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One of the questions I am asked most often in my work as a spiritual counsellor is whether dreams are "just dreams" or whether they can genuinely teach us something about ourselves. My answer is usually that both possibilities deserve our attention.
Whenever I find myself watching the sun rise over the ocean or listening to the wind move through towering redwoods, I'm reminded that many Indigenous cultures have long understood something modern life sometimes forgets: nature speaks, if we are willing to listen.
One of the questions many clients ask me is, "Why am I having nightmares?" It's a question that's usually asked quietly, almost apologetically, as though frightening dreams are something to be embarrassed about. Yet nightmares are among the most common experiences we share as human beings.
Whether I was sitting with a Buddhist monk in northern Thailand, drinking mint tea with a family in Morocco, listening to Indigenous elders in Peru, or talking with university students in Scotland, people spoke about dreams with a mixture of curiosity, respect, humour, and sometimes even awe.
I don't know about you, but I think dreams are one of the most fascinating parts of being human. Almost everyone has woken up after an especially vivid dream and wondered, "What on earth was that about?" It's such a natural question, and it's one that's been asked for thousands of years.
Dreams have fascinated humanity for as long as we have been able to remember them. Across every culture and every century, people have woken with vivid images, strange conversations, mysterious landscapes, and powerful emotions lingering in their minds, wondering what, if anything, those nighttime experiences might mean.