Depending on the circumstances, a person may have vivid dreams for a variety of reasons.
People frequently report that their daytime thoughts invade their dreams. They have the most vivid dreams during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which we’ll go into in more depth later.
The following are some of the causes of vivid dreams:
In This Article...
Substance use
Certain drugs, such as marijuana, cocaine, and ketamine, can make dreams more vivid or unpleasant.
People in recovery from addiction may experience intense dreams about using the drug they’re trying to get off of.
This is a rather common situation. Experts believe that these dreams are a result of the brain’s reaction to drug addiction.
Drug side effects
Every drug has the potential to cause negative effects. These side effects can include terrible or vivid dreams for some people.
The following are some examples of drugs that may cause vivid dreams or nightmares:
- medications, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and tricyclic monoamine oxidase inhibitors
- Beta-blockers, rauwolfia alkaloids, and alpha agonists are examples of centrally acting antihypertensives.
- Levodopa (Larodopa) and selegiline are two medicines used to treat Parkinson’s disease (Eldepryl)
Stress
Vivid dreams might be triggered by stress or painful situations. This is thought to be owing to the significance of dreaming in memory and emotion processing, according to researchers.
People with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are more prone than those who do not to have awful vivid dreams.
Pregnancy
During pregnancy, vivid dreams and nightmares are typical. The stress of planning for delivery and parenting can sometimes lead to this. Hormone fluctuations may also play an impact.
Ill mental health
Dreams can be vivid in those who are depressed. Themes like low self-esteem are frequently discussed. Panic attacks can occur as a result of these dreams.
During a relapse, people with schizophrenia or a dissociative illness may have vivid dreams.
It’s also likely that those who suffer from anxiety have more vivid dreams. These can include situations that cause a lot of worry or stress, such as being late or feeling embarrassed.
Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy patients frequently report having vivid dreams that might be strange or unsettling.
Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder in which the distinction between sleep and alertness is obfuscated. During the day, people with the illness feel excessively sleepy and tired.
Sleep attacks, in which a person falls asleep and loses muscle control (cataplexy) throughout the day, are among the symptoms.
When someone has narcolepsy, they fall asleep quickly and enter REM sleep. Even if they only take a short nap, this can cause them to have vivid dreams.
Those who suffer from narcolepsy may also have lucid dreams. A person who is lucid dreaming is aware that they are dreaming and may be able to manage the experience.
Is there a link between dreams and astrology?
“Astrology’s language helps us to understand not only ourselves, but also the situations in which we’re both living and dreaming,” says Stephanie Gailing, astrologer, health consultant, and author of The Complete Book of Dreams. “Our dreams allow us to tap into the deep wisdom that resides in our unconscious mind, which can give us with additional insights that help us narrow down what we can learn about ourselves from our astrology chart.”
Don’t dwell on dreams
Accept that dreams are a typical aspect of emotional processing during stressful times, adds Martin, if you wake up during an intense dream or nightmare.
“Take a deep breath and see if you can fall asleep again.” If you can’t sleep again, get up and do something elsea crossword puzzle, read a book, or just sit quietly in another room for a few minutes, she advised.
Feed your brain positive images
COVID-19 will most likely be the subject of your dreams if the last images in your mind before you try to sleep are COVID-19-related.
“Look through photos from your last vacation, watch silly videos on YouTube, or play a board game for a few minutes. Martin claims that the visual images we view during the day, particularly approaching sleep, frequently appear in our dreams.
Take care of your sleep
Martin believes that obtaining enough sleep is more crucial than ever because nightmares are more likely when sleep is fragmented.
“We are more likely to remember what we dream about if our sleep is broken and we wake up frequently, she claims.
She recommends having a consistent bedtime and morning routine, as well as a healthy way to wind down at the end of the day.
“Don’t stay in bed for too long. Most adults require 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night. Extending your time in bed beyond that, she claims, leads to restless sleep.
Practice self-care
One method to help your body is to limit caffeine and alcohol usage, which can both interrupt sleep. Exercising and practicing mindfulness practices such as breathing techniques or yoga might also help you relax, according to Madan.
