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Mondays @ Inner Noodle are Dream Days
“Get over the idea that only children should spend their time in study. Be a student so long as you still have something to learn, and this will mean all your life.“ ~Henry L. Doherty
School is back in session!
While I contend that all our dreams are very personal, and can not be deciphered simply by looking them up, there are some common dreams most people have that at the core contain similar meanings. The core meaning will not be universal, and the dream still needs to be interwoven with your life circumstances to learn more about your particular situation, however in context these dreams seem to have a universal string that ties into a majority of dreamers.
Jay’s perspective
This is my most common dream. I have dreams of returning to school often especially during times of strife in my life. Most commonly I am in school but it is the end of the semester and I do not know where my classes are, or I lost my schedule, or forgot to go all semester, and I am about to fail. These dreams are filled with anxiety. I usually do not speak to anyone in these dreams, it is just an event and emotion. The last one I had was last week. In the dream, someone came into my room, and asked what I was doing. I said “I am studying for my final”. Now, to me this meant I was reaching an end to something. Recently I was laid off from my corporate job, and have been writing and dream coaching full time since. To me, this meant I was heading in the right direction. In addition, the dream had no anxiety.
It is not about the school, it is about the learning
School dreams are rarely about the school experience you might have had. School dreams are more about trying to teach you something, or let you know you need to learn something. School might not have always been a positive event in your life, but it was always necessary. That is what your Inner Noodle is trying to convey through these dreams. The reason why the anxiety is usually so uncomfortable is because there is a call to action that needs to take place.
As usual, there is a need to apply everything you deduct from dreams to real life situations, usually present day situations. To get you started here are a few reasons you might be having these dreams:
1- You are thinking about changing careers
2- You are not living the life you intended, you need to go “back to school” and live more authentically
3- You feel your relationships are failing
4- You are living at the office, and your marriage is suffering
5- You want to make more money, but are not taking action to change the situation
The Final Lesson
Do not confuse the anxiety of these dreams with it being an bad thing. Anxiety has been given a bad rap. Anxiety is simply a way to get your attention, nothing more. Take these school dreams and put them up to the mirror of your current life. What is happening in your life where you might need to learn something, or might be choosing a wrong direction? What can you learn from this dream that can help you make better decisions in your waking life?
School dreams are common, especially in a culture that spends the first 18-25 years in school. If you ignore dreams normally as simply night visions, I implore you to at least take a closer look at school dreams. You life lessons never end, you need to stay vigilant in your learning, because just because you do not go to school anymore, your learning never ends.
Side Note:
If you have a dream that you really need help with and want a real person who will sit & personally read your dream, and work with you as long as it takes to discover the meaning, take a look at the newly available Dream Coaching section of this site. I am always happy to help. Thank you.
Jay
Related posts:
- Naked Pain- Common Dreams #2
- How to use your Dreams to Achieve Your Dreams
- Wake Up to Your Dreams
- How to Have More Dreams Every Night
- Sex Dreams
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{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
I can’t relate to the school dreams at all. But I do have a recurring aircraft crash one that I seem to have when stressed or unhappy, so suspect it’s the same type of thing.
Mike’s last blog post..Will Carling and Rucku -The Perfect Example of a Community Website
Mike- Thanks for stopping by. I would imagine this dream is filled with a great deal of anxiety which is similar to school dreams, but different in scope. The fact that it is recurring is a sign that you need to really listen, because something important is being said and it will continue until you figure it out. I do offer dream coaching if you are interested in getting though this dream. Let me know Mike, either way, it was good hearing from you.
Hi Jay!
As always, I enjoy visiting and have now amended my early morning routine so I can stop by to be enlightened by your insights. Thank you for this, my friend!:)
Question: What if one cannot recall their dreams knowing full well that they did dream the night before?
“Dreams are more real than what reality can dream about.” ~Henie~
Serenity and Peace Always,
Henie
“Don’t steal someone else’s thunder; Be your own lightning!”
Spot on.
Henie- Now it your turn to double squeeze my heart- thanks for changing your routine- means a lot to me. I could (and will) write a whole post on dream recall techniques but quickly I suggest two things:
Intention: Say before you go to bed “I will remember a dream when I awaken.” This is usually enough to get started recalling more of your dreams.
Emotions: If you can not remember a dream right away, write down what feelings you have upon awakening. Dreams are filled with emotion, if you can recall the emotion, the dream will most likely start unraveling in front of you. It is very cool.
Thanks Richard!
Hi Jay,
I have recently returned to school becaus, I know now, I wanted to prove something. But I had a very tough time (especially with math) and had to give up. Then I realised I returned to studying for the wrong reasons and that I had nothing to prove. It was a relief. I do agree though that life is a learning experience that never stops. If you stop learning you dry up. My grandma (who lived to be 93 and had 15 children) always used to say: ‘Never go to bed before you’ve learned something.’ She was a wise woman.
Thanks for stopping by my blog.
Mimi
Mindful Mimi’s last blog post..Philosophy - A Guide to Happiness
Mindful Mimi- Thanks for stopping by. I have seen your great comments throughout the blogosphere and it is nice to see you here. Your grandma sounds like a great and wise woman. 15 children!!?? Wow- incredible!
