A History Of Dreaming - From Ancient Egypt To Modern Day

Dreams have been an important part of the human experince since time
Immemorial. Fragments of the earliest books come from Egypt, where
Dreams were considered to be the messages sent from the gods. The
Egyptians divided their dreams into three categories:

1. Pious: A deity would appear and either demand or plead to their
Worshipper to perform some kind of an act of devotion or piety. One
Example of this is a dream of Thutmose IV, who fell asleep at the
Base of the Sphinx. In his dream, the god Hamarkis appeared and told
Thutmose that if he would dig out the Sphinx from all the
Accumulated sand and re-established Harmarkus' temple then Thutmose
Would be pharoah. This dream was recorded on a plaque between the
Sphinx's paws after he indeed became pharoah.

2. 'Relevatory' : Dreams that foretold future events; told the
Location of hidden objects or revealed a new medicine.

3. Informational: These dreams simply gave information. One example
Tells of a dream where the goddess Hathor appeared to a man in his
Dream to tell him where the best place would be to place his tomb.

Dreams were so important to the Egyptians that some people made
Their living by interpreting dreams. One engraved tablet that has
Been found says, "I interpret dreams, having the gods' mandate to do
So." Temples were also set up specifically for incubating dreams -
Especially the relevatory ones. There wasn't a specific Egyptian
Deity for dreams. Isis; Imhotep, Seti I, Thoth, Serapis, Ptah Sotmu,
And Amon - Ra all had dream temples. These temples were open to
Everyone, regardless of age, status, health or gender. The only
Requirements were the absolute faith in the deity's influence and
The 'purity' of the supplicant, probably meaning that the dreamer
Has been chaste in the days before arriving at the temple. It is
Thought tha! t offeri ngs and prayers were offered to the
Representational statues of the deity before the dreamer went to
Sleep.

Originally, it is thought that the function of Egyptian dream
Incubation was to gain a method of healing, such as a medicine or a
Prayer, or to get healed directly by a deity. Isis was especially
Popular in this respect - she has long been described as the 'healer
Of all diseases'. One papyrus has been found also states that Isis
Created magic was to arm humans with an effective weapon against the
Dangers that can abound both in sleep and wakefulness.

Dream interpretation was seen as being as important as incubation.
One book that still partially exists, called _Instructions for
Merikare_ , was written sometime between 2070 and 2100 BCE. It tells
That the true interpretation of the dream lies in the exact opposite
Of the symbols. Therefore, a dream depicting happiness was really a
Portent of future disaster. There was also a special class of
Clergy, called Masters of Secret Things, that were specifically for
Interpreting dreams.

The Egyptians were influential the Greek ways of looking at dreams -
Especially with incubating dreams and the dream temples. Most dream
Temples were open to any - and every - one but there were a few,
Such as the temple of Isis, who would only admit those who were
Invited in a dream by Isis Herself. Other temples, Asklepios'
Especially, allowed no deaths or birth in the boundaries of the
Temple.

Most Greek dream temples were set in the country where they were
Surrounded by natural beauty and the people seeking a dream could
Forget the cares of everyday life. Like the Egyptians, Greek
Supplicants were required to be 'pure' when asking for a dream. In
Addition, certain foods considered to inhibit dreams were avoided,
Such as alcohol and broad beans. Offerings to the deities depended
On the wealth of the suppicant and often ranged from sm! all, fla t
Cakes dipped in honey to sacrificial animals.

Originally, only Zeus was thought to send divine dreams but as time
Went on, other gods were recognized to also send dreams: Athena,
Hear, Artemis, Asklepios, Hermes, and Pan (who was known as
The 'conductor of dreams'). There were two gods who specifically
Ruled in this area - Hypnos ruled sleep and his son, Morpheus, ruled
Dreams.

The Greeks also believed that dreams were actual events and the gods
Were capable of punishing wrongdoers by sending them a false dream.
These dreams would be very uplifting and often contain advice to
Perform certain acts. One famous false dream is from King Agamemnon -
Zeus sent him the dream because Agamemnon had stolen a slave girl
From the warrior, Achilles. In the dream, the king's trusted
Counselor appeared to him and told him to march on Troy - assuring
That victory was imminent. The king followed dream's advice and was
Defeated. The Greeks also believed in the reality of negative dreams
And took measures to avert the misfortune foretold in these dreams.
Remedies included bathing in cold water to telling the dream to the
sun and performing sacrifices to protective deities.

Quite a few writings on Greek dream interpretation still exist
today. In fact, the 'father' of modern medicine - Hippocrates - used
his patients' dreams as diagnostic tools. He believed that while
some dreams could be divinely inspired, most were a result of things
going on inside the body. In interpreting these dreams, he along
with many other greek interpretators, used a standardized method of
interpretation. It wasn't until Artemidorus wrote his 5 volumed
_Oneirocritica_ around 140 BCE that each individual was taken into
account when their dreams were interpreted.

Artemidorus was the first person to insist on knowing a little
background about a person before interpreting their dreams - their
name; occupation, bi! rthdate, health, marital status and wealth were
all taken into consideration. From this standpoint, could be more
intimately and accurately interpreted.

Greece and Egypt dream lore were also major influences in Rome - so
much so that Rome practically adopted everything they could get
their hands on and claimed it as their own. Dreams and dream
divination were considered to be so important, emperor Augustus
proclaimed that anyone dreaming of Rome must describe it publically
in the market lest some prophecy of the wellbeing of Rome be hidden
within it. There were some who claimed the dreams were nothing more
than a reply of the day's events but most who held these ideas were
philosophers who rejected everything that was religious in nature.

