Dream Theories and Beliefs in Middle Eastern, Ancient Greek/Egyptian, and Chinese Cultures - Research Paper Example

 Dream Theories and Beliefs in Middle Eastern, Ancient Greek/Egyptian, and Chinese Cultures Dreams have symbolic or metaphoric meanings for many people. The ancient cultures like Greek, Egyptian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern had their respective interpretations of dreams according to their beliefs. For most of them, dreams held a significant place in their memories and they sought guidance or some sort of message from the dreams they had. “The dream is culturally embedded, part of a system of symbols. It may, biologically, be linked with cycles of arousal that are part of a mammalian pattern that precede the development of a cerebral cortex sufficiently complex to make culture possible; but the meaning attributed to it by a culture may ignore arousal and emphasize external message from the gods.” (Parman 2) Dreams may also symbolize good or bad meanings. They can promise rewards or warn about some impending danger. They can also indicate towards our relationships and friendships. Surprisingly, people who believe in dream theories derive pleasure, comfort or some sort of solace from their dreams. They relate it to some mystical or spiritual powers that govern their dreams. Societies in Middle East also believe in magic or talisman. Therefore, they attribute magical elements to their dreams. In cultures like ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Chinese, dreams could only be interpreted by priests or prophets or people who were proficient in the art of interpreting dreams. The Greek dream philosophies are based on psychological perspectives and divine inspirations. The earliest recorded dreams date back to 5000 years BC in Mesopotamia (ancient Greece)1. The people that lived there were called Sumerians2. Their scholars and kings paid special attention to dreams. The famous epic poem of Gilgamesh is also about a dream he saw and narrated it to his goddess-mother who made the first known interpretation of his dream. Thenceforth, his dreams were taken as a prophecy and used as a guide in the real world3. According to Hippocrates (469-399) BC, during day time the soul receive images; and at night it produces images4. Plato reveals in Phaedos that the reason why Socrates studied Arts and Music was that he was directed to do so in his dream5. Aristotle did not believe that dreams were divine inspirations6. Artemidorus describes two classes of dreams: somnium, which forecasts the future; and insomnium, which deals with contemporary matters and are affected by the mental and physical states of our bodies. 7 It was believed that a Voice conveys the messages of gods in dreams. As the Greeks believed in preordained destiny, therefore their belief in dreams was deep and profound. “The dream usually takes the form of a visit paid to a sleeping man or woman by a single dream-figure... This dream-figure can be a god, or a ghost, or a pre-existing dream-messenger, or an image... It affects its entry by a key-hole...” (Dodds 105) In Homer’s Odyssey(), Penelope sees a dream about an eagle and geese. Penelope cries over the murder of her beautiful geese when the Eagle “…in a human voice explained that he was Odysseus come to inflict vengeance on the suitors.”(Harris 50) This is a classic example of symbolic dreams which can be interpreted according to the wish-fulfillment theory of dreams. If a person dreams about mother, it may mean two completely opposite meanings according to Greek dream theories. Mother stands for holiness, Mother Nature, benevolence, love and nurturing. On the contrary, it might mean incestuous desires of the dreamer just like Oedipus complex. Likewise, seeing a father in a dream may mean paternal support or just the opposite- Electra complex. The Greeks also believed in the healing power of dreams. Therefore, it was advised to people to analyze their dreams carefully so as to look for the possible causes and cure of their illnesses. It was believed that dreams revealed the inner state of a person’s bodily and mental health. It was also associated with spirituality. According to a mythology, “Dream healing had occurred in Athens before. Plutarch tells of one brought by Athens’s own patron goddess Athena before the arrival of Asklepios... Athena appeared to Perikles in a dream, revealing a course of treatment. Perikles applied it and quickly and easily healed the injured workman.” (Tick 79) The Egyptians believed in the metaphysical dream philosophy. The Greeks built their dream philosophies on the models of Egyptians’ House of Life, where dreams were interpreted in the temples of Serapis, a Greco-Egyptian god. “Dream incubation, the ritual of acknowledging and giving great value to dreams for the purpose of healing, is first to have been used by ancient Egyptian physicians. The incubation ritual gave power and influence to dreams, which were thought to be messages from the gods”. (Cicchetti 95) “Joseph, Moses, Samuel, Daniel, and many other Hebrew prophets used dreaming as the means to supposedly understand God’s will and to interpret and predict events. Some of the most famous Egyptian dreams, and their interpretations by Hebrew Joseph, notably the dream of seven years of plenty and the seven years of famine, are vividly described in the bible.” (Najovits 299) The dreams of kings and pharaohs and their dreams were considered really important by the masses. People who wished to dream and seek guidance from Serapis fasted and prayed