DREAM
JOURNALS

You may believe, as many people do, that you only dream infrequently. You may also not remember your dreams with any kind of regularity or specific recall.

The solution to this is easy: Intention and Practice.

Take your time and find a blank dream journal that you like. Yours could be a simple spiral bound notebook. Or you may prefer a more elaborate lined journal with a hard cover. The actual form of your journal is not terribly important.  Your intention to find a journal, perhaps along with an idea about a style that might be fun :),  can lead you to the right one.

As you choose your journal, you are creating an intention to record and remember your dreams. Once you start using your journal, you are re-enforcing that intention with daily practice. If you persist in writing down, 1st thing in the morning, your impressions from the night before, you may find your dream frequency and recall improving dramatically.

Basic Dream Journal practice:

1. Upon waking from sleep, take time to record any impressions or dreams. Even a short sentence or fragment is usually enough to aid your memory in recalling the dream at hand.

2. You may find it practical to add the date to each journal entry, as well as a brief note about the prior days experiences.

Note: If you study Astrology, you may enjoy adding any pertinent personal, or global astrological transits that seem appropriate.

Make an effort to write in your dream journal each day. Even if you seem to remember nothing from your sleep time. The regular practice of writing in your journal will be helpful. You are also, through daily practice, strengthening your intention to become a more conscious participant in your dream life.

Some notes about working with your dreams:

A good early practice is to record your journal entry; then come back and review a weeks worth of remembrances after some time has passed. This allows any immediate emotional rush from the dream to fade a bit.

Once you start to remember your dreams, you may find some of the content disturbing or surprising to you. Some dreams may suggest spectacular or dire interpretations.

Let me stress the importance of nurturing a non-reactive response to your dreams.
Resist the temptation to exult or sink into sadness or fear. Strive for an even tempered response, or no reaction, to your dreams.
Simply record what you remember in a non-emotional manner.

You are in the process of building understanding of your dream language. You are also building up your power of discrimination, which enables you to distinguish between a sub-conscious dream fragment inspired by a movie you may have recently seen, and a different kind of dream communication altogether. You must take the time to learn the difference. This is the practice.

This process of working with your dream-life can be extremely satisfying and helpful to your Self-understanding. It is also a process that takes time to unfold. A good dream practice is a wonderful building block in your spiritual life. And, therefore, approach it with patience, discrimination, a non-reactive mindset, and an intention of pursuing this study for your highest good and well being.

Setting the tone for your sleep and dream-time is also important. Take a moment and clear you mind of mental or emotional debris. A clear and calm mindset is ideal.

A prayer to set the tone can also be helpful:

For my highest good and well being I engage with my dream life this night. Wonderful Angels / Guides who assist with the uplift of humanity to the highest good and well being, I ask for your guidance and assistance with these endeavors, God willing.

If you feel that one of your Guides has shown you something in a dream you’d like to know more about, ask. If you always follow your requests with ”God willing,” you enable guidance for your highest well being.

Note: As you progress with your dream work, you may find that lowering your consumption of television and / or movies – video games, etc. will ‘clear out’ your subconscious a bit. This can leave room for a more in depth work with your dream experiences.

Note:  If you feel uncomfortable with using any particular religious terminology (God, Angels) you might substitute something that represents for you a more knowledgeable Spiritual older brother / sister or parent who aids you with your Highest Good and Well Being.  Feel free to use Sacred icons or images from other traditions in this practice.

The main idea is that you approach any Guide you choose as a Positive Spiritual force assisting you with your Highest Good and Well Being.  A mindset like this can be very helpful.

There are some beautiful and ornate blank journals by Peter Pauper Press here.