All of us dream. Whether we remember the content or understand the meaning of it all, is another matter.

In ancient times, dreams were often regarded as prophetic and divine. One of the earliest written examples of dream interpretations come from Babylonian times. In ancient Egypt, priests and priestesses acted as dream interpreters. There are hieroglyphics depicting dreams and their interpretations. The ancient Greeks even constructed temples for the sick to rest and dream. They believed healing would occur through divine grace in the form of dreams within those temple walls. Dreams were also considered prophetic or omens of particular significance. We have all heard myths about dreams predicting the result of an impending battle or natural disasters. All this evidence points to the conclusion that dreams have been held in considerable importance throughout history by most cultures.

Dream interpretation started to gain popular traction again at the end of 19th century as part of psychoanalysis. Both Sigmund Freud and Carl G. Jung were probably the most notable neurologist and psychologist on the interpretation of dreams. They looked at the perceived content of a dream by the dreamer and it is analyzed to reveal its meaning which reflects the psyche of the dreamer.

Very broadly speaking, Freud argued the motivation of all dream content is wish fulfillment and the instigation of a dream is often to be found in the recent events preceding the dream. While not completing dismissing Freud’s theory, Jung believed the notion of dreams as a representation of unfulfilled wishes is somehow limited. Jung was convinced that the scope of dream interpretation is larger and more complex. It reflects both the personal and collective unconscious. Since our unconscious always seeks outward expression, it is very understandable that our dreams try to show us something we may not be consciously aware about.

That’s when I find this topic extremely interesting. I have two personal experiences I am able to tell you.

A couple of years ago I dreamt about Rose, our housemaid for over 17 years, who came to my room one night. She was in the Philippines and at that time and I was in Sydney. There wasn’t much content to that dream but there was a sense of farewell from her and that she would be ok. I expressed my tremendous sense of gratitude towards her, whom had looked after my family for so long. So the very next day I called my mother and found out indeed Rose has passed away shortly before that. Rose had been gravely ill for a long time and that dream had an unmistakable feeling of letting-go of pain and fear with the arrival of peace.

So was it a prophetic dream or was it a touch of grace? I don’t know, but I know that dream was real.

The second incident is quite different. For a long time I have been dreaming of a past lover every now and then. He was my first boyfriend and we had lost touch since university days. The settings of these dreams were always different but I often found myself trying to explain or to gain some kind of approval. It was apparent to me that I still carried the guilt of the break up and an inner critic that I had not handled the end of the relationship properly. The frequency of these dreams intensifies towards my wedding day. And so once and for all, I went into a deep meditation to confront with my unconscious. It felt like a deep surrender to my past. To this day, I still don’t’ know if he held pain or a grudge towards me. We were very young. I don’t know if there was actual forgiveness to be asked for, but it was me unable to let-go of the guilt. After that, I stopped having those dreams all together.

Regardless of if it is about predicting the future, connecting with our intuition or calling out from our unconscious, I believe there is value in reflecting on our dreams. Deep seated fears or needs may not come up so easily in our waking hours, but during sleep time, our guard is lowered and perhaps what needs to come out, would simply come out.

So what have your dreams been telling you?

Do you have any recurring dreams? I hope you will share your experience and interpretation with me. Its always about learning from one another. Now,  how about take a warm bath tonight, play some soft music and light up a candle, and get ready to charter into your dreamland….

Sze Wing is an intuitive coach, speaker and spiritual teacher. She has a diverse background in the corporate world as well as the creative and spiritual realm. She is part of the Embrace Life community as the Central Sydney Festival Ambassador and part of the editorial team of GratitudeOnline.com.au

Sze Wing holds a master degree in European Studies and a bachelor degree in Economics. She graduated from the prestigious London School of Economics & Political Sciences, and University College of London.

Currently she facilitates reviews and trainings for an international corporation and she also teaches self-care and life coaching workshops in Sydney. You can contact her via her email: szewingyip@mac.com or www.IntuitiveCoachingNow.com and her Facebook page