My interactions with the dream world started as psychic experiences.
As a very small child I had two “imaginary friends”: Puff the Magic Dragon and Billy from the TV show Shazam! (which is a whole other post). I saw them all the time before my brother was born when I was four. My parents entertained my imaginary friends as guests at our dinner table, thinking it was cute.
But they didn’t encourage or help explain any of my other experiences.
For instance, one evening around the age of seven, I had an intense hypnopompic experience in which I saw the Incredible Hulk come right out of the wall and lunge at me. I screamed for my dad, who came running. I told him that the Hulk had run toward me, and that he was there as plain as the day. But since my dad couldn’t see anything, he told me it was just my imagination. I felt deflated, scared, and alone.
So I started to believe that what I saw wasn’t real. And my abilities went underground for many years.
Spiritual Crisis and Resurgence of Dreams
In my late twenties I went through a crisis that renewed my interest in spirituality, intuition, and the occult as I searched for answers. I went to holistic fairs and got readings from intuitives, astrologers, and a palm analyst. I idolized these women, believing that they knew much more than me. But they all told me I had the same gifts as they did.
It was exciting, but hard for me to believe. I didn’t know what to do with that information.
I didn’t get much clarity until my partner was in an accident. One evening he decided to drive some files to the office. I had a horrible feeling in my stomach and I didn’t want him to go. I tried to stall him, but he finally went out the door. I felt terrible after he left, but didn’t know why.
I sat down in bed to start reading a book. Then, clairaudiently, I heard an enormous crash and someone crying out. I knew immediately my partner had been in an accident. A moment later the phone rang: it was him, telling me he’d been in a car crash. He was okay and so was the other driver, but the car was totaled.
I knew without a doubt that I’d had a psychic experience. I started to read anything I could find on developing intuition, and I even tried searching for a mentor (with no luck).
Then Came My Big Dream
Later that year, I found my first mentor, and it was not what I was expecting. My dreams became my mentor.
On Samhain morning, I had a Big Dream in which my ancestors told me, through a gypsy psychic girl with a horse, that I had the gift. I knew upon waking that it meant I was psychic and that my dreams had major messages for me.
I started working in earnest with my dreams, and they became my main guides in my spiritual development. I developed a relationship with Owl and Bear as a result, and I started asking these dream animals questions to be answered in my dreams. I often got answers.
The next spring, I discovered a local psychic training center where I learned how to read the aura and chakras as well as energy patterns. I began doing readings, healings, and dreamwork for people.
Then my shamanic initiation dreams began. Dismemberment, encounters with numinous animals, and shamans bringing me messages. Although I knew something intense was happening, again I wasn’t sure what to do with the dreams.
Eventually I discovered a waking-life mentor steeped in dreams and shamanic studies. Thankfully, she helped me through two of the most challenging years of my life by helping me work with my dreams.
I was relieved to have this combination: the powerful messages sent to me in my dreams and a gentle waking-life mentor who could help me understand these messages. This work ushered me into the next phase of my intuitive development.
You’re Not Alone
I share my story with you to let you know that, if you’re having similar experiences, you’re not alone. There are many others out there like you.
I know it’s difficult being a Big Dreamer in our culture, because it can be hard to find those who understand what it means to be a Big Dreamer.
Many times these people are not in our families, our schools, or even our communities. We often have to throw a wider net and seek for guides in places we don’t think to look. But I’m here to say that they’re out there. Keep looking.
And even though you may be searching for a physical, waking-life mentor, consider that your dreams just might be the mentor you’re looking for.
If you’re a Big Dreamer, I hope that the DreamTribe is a place where you can find kindred souls, and perhaps some answers.
Thanks for sharing Katrina. It is so comforting to know I am not alone. And yes I do agree with you that our dreams are our mentor. I just find it frustrating sometimes when I don’t know what they are trying to tell me. I sense the information is profound and yet using all my tools I still have a lot of unresolved dreams. I am truly honored to have them and to be able to be psychic. It makes life very fun, challenging and very interesting. Much better than being asleep and not receiving all the juicy information!