Before the adoption of foreign deities, Romans attributed two
deities to rule over dreaming. Fauna, later also called Bona Dea -
the Good Goddess, was worshipped by women who considered her to send
oracular dreams. Her brother, or husband, Faunus was also ruler of
dreams. He was worshipped by men who also asked Him to bless their
crops. Once Greek and Egyptian deities began to be worshipped, Isis
and Serapis proved to be very popular. Dream incubation and
interpretation continued until Rome embraced yet another foreign
deity and converted to christianity. Anything considered 'pagan' was
forbidden.

Christianity wasn't exempt from dreaming, however. The bible
contains quite a few references to divine dreams and of people
interpreting them. In fact, the Isrealites had one word for both 'to
dream' and 'to see'. The book of Genesis contains the story of
Joseph, who was sold into Egyptian slavery by his eleven brothers
when he told them of his dream of 'the sun, the moon and eleven
stars bowing down' to him. He gained his freedom by interpreting a
dream that the pharoah's own council could not decipher. Later, when
Joseph's parents and eleven brothers ca! me to Eg ypt to buy grain, the
dream that got him sold into slavery came true since he now had
higher status than any of them.

Despite these records, however, the idea of dreaming being evil
florished throughout the Christian world. St. John Chrysostom
declared that people were not responsible for their dreams but they
should be ashamed for anything that was dreamed throughout the
night. Martin Luther considered dreams to be of the devil because
the Church only interpreted God's word and anything that came from
dreams could not possibly have anything to do with Him.

Before Christianity came to North America, many tribes placed great
significance to dreams. Many tribes held that teaching from the
deities or ancestors often occurred during sleep and to a great
extent, dreams influenced everyday life. Many sacred songs, tools,
dances and medicines came from dreams and often times, they were
seen as a source of power. Because of this, it was sometimes
necessary for candidates for certain roles - such as shaman or
midwife - to have certain dreams before they could gain the
position.

Many tribes had their own beliefs about dreams. The Navajo believed
there were only positive and negative dreams while the Ojibwa held
that there are good; bad, beautiful, impure, ominous, unlucky and
painful dreams. The Iroquois believed that dreaming was more
important than waking while the Maricopa believed that one's success
in life was because of what happened during sleep. The Cherokee, if
one dreamed of being bitten by a rattlesnake, treated the person as
if they had been bitten in waking life.

A very important time in a Native child's life was the vision quest -
which marked the child's passage into adulthood. Part of the goal
of the vision quest was to induce power dreams, in which they could
seek the deities' favor and gain spiritual power. Boys and girls
both participated, although many girl! s quit a t puberty because they
gained the power to bear children.

One of the most famous dream - inspired events in Native America was
the Ghost Dance. Wovoka dreamed of a great dance that would revive
the Native Nations, banish the Wasichu (the whites) and bring back
the buffalo. His dream dance swept the plains. Many warriors also
had dream - inspired Ghost Shirts at this time, which they thought
made them invulnerable to rifle bullets.

Europeans and visitors to the New World had a great interest in
dreams. During the 18th century, many books were being published on
the subject, although a great many recycled the material in the
_Oneirocritica_ . Some of the books include fantasic titles: _The
Royal Dream Book_; _The Old Egyptian Fortune-Teller' s Last Legacy_
and _three Witches_.

The first American dream dictionary was published in 1767 Boston. It
was called the _The New Book of Knowledge_. It seemed to set the
stage for modern interest in dreamsand by the 1800's, books on
dreams and their interpretation proliferated. It's said that many
homes had only two books - a bible and a dream dictionary. At one
point during the 1850's, many dictionaries only had numbers beside
the entries - having dispensed with the meanings and put lucky
gambling picks there instead.

In 1900, a new way of looking at dreams, and psychiatry for that
matter, was brought about by Sigmund Freud when his book, _The
Interpretation of Dreams_ hit the market. It was Freud's theory that
dreams were a product of wish fulfillment and they were a reflection
of our deepest desires that often went back to childhood. In Freud's
view, there was no such thing as 'just a dream'.

Freud's theory came about from a dream he had himself. He had a
patient who in waking life suffered from hysteria and had recently
stalled in her recovery and returned to her estate in the country.
When a colleague mentioned that he had! recentl y seen the lady and
that she was 'better but not well', Freud took it as a personal
affront to his competence. That night, he dreamed that his patient
had come back to him, complaining of pain in her throat and abdomen.
After scolding the lady for leaving treatment, he found many strange
growths in her mouth and throat. Freud then called in several
colleagues, including the one who had insulted him. The dream ended
when it was discovered that the offending colleague had given the
patient a shot with a dirty needle and that was the cause of the
growths. Upon reflection, he later wrote that the dream represented
the situation as he wished it to be - a type of revenge.

Carl Jung was a student of Freud's who later disagreed with many of
his teacher's theories. Where Freud thought that dreams represented
those wishes that we could not accept on a conscious level; signs of
psychic illness, or sexual trauma, Jung believed that dreams were
messages to ourselves that helped deal with past and present
dilemmas; resolve inner conflicts and perhaps even try to solve the
most basic mysteries of life.

After many years, interest in dreams is once again beginning to run
high. Nowadays, instead of blindly consulting dream dictionaries and
applying the meanings to each and every dream, many people apply
their own experience and knowledge to the symbols they find in their
dreams. Along with interpretation, there has also been renewed
interest in dream incubation and lucid dreaming - many many books
can be found in just about any bookstore on the subject. Dreams and
dreaming have finally come out of the darkness and into the light of
day.