A while ago I heard that some people dream in black and white (at least some of the time), and that dreams in black and white have some special meaning but I don't remember what it was. I can't remember ever dreaming in black and white, but then recently, I was talking with a friend who said that she has never had a dream in color! Can you explain what the difference may be?
L.
Astrea:
Dreaming is such a personal, individual experience; everyone is different. Most scientific research says that we all dream in color all the time. Apparently, people who think they dream in black and white aren't aware of that.
Most people who believe that they dream in black and white do so because they've seen that information somewhere. They believe that they don't dream in color or only dream in color every so often. If that is what they believe, then that's what they'll see in their dreams.
When we're dreaming, many of the details in our dreams that aren't central or relevant to their meaning aren't specified. In other words, unless our attention is directly drawn to something, we miss a lot.
I often ask my clients for some of these details, such as what they remember wearing, what the closest landmark was, if the room they were in seemed familiar, etc., and most of the time they can't remember those details for me. When they can, they remember them in color. That's one way that I know that those particular items are telling or significant elements in those dreams.
From my own experience in working with others on their dreams, I can tell you that most fire signs will say they dream in color and most air signs will tell you that they don't. Before I did some research, I believed this was because air signs don't seem to settle down in sleep the way many other signs do. They're usually lighter sleepers, so the color details of their dreams may be more fleeting than with others.
The more fleeting the dream, the more likely we are to remember it as being in black and white. In truth, however, black and white dreams are simply colorful dreams that fade as we move into our waking hours.
Also, television and movies are powerful influences on our lives. For some people, the fading of their dreams makes it appear that they're always dreaming in black and white. I predict that as times change and black and white images become a thing of the past, more people will begin to say that they dream in color.
To learn to remember your dreams in color, try this exercise: When you get up in the morning, choose a color, and at least once an hour, notice something that is that color. Study the color. Do this exercise every day for 21 days, and you will immediately notice that the dreams you remember are in vivid color and no longer in the gray tones of your memories of your dreams.
*****
Susyn:
Endless mysteries surround our dreams, such as where they come from, why we have them, and what they mean.
Until the dawn of television, which was originally presented in black and white, the concept of colorless dreams was as unfamiliar to us as the idea of aliens landing in Roswell, New Mexico was in the 1940s.
While colors can be significant indicators of the messages we are receiving, a lack of color is merely a trick of the mind. Scientifically, if we watch an old I Love Lucy rerun and then dream of Lucy trying to engage us in her latest antics in black and white, our minds are merely repeating aspects of the show to bring us important messages. As Ted Turner became fond of doing, often our brains will even colorize these images.
There is no research to explain the significance of dreaming in black and white. More important are the messages our dreams are trying to send us through the symbols, situations or people that appear in them.
Most dreams are designed to work out our fears or frustrations as we sleep. They can also contain important messages, and tend to recur if we don't get the hint the first time around. Prophetic dreams are also important to pay attention to; when we remember them and then the scenario we experienced comes to pass in real life, we realize we've had a prophetic dream.
For many years I dreamed of a particular house, and it wasn't one I had ever come across in real life. In these dreams, the house always had a different tone and look to it, yet I knew it was the same house. Sometimes it was vacant, other times it was filled with people.
It would appear friendly or inviting in one dream or run down and in disrepair the next. In researching this dream, I came to realize that this house was always a direct reflection of my life's current state. Once I came to see that it represented where I was physically, emotionally or spiritually, I could go back to my dream journal and confirm that with each appearance of the house, I could connect the conditions in my life with its appearance.
I recommend you keep a dream journal to gain more understanding of your dreams and their meanings. If you have trouble recalling them, set your alarm an hour earlier than you normally would, and keep a notepad handy to jot down everything you remember. This is the best way to get the most out of your dreams and decipher the spiritual purpose they hold for you.
Astrea:
Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.
Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!
While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!
I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!
As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.
I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.
You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!
Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.
A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.
You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.