Dream Authority

A woman once told me that she had nightmares about the death of her stepdad. He’d died several years earlier. For a period of two weeks before and two weeks after the anniversary of his death she’d relive his gruesome death while she slept.

As I talked with her I realized she’d accepted these nightmares as a fact in her life. She’d resigned her dream life over to these horrible nightmares and was convicted there was nothing she could do about it.

This belief, that you have to accept your dream lie for what it is and you can’t do anything about it, is all too common among dreamers. Especially nightmares.

One of the most important things I’ve learned about dreams is you can change different aspects of what happens in your dream life. If you’re not remembering your dream you can be intentional about your dreams and are for one. If you’re being chased, you can turn around and confront what’s pursuing you. If you’re tormented by nightmares you can ask light into your dreams to dispel darkness.

 I look at dreams as a sort of movie in the imagination. A living move that can change and continue to change as time goes on. Think about that for a moment. You have the power over your dream life. Better yet, you have the authority over your dream life.

Power is a great thing. It can be used for both good and bad. Sometimes dreams overpower a dreamer, but they are not helpless.

The nightmare situation I shared at the beginning of the blog left the dreamer feeling powerless. And in a way she was. But what she didn’t realize was that she has the authority over her dream life. You see, your dream is yours and yours alone. If something is happening in your dream life you have the authority to override it. This is much more significant than mere power.

Here’s the difference between power and authority. Let’s say a random person stole a tank and make a rampage through your town with it. Then that person shows up at the courthouse and threatens to demolish the sheriff’s office. The deputies are only armed with pistols and shotguns and they’re facing off against a military tank. But they have the authority in the situation. It’s no contest.

One of the most important things I can tell you about your own dreams is that you have the authority to change what’s happening in your dream life. It’s this idea that’s at the foundation of lucid dreaming.

The next time you have a tormenting dream or a dream that seems to be hounding you and won’t let up remember that you have the authority.

EB