Dream Interpretation: The Language of the Subconscious
Dreaming as a gateway to the spiritual realms has been expressed in many ways, across indigenous and ancient cultures since the beginning of time. In modern psychology, Jung and Freud believed that the mysteries held deep within us, that which has been described as our unconscious minds (or subconscious in modern times), is unlocked by working and interpreting the metaphors, symbols & emotions that show up in our nightly escapades.
There is a common thread between cultures and science - dreams are not random but carefully crafted stories and experiences that reflect our inner world. Understanding the symbols in your dreams is a critical piece of the puzzle and paves the way for growth, healing, and spiritual connection.
The Subconscious Speaks Through Dreams
Indigenous culture has a deeply spiritual view of the dream space. Similar to our entheogenic experiences, dreams are sacred communication with the divine realm, conveying messages from spirit, guides (to include our plant teachers) and ancestors. It’s a place where the veil is lifted and we enter into other dimensions inaccessible in our everyday waking lives. For Native American tribes like the Iroquois, dreams are seen as the language of the soul, revealing hidden desires or needs, with dream-sharing being a daily ritual for interpreting these messages for individual or communal benefit. In Australian Aboriginal cultures, the concept of "The Dreaming" is central, representing not just dreams during sleep but the time of creation where ancestral spirits formed the world, with dreams serving as an ongoing connection to this sacred time, maintaining and understanding cultural laws and landscapes. Amazonian shamanistic tradition use dreams to reveal medicinal plant locations, predict events, or guide healing ceremonies. They are a space for spiritual travel to other realms for knowledge. Common across these cultures is the idea of dreams providing personal and communal guidance, maintaining spiritual connection and viewing time holistically, where past, present, and future can be experienced simultaneously.
From a western perspective, Carl Jung believed that our dreams are the main entry point to our subconscious mind. The part of us that holds all of our memories, traumas, but also connects to the collective (quantum) field. Key to spiritual and personal growth, working with our “shadow” elements allows for integration or wholeness to reach what he called individuation. Individuation is the process through which an individual becomes a unique, whole person by integrating the conscious with the unconscious aspects of the psyche. It's about achieving a state of psychological balance and self-realization where one's true self emerges - our authentic, magical one of a kind self.
Dream interpretation was a cornerstone of Jung’s analytical psychology sessions. He viewed dreams as the primary gateway to the psyche. This access allows us to dig into our subconscious minds and begin to create a bridge between conscious and unconscious to integrate into wholeness. Dreams don’t speak in spoken language though, they speak in their own very unique way – through symbols, archetypes and emotions. Intentionally building the bridge and working with our dreams allows us to create a map between the veiled and unveiled parts of ourselves into unity.
Understanding Dream Interpretation Techniques
Getting started to work intentionally with your dreams may seem like a daunting task at first. I bought my first dream dictionary at 15 and excited to start my journey understanding what the complex scenarios I was being shown meant, I pretty soon felt overwhelmed and confused. It was the same feeling when I started reading tarot cards. Although the dictionary provided a synopsis of what the symbols meant, it felt highly impersonal. I found myself less and less excited about using the dictionary as it didn’t make any sense to me. I wasn’t connecting to the meaning of the interpretations, and if I did, the story just wasn’t coming together. I hadn’t tapped into my intuition and didn’t realize how highly individual dream interpretation is. The dictionary was showing me common or collective meanings to the symbols, but wasn’t taking my experience – culturally or personally into account.
In working with my dreams later in life, I’ve discovered that the technique of interpreting my dreams requires a deeply intentional process. One that creates relationship between my subconscious and conscious mind and creates a sincere desire to “hear” what is being conveyed.
It also requires practice, commitment, and perfecting the process over time. For example, becoming more attuned to our bodies and the way our sleep patterns ebb and flow. If you wake at 6 am do you remember your dreams better than if you wake at 8 am? As you work with your dreams, you’ll start to notice patterns that perhaps you hadn’t noticed before.
