Hi - My post is to ask how has dealing with dreams (interpretations, deciphering meaning, going lucid, etc) been helpful to those here? Am asking for insight, cause I feel like I’m at a crossroads to drop, ignore and do away with the dreamworld entirely. There has been little nuggets here and there of insight for me that I’ve used in my waking world, but not enough for all the time effort and pondering on finding meanings, tarot spreads, dream dictionaries, and thinking about them and readings on them. I feeling no connections with my dreams and that I’m chasing for them to be something more than it is (just a strange series of events shuffling through my head)? I’m coming to the conclusion that using dreams in spiritual works work for many/some, but maybe not all, and most likely it’s just not for me, it’s not my element? Side question, does dreams correspond to an element like water, earth, etc? This is my last effort with them, I’ve read it has been helpful for a lot and perhaps I going about it all wrong?
I don’t focus much on my dreams unless it’s a recurring one, of which over my life I’ve only had 2/3. The most recent was a ghostlike emblem that kept appearing in each dream, daily, over time, which through looking at the emblem, the links to my current situation and intuition was a message from my deity. The other I have has been with me for many years, and I’ve come to understand it, again by finding a common reason why it comes. Basically it always happens when a transition is happening in my life that I’m not happy to do, but need to do. It’s taken a few years obviously to make this link. I’ve not really looked much at dream books, or jotted dreams down. The ones that matter remain in my memory, even to this day, and there’s only a handful. Maybe it’s me, but most of my dreams are just my mind and soul clearing out stuff from the day/ week or trying to make sense of things. I don’t know if this helps. Some here, are very good with dreams and meanings, but for me, unless the dream slaps me in the face, and repeats itself, over and over, I don’t pay too much attention to it. 
I am so sorry you are struggling with understanding your dreams. Do you meditate? Sometimes answers come to me when I meditate. Dreams are a big part of my practice! Even as a child, I had lucid colorful dreams. Sometimes when I have a bad dream, I wake up and go back in and remake the dream in the way I choose.
I have received so much knowledge and learned so many new things from my dreams. My ancestors often visit as well. Once I was given a beautiful and colorful healing gift from a Native American Indian. I have traveled to different planets and to the center of the Universe. As a healer, sometimes before I go to sleep I set the intention to do healing work while I sleep, which I find very rewarding.
I have never spent much time researching what everything means. I don’t always know exactly so I let it be and the understanding comes later!
I wish you the best, hon. Just go slow, be gentle with yourself, and don’t push so hard. You can do this! Remember, thoughts have energy, set your intention with your heart, and always be grateful!
With sweet dreams 
always
One thing about dreams is that they happen whether we want them or not, and that applies to nightmares too. I’ve always had a curiosity to what the dreams mean, and I’ve come to understand their language that way. So satisfying that curiosity… and knowing why I’m suddenly having nightmares, and what to do about them. And I’ve found that the same language of symbols is useful for tarot, astrology, poetry, shadow work…
Dreams to me are in the element of water, like everything having to do with the subconscious.
I’ve tried lucid dreaming a few times. One time I talked to a dream character, who knew that she was a dream character, and that after I woke up she wouldn’t exist. I cherished the moment I had with her.
Dreams to me are about experiences and emotions too, not just something to be interpreted and understood. To me the nighttime reality is just as valuable of my attention as the daytime reality.
@tracyS I like this very much, unless it’s recurring to just let it go. Not to completely and totally dismiss the r dream world all together. Until I get a recurring dream I’m going to put this on a shelf. This helps! I don’t get recurring dreams too much either.
@marsha that is super fantastic, your dream world and how you handle it rocks. I wish!
I’ve been lapsing with my mediations, but when I did meditate more frequent, my dreams were cooler, but meaning of them still just fell flat, even now with not meditating, I’m not feeling connected with them.
@CelestiaMoon “dreams happen whether we want them or not”, I wish not! But yes, cannot do away with them. Lucid dreaming, it has helped me once, over coming a fear I had. But that was it. Element water, that’s what I thought, it is supposed to be my stronger element according to my natal chart, but I’m not doing too well there with the dreams.
Thank you for sharing, big help!
Honestly, I don’t think trying to interpret my dreams has really done much for me outside of the dream world. 
