We all have our daydreams—our fantasies—and of course, the dreams or goals we hope to achieve in our lives. However, we have another kind of dream we often do not have control over…. Those are the ones we experience when we are sleeping. 
Dreams are a collection of thoughts and sensations that play in our mind as we sleep. They can be bizarre, amusing, or completely without any real meaning. Nevertheless, they are a real part of our subconscious thoughts.
Dreams usually occur in the R.E.M. stage (rapid-eye movement) of sleep. During this time the brain activity is high and signaled by rapid movements of the eyes. Dreams, of course, can occur during other sleep stages but are less memorable and less clear. They can last for a few seconds or up to twenty minutes. It is believed that we all dream but do not always remember our dreams. For example, I rarely remember my dreams. If you awaken directly from the R.E.M. sleep, you may be more likely to remember the dream. Depending upon the quality and length of your sleep, you could have up to three to four dreams per night. 
So why do we dream?
Some experts believe that dreams are an important process through which species of animals with complex brains analyze and consolidate information. Other mammals, such as dogs and cats, can also dream. Other experts believe that dreaming is nothing more than random brain activity that has little to no logical relevance or significance. Sigmund Freud believed that dreams are heavy in symbolism and often show the true emotions or wish fulfillment of a person. 
Three basic types of dreams exist: emotional dreams, spiritual dreams, and prophetic dreams. Emotional dreams occur because of some life experiences and fears. In spiritual dreams your spirit is talking to you or seeing something through your spiritual eyes, not your mortal eyes. The third type—the prophetic dream—is a prophecy or insight into something that might occur in the future.
First, the emotional dream is like your mental computer. It is your brain’s way to file and save information and then to witness the filing away of this data that your brain is storing. Sometimes, an event is too much to handle, and our conscious mind will have a memory loss. Thus, it may file this unpleasant memory away in a secret file that may one day reoccur as an emotional dream. 
A spiritual dream is when your spirit is trying to explain something or see something that you cannot conceive. If it is not something that has actually happened and it seems as if the dream was symbolic in some way, then most likely it is a spiritual dream. Your spirit does not use a real language—only symbols. Things like walking on a fence, helping someone in a place you have never been before, or riding in a car in a place you do not know could all represent symbols.
Dreams that come straight from God are prophetic dream. They can be about the future or reveal a deeper understanding about something. A strong feeling of safety or a strong sense of feeling loved usually exists during these kinds of dreams. I personally have had dreams where God has come to me and given me advice on things to do in my life and has led me in the right direction. For example, when I was struggling over the decision of whether or not to travel to Egypt to teach in 2011 despite the many concerns of my family and friends, God came to me in several dreams and encouraged me to go in order to make a difference there as a teacher. He also came to me in later dreams with an important message to write my book about my experiences in Egypt when I returned home. Symbols of the Holy Spirit are varied; sometimes, He is represented by a body of water—a lake, a stream, a pond, a pool, a fountain—either running or still water or even flooding water. 
The number 3 is considered a direct message from God, such as something happening in 3’s or 3 items that stand out in the dream—3 candlesticks or 3 columns or 3 flashes of bright light. A bridge over water represents the passing between mortal and spiritual life. It can also mean death or a change in the direction of your life.Even being in a car has spiritual implications. If you dream you are driving a car, a life change or something new will come. If someone else is driving the car, your life is being directed by someone else or you are involved in something that will materialize because of another person. If you know the driver, then you know from where the event is coming, but if you do not know the driver, it could be good or bad. If good, it is God. If evil, you need to pay attention to the dream and try to figure out what the warning is. Finally, seeing tornadoes in your dreams represent the mighty move of God. 
Some studies show that the substance of our dreams is dependent on a number of outside factors such as gender, social status, culture, and personality. In some cultures, the interpretations of dreams have huge significance. They use dreams to direct their lives even as far as using them to name their children. Opinions about the meaning of dreams have varied and shifted through time and culture. Dream interpretations date back to 5000–4000 BC. The earliest recorded dreams were acquired from materials dating back approximately 5,000 years, in Mesopotamia, where they were documented on clay tablets. In the Greek and Roman periods, the people believed that dreams were direct messages from the gods or from the dead, and that they predicted the future. Some cultures practiced dream incubation with the intention of cultivating dreams that are prophetic. 
Whatever you believe about the importance or lack of importance of dreams, they are definitely a part of your sleeping hours. Many people find the study of them fascinating and have much fun exploring their meanings. I personally try not to let them control my life and assume there must be a logical explanation for the few dreams that I actually do remember.
Randi D. Ward
August 20, 2013
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