“Listening to peaceful music or audiobooks, reading an interesting but monotonous book, or using other sensory faculties to relax at night can help some people. Showering, drinking chamomile tea, or breathing lavender oil have all been advised as ways to relax, he said.
Because it can be difficult to avoid thinking about the difficulties that are present, Madan recommends setting aside time to do so “Allow yourself to worry or consider during the day so that you can sleep at night.
Talk about your stress and anxiety
Rather than throwing your issues away, talk to a loved one or a therapist about them.
“The more we deliberately analyze these thoughts, the less they will worry us at night.” Speak with your therapist about cognitive and behavioral approaches that can help you sleep better at night, according to Madan.
He recommends cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), a specific insomnia treatment.
“Although CBT-I is best done under the supervision of a competent therapist,” he noted, “you can get started on it by reading CBT-I literature.”
If you have an anxiety disorder, which can result in the release of stress hormones as well as sleeplessness, Madan recommends speaking with a therapist about the best therapy and treatments for sleep problems.
“Be cautious while taking sleep drugs,” he said, “since they might have negative side effects, including the potential for addiction.”
Why do my dreams now seem so real?
Have you ever had a dream that was so real that you couldn’t get it out of your head when you awoke? For example, you can’t seem to quit looking in your mouth for the teeth you swear you just pulled out. Alternatively, you may have just successfully landed Flight 1549 on the Hudson without any fatalities (and that Sully stache looks surprisingly good on you).
So, what really is the situation? Is this an inexhaustible acid trip? Do you get flashbacks to a previous life? Glimpses into the mind of a psychic creature who, for some reason, wants you to be toothless (or proud owner of a Sully mustache made from a push broom)?
These overnight images are referred to as “vivid dreams” by sleep experts. Dreams that we can recall in great detail because they feel real are known as vivid dreams. So. Freaking. Real.
It’s possible that they’ll be pleasant dreams (even sex dreams!). or nightmares (such as going down a cliff without a ‘chute’). They can be both realistic and fantastical. All vivid dreams have one thing in common: their intensity and lifelike quality.
During our deepest slumber, we get the most vivid dreams (rapid eye movement, or REM, sleep). While there isn’t a single explanation for why our dreams feel like they’re happening in real life, there are a few common suspects. Those intense dreams could be caused by stress, anxiety, heavy drinking, sleep difficulties, drugs, or pregnancy.
What planet is the source of nightmares?
Dreams are ruled by Rahu, and the 9th House in the Kundli is the home of dreams. The planets in the 9th house, and their relationship to Rahu, clearly dictate the types of dreams you will have. You will have awful nightmares if the planets in the 9th House are Rahu’s opponents and are particularly weak.
What planet is in charge of the subconscious mind?
Mercury, according to Astrology, is the planet that represents the subconscious mind. Because of the symbolism contained in Mercury’s mythology, this decision was taken early in history.
Which astrological house is associated with dreams?
Although most modern astrologers do not consider themselves to be dream analysts, the fascination with dreams and the need to interpret them dates back to the beginnings of astrology. It can be surprising to realize that astrology provides a comprehensive set of techniques for dealing with dreams and decoding its complexities.
In this post, I’ll go over both conventional and current ways of astrological dream analysis, as well as how to use natal charts, transits, and horary astrology to master the art of dream interpretation. Although dream symbols can appear to have a wide range of meanings depending on the interpreter’s ideas, Astrology helps us to analyze them using a recognized, limited set of symbols – the planets, signs, and houses. There are no specific procedures or points required, simply a laser-like attention on astrological symbology.
Other approaches generally overlook the dreamer’s underlying personality and temperament, but astrology does.
How dreams figure in the natal chart
The natal chart can assist us in deciphering how a person’s own dream language works. Because the ninth house is the home of dreams, the ruler of the house, as well as any planets in the house, all describe the individual’s dream style. If someone had strong, favorable planets here, they would typically have pleasant or good dreams. Of course, for tough or disturbed planets, malefic planets, and those having a bad day, the opposite is true.
