6 Reasons Why Everyone Should Keep a Dream Journal

Hello again!! Welcome to another blog post on sageelephant.org :)

A couple of weeks ago, we talked through strategies and tips for improving our sleep. Feel free to refer to Parts 1 and 2 as a refresher!

To recap, the main reasons we want to sleep include: we feel better, we recharge, we keep our hunger hormones are in check, we feel our mood and memory improve, we improve our focus, and many more!

And one of the most important reasons to sleep is: to dream.

There are many theories as to why we dream. From a more grounded perspective, this can include processing our subconscious or unconscious feelings, or perhaps experimenting with certain scenarios in life that our brains want to work out. From a more "woo" perspective: visiting loved ones that have crossed over, connecting with other realms or spiritual beings. Or perhaps getting messages from your spirit guides. It is thought that the ego is turned completely down in your dreams, so it does not surprise me that you could be connected to universal consciousness at night!

They say we dream 5 times each night. We are lucky if we remember one! However, by keeping track of your dream journaling, we can improve our "dream memory" and make the most of our dreams!

6 Reasons We Should Record Our Dreams:

• Improves your intuition: yes, you can improve your intuition from dream journaling! I am even more in tune with my own truths and decisions, and I've also been able to predict things that are about to happen, for example what people are about to say in life, or in podcasts or shows. It's pretty cool!
• Helps you process deeply held feelings: I noticed that there were some feelings that I was simply pushing down. In my dreams, these situations would play themselves out in various ways to show me how I truly felt about a situation. For example, with an ex of mine, my dreams progressed from being hurt or watching my suspicions about the situation 'come true', to saying no to seeing him again, and then to not really dreaming about him anymore. Some of this was known to me in regular life, and some were not, so it was helpful to work through this. UPDATE: if you are someone who is having nightmares (nightmares wake us up), consider consulting a trained professional that you feel safe with to delve deeper with, if that feels right to you.
• You can receive profound messages: There is great wisdom to be held in dreams.  For example, it has helped me realize my purpose in the world, and I have seen myself as a mystic and meditation teacher in my dreams, and it makes me really happy! Also, I've received messages to pursue what feels good, because it will help me attract more of what I want :) I am trying to do that!
• You may sense future events before they happen: I have this image from one of my dreams where my friend came to visit and her baby boy was playing with a tube, and pointed the tube at me and looked right at me through the tube. Well, wouldn't you know, it happened in real life a few months later! With my foam roller lol. I had serious deja vu, and then realized I had dreamed about it earlier. It was a really cute and meaningful moment!
• You'll dream more! It was recommended by one of my spiritual teachers to record my dreams. I noticed that the more I recorded my dreams, the more I dreamed! I sometimes have 4 dreams in a night that I can remember! It's wild!
• You can improve your creativity: This blog is a nice example of that :) and also I have noticed my creative problem solving has improved. Additionally, you have all heard stories about people's greatest ideas and breakthroughs being discovered in their dreams! Einstein was one of them!

How to Record Your Dreams:

Set an intention! Try writing it down. Yes you can ask your spirit guides anything you would like to know. Everybody has spirit guides, angels, and ancestors watching over them. You can alternatively ask your Highest Self or Higher Power, if that feels more true to you.  If there is something you want to know about or get guidance on, or if there is a problem you want to solve, you can set that intention. Or just let go and see what comes up!

The best way to record your dreams is first thing after you wake up, usually within the first 5 minutes. After that, it is really easy to lose what you saw. Sometimes you may be able to remember your dreams later in the day, but other times it'll get lost completely. Sometimes I lose it even that morning after I wake up. And that's okay, too! Just another place to practice some self-compassion.

1. Writing them down: you can use a journal, or consider purchasing my dream journal (see below!)
2. Voice recording them: this is what I do! I don't have the faculties first thing in the morning to write. Also, Rocco really does not like when I am writing when I should be petting him!! Can't blame him. So I record in the morning on my phone and I may revisit later in the day to write it out. Sometimes, you can hear me falling back asleep on the recording, or hear Rocco licking his paws. But Rocco gets his pets and I get my dream recorded! Win-win.

Things to Take Note of During Your Dreams!

• Your feelings!: Vastly important to understanding the situation you are dreaming about.
• The situation/background: sets the scene for the dream. Sometimes the setting is related to work or your house but looks nothing like your work or house! Again, reflecting on your feelings can help you decipher.
• Any person that you saw or interacted with: this can be interpersonally or to yourself. Often times the message we deliver to others in the dream is the one we really needed to hear ourselves.
• Any messages you heard: these can be the wisest pieces of advice if you pay attention!
• Any events that transpired
• Any colors you saw
• If your intention matched your dream, because sometimes it won't!

How you make meaning of your dream remains up to you. It may include searching Google or a book for dream interpretations. Ultimately, it's what the dream means to you that matters the most. Let your intuition guide you!

Sometimes, it can take a bit of time before you truly understand what your dream meant. Maybe you grow into the person you are meant to be before you understand some of them. And sometimes, they don't mean anything, and that's okay too.

Overall, dream journaling is the shit. I love dreams!!! I think they are so fascinating and foretelling. I am such a daydreamer too, maybe it was supposed to be my job to dream all day and night :)

Dreams are an indication of the dimensionality of the human existence. Something to really ponder...

And with that, I hope everyone has a good week! And a good night's sleep!

Gratefully,

Angeli

Quote: "You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one" - John Lennon

UPDATE (7/29/22): Here is the link to my dream journal! It's on Amazon and I think you will love it!!!

Sources:

1. Crisp, Tony. Dream Dictionary. New York, Gramercy Books, 2005.
2. Walker, Matthew. "Why Your Brain Needs to Dream." Greater Good Magazine. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_your_brain_needs_to_dream. Date Accessed: May 1, 2022.
3. Fibri, Sansan. "6 Benefits of Keeping a Dream Journal: How & Why to Start." Wakefully. https://wakefully.io/blog/dream-journal. Date Accessed: May 2, 2022.
4. Evans, Vicki. "How to Keep a Dream Journal to Tap into Intuition and Creativity." Project Me. https://myprojectme.com/dream-journal/. Date Accessed: May 2, 2022.