Dreaming and Types of Dreams

Dreaming is a natural state of mind. It is an intermediate state between waking and sleeping. When the senses are prevented from receiving the sense perceptions, the mind starts recalling the memories from the unconscious. All the hidden desires also lie in the unconscious, waiting to find their fulfillment. When the senses are not perceiving the objects of the world and the conscious mind is at rest, then recalled memories start coming forward and they are called dreams. 

Through dreams we can analyze a level of our hidden personality. This analysis is sometimes helpful in curing certain ailments. With the help of meditation we can consciously recall these memories, observe them, analyze them, and resolve them forever. There are various types of dreams. In addition to the painful and pleasant dreams which we ordinarily experience, there are another two categories of dreams which need to be analyzed. 

Prophetic Dreams and Nightmares

One is a prophetic dream, and the other is a mere nightmare. Sometimes prophetic dreams are guiding. Nightmares are the signs of intense agony created by frustrations. The latter can occur if someone is very tired or if he has bad digestion. I have never heard anyone claiming to have seen a devil in the daytime. My brother disciple, with the help of a simile, told me, “A rope in darkness can be mistaken for a snake. A mirage in the distance can be mistaken for water. Lack of light is the main cause of such a vision. 

Devil

"Does the devil exist? If there is only one existence, which is omnipresent and omniscient, then where is the place for the existence of the devil? Those who are religiously sick believe in the existence of the devil by forgetting the existence of God. A negative mind is the greatest devil that resides within the human being. Transformation of the negativity leads toward positive or angelic visions. It is the mind which creates hell and heaven. Fear of the devil is a phobia which needs to be eradicated from the human mind.”

Source: pg. 147, Living with the Himalayan Masters By Swami Rama