Dream journals have been popular way before witchcraft picked up speed. Perhaps you have a memory from when you were a child, thinking it would be fun to keep a notebook by your bedside to take notes of your dreams. However, if you’ve also tried this at some point in the past, you have probably come to the conclusion that, for a quirky hobby, it could take a lot of effort and patience. For one, you have to wake up with enough time to write in your dream journal and then go about your regular morning routine.
Then, the process of remembering the dream can be frustrating itself. It takes discipline and consistency to succeed in this practice. However, it is a great habit for both witches and non-witches alike. Among the witches among us, it’s a great habit to maintain at any point in your journey. Why is it so advantageous, though? And what are some good practices when keeping a dream journal?
According to Jungian Psychology, dreams are like letters that your Higher Self sends you every night. Your Higher Self does this for you to get to know your Shadow Self, your Inner Child and other parts of you so you can integrate them. In case you didn’t know, Jungian Psychology is one of the witchiest branches of Psychology out there.
The concept of Shadow Work is derived from concepts from Jungian Psychology. The concepts of Archetypes also comes from this tradition, which many practitioners integrate into their understanding of Deities, Tarot, and Astrology.
Jungian Psychology believes in the Higher Self, a version of yourself that’s closer to the Source. This version is much wiser than the more mundane version of yourself. It is believed that the Higher Self can come through in dreams to help you solve a problem you’re grappling with, or offer some wisdom in general.
It’s a good idea to keep a dream journal not only to be able to gain this wisdom, but also because a series of dreams is much more valuable than a single dream. This is so because you may find there’s a symbol that’s repeated across multiple nights.
Keeping a dream journal can also be an asset in your craft. When you’re asleep, you’re in a very receptive state to messages from your spirit guides and beings in other planes. Try asking your guides to send you some wisdom through dreams, you’ll find that they’ll swiftly deliver.
It’s a great practice at any stage. For beginners, keeping a dream journal is a risk-free habit. This is so because it does not require any extra protection. It can offer some guidance and help you attune to listening to your intuition. Even advanced practitioners have a lot to gain from this if they have never done it or if they haven’t done it in a while. They’ll find that answers to complicated problems and general guidance will start popping up on the most unexpected nights.
The oneiric realm is where our deep mind tries to communicate with the rest of the self. (…) If you feel that you are or may be under attack, watch your dreams. If you are talented at oneiric magick, you can sometimes divine the name of the culprit from the dream itself.
Jason Miller
In his book Protection & Reversal Magick: A Witch’s Defense Manual, Miller says that dreams can give us omens when our defenses may be down and we may be under attack. He goes as far as to call dream interpretation applied to magick oneiric magick, so you can imagine how important this practice can be.
Good Practices for Dream Journaling
We’ve already established that a good dream journaling practice takes consistency and patience. What else can you do to make the process easier for yourself? What can you do to have even more exciting, insightful and prophetic dreams? Here are a few tips:
1. Prepare the layout the night before
Before you go to bed, write the date at the top of the page, the phase the moon is in and, if you wish, the sign the Sun and the Moon are in. This will make it much easier to just dive into the journaling without paying much thought to it.
You can also make space for things such as a title (put off writing down a title until after your entry is done so you don’t waste valuable time coming up with the title and forget details from the dream) and some key symbols. In fact, we recommend you do this so the journal is easier to scan later and you don’t have just the date and some details on the Moon to go by. Make sure to keep a few pens nearby, too. You’ll only keep the details of your dream in your mind for a few minutes, you don’t want to waste time looking for a pen or a pencil.
The journal you use need not be physical. You can definitely keep it on an app such as Notion on your phone. Make sure it’s within easy reach when you wake up. We don’t recommend you keep this on your desktop as no one wakes up and goes directly to their desktop or laptop when they wake up (and if they did, it’s not healthy!). But apps such as Notion will make it easier for you to look at your dream journal on your personal computer later. You can even record yourself talking about the dream on your phone. Then, you can use an app like Dragon Dictation or Speech to Text to get a written record of your dreams.
The Jade family seems to stimulate the area of the subconscious that seems to reveal itself through the intricate symbolism. There are hundreds of books out there on dream interpretation, but I believe dream interpretation is a personal affair rather than a universal one, because we’re the only ones that know the symbolism of our own lives. It’s necessary to start remembering our dreams in our waking life and interpreting our dreams ourselves.
JaneAnn Dow
2. Sleep with Jade under your pillow or by your bedside
Jade can be used to get a better quality of dreams, among other things. It will help you have more insightful and even prophetic dreams. The experience of Jade as a dream facilitator, however, wouldn’t be complete without keeping a dream journal. This is so because you’ll be able to see repeated symbolism over time.
The most common color of Jade on the market is green, which is great for healing the heart and attracting wealth. However, there are other colors, such as Black Jade, which has a protective quality as well. If you experience night terrors or feel the need for some extra protection while you get your beauty sleep, this option may be worth looking into. Lavender Jade, on the other hand, connects you with the collective unconscious.
You can also combine the properties of Jade with Moon Water by making Jade Water with it. You can spray some on your pillow or drink a sip before bed (as long as you’ve made it in a safe, non-toxic way by placing the Jade in a separate container that keeps it from making physical touch with the water).
