第3章

willissuspended，orpassivetoexternalstates。Amanwholivesonlyonthesensualplanewillreceivehisknowledgethroughthesenses，andwillnot，whileinthatstate，receivespiritualimpressionsorwarningdreams。

Menandwomenrarelyeverdegradethemselvessolowthatthesmallvoiceofthedesertdoesnotbringthemamessage。SodomandGomorrah，vilewiththedebaucheryofanamelesscrime，werenotdesertedbytheangelofloveuntilthefirewhichtheyhadlightedintheirsoulshadconsumedthem。ThewallsofJerichodidnotfalluntilRahab，theharlot，hadbeensavedandtheinmateshadheardforseveraldaystheram’s-hornandthetrampofJoshua’sinfantry。

TheevangelistJonah，theSamJonesofHebrewtheology，exhortedtheadulterousNinevehmanytimestorepentancebeforeitfell。

David，whileintoxicatedwiththewineoflove，fromlanguishingintheseductiveembraceofthebeautifulbathingnymph，Bathsheba，heardthevoiceofNathan。SurelyGodisnorespecterofpersons，andwillspeaktoallclassesifthepeoplewillnotstiffentheirnecksorhardentheirhearts。

Womendreammoreoftenandmorevividlythanmen，becausetheirdreamcompositionislessinfluencedandalliedtoexternalenvironments。

Alldreamspossessanelementofwarningorprescience；

somemorethanothers。Thisisunknowntothemany，butisknowntotheobservingfew。Therearemanypeoplewhohavenonaturaltasteformusic，andwhodonotknowonenotefromanother。Therearealsothosewhocannotdistinguishonecolorfromanother。Totheformerthereisnoharmonyofsound，andtothelatterthereisnoblendingofcolors。

Theyareheardandseen，butthereisnoartisticrecognitionofthesame。Stillitwouldbeabsurdtosaytoeitherthemusicianortheartist：yourartisfalseandisonlyanillusionofthesenses。

Onemanapparentlyneverdreams；anotherdreamsoccasionally，andstillanothermorefrequently；noneattempttointerprettheirdream，ortoobservewhatfollows；therefore，theverdictis，“Thereisnothingindreams。”(Schopenhaueraptlysays：“Nomancanseeoverhisownheight……

Intellectisinvisibletothemanwhohasnone。”)Thefirstisliketheblindmanwhodeniestheexistenceoflight，becausehedoes20

notperceiveit。Thesecondandthirdresemblethecolor-blindman，whoseesbutwhopersistsincallinggreenblue，andviceversa。

Afourthmanseesinadreamafriendwalkinginhisroom；

thevisionissovividheinstantlygetsupandstrikesamatch。Aftermakingsurethereisnointruderabouttheroomhelooksathiswatchandgoesbacktobed。Thenextdayhereceivestheunwelcometidingsthathisfrienddiedattheexactmomentofthevision。

Atanothertimehehearsinhisdreamafamiliarvoicecryoutinagony。Soonhehearsofashockingaccidentordistressingillnessbefallingtheonewhosevoiceherecognizedinthedream。2

Thethirdman，alreadyreferredto，hasaboutthesamedreamexperiences，butcallsthemstrangecoincidencesorunconsciouscerebration，etc。

Again，thefourthmandreamsofwalkingthroughgreenfieldsofcorn，grassorwheat。Henotesaftersuchdreamsprosperousconditionsfollowforatleastafewdays。Healsonotes，iftheareaoverwhichhepassesisinterspersedwithrocksorotheradversesigns，goodandbadfollowinthewakeofthedream。Ifhesucceedsinclimbingamountainandfindsthetopbarrenhewillaccomplishhisobject，butthedealwillproveunprofitable。Ifitisgreenandspring-likeinappearance，itwillyieldgoodresults。Ifheseesmuddywater，sickness，businessdepressionorcausesforjealousymaydevelop。

Anightmaresuggeststothedreamertobecarefulofhealthanddiet，torelaxhiswholebody，tosleepwithhisarmsdownandkeepplentyoffreshairintheroom。

Hesumsuptheforegoingwithathousandsimilardreamincidents，andisledtobelievecertaindreamspossessanelementofwarning。

Therearethreepuretypesofdreams，namely，subjective，physicalandspiritual。Theyrelatetothepast，presentandfuture，andareinfluencedbypastorsubjective，physicalandspiritualcauses。Thelatterisalwaysdeeplyprophetic，especiallywhenitleavesavividimpressionontheconsciousmind。Theformer，too，possessesanelementofwarningandprophecy，21

thoughthetruemeaningishiddeninsymbolsorallegory。Theyareduetocontingentmentalpicturesofthepastfallingupontheconsciousmindofthedreamer。Thusheisbackattheoldhome，andfindsmotherpaleandaged，orruddyandhealthy，andthelawnwitheredorgreen。Itallaugurs，accordingtotheaspectthepictureassumes，illorgoodfortune。

