Intuitive Vision and Dreams : The Mystical Power of Dreams (eBook)

CHAPTER 1 : Dreams in human civilisation

The significance of dreams became apparent quite soon among the ancient civilisations. Particular attention was then given to portents that referred not only to the personal but also the social level.

Before man discovered the individualistic view of society, the dream of a prominent and charismatic person was considered a portent about the wider destiny of that person’s tribe, because it was considered to be a sign sent from the gods, an epiphany, a revelation of the Fate as arranged by the gods.

In the first civilised societies, the kings as sons of gods, were the exclusive recipients of divine messages and the interpretation of dreams was carried out by priests – seers, knowledgeable in the symbols of divine language.

1. Dreams in the ancient civilisations of the Middle-East

For the Egyptians, dreams constituted the powers of the chaos, the foretaste of death. Gods that were invisible in daylight, even abstract ideas of a transcendental world could make their appearance during a particular dream. Therefore, because they believed that that the dreamer came in contact with invisible powers of a metaphysical world, an ominous dream was considered a warning for a future threat. On the other hand, Egyptians realised that in fact the person is vulnerable to the contacts of evil and hostile spirits. In order to be protected, and apart from the good spirits one could pray to before going to sleep, they used specially-made crescent-shaped headrests or pillows.

Of course the dreams of the Pharaohs were much more important than those of the commoners and for the this reason historical sources provide us with a plethora of prophesies and epiphanies that determined the destinies of the kingdom. Usually they portended the course of a decisive battle. Thus, Amenofis II (1450-1425 BC) saw Amon in his dream during a military campaign in the Middle East, something that occur the following day. This is the classic case of epiphany, during which the god promises victory to his chosen Pharaoh.

Herodotus’ narration of the dream of Pharaoh Seth (2, 141) is more widely known. When Senaherib led the Assyrian and Arab armies against Egypt, the Egyptian military refused to support the Pharaoh. Seth crying found refuge at the temple of god Ftha in Memphis, and the god appeared in his dream as a protector of his crown. The god revealed to him that he was going to help him if the Pharaoh decided to do battle against the invading army. Pharaoh succeeded in securing the help of simple citizens who lacked any battle experience. During the eve of the battle, a host of rats entered the enemy camp and ate away the quivers, the bows and the shield handles. Victory during the following day was certain as the enemy force fled.

Very soon in the ancient Egyptian civilisation, the interpretation of dreams was linked to the treatment suggested by a healer to whom the god divulged the way to treat his help-seeking pilgrims. Thus, the Deir-El-Bahari region drew hosts of faithful pilgrims who used to spend their night in the temple so that they could hear the voice of the god Amenhotep. The temples of Serapis in Memphis and Canopus were also famous. Geographer Strabo refers to the famous Serapeum of Canopus, where the patient could send his envoy if he himself could not go.

In Abydos, the city of Osiris, there was also another famous oracle where one could submit his questions in writing and sleep in a room of the building so that he could get his answers directly from the god through the pilgrim’s dream experiences.

The Babylonians believed that dreams emanated from Great Earth , that they had and underworld origin in other words, but that they had ethereal substance and spiritual nature, just like the soul of a dead person, or the breath of a living person. The god demon of a dream is an airy image, just like the Homeric reflection and inhabits the middle space between the sky and earth.

Although a dream is part of the objective reality, just like other tangible objects, prophetic apparitions and visions and any such dream experience was considered by the Babylonians a dangerous encounter which might have been induced as much by the soul-guiding Sun, which was travelling in the Under World during night time, as by the Moon which they believed sent messages in dreams.

Since the dawn of the Sumer civilisation, great significance was given to the liberation from the magic hold of dreams. This liberation, or deliverance from the demonic harassment in dreams, was named pasharou in the religious practices of the Babylonians, which means salvation from an evil spirit but also narration and interpretation.

The association of the two terms in many inscriptions from this civilisation is not at all arbitrary. Only through the narration and interpretation of the dream can man free himself from the demonic influence associated with it, as every contact of a person with the beyond was considered a religious impurity. The cleansing of the impure experience was generally attempted by means of dream divination. The mystic also rubbed a ball of clay over the person who had the dream. The negative impact of the dream experience was transferred to the ball, which at the end of the cathartic ceremony was cast into the water.

The meaning of god or demon-sent dreams was incomprehensible most of the times and to understand them there was need of a person with intuitive vision. They were the priest Shailou and the priestess Shailtou who were not dream divination experts exclusively and also prophesied in various manners. It seems that necromancy, which was forbidden in official religion, was one of the main ones. Priests usually consulted the demon of the dream so as to translate it.

These facts render the association of dream divination with the archetypal worship of the underworld irrefutable. In Sumerian – Accadic inscriptions referring to various jobs, there was a special category of priests, which in Accadian language were named as those who interpreted dreams, a term that in Sumerian language was translated as those who sleep at the side of one. Those particular priests were not simply dream interpreters. When they slept next to the patients, they warded off nightmares and triggered diagnostic dreams. We can even easily assume that there was a telepathic relationship between the dream companion and the patient or the trainee under hypnosis.

Plenty of these have been recorded in the Assyrian Bible. Many dreams are also referred to in the Gilgames epic. In yet other inscriptions we can find the ideal conditions to elicit prophetic dreams, such as phases of the moon and planetary convergences. For example, dreams seen during morning were considered more reliable, while they had greater portentous power when a southerly wind was also blowing.

The Egyptian and Assyrian-Babylonian tradition, due to the communication of these two civilisations with Israel, has also made an impact on the dream theory found in the Old Testament. The most ancient of religious traditions in Israel consider dreams to be the means through which God reveals his will to the dreamer, thus directing the course of history. Thus, he warns Avimelech, King of the Geraron through a dream, not to touch Sara (Gen 20:3-7), and Labas the Syrian not to quarrel with Jacob (Gen 31: 24).

Dream divination was already quite well known before the Exodus. Joseph won Pharaoh’s grace when he explained the latter’s dream regarding the seven fat cows which were mauled and killed by seven ugly and emaciated ones, and the seven full stacks of wheat which were followed by the seven dry ones. He explained that the dream meant that seven years of plentiful yield would be followed by seven years of severe drought and famine, and advised him to store provisions. The god therefore sends the message to the Pharaoh, his representative on earth, who allegorically predicts the future for all his kingdom (Gen, 40-41).

Nebuchadnezzar had also found no convincing interpretation for his dream by the Chaldean wizards and asked Daniel to explain it to him (Dan, 4: 16).

The significance of the dream as a divine message can also be seen by Jehovah’s own words when, who, addressing Aaron and Mariam who questioned Moses’ mission, said: Listen to my word: if a prophet of mine he develops to be, he will know about it and I will speak to him in his sleep (Num. 12: 6).

The historic epic of Israel also starts with a dream, a night vision of Jacob, who hears God himself saying not to fear to go to Egypt, because he and his descendants will create a powerful nation (Gen, 46:1-3). It is therefore a common belief among the Israelites that God reveals his wish by means of the dreams sent to the kings and prophets of the country (Kings III, 5; Job, 28:4, Hymns 42:9), even to commoners.

The dream referring to Gedeon is in point. While he was preparing to do battle against the Madianites, he heard one of his soldiers telling his dream in which he saw a piece of barley bread roll down the plain of Madiam, until he reached a tent which it levelled to the ground. His companion, who also heard the dream, interpreted it in an allegorical manner. The piece of the barley bread was Gideon’s sword which would destroy the enemy troops of the nomadic people which in his dream was symbolised by a tent.

The interpretation of dreams played a very significant role in Judaism, particularly in the...