Samuel contacted me because he had been suffering a series of recurrent and unsettling dreams in the weeks leading up to his birthday.
Because of the previous night’s dream, he was eventually moved to call on this April day. He stated it was very reflective of all of his dreams and asked if I could assist him in comprehending what he was meant to be doing.
Because only two planets are important, the natal chart is not shown. Mercury is the ruler of his ninth house. When his dreams are attempting to connect with him, he may have a dreaming pattern including Mercurialthings such as journeys, messages, young people, words and numbers, and communication problems.
Mercury is in the fifth house of the horoscope. Children, romance, fun, things he enjoys, and his own creative expression may all be present in his dreams. Mercury is not well-behaved and rules a tough house, thus it has the potential to reflect some Mercurial traits that can be bothersome or harmful, producing stress or disease, and relating to thankless jobs. Mercury’s dominion over the sixth house also conjures up images of thankless labor.
Jupiter is also detrimented in his ninth house, which implies it might occasionally signify anything that is futile. As the twelfth houseruler, he may have a tendency to dream about worries, particularly those related to “self-undoing, being his own worst enemy.” (He’ll have some nice spiritual dreams from Jupiter as well…perhaps he won’t feel the need to seek interpretation assistance at those times!)
With the afflicted Jupiter and problematic Mercury in his dream life, it’s possible that he only has these kinds of nightmares when things aren’t going well.
When he has nightmares that are similar to this, his unconscious self is sending him a message.
The consultation
Astrologers are familiar with the consultation chart. We can use the dream consultation to uncover the meaning of the client’s current predicament, bringing all of their daily circumstances into play and centering it around one person, one natalchart.
Although it may appear that the time of the dream or the time the dream was remembered should be used for the chart, the first is impossible to know and the second is highly unlikely. We should suppose that the moment you are asked to analyze the dream, like with any horaryastrology, is crucial and suitably indicates the dream itself.
For the query “what does my dream mean?” Achart is drawn as a horary chart. We’ll utilize this chart to figure out what the dream’s major signifiers are and what they represent. But first, we’ll look at how dreams are described in the natal chart, because each of us has recurring patterns and a personal language of symbols that we utilize in our dreams. Finally, we’ll decipher the dream by relating these charts to the transits impacting the natal chart (since dreams are, after all, highly transient phenomena!)
Step by step dream-chart analysis: Samuel’s dream
The following were the key aspects of the dreams that ended the night before:
- He was a delivery worker, or someone assigned with making a delivery;
- He rode a bicycle and needed to get something, either a package or a message, but he had no idea where;
- The person in charge of the delivery was his former boss from twenty years ago, whom he described as “a picky woman who is constantly criticizing him;
- In rainy and muddy weather, the bicycle route went through buildings, much like going through sheets of water.
- There were many slick alleyways and construction sites with buildings under development;
- Eventually, he “landed someplace backstage, knowing he’d be on stage in a flash, having to perform in front of a large audience but having no idea what the play is about;
- He never managed to finish the delivery job.
We assign the ruler of the first and the Moon to the querent who experienced the dream, as we always do with a horary chart.
Dreams are found in the ninth house, and while designating the ruler to represent the dream is not incorrect, planets in the ninth house are usually stronger signifiers for the dream. If there isn’t a planet in the ninth, Sahl suggests looking for one in the tenth, first, seventh, fourth, or third house, in that order. If none of these dwellings have a planet, the dream has been misreported or is useless.
Once you’ve determined which planet represents the dream, you can write down the following details:
- The homes it governs reveal what has created the dream in the native’s life, for example, if it is a frightened dream, what is producing the fear.
- The planets it interacts with reveal which aspects of one’s life are influenced by the dream and how. This will enable you to provide excellent advise based on your dreams.
- The dream will have the qualities of a troubling dream or nightmare if the south node is in the ninth house or conjunct the mainsignificator of the dream – fear, danger, discomfort, being hunted, feeling threatened, or anything similar.
