Good evening everyone.

I searched on Google to see whether I could find any opinions on dreams from a nairalander freethinker (I've not met any freethinker physically in this country) and all I saw were opinions written by the religious especially Christians. I don't buy into their opinions so I couldn't read.

As a Freethinker, do you believe dreams have meaning? How do you explain the dreams you normally have? Do you believe they're trying to tell you something? What of the recurring ones, how do you handle them?

I really want to know, please air your opinions.

If there's any link to where a freethinker explained on the significance of dreams here on nairaland or anywhere else, please refer me to it.

Please I wouldn't be constantly online to respond to your replies but I'll surely reply to whatever replies you write whenever I'm online. Thank you

I'm soliciting for the opinions of all freethinkers: atheists, agnostics, humanists, freethinking religionists and traditionalists, etc.

Well, most dreams are meaningless.

But some dreams such as recurring ones, can tell you something about yourself you may not have been consciously aware of, Like your regrets, worries, desires etc. As it usually is an amalgam of your memories, emotions, media you consume, interactions and daily thoughts.

A personal example.
I had a best friend back in Secondry School, and I feel I owed this person a lot, and every now and then I still have dreams, where I'm back in school and we were still friends like the old days.
I see this as a level of guilt and regret in my mind, on my part because they moved to another state with his family before we finished school and I feel I didn't make my best effort to maintain communications with him (because I'm bad at having conversations over the phone), so we eventually drifted apart.
So, those feelings surface as dreams.

That's my understanding of dreams, they don't predict the future, or have any spiritual implications, it's all you, it's all just a part of your mind.

I believe dreams have meanings but this meanings aren't uniform for everyone. From my own experience,our brain never stops working so during those times that we have dreams its when our brain is busy filtering memories and such.
There are many things our eyes see on a daily bases,we don't often notice them but our brain keeps those records regardless
When I just started learning how to trade the financial markets around 2019/2020 and I often spend up to 13-15hrs on my laptop daily,I was in the "zone" when I dreamt I see the charts,the candles,the prices. My friend that was with me then told me I was mentioning USOIL whilst sleeping one night lol because it was my main focus at the genesis of the pandemic.
What ever I focus mostly on daily is what I dream about,other people's experience might differ but I've studied my own dreams and thats my understanding of them

IMAliyu:
Well, most dreams are meaningless.

But some dreams such as recurring ones, can tell you something about yourself you may not have been consciously aware of, Like your regrets, worries, desires etc. As it usually is an amalgam of your memories, emotions, media you consume, interactions and daily thoughts.

A personal example.
I had a best friend back in Secondry School, and I feel I owed this person a lot, and every now and then I still have dreams, where I'm back in school and we were still friends like the old days.
I see this as a level of guilt and regret in my mind, on my part because they moved to another state with his family before we finished school and I feel I didn't make my best effort to maintain communications with him (because I'm bad at having conversations over the phone), so we eventually drifted apart.
So, those feelings surface as dreams.

That's my understanding of dreams, they don't predict the future, or have any spiritual implications, it's all you, it's all just a part of your mind.

Thanks so much for taking out time to reply to this.
Your reply explains the power of the subconscious!

But if you wouldn't mind if I may ask, what further actions do you take when these feelings (the desires, worries, etc) keep resurfacing as dreams especially when it becomes very disturbing?
Do you take out time to fix things or do you do therapy or what?

Dliquidmetal:
I believe dreams have meanings but this meanings aren't uniform for everyone. From my own experience,our brain never stops working so during those times that we have dreams its when our brain is busy filtering memories and such.
There are many things our eyes see on a daily bases,we don't often notice them but our brain keeps those records regardless
When I just started learning how to trade the financial markets around 2019/2020 and I often spend up to 13-15hrs on my laptop daily,I was in the "zone" when I dreamt I see the charts,the candles,the prices. My friend that was with me then told me I was mentioning USOIL whilst sleeping one night lol because it was my main focus at the genesis of the pandemic.
What ever I focus mostly on daily is what I dream about,other people's experience might differ but I've studied my own dreams and thats my understanding of them

I agree with you.
Our brains are continuously in motion even during sleep and tend to regurgitate our thoughts and feelings in our dreams.

Thanks for your response.

AuthenticKing:


Thanks so much for taking out time to reply to this.
Your reply explains the power of the subconscious!

But if you wouldn't mind if I may ask, what further actions do you take when these feelings (the desires, worries, etc) keep resurfacing as dreams especially when it becomes very disturbing?
Do you take out time to fix things or do you do therapy or what?

