Sunday, December 17, 2000		Dream theme

Dreams of gods and goddesses
By Vinaya Katoch Manhas

"To confess that God exists and at the same time to deny that he has foreknowledge of future things is the most manifest folly. — St. Augustine.

WHEN we dream of god or goddesses, we are acknowledging to ourselves that there is a higher power that has taken charge of our lives. Interpreting such dreams requires a lot of tact. Such dreams can have varied subjective interpretations. We shall concentrate on Indian culture.

As per the Swapna Pradeep, an ancient Indian text, to dream of gods and goddesses is a lucky omen.

If you dream that god offers you a fruit, it shall bring forth an increase in the number of family members. You shall have sons and grandsons. You shall also gain in riches.

If the gods shower flowers over you, then it’s time to celebrate. If the gods appear in a meditative posture, but with half-closed eyes, then you shall gain in knowledge.

If they appear in horrible forms or crying, it portends bad times ahead.If they are laughing, then take this dream as a forewarning of a family member’s loss. If the Lord blesses you in words, saying " long life", either wishing you by saying "victory be yours" or "may you be happy", then be sure your desires shall be fulfilled. If you see an idol of a god or goddess removed from its place in a temple or lying about somewhere, then it shall bring forth a lot of ill-luck.

As per Hindu culture, each god symbolises a different connotation when it appears in one’s dreams. Dreaming of Saraswati shall bring forth knowledge and a bright future. Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth whereas dreaming of mother Parvati shall bring forth a lot of happiness. Durga destroys enemy and sickness. Shiva brings forth peace whereas Brahma brings happiness and Lord Vishnu success. Hanuman destroys evil whereas dreaming of Lord Rama is thought to be extremely lucky for the dreamer.

Krishna blesses you with love and affections of people and Sita portends success after having to bear problems. As per the Christians, if you dream of worshipping god then you shall avail the opportunity of repenting for a wrong you have committed. After such a dream, it is befitting to go through the Ten Commandments. To dream that god sends his spirit to you is an act of chastity. If the Lord speaks to you then be sure you have done some wrong. It is the genius of spiritual law to reinstate the prodigal child by signs and vision.

There is a lot of similarity between the symbolism of Greek and Hindu gods and goddesses. Athena, like Saraswati, is the goddess of wisdom and strategy. Kali Ma, Bast and Lilith are all destructive goddesses. Apollo signifies the sun as does Surya.

As compared to the concepts of Freud and Grensted, the concept of God as given by Jung is illuminating. According to him God is the projection of the images of the unconscious. They are the symbols of energy. This energy works from the unconscious outwards and is viewed as something more primitive and vital. It is always striving creatively for representation.

The symbols of god are various transformations of the libido. Hence, we attribute to God those characteristics which are the attributes of the libido. Thus, dreaming of goddesses and gods according to Jung, connects us to our archetypal images of masculinity and femininity. It helps the individual to understand various aspects of his or her personality.