Sunday, June 24, 2001		Dream theme

I almost believe we are all of us ghosts. It is not only what we have inherited from our father and mother that haunts us. It is all sorts of old, dead ideas, all kinds of old dead beliefs, and so forth. They have no life yet they cleave to us, and we cannot shake ourselves free of them.

— H. Ibsen

GHOSTS and demons are mostly thought of in the same breath. However, philosophers have always distinguished between the two. To a layman, a ghost is the soul of a dead person which continues to roam the earth till it gets reincarnated. A symbol of fear in almost all cultures and religions, ghosts often haunt our dreams.

Indian mythology often distinguishes between an evil soul and a holy soul. To see a ghost in dreams is considered to be a bad omen. Such a dream foretells sorrow. If you see the ghost of a woman (churel) it predicts bad actions on your part shall bring about disturbance and sorrow in your life. But should you see yourself as fighting with a ghost in your dreams then you shall gain happiness and peace. You shall overcome the evil within you. Should you see yourself in love with a ghost then your reputation and finances may both suffer. On the contrary, if you see yourself angry with a ghost then you shall gain in terms of money and respect.

As per Western theologists, to see the ghosts of your parents or elders warns you against forming partnerships and befriending strangers. Should a ghost speak to you, your enemies shall succeed in destroying you. Should you see a ghost of a pleasing countenance, it signifies a quick but shortlived rise in fortune. Should you see the ghost of a living person it denotes that a friend is harbouring ill-will towards you and you are warned not to trust anyone in personal matters.

Psychologically, dreaming of ghosts links us to old habits or buried hopes and longings. It signifies that we have not put enough energy into achieving our goals. Such dreams could also portray old memories or hidden feelings. By getting in touch with what is dead and gone we can take appropriate actions here and now.

For instance, take the dream of a woman who often dreamt of her dead husband’s ghost coming to kill her. When analysed it was found that it was, in fact, her own guilt that led to the recurrence of this dream. Her husband loved her a lot but she never liked him and hated his passive attitude towards life. She felt that he had never given her anything that she desired or wanted and had often wished him dead. Her guilt over the fact that her unconscious desire to see him dead was somehow responsible for his untimely death made her dream that he wanted to kill her.