neptunesdolphins | Remembering Dreams (Reply)

To remember dreams, I have a simple practice. Before going to bed, I ask myself to remember my dreams. Since I do go to the bathroom during the night, I keep a pen and index cards near the sink. I write down key words and anything that struck me as peculiar. After breakfast, I review my notes and write in my dream journal, which I have kept for years. Later after pondering the dream, I write down what I think it means. Also, I consult my journal for similar dreams and to place the current one in a dream category.

Dreams can either be from the “Gates of Horn” or the “Gates of Ivory.” (Note) Dreams from the Gates of Ivory are simply rehashing the day. True dreams are from the Gates of Horn. They are the voices from the Gods or omens of the future.

Things to remember in recalling dreams.

• Writing by hand allows you to feel the dream in your body, with all of your senses.

• When you are half-awake, lie still and focus on breathing. You will recall the dream more vividly.

• Do not use electronic devices for recording your dream. Do not have them in your sleeping room. Do not use them before going to sleep. They stimulate the brain. Also, they use blue lights that keep the brain wide awake. For relaxing the brain, red or orange lights are preferred.

Note: These terms first appeared in Homer’s “The Odyssey.” Penelope dreams that her husband Odysseus is returning. “Stranger, dreams verily are baffling and unclear of meaning, and in no wise do they find fulfillment in all things for men. For two are the gates of shadowy dreams, and one is fashioned of horn and one of ivory. Those dreams that pass through the gate of sawn ivory deceive men, bringing words that find no fulfillment. But those that come forth through the gate of polished horn bring true issues to pass, when any mortal sees them. But in my case it was not from thence, methinks, that my strange dream came.” (Translation from Loeb Classical Library Edition.)

Resources:

Dr. Edward Bynum, “Dream Life of Families.”

Stephen Larsen and Tom Verner, “The Transformational Power of Dreaming.

Dr. Christopher Sowton, “Dreamworking.”