There are more than a few theories regarding the purpose of dreams and what they could mean if we are able to ascertain the meaning (assuming there is meaning to be found) in our dreams. In primitive societies, dreams are a means by which shamans and medicine men communicate with the spirit world. there are accounts throughout history of how holy men in tribal communities have been able to foretell future events by carefully studying the disparate details of their dreams so as to arrive at a relevant explanation of events yet to come as related possibly symbolically. The importance of dreams in certain societies can be shown to be especially revelatory. In 1875, During a major ceremonial event between the various tribal groups of the Sioux and the Cheyenne nations, the great chief and much respected holy man, Sitting Bull revealed a vision to those attending the important occasion. Sitting Bull intoned, "The Great Spirit has given our enemies to us. We are to destroy them. We do not know who they are. They may be soldiers." Given the harrassment and the arrogant demands of the U.S. military, there can be no doubt in the minds of those who heard Sitting Bull that that was who he was referring to. Within a couple of weeks, thousands of Sioux and Cheyenne warriors would wipe out General Armstrong Custer and his army at the Battle at Little Bighorn (Custer's Last Stand) thereby giving much credence to Sitting Bull's revelation.
Psychology offers other reasons for the purpose of dreaming and how we might be able to make sense of our passion-winged ministers of thought. A Jungian psychologist would suggest that dreams relate to an archetype of one sort or another. Freudian psychologists always point out that everything is connected to the libido, or rather, is symbolically male or female. The cannon is the phalus, the bag is the vagina, and the plow is intercourse, etc. Some people claim that they don't dream, which is unlikely (unless they suffer from a sleep disorder). There are some people who say that they don't dream in color. Maybe they're color blind. But in all seriousness, more likely, it is because the colors in their dreams quickly fade upon awakening.
As for my own experiences, one morning not so long ago, I awoke from an especially strange dream that was, due to its vivid details, easily recalled. It was twilight and I was standing in front of an abandoned cabin in the midst of a fog. Nearby were other people also facing the cabin. Just then a figure emerged from the cabin and walked calmly toward us. As the figure came more into focus the details revealed the head of a coyote (or a jackal) but the body of a man. When the coyote-man came within several feet of me, he stopped and stood perfectly still. I looked at the other people, whom I didn't recognize, expecting that someone may want to say or do something, but they looked at me with that look that said, "This is your dream. Its your call." So with some trepidation, I walked around the figure examining and wondering what to do. It didn't seem to pose any threat, so I slowly approached the coyote-man and opened its mouth and peered inside expecting to see a person's face, assuming of course that the figure was wearing a mask. Even after I had determined that it wasn't a mask, I was still unsure. Then I stepped back and glanced at the other people and said, "If this is a prank, you've done one helluva job." Then the coyote-man spoke,"What have you learned from this?" His soft spoken self composed tone of voice reminded me of the wandering character in the Kung Fu series from the 70s that starred David Carradine. I answered, "I realize this is going to sound cliche, but could it be that one should not always take something at face value?" Actually, I thought it was a clever pun on my part. He then replied, "You can believe what you want to believe or not believe what you don't want to believe. Either way, it doesn't matter." And then I awoke.
Upon reflection and some research, I came up with this analysis. The figure very much represents Anubis the Egyptian god of the dead who is associated with the process of mummification. So far so good. But what does the appearance symbolize and what did the conversation mean. Anubis in a person's dream could mean that the person needs spiritual guidance and (or ) is seeking clarification on an issue. Now that would make sense because of the conversation. But that's the puzzling part. So let's see, Anubis (assuming that that was whom I spoke to), appears to be saying that it doesn't matter what we believe because our beliefs are inconsequential to Universal Truths since humans are presumably programmed or "hard-wired" (in the DNA) with a limited ability to use their minds to their fullest potential. We've heard it said that humans use less than ten percent of their brain power. That may be true when considering that all the major religions believe that each one of them has the keys to heaven and to believe otherwise is to be an infidel, a heathen, or a non-believer. Hmm. If we used at least 10 percent, maybe we would realize for example, that both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party are really just two sides of the same coin. You see how this works...It just doesn't matter what you believe!
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