We all do it, at one time or another, and most of us don't understand why. Some of us think that there is a special meaning to it, while others think that it conveys messages to us and still others believe it means nothing at all. What is it, do you give up? It's a dream. Ancient people thought that dreams somehow connected us with God and he would relay his wishes through them. One has just to look in the bible and he or she will see that many times God or angels came in a dream and passed a message to the sleeper. The first time dreams were talked about was in ancient text from Mesopotamia This was over 5,000 years ago. The dreams of kings were thought to be prophesy and were to be acted upon.

Do we know the meaning of dreams today? The famous Swiss psychologist Carl Jung analyzed over 80,000 dreams. Most everyone who has gone to college is familiar with that name. He believed that dreams restore our psychiatric equilibrium. I am still trying to figure out what he meant by that. I usually never remember any of my dreams when I wake up, there are a few exceptions to this, but very few. Does this mean I don't have psychiatric equilibrium, gee I certainly hope not, whatever it means. People from the east and west look at dreams differently. In the east some dreams are looked at to mean emptiness and this is a good thing because it brings people to the ultimate nature of all things, sunyata. Dreams are treated more scientifically in the west.

Some very famous people have had dreams that influenced their lives. Abraham Lincoln reported having a dream just before his death. He said he dreamt that he heard sobbing and went walking through the White House. He heard the sobbing again and knew it was coming from the East Room. He hadn't seen a living person yet. When he got to the East Room there was a coffin with a corpse that had it's face covered and sobbing and crying people filing past it. Lincoln demanded to know who had died. One of the mourners said that it was the president and that he had been shot. There is no doubt that this dream was a premonition and it was correct.

The next dream I will cite is disagreed upon by some who say it never happened, never the less it is interesting and many people think it is true. Some think it was a dream while others think it was a vision.

