The Egyptians were great believers in dreams and their powers and influence. The Dream book is a papyrus that contains dream examples and interpretation and it is believed to date back to the early reign of Ramesses 11. All dreams were listed as good or bad, with the bad dreams being written in red, which was the colour of a bad omen. The dream book is currently part of the archives at the British Museum in London.
The Egyptians believed their gods showed themselves in dreams. They divided their dreams into three categories: those in which the gods demanded things, those that were warnings and those that came to them during dream rituals. Regardless of the type of dream they felt all dreams were oracles - that is, answers giving to them by the gods. Hoping to induce dreams, some temples held special "dream beds" on which people would lay, hoping to have a dream of advice, comfort, or healing.
Most Native American tribes have always held dreams in high regard and given them much respect. To them, dreams are very spititual and way of gaining great insight and wisdom as well as guidance for day-to-day life. Most Native Americans believed ancestral spirits would visit them between the hours of midnight and 2:00 am. (which may have been during the deepest stages of sleep) to offer them guidance.
A strong influence
The Iroquois felt very strongly that dreams guided all aspects of their lives -hunting, fighting, even marriage. Dreaming had a big affect on their proceedings during war. If one person had a dream of failure before battle, they would retreat, viewing the dream as an omen. French missionaries noted that the Iroquois totally submitted themselves to their dreams. Believing the dreams were concealed instructions from their soul, they felt obligated to live out what they dreamed or feel an overwhelming sense of guilt. Through their dreams, they felt they could contact their highest sacred power, Orenda.
To ignore their dreams was madness to them, sure to result in disaster. It also went against the wishes of the god within. They felft dreams could heal them, curing both physical diseases and mental illnesses. The Iroquois would often act out their dreams with those involved in the dream. They would tell others about their dreams, known as dreamsharing, as a way to understnd and interpret the dream.
Festivals
The Irosquois also held several festivals related to dreams and the dream world. The false face society festival was an important healing ritual in which the members wore wooden masks in order to invoke the dream world. Members were either those healed by the society or those who dreamed they should be a member. Another important Iroquois festival that focused on dreams was the Midwinter Festival . The Midwinter Festival was held around New Years and featured dreamsharing, dream interprettion, and dream revewal. The men of the Iroquois tribe oftern ventured out themselves in search of particularly powerful dreams. The men would fast for a period of time, sometimes as long as thirty days, in hopes of having a powerful vision or dream.
By emailing me a full description of your dream including how you felt the colours and as much detail as possible I can see what the spirit world would like you to know. Remember recurring dreams and very vivid dreams must be noted and looked into.
Sweet dreams to you all!
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