3. Enhance your dreams with Moon water
You can make Moon Water with the intention of having better dreams. To do so, pour the water on a glass container with a lid and speak to the Water. Ask it to help you have prophetic dreams or to gain more insight from what you dream. You may even ask for help in remembering your dreams. You can make your intention stronger by writing your intentions outside of the container with a dry-erase marker.
Once the Moon Water is ready, you can combine it in a diffuser with relaxing non-toxic herbs like Lavender and use it as a spray for your room. You can also drink it before bed, perhaps as a relaxing chamomile tea (or some other relaxing herb).
4. Use the power of herbs
You can write your wish on a bay leaf and place it under your pillow to dream about the best course of action when it comes to manifesting it. Mugwort can also be used to have prophetic dreams, however, it can be deadly for people on certain psychiatric medications. It’s always safe to print a picture of Mugwort and place it under your pillow, though.
5. A word on dream interpretation
Don’t try to interpret your dreams right away. Just try to record them in as much detail as you can, and then go about your life and don’t give the dream much thought. Return to it after the day is done, as part of a ritual before preparing the layout for the next night, and try to decipher its meaning then.
Just like JaneAnn Dow says, don’t try to match the symbolism in your dreams with the meanings you’ll find in a Dream Dictionary. Try to match them with your own associations with the symbols. This can take time, and you’ll find you know your own symbols better as life goes on.
6. A Spell for prophetic dreams
You’ll need:
- Three candles: they can be any combination of white, purple and/or silver
- A cloth sachet you can open and close
- A Jade tumble (cleansed and charged)
- Lavender
- As many Bay Leaves as areas of life you need guidance in
- A black, blue, or purple permanent marker or Sharpie
- Some raw rice or Marine salt
- Lavender essential oil. In a pinch, you can use Olive Oil
Run the tap and put each one of your candles under the water, one at a time. You can say something like “I cleanse and purify this candle. Now, it is free from any negativity” while you do so. Pat the candles down with a paper towel.
Then, grab the end of a match, and carve your full name and date of birth, as well as something that expresses your intention, such as “prophetic dreams.” You can also carve the Algiz rune for some extra protection. Inhale while concentrating on your intention and exhale on each candle. Then, talk to the candles and express your intentions for them. Optionally, put them in your garden or windowsill during night-time to charge them with the energy of the Moon.
Put some of the oil in your hands and coat the candles with a thin layer of oil from the top to the base to attract prophetic dreams.
Make a circle with salt or raw rice around the area where you will place the candles and say, “I am now protected by my spirit guides, and no energy shall interfere with this spell.” Walk in a counter-clockwise motion if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, and a clockwise motion if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere. While you do so, recite a prayer to your guides or simply call them by name. Light a match and expose the base of each candle to the fire to melt them a little so they can be securely positioned on a candle holder or a fire safe dish. All three should form the shape of a triangle.
Using the colored Sharpie or black marker, write on each bay leaf an area of life you want guidance in. In the center of the triangle, make a little base of rice or salt, put your sachet on top and fill it up. Fill it with more rice or salt for protection, the Bay leaves, the Lavender, and the Jade tumble, but keep the sachet open so it becomes infused with the energy of the spell. You can also place the pens you use to write on your journal inside the triangle to enchant them.
Light each candle. After you’ve done this, snap your fingers three times or ring a ceremonial bell or Tibetan bowl for your spell to officially start. Once the candles have burnt down, walk in the opposite direction you walked at first (counter-clockwise if you are in the Northern hemisphere and clockwise if you’re in the Southern hemisphere). Tell your spirit guides in your own words that you give them thanks for their help and that the spell is over. Close the sachet and put it under your pillow.
This spell is more potent if performed in the Full Moon. Don’t do it during eclipses and preferably abstain from doing it during Mercury Retrograde.
7. Keep your room cleansed and purified
As sleep is becoming a sacred time now that you’re recording your dreams, you will find that keeping your room cleansed and purified at all times is of vital importance.
Otherwise, low-vibrational energies may want to tamper with your dreams or interfere with the wisdom your guides may want to give you. Make it a routine to make your bed and tidy up your room every night, and then use a spray or some cleansing smoke to keep the energies pristine.
There are many ways in which you can enhance the experience of dreaming. Dream journals are a crucial tool, as you need to document your dreams to start getting to know your own symbolism. However, there are other tools you can use, such as crystals, herbs and Moon Water, to power up the experience, as well as spells you can cast. Remember to be cautious when it comes to interpreting your dreams and keep your bedroom both clean and purified, especially around the time you sleep.
What’s your experience with dreams and dream journals? Tell us in the comments!
References
Dow, JaneAnn. Crystal Journey: Travel Guide for the New Shaman. Journey Books, 1994.
Miller, Jason. Protection & Reversal Magick: A Witch’s Defense Manual. Weiser, 2006.
Murphy Hiscock, Arin. Green Witch: Your Complete Guide to the Natural Magic of Herbs, Flowers, Essential Oils, and More. Adams Media Corporation, 2017.
[…] not just look up the meaning you’d find in a dream dictionary. If you want to find out more about dream journaling, we have recently covered this […]