Sometimes, they’ll reflect on what’s going on in real life, such as fears, things I’ve experienced, things I’ve read/heard about or seen, but it’s rarely anything I don’t already know about.
For example, one of my most recurring dreams has obvious implications about fears of being separated from my partner and not being able to reach them. That could be taken literally or as a sign of feeling misunderstood. But the former is just natural, as neither of us want to be apart and we see no reason in trying to find comfort in that. As for the latter, we’re always working on that anyway. We’re both autistic, so of course, communication and understanding will be tricky sometimes, but it’s not to the point that it’s hurting the relationship – we work through it and are better off every time. Did the dreams help me understand this and get us to work on it? Nope, we have always worked on it. Did the dreams help me think of ways to work on it better? Nope, they’re too wild and weird. Did the dreams make me realise I don’t want to be away from my partner? Nope, working in an office did that already. 
On the other hand, I have had dreams that you could argue have had positive impacts, but just not in an “insightful” way. For example, I had a dream where I spoke to my great-grandfather the night he died. It was a very obvious “goodbye” between us. Perhaps one could call that helpful for me, as I feel as though we got a goodbye to some degree? It’s not an insight I received in this case, but rather, peace of mind.
I feel like all of my insight comes during waking times. Perhaps I just haven’t learnt to dream about what’s relevant yet. But at the same time, perhaps I don’t need to, because I’m already working on everything while awake?
I’m definitely not doubting that it works for many. But like you, I also doubt whether it works for me.
Another facet of this however is that I often have “bad” dreams, as in, ones where terrible or scary things happen. So being able to control my dreams or reducing my bad dreams, would help me sleep better in the rare occasion that these bother me. So that’s a practical thing, but interpreting my dreams isn’t what I do to deal with that – it’s everything else in my practice that does. Nor does interpreting my dreams help me lucid dream, which is also something that I need to work on outside interpretations. For that, I just need to meditate before sleeping and write my dreams down when I wake.
But like I implied, I rarely have a dream that leaves me feeling disturbed after waking up these days. Like, I think I’ve had one this year? I might feel tired because I went on 20 adventures instead, but… To be fair, I went on 20 adventures! Some may have shown stressful situations and horrible things, but they don’t affect me – it’s like playing games, and I love games. So I’m tired during my work day, but it’s no big deal; I was literally exploring multiple other lives in my sleep. That’s awesome! 
Other than that, I find recalling dreams and thinking about them as interesting. So I plan to share a bunch of recurring dreams at some point and see what symbolism they might hold and so on, because I’m a massive nerd and find that fun. But I’ll be surprised if I gain a massive nugget of life insight from them that I didn’t already know.
Sorry, I hope I don’t sound arrogant here. I’m in work mode, so I can feel that my flow of thought and knowledge is much more objective, focused on a + b = c logic, because I’m officially a “software engineer” and switching between writing this and nitpicking code. But that’s where I am so far.
Apologize?! No way! Very methodical, love it! This is a great read, thank you for sharing! I totally have a better time finding meaning waking world for sure. How you presented the types of dreams very orderly: dreams that tell you what you already know, dreams that bring about peace of mind (you spoke to your great grandfather, that’s really special!), disturbing, adventurous. Never thought to categorize my dreams at all, just lumped them into one pile as having “meaning”, very messy.
Hi @Eliza_01,
I just wanted to pop in and share my support! Dream magic can be a wonderful and amazing thing, but my relationship with it has definitely waxed, waned, and changed a lot over the years- I can see a lot of my thoughts reflected in your experience here, so I just wanted to echo what others have already said- you’re not alone! 
Sign exhaustion is a real thing- while it can be exciting (and pretty fun, at least at first!) to analyze everything we encounter in the waking and dreaming world, it’s usually a fast path to burn out. I do not believe that everything we encounter is a sign that holds deep and personal meaning meant to be unraveled- some things exist simply as they are (I recommend looking for repetition and listening to your intuition- they will tell you whether or not something is worthing exploring more!)
