I think most people are inquisitive about the meanings of our dreams. There are many books with dream symbol definitions and they each have their own ideas about the meanings with a few exceptions.

Some people will declare they don’t dream. Absent a sleep disorder we all dream, and we can raise our awareness so that we remember them. You can train your brain by clearly setting the intention that you will your dream when you awaken in the morning. It may take several weeks to retrain yourself so don’t give up too soon.

Dreams can help us to better understand events, feelings, or worries in our day-to-day life. Unfortunately, our dreams and therefore our solutions don’t come to us in plain simple language. Dreams are filled with metaphor that leads us to those books about the meanings of dreams. While these books may help trigger a flash of insight they will never be a literal translation.

To really understand your dreams you need an organized approach and be willing to spend some time in meditation to decode the message.

• Just before you go to sleep tell yourself "I will remember my dream when I wake up"

• Keep a notepad and pen next to your bed

• Each morning write in a journal or note pad what you remember about your dream. Simply write what you saw, heard, felt. Don’t try to decipher at this point.

• Date your journal entries so that you can review them over time

• During meditation allow your dream pieces be present in your consciousness

• Add any insight discovered to your dream journal

Over time you will become more proficient in understanding your dreams. If you are having difficulty decoding a particular dream, ask before you go to sleep that another symbol or metaphor be used for the message. When you are having recurring dreams it is wise to get it your attention during meditation. Recurring dreams are a strong message that you are at a point when you could experience considerable growth.

The whole dream process takes commitment but also offers great understanding about the life lessons you are facing. Don’t give up!