Well I have to meditate on why I have certain dreams to find out the feelings that are causing it and its source.

I believe therapy does help, but being honest I've never been to a therapist, never felt like I needed one, nor do I think I could afford one.

If it's something I can take action on, then I may aswell make attempts at correcting it. If not I try to accept the reality of things, which helps in making it more possible to move on.

AuthenticKing:
Good evening everyone.

I searched on Google to see whether I could find any opinions on dreams from a nairalander freethinker (I've not met any freethinker physically in this country) and all I saw were opinions written by the religious especially Christians. I don't buy into their opinions so I couldn't read.

I'm soliciting for the opinions of all freethinkers: atheists, agnostics, humanists, freethinking religionists and traditionalists, etc.

I have had several dreams that I saw the reality instantly and in few days but let me just share these two and try to explain them in your own way.

1. I was in Primary school then. In my dream, I saw a very old woman (though I can recognize her face but in real life, the woman wasn't as old like in the dream) breastfeeding me. Then, I was like as old as I am, how can this old woman have the strength to put me on her laps and started breastfeeding me when I'm not a baby? To cut the long story short, it was also revealed to me in that dream (like scanning through the brea.st) what the woman was feeding me with. Lo and behold, this woman was feeding me dirty water from gutter It was after this revelation I woke up with a very severe stomachache. The pain and discomfort I'm feeling are what woke my grandma up.

She asked me what is wrong I couldn't say anything but I just hold my stomach. (I don't know how she knows what happened to me), she just pick anointing oil, force my mouth open and pour the anointing oil. That was the first time I'll experience miracle. Immediately the anointing oil touches my stomach, my body system just calm down as if I was not the one rolling on bed before.

It was after that I now told her my dream, the next thing she started praising God, and said enemy won't succeed. That I was poisoned in my dream.

To be honest with you, I didn't really understand her point not until the morning when I rush to the toilet and my sh.it was so black as charcoal, I called her to see it, then she said, if not for God, that's how my whole intestines would've burnt which will lead to death. (mind you my grandma isn't an educated person)

2. It was during my NYSC and I was posted to a village in Ugep LGA of Cross River State. On that faithful day, it was Saturday/Sunday night in reality but in the dream it was Friday/Saturday night.

So, in my dream I see two villages fighting each other, the village I was posted to and another village. The fight was so tens that it leads to blood bath, dead bodies everywhere.

But why the fight was still going, I saw the villagers doing all they can to safe the life of ALL the Corps members in their village (my own village). Later, I woke up with heavy heart bit and I got so scared. As the day break, I narrated everything to my fellow Corpers, and I remember saying tomorrow Sunday, I'll tell Pastor about the dream for confirmation (all these still in the dream).

As I wake up in reality, it's Sunday morning which I need to prepare for service. So I went to church as usual without even bother myself with the dream and the service was awesome till it was over.

But something, that left me dumbfounded happened shortly after we share the Grace and everybody was leaving. I just heard Pastor telling everyone to come back and begins to say "Devil you're a liar, you will never succeed in this". After we all come back to our sits, Pastor begins by saying "We need to pray on something, that I had a dream about two villages that will fight each other to the extent that blood will be wasted too much and the dream came to him three times and that nothing will happen to any corps members"

To be honest with you, all the prayer points the man called that day I couldn't pray them because I was just like God! How can two people in different locations have the same dream at the same time?

That single experience keeps my wondering till I got to lodge and I then told my colleagues about it and they too were dumbfounded.

It's not up to two weeks when fight actually broke out in two villages (not the one I am) but not that really far to ours. In fact, Cross River State government has to evacuate the corpers serving in those two villages. Some of the corpers stayed in our lodge before they were giving another PPA yet those corpers confess how the villagers helped them before government came to their rescue.

The truth is, dream might be a mere fictional work of the mind to some people but to me I understand that God can use dream to pass message across.

IMAliyu:

Well I have to meditate on why I have certain dreams to find out the feelings that are causing it and its source.

I believe therapy does help, but being honest I've never been to a therapist, never felt like I needed one, nor do I think I could afford one.

If it's something I can take action on, then I may aswell make attempts at correcting it. If not I try to accept the reality of things, which helps in making it more possible to move on.

Ooh thanks for your response!

Emusan:


I have had several dreams that I saw the reality instantly and in few days but let me just share these two and try to explain them in your own way.