Physicaldreamsaremoreorlessunimportant。Theyareusuallysuperinducedbytheanxiouswakingmind，andwhenthisissotheypossessnopropheticsignificance。

Dreamsinducedbyopiates，fevers，mesmerismandillhealthcomeunderthisclass。Amanwhogamblesisliabletodreamofcards；ifhedreamsofthemindeepsleepthewarningistobeheeded；butifitcomesasareveriewhilehesleepslightlyheshouldregarditasworthless。

Suchdreamsreflectonlythepresentconditionofthebodyandmindofthedreamer；butasthepastandpresententerintoshapingthefuture，thereflectionsthusleftonthewakingmindshouldnotgobyunheeded。

Weoftenobservemattersofdressandexteriorappearancethroughmirrors，andwesoonmakethenecessaryalterationstoputourbodiesinharmonywithexistingformalities。Then，whynotstudymoreseriouslythementalimagesreflectedfromthemirrorofthesouluponourmindsthroughtheoccultprocesseswithinus？

Thirdly，thespiritualdreamsarebroughtaboutbythehigherselfpenetratingthesoulrealm，andreflectinguponthewakingmindapproachingevents。Whenweputouranimalmindandsoulinharmonywithourhigherselfwebecomeonewithit，and，therefore，onewiththeuniversalmindorwillbybecomingapartofit。Itisthroughthehigherselfwereachtheinfinite。Itisthroughthelowerselfwefallintothewhirlpoolofmatter。

Thesedreamsareapartoftheuniversalminduntiltheytranspireinthelifeofman。Afterthistheygotomakeapartofthepersonalsoul。Whateverhasnottakenplaceinthemind，orlifeofman，belongsexclusivelytotheimpersonalmind。Butassoonasamanlivesorseesathing，thatthinginstantlybecomesapartofhissoul；hence，theclairvoyant，ormindreader，neverperceivesbeyondthepersonalego，asthefuturebelongsexclusivelytoGodortheuniversalmind，andhasnomaterial，subjectiveexistence；therefore，itcannotbeknownexceptthroughthechannelsofthehigherself，which22

istheTruthortheWordthatisconstantlystrivingtomanifestitselfthroughtheflesh。

Ourpsychicalresearchpeoplegiveusconclusiveproofofmentaltelepathyortelegraphybetweenfiniteminds。Thuscommunicationsorimpressionsareconveyedmanymilesfromonemindtoanother。Thisphenomenoniseasierwhenoneorbothofthesubjectsareinastateofsomnambulenceorasleep。

Inthoughttransferenceormindreadingitisabsolutelynecessarytohaveapositiveandanegativesubject。Throughthesamelawthatmentalimpressionsaretelegraphedfromonefinitemindtoanotheramanmayplacehimselfinharmonywiththeinfinitemindandthusreceivetrueandhealthfulwarningsofcomingevilorgood。Homer，Aristotleandotherwritersoftheancientclassicsthoughtthisnotimprobable。

Thestatesman，thepoet，thephilosopheroftheBiblewereunanimousinattachingpropheticsignificancetodreams。Hasthelawofetherealvibrationsundergoneanyrecentchangestodebarormolestthecommunionofthesoulwithitsspiritualfather，anymorethanithasdebarredcontactwithitsmaterialmotherorenvironments？

Weonlyunderstandthegreatlawsofnaturebyeffects。

Weknowthatvegetationplantedinnativesoilandproperlyattendedwithlight，heatandmoisture，willgrowandyieldacertainspeciesoffruit。

Wemayinferhowitdoesthis，butwecannotexplaintheprocessoftransformationanymorethanwecanexplainwhycertaintropicalbirdsareburnishedwithglowingcolors，andthatotherbirdsunderthemurkyskiesaregrayandbrown，whileintheArcticregionstheybleach。

Insleepwesee，withoutbeingawakened，theangrylightningrendthemidnightclouds，andheartheexplosivethunderhurlitsfuryatus；butcanweexplainitanymorethanourscientistcanexplainthenaturalforcesofthought，ofloveandhate，orthesubtleintuitionofwoman？

WhatofthesilhouetteortheanthelionoftheScandinavianAlps，andtheaerialcitiessooftenseenbyexplorersandtravelers？Donottheydefythelawofoptics？Mustweunderstandtheintricaciesofarticulationandtheforcesbackofitbeforewecanappropriatespeech？

Mustwediscardallbeliefinaninfinitemindbecausewecannotunderstandit，andthereforesaywearenotapartofitbecausethereisnoInfinite？

