DREAM TRAVEL

Dream Travel and Ancient Egypt

Dream Travel and Ancient Egypt

Introduction

The ancient Egyptians firmly believed that in dreams, our eyes remain opened; history suggests that they even had a particular word and symbol for it, rswt, which in literal terms means to be awake. The symbol of an open eye, called the Ankh in history books, is often misinterpreted to mean something else, when its origins lay in ancient Egyptian beliefs about dreams. Another belief about dreams is that the gods visited special individuals during their sleep while they dreamt. The Bible cites this belief in the story of Joseph and Pharaoh, which is why special attention is given to seers and the messages people may receive while they dream about the future. Practices such as dream incubation were common, justified by the process of acquiring guidance as well as to bring about healing to ailments. These practices were commonly held at sacred places such as temples, and their purpose was to enhance the individual's ability to tap into years and years of knowledge that could be used effectively. The ancient Egyptians named this process the art of memory, and tried to hone their subconscious abilities in order to recall and work with dreams (Bulkely, 1997). They also had a firm belief in the human mind holding celestial knowledge before coming to earth, and tried incessantly to bridge a connection between other worlds and learn of peculiar life experiences.

Discussion

Many cultures around the world have found the history of ancient Egyptians, as well as their beliefs in life as well as about the afterlife, quite fascinating. Students have spent a large part of their lives in an attempt to decipher Egyptian mythology and to tune into Egyptian symbolism that is now common in history books and world history. Egyptians respected ad studied the art of optimal use of memory, and how to connect with other life experiences, hence the concept of dream travel is commonly found in Egyptian studies (Eliade, 1979). The conscious mind as it dreams has certain levels through which it passes, and scientific studies have long since proved this concept. Egyptians created a practice in which they could travel through dreams, and often seers or trained dreamers were sought out for this purpose, in order to seek out telepaths, or to provide advice on military affairs. Hence, these dream travelers were considered an important part of Egyptian culture at the time (Bulkeley, 2008). They were also sought after to forge a communication bridge between people of far off kingdoms, or their administrative centers to receive and send messages of great importance. Within dreams, the concept of shape shifting was common, as it made the dream travel and crossing time and space easier through using the bodies of animals and birds as vessels. Ancient Egyptians hired these seers to explore and study the afterlife and the supernatural elements to life, as well as to provide an understanding of the multidimensional globe. The belief was that proper commencement and conversion happens in ...