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Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.~ Carl Jung
The Epic of Gilgamesh, possibly the oldest written story in existence, tells the tale of the warrior-king Gilgamesh and his exploits. Believed to be as much as 4,000 years old, the epic includes several of Gilgamesh's dreams, which are interpreted first by his mother and then by his friend, Enkidu, who tell him that the dreams, while disturbing, are favorable omens.
Our dreams may portend the future, serve as messages from God or reveal the workings of our unconscious mind. They might fuel creative endeavors or evaporate with the first light of day. They may mystify, terrorize or amuse us. They are a fundamental part of who we are, as individuals and as part of humanity. To learn the language of dreams is to enter an alien land, a far country, where, in some strange way, there is information that we have hidden from ourselves waiting to be discovered and deciphered and integrated into our conscious lives.
Dreams speak to us in symbols that have specific meaning to the individual and broader meaning related to universal themes. As we delve into these symbols, I'll be drawing on the work of Carl Jung and others to provide some insight into their meaning. Jung's view of the unconscious mind, as revealed by dreams, was complex and fascinating. The idea of the collective unconscious was his, what he called "a reservoir of the experiences of our species." Consequently, we all draw on dream symbols that are common to humanity, while at the same time assigning personal meaning to aspects of our dreams.
To get things started, consider some dreams of famous people and the impact they had. Well, I guess the new golf swing Jack Nicklaus dreamed mostly just affected him. Our unconscious mind can help us solve problems, but let's not limit ourselves. There's a lot more going on in those depths. I'll meet you there.
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