before going to the temples for dream incubation. “The provoked and controlled dreaming practices in Delphi, Memphis, and Delos and in later Roman temples were similar to what were practiced in the Egyptian temple Houses of Life”. (299) The Roman Emperor Constantine dreamt about Jesus who advised him to inscribe the initials of his name on the shields of his soldiers if he wanted to be successful in the battle. This dream is similar to the premonitory dreams of many Egyptian pharaohs before major battles. Thus, “the official conversion of Rome to Christianity began in a dream”. (300) According to Chinese beliefs, dreams had both metaphysical and physiological dimensions to them. Chinese believe that dreams have close association between our souls and the dead world. When we sleep, our souls leave our bodies to communicate with the land of dead. “The Chinese thought that the soul temporarily left the body to communicate with the dead during the dreams.” (Hill 27) The Yellow Emperor’s Medicine Classic- Miraculous Pivot gives an insight how dreams tell us about our state of health. Fearful dreams result as a “deficiency of qi in the heart and gall bladder, prolonged illness and excessive anxiety”. (“Essence of traditional Chinese medicine” 124) The Chinese even had a mythological creature called “Baku that eats evil dreams…” (Volker 10); therefore, if its name or image is written on the pillowcase, all kinds of bad dreams will stop haunting that person-thus ensuring good sleep. The appearance of animals is of significant importance in Chinese theories of dreams. Animal symbolism is deeply rooted in their cultural and religious beliefs. Dragon, snake, rabbit, dog, cat, etc. have various meanings. Dreaming about a dragon means that the dreamer is tempted to be ruled by his passions, which will ultimately lead to his ruin. It should be taken as a sign of danger and self control should be exercised. The Middle Eastern culture is dominated by the dream philosophies of Muslims, Christians, Zoroastrians and Jews. Therefore, the interpretations of dreams or the dream theories are shaped according to their respective religious beliefs. Biblical interpretations are most common in this region. “The prophetic dreams of early Middle Eastern cultures were often combined with activities such as animal sacrifice to heal the ill and dying.” (Edson 178) In other words, the dream theories are shaped by divine inspirations. The prophets and saints of these religions also believed in dreams and their actions were guided by them. It was believed that they get instructions or prophecies in their dreams and their followers deeply believed in them. Good or angelic dreams come from God; while evil or bad dreams are supposed to come from the devil. A beautiful woman beckoning towards her is a representation of an evil temptress according to the Middle Eastern beliefs. Similarly, a lantern would mean that the life of a person is about to get enlightened; or it may also mean spiritual enlightenment. Though people may dream about the same things or situations, but their interpretations are different in different cultures. A person may breathlessly be running in a dream while something or somebody is chasing him/her. He/she is desperately trying to hide from whatever is chasing him/her, but the dream continues with no definite ending. It symbolically represents an inner fear. Psychologically, a person may be having difficulties in real life and he might want to run away from that situation. As a Divine inspiration, it may be interpreted as a sense of guilt or sin or misdeed, which shall haunt him until the person repents. A person wishes to do something in his dream but is hindered by the obstacles that constantly appear out of nowhere. Hence the purpose is never achieved. Symbolically, it is about dissatisfaction or fear of failure. It might be taken as a prophecy to switch career or to change environment or surroundings or the company a person keeps. It may also indicate that one should change the strategy one is working upon. Its spiritual meaning may be that God is not happy with that person for some reason; therefore he should mend his ways; or perhaps he is trying to go against his destiny or Fate; therefore he should refrain from doing so and so. Seeing moon, stars or sun means that the person has high aspirations. Sun signifies positive energy while moon and stars stand for beauty. This is a happy dream approving the actions of a man and promising him raise in career, fortune and social status. It may also refer to happiness in love life. Dreaming about water or an ocean or a river, also points towards richness or fertility in life. Seeing a dead person in a dream might mean that he has brought good tidings or foreboding for the dreamer. The dead person is supposed to bring some message from the other world. If the dreamer walks away with the dead person, it might mean that his death is approaching, or his health will deteriorate. Colors also signify different meanings in dreams: all shades of blue, red and gold, indicate prosperity; while white and black stand for sorrow or disappointment. A shining sun might indicate that a woman will bear children. A dagger or a sword represents threatening enemies. However, if you snatch the dagger from the hands of someone that means that you shall overpower him. A rose in bloom may mean success in love or marriage. Daisies however stand for sadness. Falling in love has just the opposite meanings in Chinese dream philosophy. It stands for disaster in love or marriage. Similarly, embracing