With deep gratitude and Joy,
Heartfelt dreams to all,
Victoria
Victoria,
I am in that boat with you: although I know that many amazing messages are coming to me in dreams, many times I can’t understand/hear/figure them out. Sometimes it’s because it helps me to tell the dream to others who might have insights, and sometimes it’s literally because I’m not ready to hear what the dream is saying. I think I usually eventually figure it out, even if it’s years later.
Of course, I have trouble with patience, so I usually want to know what they are telling me *now*!
🙂
You’re right, having these experiences does make life fun, challenging, and interesting!
Thanks for sharing your story. It’s a pattern j have also hollowed and I too have finally, after many years, found a dreaming mentor in the form of an initiated Aboriginal Australian teacher, a shaman, who is teaching me slowly about Aboriginal Dreaming. Amazing!
Like you I pushed much of my intuition and sensitivity away after friends, partners and society devalued my experiences in what I can only describe as ‘ my knowing’.
It took a dream 3 years ago to make me take note. I dreamt I was present at the beginning of the creation of the universe – pretty wild. After 3 intense years working with intuition, synchronicity and dreaming I finally led myself to my own shamanic healing- dreaming I recovered my heart and torso from the deep freeze. Dreams, if we choose to take note, are our own GPS system just waiting to help us become whole.
To all us dreamers- just keep going xxx Jane
Jane,
I am really struck that you said you recovered your “heart and your torso from the deep freeze.” I resonate with that so much; for a long time I was in the deep freeze too. I am so happy to hear you healed that for yourself!
I wish you deep and beautiful dreaming as you step into this new work with the Aboriginal teacher.
Hello,
I think I dreamed all of my life and most of them have been happened in my wake life or sincronity in a fisic world, but until 2 years ago that I dreamed that a shaman came to me and told me that we knew each other and I had a eyes of eagle, which its dream made me surprised, I didn’t realised of the psiquic meaning and the sincronicity. From 2009, I could say that sometimes I felt alone and dreams make me feel afraid when I realised that the dreams happened in my journey and also in my mind ( psiquic). After study about dreams, work in my dreams and understand the way of function of dreams, then dreams have change my life and they are my guide and my mentor. Thank you for sharing your experience. peace
Hi Gemma,
I’m so glad to hear dreams are your mentor as well! Blessings on your journey.
Katrina,
As you explained in the article which is the meaning of eagle and condor dream, could you please explain what is the meaning or symbol of bear in dreams?? Thank you.
Bears can mean many things to many people. For me, Bear is my dream guide and a protector for me in the dreamtime.
In general, if you have a dream with a bear, you might think about caves, hibernation, nurturing, strength, power, and mother energy. Bears, according to Ted Andrews, can speak to bringing your gifts out from the cave an into the world.
Also, think about the type of bear: black bear, Grizzly, Polar bear…all can have different meaning depending on their habitat and their actions in the dream.
I waken to darkness. It has a strange quality. It is not the familiar behind the eyes darkness nor the nocturnal darkness of my bedroom. Where am I? What place is this? The idea of movement as the initial means of exploring this space immediately becomes the expectation of movement in arms and legs. And then -‐ the shock -‐ no arms and legs are to be found. No movements can be initiated; all contact with my remembered body is lost. I cannot discover any part of me that is substantial. All the while panic grows and strengthens as the disorientation, strangeness, and inability to act take hold.
Where can I find help? My mother! I struggle to call out to her; to shout, to make her aware of my distress but I cannot find, let alone make contact with, my mouth, tongue, throat or lungs; they do not respond to my appeals for action. No sound issues forth. Eventually, after many attempts, the reconnection is made, my call springs out and a comforting mother appears. I am twelve years old and within a short period of time suffered several more of these nocturnal experiences.
It was experiences such as this that were my introduction to the reality and power of the inner world. But it was not until I came across C.G.Jung in my late teens that I found a voice that helped me to put trust in my dreams. Dreams have subsequently been my lifelong mentor and, for those who may feel inclined to look, I set out the whole dream journey, based on four decades of dream journaling, at http://www.openfoot.net
Thanks to you and the Dream Tribe, Katrina. It’s good to share.
Thank you for sharing your story, Alan. And what a fascinating web site! Glad to know about it.
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