- You may also use this method to designate the ruler of the ninth for extra information or in circumstances where the significator does not appear to be appropriate.
- By its very nature, each planet reveals the type of dream and some of its details. When the querent has already told you the dream, it may seem like a waste of effort to hunt for the dream description in the chart, but this may be a vital validation of the chart as well as provide clearer details than the querent could – possibly even helping revive their memory.
These are some traditional Sahl and Lilly interpretations, to which I’ve added some modern planet ideas:
- Moon symbolizes the sea, ships, navigation, water, flooding, and elderly women.
- Paintings, books, temples, journeys, learning, children, and financial records are all associated with Mercury.
- Venus is associated with sexual fantasies, women, beautiful objects, good experiences, and a nice dream.
- The Sun is associated with powerful people, riches, position, and flyingdreams (lucid dreams?).
- Violence, war, men, weapons, deadly creatures, fire, and dogs are all associated with Mars.
- Money, acclaim and acclaim, prominent individuals, pleasurable experiences, and spiritual topics are all associated with Jupiter (I wouldadd long journeys overseas, studies)
- Saturn is associated with duties, the earth, and digging, as well as buried objects (such as treasure), dark locations, and things that cause terror and horror.
- North Node: priceless and pleasurable items, aroma, and nature
- Death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death
Suggestions for contemporary planets include:
- Uranus is the planet of fires, explosions, startling events, new and unknown things, and the unexpected.
- Neptune is the planet of ambiguity, confusion, water, and visions.
- Pluto represents the end, destruction, mysterious figures, scary things, and a sense of impending doom.
There is plenty of space for expansion, but it’s crucial to stay true to each planet’s core meaning in order to avoid being as open-ended and highly connected as the dream itself, which would be detrimental to the client. There is also a lot of potential for the astrologer to discover the symbolic meanings of planets by hearing about the dream and seeing which planet represents what you hear.
The significator’s sign is particularly revealing, especially in terms of its element. They’re used by Sahlin in his “On Questions (Dykes translation)1 to give specifics concerning dreams in particular, which I’ve modernized:
- High places, cliffs, falling from a great height, being pushed into the air by a strong wind are all examples of air.
- Earth: being encircled, falling into a gloomy location, or being trapped in a tight or small space and figuring out how to get out;
- Heat, fog, gloom, and darkness: fire, someone being killed, heat, fog, gloom, and darkness;
- Drowning, submersion, overflowing, flooding, sea, and hazard are all associated with water.
The elements can also appear in other dreams as direct depictions of the dream, usually as the setting for the significatorplanet. If you’re looking for a planet in the ninth, search for the ninth’s ruler to see the context in the native’s life.
Examine the planets that are in opposition to the rulers of the first and ninth houses.
It’s easy to get tangled up in details, therefore the most important thing to remember is that:
The querent is helped by aspects from Venus, Jupiter, and the luminaries.
They will bring rescue in a dream of danger in a way that is related to the houses that this benefic planet rules.
In a way related to the houses this malefic rules, aspects from Mars, Saturn, and the outer planets produce issues or pursue the querent.
(I use very small orbs for outer planet aspects because they don’t emit much light and are frequently quite subtle by aspect.)
You may gain a lot of information about the dream from this, not just to match the client’s account of the dream, but also to clearly analyze what each of these dream components means. Because you can identify what helps and where the difficulties are, you may advise the querent on where in life they should focus their attention to deal with the dream’s message.
The Moon can also provide one more piece of important information: when it is in a fixed sign, the dream has a substantial impact on the client’s life; when it is in a cardinal sign, it generates something a little later; and when it is in a mutable sign, the dream has no real relevance.
AnalyzingSamuel’s dream
Virgo is on the Ascendant in Samuel’s dream chart, which was timed for when I understood the question during the phone call, thus Mercury is the planet that represents Samuel, and the dream is the planet in the ninth house, the Moon. These are really apt symbols that demonstrate the chart’s radical nature. Mercury is the messenger, and the querent riding a bicycle is a suitable metaphor for him. The Moon is the dream, and we expect it to be one of water, flooding, and maybe oldwomen.