Shouldwediscardthebeliefintheinfinitudeofnumber，because23

wecannotunderstandit，andthereforesaythatfinitenumberisnotapartoftheinfinite？

Noscientistornaturalistissogrosslystupidastodenytheinfiniteexpansionofnumbers？Ifthisbeso，itestablishestheinfiniteofnumber，ofwhicheveryfinitenumberisapart，andthuswehaveaparallelinmathematics，theverycornerstoneoftheexactsciences，forafiniteandaninfinitemind。Itisfromtheprototypeofthisinfiniteofnumber，namely，theinfiniteofintelligence，thatspiritualdreamsproceed。Theyare，therefore，thereflectionoftruthuponthedreammindandoccurwithlessfrequencythandodreamsoftheothertwoclasses。

Therearealsomixeddreams，duetoamultitudeofincidentsarisingfromoneormoresources，whichbeingreflecteduponthemindatthesameinstant，produceanincoherenteffectsimilartothatwhichmightbeproducedbyrunningthesamenewspaperthroughtwoormorepressesallofdifferentsizetype。

Again，ifyousitbeforeamirrorwhereflashlightsoffacesandotherthingsarereflectedsimultaneouslyandinstantlyremoved，youwillfailtoobtainawell-definedimpressionofwhatpassedbeforeyourmind。

Ifyoushouldpassonatrain，atthespeedoftwomilesaminute，throughaforestofflowersandtrees，yourmindwouldbeunabletodistinguishoneflowerortreefromanother。

Itisinasimilarwaydreamlifeandincidentsmayfalluponthemind。

Awomanmaydreamofreceivingaletter，andinthesameconnectionseemuddywater，oranaridlandscape。Closelyfollowing，inwakinglife，sheisastonishedtoreceivealetterinaboutthesamemannerofherdream，butthemuddywaterandthearidlandscapearemissing。

Thisisamixeddreamandisduetomorethanonecause。

Thefirstpartisliteralinitsfulfilment，andbelongstothespiritualclass；theotherpartofthedreamissubjective，andthereforeallegoricalinmeaning。Togetherwiththeletter，itwasaforewarningofmisfortune。

Thesedreamsaremoredifficultofinterpretationthanthosebelongingtothespiritualtype。Insuchdreamsyoumayseewater，letters，houses，money，people，andcountlessotherthings。Thenextdayyoumaycrosswaterorreceivealetter；theotherthingsyoumaynotsee，butannoyanceorpleasurewillfollow。24

Again，youmayhaveasimilardreamandnotreceivealetterorcrosswater，butthewakinglifewillbefilledwiththeotherdreampicturesandyouwillexperiencedisappointingorpleasantsurprisesasareindicatedbytheletterorwatersign。

Ihaveselectedtheallegoricaltypeofdreamsforthesubjectofthiswork。Dreamsthatarecommonoccurrencesandarethoughtbytheworldtobemeaningless。

Ihaveendeavored，throughtheoccultforcesinandaboutmetofindtheiresotericorhiddenimport。

Dreamstranspireonthesubjectiveplane。Theyshouldthereforebeinterpretedbysubjectiveintelligence。This，thoughburdenedwithmanybusinesscares，Ihavehonestlyendeavoredtodo。ThroughthelonghoursofmanynightsIhavewaitedpatientlyandpassivelytheautomaticmovementofmyhandtowritethesubjectivedefinitionswithoutreceivingawordorasinglemanifestationofintelligence，andagainthemysteriousforceswouldwriteasfastasmyhandcouldmoveoverthepaper。

Iwillleaveitformyreaderstodrawtheirownconclusionsastowhetherautomaticwritingistheworkofextraneousspirits，throughthebrainandintelligenceofthemedium，ortheresultofauto-suggestiveinfluenceuponthesubjectivepersonality。

ItisarguedbytheMaterialist，withsomedegreeofstrength，thatthehealthymandoesnotdream，Thisis，perhaps，true，inaway，butthewholemancomprisesthepast，present，andfuture。Thepastandfuturealwaysembracemoreoftheconditionsthatsurroundhimthanthepresent。Thepresentisonlytheacutestage，whilethechronicstage，consideredfromapersonalview，isthepastandfuturecombined。Mancannoteliminateentirelythesestatesfromhimself，for，whiletheyarepastandfuturetothepersonalmind，theyareeverpresenttothehighersubjectivesenses；heis，therefore，neverinperfecthealthunlessthesestatesareinharmonywiththepresent。Thepersonalself，inanormalstate，cannotfreeitselffromthepastorfromtheanxietiesofthefuture。

Thereadershouldeverkeepbeforehismindthefactthatnomaneverhadthesamedreamtwice。Hemayhavehadverysimilardreams，butsomedetailwillbemissing。Natureseemstoabhorduplicates。Youcouldnomorefindtwodreamsalikethanyoucouldfindfacsimilesintwobladesofgrass。A25

mancannotlivetwodaysexactlyalike。Differentinfluencesandpassionswillpossesshim。Consequently，notwodreamscanbehadunderexactlythesameinfluences。StereotypesarepeculiarlytheinventionofmanandnotofGodornature。