A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. The content and purpose of dreams are not fully understood, although they have been a topic of scientific, philosophical and religious interest throughout recorded history. Dream interpretation is the attempt at drawing meaning from dreams and searching for an underlying message. The scientific study of dreams is called Oneirology.
Dreams mainly occur in the rapid-eye movement (REM) stage of sleep—when brain activity is high and resembles that of being awake. Continuous movements of the eyes reveal REM sleep during sleep. At times, dreams may occur during other stages of sleep. However, these dreams tend to be much less vivid or memorable. The length of a dream can vary; they may last for a few seconds, or approximately 20–30 minutes. People are more likely to remember the dream if they are awakened during the REM phase.
The average person has three to five dreams per night, and some may have up to seven; however, most dreams are immediately or quickly forgotten. Dreams tend to last longer as the night progresses. During a full eight-hour night sleep; most dreams occur in the typical two hours of REM. Dreams related to waking-life experiences are associated with REM theta activity, which suggests that emotional memory processing takes place in REM sleep.
Opinions about the meaning of dreams have varied and shifted through time and culture. Many endorse the Freudian theory of dreams – that dreams reveal insight into hidden desires and emotions. Other prominent theories include those suggesting that dreams assist in memory formation, problem solving, or simply are a product of random brain activation.
Sigmund Freud, who developed the psychological discipline of psychoanalysis, wrote extensively about dream theories and their interpretations in the early 1900s. He explained dreams as manifestations of one’s deepest desires and anxieties, often relating to repressed childhood memories or obsessions.
Furthermore, he believed that virtually every dream topic, regardless of its content, represented the release of sexual tension.
In ‘The Interpretation of Dreams’ (1899), Freud developed a psychological technique to interpret dreams and devised a series of guidelines to understand the symbols and motifs that appear in our dreams. In modern times, dreams have been seen as a connection to the unconscious mind. They range from normal and ordinary to overly surreal and bizarre.
Dreams can have varying natures, such as being frightening, exciting, magical, melancholic, adventurous, or sexual. The events in dreams are generally outside the control of the dreamer, with the exception of lucid dreaming, where the dreamer is self-aware. Dreams can at times make a creative thought occur to the person or give a sense of inspiration.
Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as gods, angels, spirits, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or live. According to the beliefs of some religions, heavenly beings can descend to Earth or incarnate and earthly beings can ascend to Heaven in the afterlife or, in exceptional cases, enter Heaven alive.
Heaven is often described as a “highest place”, the holiest place, a Paradise, in contrast to hell or the Underworld or the “low places” and universally or conditionally accessible by earthly beings according to various standards of divinity, goodness, piety, faith, or other virtues or right beliefs or simply divine will. Some believe in the possibility of a heaven on Earth in a world to come.
Another belief is in an axis mundi or world tree, which connects the heavens, the terrestrial world, and the underworld. In Indian religions, heaven is considered as Svarga loka, and the soul is again subjected to rebirth in different living forms according to its karma. This cycle can be broken after a soul achieves Moksha or Nirvana. Any place of existence, either of humans, souls or deities, outside the tangible world (Heaven, Hell, or other) is referred to as the otherworld.
Don’t know what your dreams are like or what your impression of heaven is, but here is a theory. Suppose dreams are just brief visions of heaven while you are still alive?
Each of us has individual dreams with only self-explanation of what was experienced. Each of us has an individual image of what heaven looks like.
Heaven has been painted since paint hit ceilings. Angles with harps flying around clouds with a God sitting on a throne are the visions of heaven. Everything is peaceful in heaven. Everyone is white in heaven. That is what the Christian community has presented since the beginning.
If you dream about elders who have passed on could be an emotional reconciliation or a window of what is waiting for you. If you dreams turn to nightmares? There is another place other than heaven.
If after we stop breathing and are put away, will our dreams come true? No one has come back to tell us the answer.
This is just a theory, a thought of what could be. Like most theories, hypotheses, speculations they are just ideas and not facts. They are pipe dreams, fantasy, illusions, and mirages of the mind.
Tonight as you pull up the comfortable and close your eyes, who will meet you and what adventures will you go on?
Sweet Dreams.
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