DREAMS AND VISIONS
There are dreams and dreams. Men in sense consciousness merely repeat in their sleeping hours what they think when awake, and, since men are in the flesh, their dreams are of that character. People who think and live wholly in sense consciousness seldom have dreams or visions, and they think it foolish in others to regard such experiences seriously. A larger soul growth in them will be necessary before they can comprehend the realm of absolute ideas.
They who are quickened in spiritual understanding are taught by the Lord in their dreams. This is proved by Bible history as well as by the experiences of persons in this time who are receiving instruction through symbolical dreams. They who look upon all dreaming as foolish and all interpretations as superstitious will of course fail to get the lessons that the Lord is trying to give them.
The world has great need of understanding concerning dreams, so we have been led to give the subject attention. The more one studies the mind and its action, especially the subconscious mind, the more clearly one sees that dreams must necessarily reveal the state of mind of the dreamer. He who is an overcomer will watch with interest every hint that comes to him when his conscious mind is still in sleep, in order to let go all that is not in harmony with the truth of his being. Every one is more than he consciously knows himself to be. Deep in his subconscious mind are many conditions that need remedying. If he goes on from year to year in ignorance these errors give him much trouble.
Visions differ but little from dreams. They are thought-pictures that the ego sees with soul vision. Every thought makes a picture of itself in the universal ether and, to one who has acquired the ability to see mentally, these pictures are as real as forms in the outer; therefore spiritual understanding is required in order that the beholder may not fall into the error of thinking that what he sees is real and just what it appears to be.
Visions and dreams are representations of ideas and can be interpreted only by one who understands the science of mind. It is therefore futile for any one who is ignorant of this science to attempt to give the meaning of these symbols.
"Where there is no vision, the people perish" (A. V. Prov.29:18), said Solomon. The mind that has lost all perception of the symbolical language of God is in a deplorable state. In the case of such a one all religious instruction must be given to the intellect, where it is never understood rightly. There is great need for a fuller understanding of the meaning of dreams and visions, because the Lord is educating his people everywhere by this means. Once a disciple gets the key (for each and every thing seen in a dream or vision represents an idea in mind), his education proceeds from day to day. Many persons who have come under our observation have in a few years been trained to interpret their dreams, and now are guided daily in the renewing of mind and body.
Our interpretations of dreams would be clearer if we had a fuller understanding of the spiritual experiences leading up to the dreams. Those who write to us for interpretations should say what they think the dream was given to them for. There is always a connection between the dream and some thought or experience that the dreamer has had, and Spirit is trying to put the dreamer into the right course. When we have this as a clue the meaning is much more easily perceived.
