of the universe dreams Writers commonly quote the experience of William James who, while under anaesthetic, dreamt he found the secret of the universe. What he was left with was the doggerel ‘Higamus Hogumus women are monogamous—Hogumus Higamus, men are polygamous’ The conclusion is that dreams cannot be truly revelatory. While it may be true to say that some such dreams contain little which adds to the dreamer’s understanding, some dreams give insights which profoundly alter the dreamer’s future attitudes or actions.
Revelatory dreams are more common to men than women. This may be because more men concern themselves with questions of what the universe is.
If the dreamer creates a mental or emotional tension in themselves through the intensity with which they pursue such questions—and we need to accept that often such intensity anses out of anxiety regarding death and one’s identity—then the self-regulatory process of dreaming might well produce an apparent revelation to ease the tension. On the opposite tack, research into mental functioning during dreaming, or in a dreamlike state as in research using LSD, shows that there is an enormously increased ability to access associated ideas, allow feeling responses and achieve novel viewpoints. Freud pointed out that dreams have access to greater memory resources and associated ideas. P H. Stafford and B.H. Golightly, in their book dealing with LSD as an aid to problem solving, say that this dreamlike state enables subjects to ‘form and keep in mind a much broader picture . . . imagine what is needed—for the problem—or not possible . . . diminish fear of making mistakes*. One subject says ‘1 had almost total recall of a course I did in thermodynamics; something I had not given any thought to in years.’
Although humans have such power to scan enormous blocks of information or experience, look at it from new angles, sift it with particular questions in mind and so discover new connections in old information, there are problems, otherwise we would all be doing it.
The nature of dream consciousness, and the faculties described, is fundamentally different to waking awareness, which limits, edits, looks for specifics, avoids views conflicting with its accepted norm, and uses verbalisation.
A nonverbal, symbolic scan of massive information is largely lost when translated to waking consciousness.
My experience is that the content of revelatory dreams is almost wholly lost on waking.
If the individual explores the dream while awake, however, and dares to take consciousness into the realm of the dream, then the enormous waves of emotional impact, the massive collection of details, the personality changing influence of major new insights, can be met.
The reason most of us do not touch this creative process is in fact the same reason most of us do not attempt other daring activities—it takes guts.
See Also: creativity, problem solving in dreams.
[1]If you are sharing or keeping a secret to yourself in your dream, this means there is something about your private thoughts and feelings of which others need to be aware. Are you hiding something from both yourself and others? Are you too secretive? If you are actually keeping a secret in real life and you dream of sharing it with a friend and immediately feel as if a burden has been lifted from your shoulders, your unconscious may be encouraging you to be more open during your waking hours. Or did you dream of betraying someone’s confidence in your dream and discover that this leads to unhappy or terrible consequences? If you did, your dreaming mind may be urging you to keep an important secret to yourself because there may be terrible repercussions if you revealed what you know.
Symbols of secrets and deception in dreams may be offering you a warning.
If you were cheating or someone cheated at your expense in your dream, this was certainly a warning. For example, if you cheated in a race, in a game or in a relationship in your dream, are you willingly involved in some kind of deception in waking life? If you are, your dream is urging you to mend your ways; on the other hand, the dream may also be suggesting that someone is cheating on you. Any hint of counterfeit goods, fakes or forgery in your dream also suggests that you are not being true to yourself or honest with others in waking life.
If the fake is an antique of some kind, this may be referring to a deceit that happened in the past.
If you are caught cheating or deceiving somebody in your dream, perhaps you are in danger of being
[2]To dream that you or someone has a secret, represents hidden power. It suggests that something needs to emerge from your unconscious.
If you dream of hearing a secret about somebody, there will be intrigue among people you have trusted.
If you dream of repeating a secret, this a sign that you will have to defend yourself against malicious gossip.
[3]Dreams of a secret signify distrust, caution, and fear. Secrets can either represent that which is sacred or that which is based on shame and fear. Your dream may be giving you the message that people are as sick as their secrets, and to share your most shameful secrets with a qualified therapist or trusted friend.
See Also: Integration Dreams.
[4]If you dream that you tell a secret that you had promised not to tell, it means that you are going through an uncomfortable time.
It is possible that you will not only go through a complicated emotional stage but that you are also involved in something not suited to you.
[5](Confiding) A secret in a dream means marriage. Ifsomeone tells a secret that does not denote marriage, then it means becoming a shareholder in a business, or it could mean trusting someone, or inheriting him.
(See Also: Confiding)
[6]Something you know but do not want to admit or share. Something hidden from awareness by your own choice. All secrets are within, but you have to be earnest in asking and really want to hear the answer.
[7]Intrigue among those you have trusted is forecast in a dream of hearing a secret.
To repeat a secret is a sign that you will have to defend yourself against malicious gossip.
[8]1. Recognition of untapped power and ability that is being kept from others.
2. Be careful; someone is being deceptive.
[9]To dream of a Secret being whispered in your ear means a public dignity to be bestowed on you.
[10]Instructing confidentiality
[11]