1. I was in Primary school then. In my dream, I saw a very old woman (though I can recognize her face but in real life, the woman wasn't as old like in the dream) breastfeeding me. Then, I was like as old as I am, how can this old woman have the strength to put me on her laps and started breastfeeding me when I'm not a baby? To cut the long story short, it was also revealed to me in that dream (like scanning through the brea.st) what the woman was feeding me with. Lo and behold, this woman was feeding me dirty water from gutter It was after this revelation I woke up with a very severe stomachache. The pain and discomfort I'm feeling are what woke my grandma up.

She asked me what is wrong I couldn't say anything but I just hold my stomach. (I don't know how she knows what happened to me), she just pick anointing oil, force my mouth open and pour the anointing oil. That was the first time I'll experience miracle. Immediately the anointing oil touches my stomach, my body system just calm down as if I was not the one rolling on bed before.

It was after that I now told her my dream, the next thing she started praising God, and said enemy won't succeed. That I was poisoned in my dream.

To be honest with you, I didn't really understand her point not until the morning when I rush to the toilet and my sh.it was so black as charcoal, I called her to see it, then she said, if not for God, that's how my whole intestines would've burnt which will lead to death. (mind you my grandma isn't an educated person)

2. It was during my NYSC and I was posted to a village in Ugep LGA of Cross River State. On that faithful day, it was Saturday/Sunday night in reality but in the dream it was Friday/Saturday night.

So, in my dream I see two villages fighting each other, the village I was posted to and another village. The fight was so tens that it leads to blood bath, dead bodies everywhere.

But why the fight was still going, I saw the villagers doing all they can to safe the life of ALL the Corps members in their village (my own village). Later, I woke up with heavy heart bit and I got so scared. As the day break, I narrated everything to my fellow Corpers, and I remember saying tomorrow Sunday, I'll tell Pastor about the dream for confirmation (all these still in the dream).

As I wake up in reality, it's Sunday morning which I need to prepare for service. So I went to church as usual without even bother myself with the dream and the service was awesome till it was over.

But something, that left me dumbfounded happened shortly after we share the Grace and everybody was leaving. I just heard Pastor telling everyone to come back and begins to say "Devil you're a liar, you will never succeed in this". After we all come back to our sits, Pastor begins by saying "We need to pray on something, that I had a dream about two villages that will fight each other to the extent that blood will be wasted too much and the dream came to him three times and that nothing will happen to any corps members"

To be honest with you, all the prayer points the man called that day I couldn't pray them because I was just like God! How can two people in different locations have the same dream at the same time?

That single experience keeps my wondering till I got to lodge and I then told my colleagues about it and they too were dumbfounded.

It's not up to two weeks when fight actually broke out in two villages (not the one I am) but not that really far to ours. In fact, Cross River State government has to evacuate the corpers serving in those two villages. Some of the corpers stayed in our lodge before they were giving another PPA yet those corpers confess how the villagers helped them before government came to their rescue.

The truth is, dream might be a mere fictional work of the mind to some people but to me I understand that God can use dream to pass message across.

Well interesting

Before the coming of Christianity to Nigeria, we had the traditional religion that our forefathers practiced with so much devotion and reverence. They had so much superstitious beliefs that seemed so realistic and true to them. They saw their gods as the most powerful, not until when Christian and Muslim missionaries came with their religion, demonized ours and many of you now see it as evil and the foreign religions as light. Suddenly, the gods our forefathers extolled as powerful gods are now seems as man made powerless gods that can easily be destroyed by the Christian God (let me focus on Christianity since you're a Christian)
The truth is that substitution techniques were used in such a way that some practices of the traditional religion were replaced with Christians (and Muslim) practices but it's just that the later were seen as the light and the truth.

But why am I writing that above? If you were still living in those times. The spiritual explanations that would have been given to you by both your grandma and pastor or any other person would have been connected to the traditional practices of those periods and their gods.

Same would have happen if you were raised as a Hindu or Buddhist or Muslim or Jew especially if you were raised in countries where those religions are pre-eminent.

But all these religions and superstitions are man-made (I know you wouldn't agree with me). These religions and superstitions were invented to explain man's deepest and unexplainable questions about life and the universe and to some extent, I've never been against them but detest the extremities of their practices.

Dreams are subconscious realities and whether you believe they come from God or anyone, it's the same reality expressed in different ways.

If you're comfortable with the diabolical explanations that come with dreams, I don't buy into it.

I'm asking the question on the OP on Nairaland because I want to hear from those that have transcended dogma and superstition so I could learn more from them.

Thanks for your response anyways.

AuthenticKing:
Well interesting

Ok

Before the coming of Christianity to Nigeria, we had the traditional religion that our forefathers practiced with so much devotion and reverence. They had so much superstitious beliefs that seemed so realistic and true to them. They saw their gods as the most powerful, not until when Christian and Muslim missionaries came with their religion, demonized ours and many of you now see it as evil and the foreign religions as light.

