Have you had a personal dream with very intense light? Are you wondering what it means? Usually, I’m contacted by people who haven’t been paying attention to their dreams at all. Then, one night, they get a dream with bright bursts of color, vivid sunrises or intense spots of light. Sometimes these dreams are so intense that the dreamer wakes up thinking that someone must be flashing a floodlight right at their bedroom window. Of course, it's dark and the shades are down.
Why the intensity? Our dreams can be very valuable if you’re willing to pay attention to what the dream means for you on a personal level. These “bright flash” dreams do get your attention. But, is that all they are? Every dream has something to offer you. But, remember your dreams are really particular to you. Their meaning relates to your life and experiences.
In dream interpretation it’s vital to have compassion for yourself. I say this because when you start to look at dreams they can bring up feelings and memories related to the dream, which can help you to better understand what the dream is trying to help you overcome, heal from or change. But, if you dismiss the dream, you’re dismissing a way to step forward in your life. Dreams can be powerful. Of course, not every dream is going to completely change your life, but each dream offers a stepping stone toward leading a fulfilled life.
So, what is the intensity about? I feel that this intensity can be related to the fact that you haven’t been recording your dreams and working with them. So, the dream is like a shout, and the dream is yelling, “Hey, I’ve got good stuff here, why aren’t you looking at me?” How can you not look at bright light? The intensity is something that’s difficult to forget. It feels urgent, vital and important.
Since it is an image in your “mind’s eye,” I feel it’s also connected to intuition and insight. Your dream is waking you up, and welcoming you, to connect with your inner knowing. Of course, the dream still has something for you within it. Pay attention to the colors, numbers, words and phrases used. They are all important. But, be willing to start trusting your intuition. Find ways to connect with it on a regular basis. Trusting your intuition could mean that you start to work with the Tarot or Runes. Give readings if you have the ability. Trust in your intuition could mean that you start a regular meditation practice, or shamanic journeying routine. Whatever tools you’ve thought about trying, now is a good time to follow your heart and start working with them.
If you've heard of the chakras, you might consider connecting with your brow chakra or third eye. As it's related to intuition and knowing, the dream can be inviting you to learn more about this chakra. But, your chakra system should always be balanced, so try to work with all of them on a regular basis through meditation or some other technique. Spend time focusing on each chakra and feeling into its purpose and function. How does it serve you? How does your third eye serve you?
Interestingly, as a teen Edgar Cayce
was said to have a vision where an angel appeared. Apparently, his room lit up very brightly and he thought his mother had come in to check on him, but he went to her room and she said that she had not. When he was going back to sleep, the room lit up again and an angel appeared. Her words led him to believe that he would be a healer and be able to help the sick.
Finally, I'll leave you with this quote from Marc Ian Barasch. It's from his book 'Healing Dreams,' and it speaks to the difficulty we each face when working with our dreams.
We often speak of a dream in terms of a mystery, something to be solved by sifting through clues and gathering evidence. And many dreams are artfully woven webs; puzzleboxes jam-packed with symbols and puns; tricky testimony, filled with parallel narrative twists, double-axle turns, and triple-gainer subplots. A certain amount of detective-work is required if we're to have success making sense of these marvelous constructions. But we also must remember that "success" and "making sense" are not always paramount. Healing Dreams want us to stop making sense. They ask us not just to try to crack the case, but to enter the mystery. - Healing Dreams, Chapter 2
Of course, you are the final authority on what your dream means. Take your time and be patient with it. Be willing to enter into its mystery! Have compassion and be gentle with yourself. Be willing to spend quiet time contemplating it. Ask the dream to show you a symbol of what it wants for you within your daily life. Then, wait for the symbol to show up. You’ll know when it does. It might be someone else suddenly telling you about a fantastic dream they’ve had. Or, it might be that a book falls on the floor right in front of you. Whatever it is, the answer will come.