What did you dream about last night?

What comes to mind when you think about dreams? Do they remind you of something impalpable, unrealistic and fanciful? Do you think it is when or where you release your repressed unconscious, as taught by Sigmund Freud, the founder of modern psychology? Or do you just consider them absurd and full of irrational images?

What is a modernized interpretation of dreams?

Among many channels providing fortune telling, either on- or offline, dream interpretation is still an active and popular area where many people seek answers on a daily basis. They may not be directly related with one’s destiny as a whole. However, they are still a major resource to determine one’s transient or long-range life alteration. It forewarns a significant event, coming in the near future.

If saju is to decode symbolic letters from one’s birth, dreams furnish certain images in which we decrypt symbolic content, moods and scenes, or at other times objects, characters and interactions. In my practice, approximately 20-30 percent of my clients request I interpret their dreams.

In our culture, we grow up listening to many historical anecdotes regarding prognostic dreams to appraise a new leader’s appearance, becoming a king or queen, or national tragedies in times of critical transition. These were accompanied by great fortune tellers, who interpreted what was realized by these dreams.

Yi Seong-gye, who became the first king of Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), had an awkward dream when he was a Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392) general. He asked Muhak, a great monk, to translate the dream and Muhak interpreted it to as him becoming king and told Yi not to talk to anyone until the moment came. Muhak became a national fortune teller afterward and advised Yi on feng shui, saju and other revelations with his occult power. Hanyang was chosen as the capital city of Joseon on his recommendation followed by the location and direction of royal palaces.

There is another interesting story related to dreams. In Silla Kingdom (BC 57-AD 935), Kim Yu-sin, a great general, who led the unification of the Three Kingdoms, had two sisters, Mun-hee and Bo-hee. One day, Bo-hee, the elder one, told Mun-hee what she dreamed. Upon hearing it, Mun-hee sensed an auspicious implication and bought the information from her sister. Owing to this dream, she became the wife of Kim Chun-chu, King Muyeol, the 29th king of Silla, who ruled over the united kingdom.

What do dreams imply? Not all of us have significant dreams that augur national destiny. Nevertheless, many dreams deliver indicative messages if you pay a little attention to them and to your life. One fact that you must be aware of is it is not a fortune teller, but you, who can interpret your dreams best.

Some people say that they don’t dream, or others say they can’t remember their dreams well. It is partly because they are afraid of their dreams or because they consider them meaningless. Someone told me that they didn’t dream because they were too tired. They even said they didn’t want to dream. Regardless of all these excuses, we all dream. It is a matter of whether we remember them or not. When we are exhausted, we hardly recall what we dream of. So, in order to get the best from dream interpretation, we need to pick a peaceful and comfortable night. It is required to bring memories or imminent problems to mind before you fall asleep. Envisage how you expect to find a solution. Since you are the one who knows the cause and effect best, it is essential for you to sum up the situation and ask yourself to find a solution.

You may still doubt this is possible. Here is a lucid answer. Our daytime is governed by our five senses, while these are paralyzed during our nighttime when we sleep. We have lived a life relying on the five senses. Accordingly, we seldom trusted something over the realm of sight, hearing, smelling, taste and touch. Outside the box, have you ever tried to take the best advantage of your ability, intuition? In dreams, we can see our sixth, seventh and eight senses. With them, we may relish our incredible ability, which even includes mythical significance as well as telepathic communion.

Information: Are you interested in learning more about the ancient Chinese teaching about the “Four Pillars of Destiny?” For further information, visit Janet’s website at www.fourpillarskorea.com, contact her at 010-5414-7461 or email janetshin@hotmail.com.

The writer is the president of the Heavenly Garden, a saju research center in Korea, and the author of “Life’s Secrets.” <The Korea Times/Janet Shin>