Don Francisco, our good friend and shaman, has often spoken of finding answers in your dreams. One day I was visiting with him and asking him for help in making a decision. He is so laid back and matter of fact in these things. Rather than giving me advice as to what to do, he simply said, “Just ask the question in your dream.”
The Maya believe that there is a part of your soul that travels all through the universe and even other dimensions when you dream. You can speak to your ancestors or loved ones that have passed on. You can even speak to other types of beings like aluxes, which are guardians that look like small dolls that are brought to life! (more on aluxes here). Dreams are so important in some areas, the Maya even have a different and more formal language that is used (among other things) for talking about dreams!
I have done dream interpretations for many people and I love to work on figuring out the meanings of my own dreams. But understanding the meaning of a dream once you have had it and choosing before you go to sleep to have a certain type of dream are far from the same thing. From the easiness of Don Francisco’s suggestion, “Well, just ask the question in your dream,” it seems that he must be much more in control of his dreams than I am!
Oh, to have this power! There is so much I could learn and understand if I could simply ask my guardians while in a dream state and then, of course, remember the answer when I wake up!
Now, as you sleep, you will have dreams during the night whether you remember them or not. They all have meaning. Most are just reflections of your feelings and mental noting of activities of the day. It is the dreams you have right before you wake up in the morning that hold the most important. And, thankfully, these are the easiest to remember!
So, how do you ask your question in your dream?
Well, I may not be as good at this as Don Francisco, but I do have some recommendations that you can try!
Kenneth Johnson, author of Jaguar Wisdom and long-time student of Maya wisdom suggests,
“Drink a glass of warm water mixed with a tablespoon of lemon juice. Do this about an hour after dinner in order to give yourself time to digest first, as well as giving yourself time to make a few trips to the bathroom before retiring. While falling asleep, practice deep and regular breathing. Clear your mind of all thoughts and worries relating to the day just past, the day ahead, or mundane life in general. Instead, imagine the wings of a bird, moving slowly and rhythmically, the wings of the nagual carrying you into the dream world. Let the serene motion of the nagual’s flight guide you to the magic of an archetypal dream.”
Your nagual is the part of your spirit or soul that can navigate the dream world and other planes of existence. It is the part of you that Don Francisco says can talk to your ancestors, loved ones, and even other beings like aluxes in your dreams!
Now, once you have a dream, you need to remember it.
To do that, wake up naturally rather than with an alarm and do so slowly. Allow yourself to drift in a half awake state for as long as you can. While you are there, you may remember a small bit of a dream. It is like a thread from a blanket. If you pull on it, put your attention on it, you will begin to remember more and more details of the dream. Drift quietly and pull on that thread. You will be surprised just how much of your dream you can remember! Keep a journal by your bed that is dedicated to dreaming. Write down as many details of the dream as you can remember. The more you write, the more you will remember. You are pulling on the dream thread.
The Maya don’t use a dream dictionary to interpret dreams with preassigned meanings for symbols. They simply listen to their intuition. You should do the same. Don’t be afraid of your dreams, they are sending you messages. And keep in mind that most everything in your dream is symbolic. If you have a nightmare, it simply is you addressing your fears or looking for change. Listen to your heart and don’t overthink it. Just go with the first thing that comes to you. Your guardians really do want to give you help and one way they love to do it is through your dreams!
NOTE: If you want to come visit Don Francisco with us and ask him your questions, we include a private session with him in our retreats! You can find more about that HERE
Asking in my dreams,
laura