In my late teens, I discovered Salvador Dalí and his Surrealist peers and became intrigued by their masterpieces displaying unconventional imagery. Dalí, an icon of the Surrealist movement in the early 20th century defied rationality in favor of the world of dreams and the subconscious, a theme that paralleled the psychological insights of Freud and Jung. The movement drew inspiration from psychoanalytic exploration and used symbols that evinced dream-like images in the conscious world.
Salvador Dalí, The Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory, 1952–54
After all, what is so intriguing about dreams that they have captivated humans across all eras and cultures?
Since long dreams have been viewed as a bridge between 3D planes and other dimensions, as well as, holding the key to wisdom and insight that lie beyond the door of human consciousness. Ancient Egyptians considered dreams to be messages from the Divine and glimpses into the future, hence carefully recording, compiling, and interpreting the common dreams in great detail, in a book, the “Dream Book” (circa 2000 BCE). Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle viewed dreams as messages from the spirit realm and reflections of daily life. In Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, dreams are modes through which gods communicate with the mortals. Building on this idea Romans used dreams for healing and guidance dreams into the soul’s state. In China Confucius believed dreams were the source of wisdom, while in Indian text like Brihadaranyaka Upanishad dreams were deemed as windows into subtle planes, which see dreams as reflections of desires and karmic patterns. Similarly, the Mahayana Buddhist Sutras suggest that dreams can show steps toward enlightenment or otherwise karmic influences.
Both Judaism and Christianity portray dreams as channels for divine communication with believers, as seen in the story of Joseph from the Hebrew Bible. Meanwhile, Islam text also quotes story of Joseph in context of dreams. Islam also categorized dreams into three types, Dreams from Divine power which are comforting and clear, dreams from negative forces which are confusing and cause distress, and dreams from one’s lower self, which stems from an individual’s thought and experiences.
As we turn the pages of human timeline, the significance of dreams remained constant across cultures, connecting people to higher intelligence, and inner self-discovery. Even today modern researchers continue to explore the territories of dreams. For instance, Deirdre Barrett from Harvard study the links between dreams and problem-solving, exploring how creative processes occur in sleep. Similarly, Martin Dresler focuses on neurobiology, examining memory integration during dreaming. Benjamin Baird at the University of Wisconsin, studies lucid dreaming and it’s connection to self-awareness, while Maja Gutman Mušič explore cultural and psychological dimensions of dreams, analyzing the evolving impact of digital media on dream experiences. These scholars illustrates that the imagery we experience during sleep is not a mere cluttered thoughts that mind accumulated during the day, but, it holds profound insights into the hidden workings of the subconscious, and conscious mind. If we, as a human species, are able to unlock the mysteries of dreams, many quests will be completed and many questions will be answered about the mysteries of life.
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