This is definitely what I’ve found too. Dream magick is a pretty vast area and people approach it in very different ways- but it’s not the only area of the Craft, and it’s certainly not a required area to practice! Everyone has their specialties and dream magic isn’t for everyone- and that’s perfectly okay 
That being said, if someone is really interested in dream magick but is struggling with their current dream work, then perhaps another form of dream magick might be worth pursuing. From prophetic dreams to receiving messages from the divine, lucid dreaming to interpretating messages and symbols, to using dreams to better understand and/or try to improve themselves, etc- there’s a lot of ways to go about using dreams and the dream world within the Craft.
If one type of dream magick isn’t your cup of tea, perhaps try another and see if that is more useful to you and your practice? Just a thought from a fellow dream magick enthusiast! Keep trying and you’ll find what works best for you at this stage in your journey. And if it doesn’t work out- no worries! You can always jump back into it at any point in the future. The door is always open for you 
Blessed be! 
You’re not alone, for sure!
I really don’t put much stock in my dreams. I’ve always had strange dreams and they’ve never really held meaning. For me, dream magic isn’t something I’m interested in because I’ve never been able to tell the difference between an important dream and one that’s just a product of my subconscious.
I’m of the opinion that if your dreams don’t feel important or meaningful, there’s no sense in worrying about them at all. If it’s not for you, it’s not for you 
there’s no harm in that!
Learning this, to let things go, even dreams, not make into something more.
Yes, it’s not for me, have to let that go (feel like I’m growing up now!). Those who can work dream magick and do other spiritual and healing works with their dreams, lucky! There are other areas, we all have our specialties, niches, that’s for sure. I really assumed dream magick and/or spiritual works with dreams is for everyone, that it’s a given, but it’s not.
I’m putting the breaks on dreams with me. Thank you for sharing this, totally resonating. Honestly, wish I was the only one, cause we spend so much time sleeping, figure do something . But no, it’s just not it, dream magick not for many, not for some, not for me, just have to move on. Sharing your experience and the experiences here are opening my eyes. Not dismiss them 100%, if a dream is repetitive or literally grabs and shakes me “I have to tell you something…”, I’m just letting them go, for awhile at least. This morning, woke up from some vivid dreams, and I instructed myself to just ignore it, do not think about it or to search for meaning, just go about my day. It’s going take some getting used to, but it’s the best, need to focus my energy and efforts elsewhere.
Mod Edit: Please be aware that the following post contains content that may be triggering for some: death and gore related to a child
That does depend and hello from a very experienced dreamer here. When I had a very, very bad period in my life, I had multiple hardcore nightmares which included a small, cute, black haired girl. Her hair was identical, just as mine… One of the worst ones was when I was chasing her through the woods. I reached a lake bank and she was gone. Suddenly, she grabbed me by the hair from behind and started drowning me saying “greetings from satan, bitch”. That was enough for me. I knew I couldn’t stay afraid anymore and needed a change. I didn’t want to be controlled by fear. That lake bank was a symbol for me - you can bully me up to here, no more. Even though my dreams are so vivid and strong I sleep with lights on, I am prepared. I go to the dream world with whoever there is waiting for me as equal. Sometimes it’s the dead, sometimes it’s some weird things, even future. The small black haired girl that used to bully me grew up and is still there whenever I meditate. I am grateful she opened my eyes back in the days to the fact I was wasting my life away. Dream world might help you, but be careful not to stick to it too much and try to interpret every little thing. Whatever happens here, on our side, is far more important for me 
Lately I had a dream about my car - it ran a child over, my son probably. I couldn’t see the driver, but I heard every bone crushing and saw blood coming out of every hole of the childs body. I can’t shake it off for multiple days already, but I know not to treat it literally. I just haven’t figured it out and am not sure if I want to spend time doing it. It just might be some basic momma instinct fear ventilating as my toddler is starting to ride his own bike. Hang in there.
Exactly! Magick is so wonderfully vast- I don’t think anyone could possibly master every single area of the Craft, just like no one person could ever fully master every career path out there in the work world. Instead, we all pursue our interests and cultivate skills in the areas that we enjoy the most.
I hope you have fun branching into different areas, exploring, and developing your talents, Eliza! And who knows- maybe someday your path will lead you back into dream magick sometime in the future. Time will tell all!
Much love and many blessings to you
You’ve had some very intense nightmares- sending big hugs to you, Marta! 
