The bible tells Christians that God speaks to them in their dreams, and interpreting those dreams properly is the only way to hear his message. Christian dream interpretation is quickly becoming big business, with books, CDs and various services springing up to get in on the act. Is this legitimate, or is it another scam intended to bilk well-meaning people of their money?
The Science of Dreams
Whether you can recall them or not, you dream while you sleep. In fact, research has shown that the average person dreams for at least one to two hours each night. Scientists have conducted extensive research on sleep cycles and what part dreams play in them. Sleep cycles through three phases — alpha, theta and delta — and dreams take place during the alpha period of the cycle.
Studies have been carried out where research subjects have been deprived of the alpha part of the sleep cycle, thereby preventing them from going into a dream state. After a few days, test subjects showed signs of mental and emotional stress. These results proved that dreams, a reflection of recent life events, provide necessary stimulation for our neurons and have a direct effect on our psychological well-being.
Is That You, God?
There are many mentions in the Bible of God using dreams to get his message across. For example, Matthew 2:12 talks about God telling the Wise Men in the dream to choose a safer route home and God gave an ominous warning to Abimelech in Genesis 20:3. Although religion and science disagree on the substance of dreams, even the most devout Christians agree that not all dreams are messages from God.
Christians categorize their dreams into three distinct types: prophetic, healing and rubbish dreams. Prophetic dreams, which may be messages from God, are short, clear and concise and convey a single message. Healing dreams are usually an attempt to go back in time and right a wrong you have done. You may find yourself going back to an earlier event and repeating it using different actions or words.
Christians believe that rubbish dreams, those characterized by events, actions and language that you would not normally participate in, is simply a way for your soul to purge itself of bad thoughts and temptations.
The Challenge
Many Christians are able to easily identify those dreams in which God is talking to them. These dreams, however, should not be taken literally. Each of them conveys a message that needs to be properly interpreted.
There are many people who have jumped on the Christian dream interpretation bandwagon, some who are well-meaning but misguided and others who are simply out to make money. A quick Internet search will reveal many websites who are ready to sell you a book or CD or provide you with a list of Biblical dream interpretations.
One such Christian dream dictionary insists that dreams involving coins are about greed or avarice, and if a pelican appears in your dream, it is about atonement and charity. If only it were that simple.
If you are a Christian who really believes that God talks to you while you sleep, do not waste any of your money on people selling Christian dream interpretation services or who are willing to tell you your Christian dream meaning for money. One call to your pastor is all you will need to figure out exactly what your dreams are telling you.