I don't see the correlation between this your point and my post or the thread as a whole.

Suddenly, the gods our forefathers extolled as powerful gods are now seems as man made powerless gods that can easily be destroyed by the Christian God (let me focus on Christianity since you're a Christian)

So what is my business with that?

If the gods of our forefathers extolled as powerful as you think, let them fight the Christian GOD and dethroned Him.

Or you see anything wrong in that?

The truth is that substitution techniques were used in such a way that some practices of the traditional religion were replaced with Christians (and Muslim) practices but it's just that the later were seen as the light and the truth.

Well your opinion, the gods you're talking about are beings, if they feel they were substituted for another god let them judge the people they are gods over or come together to fight for their right against the Christian GOD.

Or are you the one they send to fight for them?

But why am I writing that above? If you were still living in those times. The spiritual explanations that would have been given to you by both your grandma and pastor or any other person would have been connected to the traditional practices of those periods and their gods.

Where did I talk about SPIRITUAL explanation in my post?

I said I dreamt and they COME TO REALITY.

Same would have happen if you were raised as a Hindu or Buddhist or Muslim or Jew especially if you were raised in countries where those religions are pre-eminent.

Are you sure you understand my post or you just decided to throw out your own point using my post?

But all these religions and superstitions are man-made (I know you wouldn't agree with me). These religions and superstitions were invented to explain man's deepest and unexplainable questions about life and the universe and to some extent, I've never been against them but detest the extremities of their practices.

What is superstition in my post?

You created this thread seeking for people's opinions about Meaning OF DREAM, I shared my own experiences yet you're tagging it as SUPERSTITION.

Dreams are subconscious realities and whether you believe they come from God or anyone, it's the same reality expressed in different ways.

Yet you're seeking people's opinions on dream when I didn't even have give you any explanation but my own personal experience

If you're comfortable with the diabolical explanations that come with dreams, I don't buy into it.

Can you tell me the diabolical explanation in my narrative?

I'm asking the question on the OP on Nairaland because I want to hear from those that have transcended dogma and superstition so I could learn more from them.

Yet you could not explain how my own experiences mean superstition as I shared here.

Thanks for your response anyways.

You're welcome!

Emusan:


I don't see the correlation between this your point and my post or the thread as a whole.

I was getting somewhere with this

Emusan:

So what is my business with that?

If the gods of our forefathers extolled as powerful as you think, let them fight the Christian GOD and dethroned Him.

Or you see anything wrong in that?

The Christian God hasn't been able to defeat them too, according to what I see, all gods are co-existing in the nation just that the Christian (and Muslim) Gods seem more prevalent.

Emusan:

Well your opinion, the gods you're talking about are beings, if they feel they were substituted for another god let them judge the people they are gods over or come together to fight for their right against the Christian GOD.

Or are you the one they send to fight for them?

Lol!

Emusan:

Where did I talk about SPIRITUAL explanation in my post?

I said I dreamt and they COME TO REALITY.

Your subjective reality.

Emusan:

Are you sure you understand my post or you just decided to throw out your own point using my post?

Deducing from your dreams and the meanings you gave to them, I see similar patterns in how other devoted religionists tend to explain their own 'paranormal' or 'spiritual' experiences.

Emusan:

What is superstition in my post?

You created this thread seeking for people's opinions about Meaning OF DREAM, I shared my own experiences yet you're tagging it as SUPERSTITION.

Your explanations of your dream sounds superstitious to me (your second dream and it's explanation seems to make a little sense to me though)

Emusan:

Yet you're seeking people's opinions on dream when I didn't even have give you any explanation but my own personal experience

I'm not just seeking anybody's explanation, I was seeking from FREETHINKERS. It was made explicit in the OP.

Emusan:

Can you tell me the diabolical explanation in my narrative?
Yet you could not explain how my own experiences mean superstition as I shared here.

The explanation of your first dream especially sounds diabolical and superstitious. You had a terrible dream and your grandma claimed you were poisoned in a dream, gives you an anointing oil that helped to prevent the 'poisoning'. Afterwards, you see a black sh*t in the toilet which helped to confirm your grandma's explanation of your dream.
Lol! I wish not to write further on this.

I had my reasons for asking the opinions of freethinkers alone, I'm not mentally ready for arguments presently (I will in the future). Your response sounds so much like the replies I get from an average Nigerian Christian that doesn't square with me, I was forced to reply since you took your time to answer anyway.