Horary in a dream Before determining the dream’s link to the dreamer’s life right now, it’s frequently preferable to start with the significator for the dreamitself. So let’s begin with the Moon, the eighth planet. Taurus, the planet of water and an earth sign, contains all of the water, muck, and structures that he saw in his dream, including the earth signs’ ‘dark and narrow spaces.’ The elevated Moon in the late degrees of Taurus, that zone dispersed with numerous challenging stars, represents the overwhelming character of water in the dream. The south node is also in the ninth, indicating that the dream was a nightmare about running, being hunted, and not understanding.
Symbols aren’t meant to be taken literally. While the Moon may appropriately depict a drowning dream, the significance will be discovered in the chart, not in the concepts of water or drowning. The astrologer does not need to improvise or have specific knowledge of dreams or psychology; the chart is the only instrument required.
The root of the fear is revealed by the significator rules. The Moon rules the eleventh house, which represents groups and friendships, as well as job rewards and money (second from the tenth).
In the dream, TheMoon also looks to indicate a woman, but the chart becomes clearer. Venus is the ruler of the ninth house, and she is prominent in this chart since she is only four degrees from the crucial tenth house angle.
Venus, being so close to the Midheaven, must be considered an angular planet, which in Geminiseems ideal for someone who is characterised byMercurial terms like “fussy” and “critical.” She is also the ruler of the second house, which represents money. As a result, it’s becoming increasingly plausible that the eleventh house is also alluding to money (from work). Saturn is conjunct the second house cusp, implying some financial restrictions, notwithstanding its dignity, which makes me convinced that Samuel is producing money, albeit insufficiently.
Money may be a factor in the ideal employer’s critique. Still, with Mercury as Samuel’s significator and Virgo as his ruling planet, I can see how the attributes he sees in the figure of his old boss in the dream may have a lot to do with how he perceives himself right now. I realized he had to be berating himself for something, maybe work-related.
In the seventh house of marriage, Mercury, which represents Samuel, is in a partile conjunction with Uranus. It’s also the ruler of the tenth house, indicating a concern with work once more, but it’s the fact that it’s in the seventh that leads to the breakthrough we want. Samuel has not spoken about his marriage, although it appears that this is also a source of stress for him. The square with Pluto and the conjunction with Uranus suggest a great deal of doubt and worry regarding marriage, let alone the literal symbol of feeling like you’re meant to know the words when you have no idea what script this is or what you’re doing there.
Now it all starts to make sense: he dreams about a demanding woman tasked with delivering something – perhaps the money.
The figure of a woman is most likely his wife, whom he doesn’t seem to want to think about since he doesn’t appear to want to think about what clearly does concern him, his marriage. In his marriage, there are unspoken anxieties or fears he doesn’t know how to express.
I was able to call Samuel back after half an hour. I inquired about his earnings and whether he believes he is underpaid. He agreed with me right away. I inquired if this was a problem at home, and if he was chastised for it. He responded that his wife made significantly more money than he did, and that money was not an issue in their relationship. Mercury is ruled by Mars, who also rules the eighth house of the spouse’s money, and that house also contains Jupiter, who rules the seventh (wife) and is a fantastic sign for riches.
Finally, we have enough details to decipher the dream.
Samuel is concerned that he is not making enough money in his wife’s eyes, and that she is judging him as a result. He recognizes that this is an illogical fear, given their tight relationship and ample financial resources, but he is unconsciously worried about it, as seen by his dreams.
When I described it to Samuel, he got the jolt of insight that astrology is known for. Given the indignity of that Saturn, I was able to convince him that his income was limited for a good reason, not because of his own faults. It enabled him to work from home and care for his family while also contributing to the family’s overall revenue. Perhaps he might confide in his wife about his anxieties, knowing well well that they are irrational, and this would assist him not to take them seriously enough to dream about them.