Washington said, "This afternoon, as I was sitting at this table engaged in preparing a dispatch, something seemed to disturb me. Looking up, I beheld standing opposite me a singularly beautiful female. So astonished was I, for I had given strict orders not to be disturbed, that it was some moments before I found language to inquire the cause of her presence. A second, a third and even a fourth time did I repeat my question, but received no answer from my mysterious visitor except a slight raising of her eyes. By this time I felt strange sensations spreading through me. I would have risen but the riveted gaze of the being before me rendered volition impossible. I assayed once more to address her, but my tongue had become useless, as though it had become paralyzed. A new influence, mysterious, potent, irresistible, took possession of me. All I could do was to gaze steadily, vacantly at my unknown visitor, Gradually the surrounding atmosphere seemed as if it had become filled with sensations, and luminous. Everything about me seemed to rarify, the mysterious visitor herself becoming more airy and yet more distinct to my sight than before. I now began to feel as one dying, or rather to experience the sensations which I have sometimes imagined accompany dissolution. I did not think, I did not reason, I did not move; all were alike impossible. I was only conscious of gazing fixedly, vacantly at my companion. Presently I heard a voice saying, Son of the Republic, look and learn, while at the same time my visitor extended her arm eastwardly. I now beheld a heavy white vapor at some distance rising fold upon fold. This gradually dissipated, and I looked upon a strange scene. Before me lay spread out in one vast plain all the countries of the world; Europe, Asia, Africa and America. I saw rolling and tossing between Europe and America the billows of the Atlantic, and between Asia and America lay the Pacific. Son of the Republic said the same mysterious voice as before, look and learn. At that moment I beheld a dark, shadowy being, like an angel, standing, or rather floating in mid-air, between Europe and America. Dipping water out of the ocean in the hollow of each hand, he sprinkled some upon America with his right hand, while with his left hand he cast some on Europe. Immediately a cloud raised from these countries, and joined in mid-ocean. For a while it remained stationary, and then moved slowly westward, until it enveloped America in its murky folds. Sharp flashes of lightning gleamed through it at intervals, and I heard the smothered groans and cries of the American people. A second time the angel dipped water from the ocean, and sprinkled it out as before. The dark cloud was then drawn back to the ocean, in whose heaving billows it sank from view. A third time I heard the mysterious voice saying, Son of the Republic, look and learn. I cast my eyes upon America and beheld villages and towns and cities springing up one after another until the whole land from the Atlantic to the Pacific was dotted with them. Again, I heard the mysterious voice say, Son of the Republic, the end of the century cometh, look and learn. At this the dark shadowy angel turned his face southward, and from Africa I saw an ill omened specter approach our land. It flitted slowly over every town and city of the latter. The inhabitants presently set themselves in battle array against each other. As I continued looking I saw a bright angel, on whose brow rested a crown of light, on which was traced the word Union, bearing the American flag which he placed between the divided nation, and said, Remember ye are brethren. Instantly, the inhabitants, casting from them their weapons became friends once more, and united around the National Standard. And again I heard the mysterious voice saying, Son of the Republic, look and learn. At this the dark, shadowy angel placed a trumpet to his mouth, and blew three distinct blasts; and taking water from the ocean, he sprinkled it upon Europe, Asia and Africa. Then my eyes beheld a fearful scene: from each of these countries arose thick, black clouds that were soon joined into one. Throughout this mass there gleamed a dark red light by which I saw hordes of armed men, who, moving with the cloud, marched by land and sailed by sea to America. Our country was enveloped in this volume of cloud, and I saw these vast armies devastate the whole country and burn the villages, towns and cities that I beheld springing up. As my ears listened to the thundering of the cannon, clashing of swords, and the shouts and cries of millions in mortal combat, I heard again the mysterious voice saying, Son of the Republic, look and learn. When the voice had ceased, the dark shadowy angel placed his trumpet once more to his mouth, and blew a long and fearful blast. Instantly a light as of a thousand suns shone down from above me, and pierced and broke into fragments the dark cloud which enveloped America. At the same moment the angel upon whose head still shone the word Union, and who bore our national flag in one hand and a sword in the other, descended from the heavens attended by legions of white spirits. These immediately joined the inhabitants of America, who I perceived were well nigh overcome, but who immediately taking courage again, closed up their broken ranks and renewed the battle. Again, amid the fearful noise of the conflict, I heard the mysterious voice saying, Son of the Republic, look and learn. As the voice ceased, the shadowy angel for the last time dipped water from the ocean and sprinkled it upon America. Instantly the dark cloud rolled back, together with the armies it had brought, leaving the inhabitants of the land victorious! Then once more I beheld the villages, towns and cities springing up where I had seen them before, while the bright angel, planting the azure standard he had brought in the midst of them, cried with a loud voice, While the stars remain, and the heavens send down dew upon the earth, so long shall the Union last. And taking from his brow the crown on which blazoned the word UNION, he placed it upon the Standard while the people, kneeling down, said, Amen. The scene instantly began to fade and dissolve, and I at last saw nothing but the rising, curling vapor I at first beheld. This also disappearing, I found myself once more gazing upon the mysterious visitor, who, in the same voice I had heard before, said, Son of the Republic, what you have seen is thus interpreted: three great perils will come upon the Republic. The most fearful is the third, but in this greatest conflict the whole world united shall not prevail against her. Let every child of the Republic learn to live for his God, his land and the Union. With these words the vision vanished, and I started from my seat and felt that I had seen a vision wherein had been shown to me the birth, progress and destiny of the United States." (Library of Congress)

Supposedly one sleep cycle is composed of four stages and it can last from 90 to 120 minutes. Dreams can occur at any time but the most vivid and memorable ones occur during the first stage. Most people have four or five sleep cycles per night. Some people can even have as many as seven sleep cycles per night. People who don't think that they have had any dreams (me) merely have forgotten the ones that they have had. Even the stages of sleep are debated, some say there are not four but five.

Stage 1 is characterized by eye movement that is erratic. Blood pressure rises and your heart rate and respiration speed up and become some what erratic. Most dreams take place here.

Stage 2 is where you enter into light sleep. You have slow eye movement, you muscles relax and your heart rate slows. You are getting ready to enter deep sleep.

Stage 3 and Stage 4 are deep sleep stages and stage four is the deepest. The temperature of you body drops and you are completely relaxed and fully asleep.

The stages of sleep listed above will repeat during the night's sleep.

The mechanism of dreaming is just not understood that well. Do we have certain dreams because we have a particular thing on our mind when we go to sleep? Does our subconscious control any of our dreaming? Can we concentrate on a subject before going to bed and create a dream from it? These and many other questions remain unanswered.