudolf Steiner, https://rsarchive.org/Search.php?q=dreams

(7) "The astral world is as transparent as the dream-pictures; it is, as it were, woven out of dreams. But these dreams which constitute the astral world differ from ordinary dreams, for they are the images of a reality, just as “real” a reality as the  physical world. We perceive this reality in the same way in which we perceive dreams, for the astral world, too, is perceived symbolically. You all know that the world of dreams is a symbolical world. Everything  from the world outside which enters our sleep, takes on a symbolical aspect in our dreams...

For  example, you may be dreaming that you have caught a frog. You feel its  slippery body, and on waking up you find that you are holding the cold  end of the sheet in your hand. Or you may dream that you are in a cellar, in a dark hole full of spiders' webs: You wake up ... with a  headache. Or you may see snakes in your dream, and when you awake you will find that you have abdominal pains. Or another dream: An  academician has a long dream of a duel, beginning with some insult and ending with the pistol-shot: He hears the shot, awakes, and discovers  that a chair has fallen." -Rudolf Steiner, https://rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA100/English/ANS1942/19070619p01.html *This is an abridged quote.

(8)  "...Not only does time run backwards, so to speak, but the whole conception of time loses its meaning in a dream.  During a dream, we may pass through a whole life in the fraction of a second, in the same way in which our whole life passes before our soul's eye during the moment of drowning, or crashing. The point to be borne in mind in all these dream-pictures is that the cause which gave rise to them appears in the form of IMAGES.

This is the case in the astral world. Its images can be interpreted. The  same astral experience always appears in the form of the same image;  there is always regularity and harmony in these pictures of the astral  world, whereas our ordinary dreams are chaotic. In the end, we can find  our way about in the astral world just as well as in the physical world. " -Rudolf Steiner, https://rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA100/English/ANS1942/19070619p01.html