This is going over the various things one can do and/or learn from dreams. Maybe ones not as commonly talked about or more uncommon at least.
Dreams can be useful for:
- Shadow work (understanding self, others, etc)
- Communication (deities, self, others)
- Divination (oneiromancy)
- Various types of dreams (mundane, prophetic, lucid, daydreams, etc)
- Inspiration (art, music, ideas, etc)
Now, let’s attempt to break these down one by one.
Shadow Work
This is a more common one which allows an individual to go through different challenges or situations without as stress placed on the conscious mind. If someone is taking note of their dreams and notices different patterns, they can look up signs and attempt to understand the abstract idea coming to their heads.
For example, people tend to emulate various parts of self as you the individual know them. Mother for emotions, sibling for logic, father for connections are personal examples when they come into my own dreams. Others might put more stock into the story itself, the objects which present themselves, or however they relate to the dream. It’s a great tool to understand how one is truly and how they are in terms of other individuals.
Communication
Stemming off the first one, since this is a place where an individual spends a good chunk of their life sleeping, it is often a way to learn communication. This is that inner voice which is developed and shaped as we go through life. It is how we speak to others without being fully conscious about it. Since it is the one time we are not immersed with others, so it is a voice on it’s own interlacing with the conscious. As an example, growing up various abstract dreams and attempting to make those words flow influences how I speak. Sometimes it takes longer to communicate how I want to, but once it does, it’s very rich or takes a different worldview in comparison to the other individual.
Another stem off this is when others want to bring a point forward or deliver a message. Usually when this occurs, the dream itself will be vastly different than typical dreams or will have something more memorable to announce a difference to pay attention to. Such as spirits, ancestors, or deities.
Sometimes individuals may not be able to communicate consciously what they want, it is possible to spill into another individual’s dream. While this may not happen often, it is something to be aware of and take appropriate action if needed to protect oneself due to the circumstances.
Divination
A form to gather information using above patterns or objects in a short dream to answer question(s). This can be a good method to use during short naps or daydreams - to focus on a question while allowing the mind to receive information. Of course it’s not a quick method like tarot or pendulum or other forms. It is however more non-judgemental and less individually opinion based. It creates an answer which allows a better reading for oneself or another person. Because once someone writes the dream down, it’s a matter of dissecting the answer from the themes or objects notably observed.
Types of Dreams
This one is probably going to be a quick summary of what can occur during sleep and/or a state of the subconscious coming to the surface.
- Mundane dreams, or, the dreams which are most common to an individual. Regardless of how a dream goes when asleep, it’s a routine theme which people recognize and probably do not exactly remember them waking up.
- Prophetic dreams, or ones which have varying degrees of present/future knowledge. These can rather jarring but ultimately one’s which one will never forget. No matter the outcome in the conscious world after experiencing these, they leave a lasting impression or change an individual’s way of viewing the world.
- Lucid dreams, more vivid or memorable dreams which are more likely remembered waking up. This is a type of dream which can range from being actively aware to having particular objects be more pronounced. Most individuals talk of the first extreme to experience which can be daunting to many folks. However, simply having a more noticeable dream to write down and learn from is a good first step if one wants to explore that option.
- Daydreams, the state between consciously and subconsciously awareness. It is also a good state to be in for meditation or being active in the moment. This can be useful to process what is happening in the present moment and let the brain rest a little better before a full night’s sleep.
Inspiration
Lastly, due to the nature that dreams are, it’s a source of many ideas or methods to attempt while awake. Since the time felt in a dream can be longer than the time actually going by sleeping, it allows the mind to garner information in a new way. Regardless if the idea is actually good upon waking up is a different story, it can create so much out of what is seen in our whole lives. To then bring some insight on a project or speech or whatnot which can impact the situation in a better light.
For those who have a hard time dreaming, or don’t dream, or are not visual dreamers. There are other things to capture from a dream which is not visual. Is there other senses one can employ or notice when asleep? Perhaps even how one feels upon waking up is a clue on it’s own and writing down these feelings can help especially if it is atypical.
Thank you for reading! I wanted to expand on dream magic a little more than one broadly covered one. Let me know what you think and spread it around~