WTH, Jay…no dreams! Nil! You said to write my feeling when I got up…I felt invigorated and was ready to conquer the stratosphere:)
“Life is but a dream…or is it the other way around?”
Happy Dreaming Always,
Henie
LOL Henie- Well you may not have recalled the dream but something good happened. Your Inner Noodle remembers, even if you do not. Keep practicing, the recall will come, and soon you will remember multiple dreams a night. I remembered 6 once- it was crazy!
“Maybe we are dreaming now, and real life begins in sleep?”
Jay
I haven’t had school dreams lately, that I can recall anyway. I have in the past. I wear glasses/contacts and can’t see a darn thing without them. In my dreams I was always going to school without my glasses and couldn’t see anything. Talk about anxiety provoking. It was awful…if I took the time to look back I know I could place the anxiety.
I agree with you, too, anxiety gets a bad wrap, when in fact it’s simply a way to telling you to wake up - there is something going on you need to deal with.
Stacey Shipman’s last blog post..Got Stress? Use it to Your Advantage
Hey Stacey- Welcome to Inner Noodle. Do you think your life would have been easier, or at least clearer, if you did the dream work back when you had those dreams?
Anxiety, just like pain is simply an indicator, something to say “Hey You, Pay Attention!”- that is why even people who do not recall dreams, always remember the “bad” ones. Thanks for stopping by!
This is an encouraging post to help people weave their way through periods of discomfort and anxiety. You have a way of lightening the atmosphere and inspiring people to rethink where they are. Every human being attends a universal school of life. Not everyone consciously chooses to learn every moment, but we are each raising awareness and taking in information that is preparing us for what we choose to do next.
Liara Covert’s last blog post..5 ideas to build your self-reliance and redefine dignity
Ah yes, the old school dream. I have that one on a regular basis. I hate that dream, it is always scary and frustrating. It always seems that things are out of my control yet I am in the dog house.
Last night I had a dream that my dad had a brain tumor. I am not excited about him getting older and losing him. He is almost 80 now.
Question: What is the past tense of dream? Dreamed? Dremt? Done had a dream (LOL)?
@ Liara- Thank you Liara for your kind words. I love “Universal School of Life”- I think we should open one up!
@ Laurie- Welcome back! Do not hate that dream Laurie (School One)- they are one of the best dreams to have. They can teach you so much about where you are headed (or should be headed) in life. In fact, do not hate any dreams, even the scary ones are trying to help! How did you feel upon awakening from the Dad dream? That will help determine if it was truly about him or not. I believe it is dreamt, even though it sounds like you are drunk when you say it.
Jay - I don’t know if life would have been easier or more clear. What I do know is I may not be where I am now…which is a pretty good place.
I had a crazy dream the other night, though…I’m intrigued by the dream analysis thing for sure…
Jay,
I’m wondering what you think about my perspective: If you read any of my work, you’ll know I really believe in the incredible power of our intuition AND subconscious thinking. Throughout the day, we have some 60,000 thoughts (per DAY!) and we have an incredibly BAD filter. Our minds are overloaded and we don’t always know what to keep and what to let go.
When I start to feel overloaded or as if I just don’t have the answers I need for something big, I will “incubate” my brain. That is my term for just STOPPING everything, including thinking, and have a total shut down. This is often done through sleep. And our DREAMS are a way to make sense of the day and categorize all of our thoughts. Some we keep, some we toss, but we categorize them all - subconsciously! We judge situations, make important decisions, and feel refreshed after “incubating” our minds.
Dreams in and of themselves are not “incubation,” but the process of having dreams, I think, is about “working things out.” And, even if we don’t quite make sense of what we’ve dreamed of (aren’t we always thinking, what was THAT about??), our minds HAVE made sense of them.
Oh, one more thing that comes to mind…. the stronger our dreams our - the more vivid they are - the bigger the issue, and the faster the answer if we just allow the dream and incubation period to work FOR us, not against us.
What do you think of my perspective? Can’t wait to hear your feedback!
Thanks for your great post. =)
Jennifer Ryan @ I Choose Change’s last blog post..Meditation Made Easy (Part 2)
@Stacey- Let me know if you have questions. I love this stuff and am always happy to help!
@Jennifer- Well I certainly agree that sleep is for working things out. That is where “Sleep on it” comes from. Even if you never do a single things about your dreams you will still be working things out subconsciously in your sleep. According to research sleep has very little to do with the body. It is the mind that needs to do the work at night. That is why people who do not sleep well, or not at all have increased bouts of depression, hallucinations, and other Noodle issues. (You use this term in your practice right
)
Certainly the more vivid the bigger the issue, and I will add the more emotion involved is also a factor on importance. If you wake up shaking, or sweating, grab your dream journal immediately because that is a BIG dream.
I do however think there is more than one kind of dream. Many dreams are about dealing with things- usually current, but there is also dreams about the future, and others that are simply about “fixing” the past. I also think we can direct the Inner Noodle to give us dreams we need- I think that is why you find that during your incubating time you have dreams that correlate with this experience.
I love your incubating time- The power of silence is very important! Thanks you for making me think today!!