FAMOUS DREAMERS AND THEIR DREAMS

Dreams have long fascinated humankind since the beginning of time. With the coming and going of each generation of man, many speculations have been made to account for their presence. Dreams may be visits from an internal, mystical source. They could be wanderings of the dreamer's soul. Perhaps they are the reworking of the subconscious to resolve emotional tensions from the preceding day. They could be a shift in dimensional planes enabling the dreamer to peer into the future. Perhaps all of these ideas are true.

Dreams have had a dramatic influence on almost every important aspect of our culture and history. Dream images have expanded our artistic, musical and literary horizons, spurred generals to conquer empires, and led to inventions and industrial developments that have revolutionized science and society. Dreams have also given us a basis for believing that there is a nonmaterial component to our existence, as well as a continuity of existence that is not interrupted by physical death.

Throughout history, there have been experts who profess to make sense of these nocturnal images that creep into the minds of slumbering men. The ancient grecians had the early philosophers to interpret the visions of the night. They wrestled early on with the question of which was the most real -- the waking state reality or dreaming reality? Socrates, who lived in the fourth century B.C., was described in Plato's Theaetetus as engaging in a lively intellectual discussion with Theaetetus. Socrates puts forth the question "What proof could you give if anyone should ask us now, at the present moment, whether we are asleep and our thoughts are a dream, or whether we are awake and talking to each other in a waking condition?" Theaetetus was not able to come up with any satisfactory proof that they were awake and acknowledged that they could both be dreaming. The issue was addressed more personally a century later by the Chinese philosopher Chuang-tzu. He dreamed that he was a very happy butterfly who flew around quite pleased about himself. He suddenly awoke and pondered the question of whether he was a man dreaming he was a butterfly or a butterfly dreaming he was man.

Other famous dreamers throughout history who used their dreams creatively:

Aristotle, philosopher
Schopenhauer, philosopher
Sigmund Freud, psychiatrist
Carl Jung, Psychologist
Joseph, Jacob, Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar from the Bible
Albert Einstein, inventor
Leonardo DeVinci, artist, composer, inventor
Joan of Arc, visionary
Billy Joel, musician, song writer
Paul McCartney, musician, song writer

Inspirational dreams of the famous have no doubt been responsible for shaping and molding our history, touching our hearts and minds. How different the world might be if the dreamers had not acted upon the messages given to them in their dreams. One would ask whether these individuals were special or gifted to begin with. Perhaps they were given an extra portion of ingenuity or spiritual inspiration. Perhaps the dream state provided them with direct access to vast reservoirs of creativity. But then maybe they were not just exceptional dreamers. Perhaps they became special because of what they did with their dreams. Acknowledge these great minds from the past as sources of incredible power and thought but also realize that the greatest of creations have yet to be dreamed of or realized in our world today. Go back to Dreams.

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