your wife signify separation; falling or missing teeth in Chinese culture means you are telling lies; while according to Greeks, it might mean that a family member is sick or dying. Many people dream about getting married or engaged to the person they love or to some one else. People also dream about accidents like falling from a high place; drowning in a sea; or a car accident. No matter what their interpretations are: such dreams have disturbing effects on the minds and performance of people when they wake up. Bad dreams or nightmares are linked with psychological conditions of a person. While it may sometimes be interpreted as premonitions; they are usually regarded as signs of mental disturbance of a person. People may have crying or depressing dreams or they may have dreams about death or funerals. Many people can easily relate their everyday activities with the dreams they have. For example, they may dream about their colleagues or clients or workplace. They may dream about their promotions or demotion or transfer or switching their jobs. Not surprisingly, they may dream about having an argument with their bosses- something that has a real dream-like quality to it! The most memorable dreams people of different cultures have are about their future-planning regarding their personal or professional lives. However, in many instances, something goes wrong even in the most perfect dreams or it may not have the perfect or desirable ending. Going on long journeys or traveling is also a common dream. It may reveal the desire of a person to take off a couple of days from work and go on a vacation but journeys have almost similar meanings in all cultures. Going on a journey universally means exploration- which can be made on an internal or an external scale. Such dreams emphasize upon self exploration or self analysis. The course of journey is also important and so is its ending in a dream. People actually look for clues or guidance in their dreams because they believe that no matter what their cultural dream theories are about, dreams definitely have some sort of meaning or message from their subconscious. Dreams have gained universal themes and meanings over the years. Dream philosophies have evolved to generate universal meanings or interpretations. This has made dream philosophies even more interesting and easier to comprehend. People of middle or old age may dream about their past. It could be about the real past or the past they wished they had. Dreams are largely about our desires, goals and achievements in life; they are also about regrets, mishaps, or situations that could not have been avoided but could be relived in dreams. Such dreams are a result of continuous introspection and remembering the past frequently. Some children are really fascinated about their dreams and mostly, their dreams are about their childhood fantasies and adventures. Their dreams are about the happy world they are living in and the fairy tale world they wish this world to turn into. They dream about their toys, school, friends, cartoon characters and actually become a part of the wonderland created in their minds by their imagination. Some even have nightmares that just depict their childhood fears. “Another boy dreamed of a bear chasing him in the Woods… his family was always struggling financially and seemed to go through cycles of desperation… their vulnerability as a family seemed to trigger the dreams of being out in the woods under the attack of something so big that it could not be overpowered, but could only be outwitted.” (Holloway 54) Dreams have influenced human cultures, history, art and literature since eons of time; likewise dream philosophies have been shaped by different cultures like ancient Egypt, Greek, Chinese and Middle Eastern. Today, we do not have priests or prophets to interpret our dreams; therefore we have to rely upon the traditional dream interpretations which have acquired universal themes. Some dreams might not be remembered at all; while others cannot be interpreted according to the cultural beliefs because people often have hi-tech dreams that can simply be associated with our modern lifestyle. Nonetheless, dreams continue to be a topic of great interest and research for people even today. Work Cited Cicchetti, Jane. Dreams, Symbols, and Homeopathy: Archetypal Dimensions of Healing. Canada: North Atlantic Books, 2003. Dodds, Eric Robertson. The Greeks and the Irrational. California: University of California Press, 1966. Print. Edson, Gary. Shamanism: A Cross-Cultural Study of Beliefs and Practices. North Carolina: McFarland, 2009. Print. Essence of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Singapore: Asiapac Books, 2003. Print. Hill, Clara E. Working with Dreams in Psychotherapy. New York: Guilford Press, 1996. Holloway, Gillian. The Complete Dream Book: Discover what your Dreams Reveal about you and your Life. Illinois: Sourcebooks Inc., 2006. Print. Najovitts, Simpson. Egypt, Trunk of the Tree: A Modern Survey of an Ancient Land. Volume 2: The Consequences. USA: Algora Publishing, 2004. Print. Parman, Susan. Dream and Culture: An Anthropological Study of the Western Intellectual Tradition. New York: Praeger, 1991. Print. Tick, Edward. The Practice of Dream Healing: Bringing Ancient Greek Mysteries into Modern Medicine. USA: Quest Books, 2001. Print. Volker, T. The Animal in Far Eastern Art and especially in the Art of the Japanese Netsuke, with References to Chinese Origins,Ttraditions,Legends, and Art. Netherlands: Brill & Leidon, 1950. Print. Read More