Some Techniques to Work with Dreams Intentionally Include:
·Creating a bedtime ritual. For me, this also includes working with specific plants to enhance my dream space. Blue Water Lilly and Lavender create a beautiful container signaling to my subconscious that I am intentionally ready to hear what it has to say.
Creating a sacred space for our sleep and honoring its importance. This could be honoring a certain bedtime hour or it could be turning off all devices for an hour or two before going to bed. It can also be reading or listening to beautiful music to relax the body and mind beforehand.
Understanding our sleep patterns. What wake up time is best for remembering our dreams in full? Testing and retesting to see what works for you.
Body positioning. A strange one, but do you notice you dream better on your side or your back? My lucid dreaming space always happens when I wake up on my back.
Dream Journaling. The most obvious part of the technique, but it’s a commitment to writing down anything, even if it’s just a feeling after waking up. Not discounting anything in our experience and becoming non-judgmental in our approach. Marking true dedication to our subconscious minds that we are open and accepting of whatever it is showing us.
Interpreting. After you journal what you saw, how do you feel? Feel into your body to see what comes up and write down any words that describe the feelings. Are there any memories associated with the feeling? Pull on the thread and see where you go! Meditation is also a wonderful post journaling activity. Finally, as a last step (if called) refer to the collective meaning of the symbol by looking at a dictionary. Perhaps the collective meaning will bring up other feelings to the surface that you hadn’t felt before!
How Dream Interpretation Enhances Personal Growth
Every night we travel into the spiritual realms and have an opportunity to bridge our veiled and unveiled selves. Our ancestors recognized the importance of dreams and dream interpretation to enhance our spiritual growth, connect us with our shadows and receive guidance. Whether indigenous tradition or western psychology, both agree that working with our dreams creates a personal understanding of behavioral patterns, emotions and shadows that effect our waking hours. Most importantly, the intention of listening to our dreams creates a space of non-judgement that allows our shadows to come out of hiding.
Working with our dreams allows us to work with our plant medicine allies in deeper and more creative ways. Our plant teachers speak in the same language that our dreams do and will often appear in our dreams themselves. Creating a bridge – a personalized map of symbols and emotions for our plant allies to use allows for a deeper experience and stronger, faster integration of our experiences post-ceremony, for example. The benefits of working with our dreams creates a foundation for our other work on our consciousness journey.
Dreams also serve as a catalyst for creativity and problem-solving, providing a playground where the mind can operate free from logical constraints. This environment can inspire artists or help business professionals solve complex issues through abstract thinking.
Practices for Effective Dream Analysis
Creating a comfortable, judgment-free environment is crucial when approaching dream interpretation. Remember, each symbol in a dream can have different meanings based on your personal experiences, so it's important to approach this process with openness. If your dreams are particularly disturbing or deal with trauma, it might be beneficial to work with qualified professionals. Therapists or dream analysts can provide invaluable guidance, helping you navigate these complex waters safely.
Dream interpretation is more than a tool; it's a gateway to understanding your subconscious, offering opportunities to process emotions, uncover insights, and grow in mind, body, and spirit. Whether sparking profound revelations or guiding everyday decisions, dreams provide a rich and accessible path to self-discovery and spiritual growth.
If you feel called to learn more about your dreams and subconscious mind, I’d be happy to connect with you here.
About the Author
Marwa Mitchell has been working with Plant Medicines for many years, and is well versed in helping people set clear intentions and feel safe and excited about the journey into altered spaces. Her degree in psychology with an emphasis in neuroscience gives her both clinical and spiritual expertise. Marwa is also a certified past life regressionist (PLR) in both Dolores Cannon’s QHHT methodology and the Beyond Quantum Healing (BQH) modality, as well as a Reiki practitioner. A lifelong student of consciousness exploration, Marwa is particularly adept at understanding how the subconscious mind operates in connection with the universal consciousness to reflect our traumas and illuminate our paths to growth.