I don’t know if they quite cross the line into nightmares, but my bad dreams often involve problems with cars too- it’s technology in general. I cannot drive at all, the car will swerve and skid and never go where I want. Phones don’t work and computers won’t turn on.
I realized it’s because technology is something that, deep down, I feel that I have little to no control over. This isn’t always true, but it’s feelings and emotions (and not facts) that are reflected in one’s dream world. My best workaround is to use whatever lucidity I have or confidence I’m feeling and direct my dreams to places where there is no technology involved. Not a fix as much as a bandaid over the problem, but it works
Wishing only sweet dreams to you- blessed be
Exactly this!
Honestly, as a creator and community leader online, I see a lot of people get hung up on finding meaning and magic within every single thing in life. It can be exhausting, and signs and meanings aren’t found everywhere. Sometimes a dream is just our brains doing what they’re supposed to, ya know? It’s totally okay to put your focus elsewhere and only focus on dreams when they catch your attention or happen repeatedly.
It’s interesting how different our experiences are, I could say I’m your polar opposite here! 
I’m interested in my dreams exactly because I feel everything is important and connected. Yet that also in a way means nothing is Sometimes there’s something that may feel especially relevant, and it will make itself known. I guess that’s exactly how the subconscious works, you can’t make it do anything, all you can do is relax and listen.
I do this, and at least for me the “secret” is to cultivate a mindset where you don’t do it, it does you. The intellectual kind of meaning making is fun and satisfying sometimes, but I can’t keep it up for long. But feeling the magic as it happens, learning to enjoy things and be with them without too many stories, being immersed in the beauty around me and the feelings that come up, that’s the thing.
That is a real danger though, go in too deep and you might become a dreamer like me, barely hanging on to this physical world, and completely unemployable… 
Thanks! They do continue though, doesn’t matter what I do. Looking on a watch or “realising” it’s a dream doesn’t help in my case. Whatever I am dreaming of, continues like a fixed scenario. I have a feeling dreams are far more complicated than we see them. Redirecting a dream is sooo cool! I wish I could do that, too. It is a bandaid and it can totally fix it. Interesting.
Sending only good vibes
Hello! A dream like that, of course you’re going to be shook up for days, sending good positive vibes to you! Sometime ago I’ve had bad dreams that got me shook and I’m like what the heck for awhile. Wish our minds when dreaming could be more gracious with showing us situations. Really could do without the horribleness.
Totally with you on that!
That’s excellent you can do that! Food for thought, technology, how much control do we actually have over it? I always perceived it as something I’m very much in control of. But YES, there are times we cannot get it to work or do what we want or need it to do, then the mindless scrolling, etc. So the question, how much control over technology do we actually have control over? Pretty cool to ponder on, I’m deterring a bit here.
That’s true I’ve seen it with myself and others, I can only just imagine how much you’ve seen and heard! I’m at the point where I’m trying not to do that, want to lose what’s not working.
My eyes sparkled reading this, very beautiful. It is nice to see the magic all around like that too. I don’t want to lose that either, but instead of doing it all the time, will set a time, date, and location to do that, somewhere nice, serene, pretty!
Agreed- it is an interesting thing to ponder on! I certainly feel that I have very minimal control over technology even when awake. Maybe the physical parts (hardware) to some extent, but the software and programs and coding? Bascially no control
And Mercury retrograde making everything go haywire certainly didn’t help much with my technology self-confidence levels! 
It’s called lucid dreaming! It involves training yourself to realize that you are dreaming so that you can then bring some of your conscious mind into the dream world and take control. With some training and patience, I think it’s an ability that anyone can do and improve at- it’s a skill like any other! 
If it’s something you’re interested in, there are some more resources in the Lucid Dreaming Discussion.
Sweet dreams and good vibes to you too!
I think a lot of my experience comes from the fact that I’ve been on medication that gives me strange dreams. It’s one of those things that’s like… the dream is strange but there’s no real meaning there because the medication messes with my brain’s perception of reality. A lot of my dreams are also trauma processing, and half the time I don’t remember the dreams in the first place!
I like the way you’ve explained this. It’s sort of like… you don’t need to go looking for the magic because it’s already there. You’re just open to it, so things are more noticeable when they’re important!
It could also be something that’s not right for you right now, but when revisited later or given space to simply exist, it will become more important or noticeable.