Sleep gives under-the-covers look into mind's secrets
Library seminar decodes the meanings, causes of dreams
BY JENNIFER AMATO
Staff Writer

NORTH BRUNSWICK - A dream is a wish your heart makes. But what are dreams? Are they real? Can you change them? What is their purpose?

Steve Pitts hosted a presentation titled "Dreams: Windows to Heaven" on Saturday at the North Brunswick Public Library. He discussed the spiritual purpose of dreams, in relation to any given religion, and how dreams represent a state of awareness.

"No matter where you are in your beliefs, whether you're an atheist or a newcomer to spirituality or you're a grizzled old veteran, [dreams] are wonderful ways to learn about yourself," he said.

Pitts explained how dreams give insight into a person's true nature, and that their soul is a particle of God that is sent into the world to gain experiences. Dreams are a message, an experience, a way for your higher self to communicate to you. He said there are dreams of prophecy, guidance, intrusion, connection, fear, healing and those that represent past lives.

Pitts spoke of the meaning of dreams, especially ones which reoccur often. He said that physiologically, the subconscious absorbs information like a sponge and at night, to take the pressure off, the information is wrung out, hence why fears come out most at night.

"When you have a repetitive dream someone is really trying to tell you something you should use in your daily life," he said.

Noting the famous adage "I think I'm going to sleep on it," Pitts explained that "Something very real happens when you dream at night. During the day you are so mentally aware and so focused that you're tight … and at night the mind relaxes. … It's almost like your mind is a great super computer, but you still need someone to program it and operate it."

He said that "we leave our body at night in a dream state and we travel to different places," which could explain the phenomenon of deja vu. He said he himself had a dream of being in a kitchen that 10 years later he saw in his brother's newly purchased home.

However, people can also dream while they are awake, hence daydreaming. Pitts said a spiritual being can have an experience at any point, because a dream is simply a greater awareness of who we are.

Yet he did address that dreams can be fuzzy, basically because the remembrance of a dream depends upon the state of consciousness at the time as well as the level of awareness. However, sometimes dreams mask the full intensity of the subject being addressed.

"A lot of times if we were given the truth it would knock us for a loop. That's why so many people are in mental institutions," Pitts said. "Out of kindness, God pulls a screen over us so we get a fresh start."

Therefore, he suggested several tips for trying to recollect dreams, such as focusing on details using every sense. The time, the color of a rug, the title of a book on a bookshelf, an ashtray on a table, fruit in a bowl, even the smell of cinnamon from an apple pie in the oven can jog memories. Surroundings should be paid attention to as well, such as 1920s clothing versus modern day, or a horse and carriage versus a Mercedes-Benz.

He said dream journals, cassette recorders, prayers, contemplation and visualization help piece together dreams as well.

"The more you can remember details, the more you will be able to pull that dream back," he said.

Pitts also said there is a way to change dreams, especially when nightmares occur. He suggested cleaning up situations in real life so to as avoid their recurrence in the subconscious. Or, if you get to know who you are, you can "write a different ending to the movie" by consciously working with a dream to try and usher new ideas into your consciousness.

"If you believe it can be different, it can be different," he said.

In the end, Pitts said that there is no one definition for what occurs in a dream; every scenic incident is subject to the person's life at that particular point in time. For example, dreaming of a snake can represent fear of the lizard, love of a pet snake, or an affinity for the medical field, (based on ancient symbolism or wisdom, and teachings of the Bible and the Garden of Eden).

"You are the best interpreter of your dreams than anybody. … The symbols are going to come to you in a way you understand," he said.

Pitts is a representative of Eckankar, the religion of light and sound of God. Its teachings, which resurfaced in 1965, emphasize the value of personal experiences as the most natural way back to God by looking and listening within yourself, expanding your consciousness and enjoying spiritual freedom.

There are two dream workshops scheduled in August at the Hamilton Wellness Center, part of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. For more information, visit www.eckankar-nj.org or call 1 (800) 870-9139.

The program was presented in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the township library. For information about other programs, call (732) 246-3545.