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Dreams and Culture: A Perspective of Cultural Dreams

What is the relation between culture and dreams? Let’s find out.

We know a lot about the effects of culture on our society and lifestyle. Some things which do not associate with the culture are also a part of it.

However, our culture influences many aspects of life, which aren’t part of our conventions. Besides, these are significant to understand human nature.

For instance, last year, I found random people posting new theories on social media. They mentioned that many factors influence these theories, and one of them was the culture associated with it.

Likewise, our culture might influence our lifestyle, but it also represents our dreams. Most importantly, these dreams vary with the culture associated with them.

So, “What is the truth about dreams and their relationship with nature?”

Well, it is evident that dreams are a part of our culture and could be related to it.

But, “How do we know what is the reality behind dreams and culture?”

So, let’s find out what evidence we have to support the relationship.


What is the idea behind dreams and culture?

The primary idea behind dreams and culture goes back to ancient Eastern traditions. Besides, countries like India and China, with some of the oldest civilizations, have also stressed the significance of meditation and dream yoga.

These ancient practices linked with cultural identities help us tap into our consciousness. However, one important thing to note is that these practices help us gain visualizations concerning our cultural dimensions.

The meditation and dream yoga help us realize the depth of our subjective nature. Besides, they also guide us to a greater level of self-awareness.

For many years, psychologists considered it as lucid dreaming, where people would be conscious while dreaming. However, they are realizing that these dreamy and subjective states exist, and there is a reason behind the religions emphasizing them.

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A renowned psychologist from Emory University, Dr. Bruce Knauft, explored the practices of meditation and dream yoga. He concluded that the practices concerning Tibetan Buddhism help us attain consciousness and high self-awareness of our inner self.

Many tribes around the world have stressed the significance of dreams in their lives. Moreover, they also follow the guidance of dreams and enact them in reality.

They believe that dreams are a gateway to the transcendental reality. Besides, they also claim to have met their ancestors, who guided them with wisdom.

So, that is how dreams influence their culture to act in reality. It is called night-residue by psychologist Roger Ivar Lohmann.

But then, “How practical is it to shape our culture according to our dreams?”

“Is it really helpful?”

Let us discuss how this belief influences our reality.


How practical is it to shape our culture according to our dreams?

In the previous section, we discussed the idea behind dreams and culture and how dreams influence them.

So, in this section, we will focus on how sensible it is to adapt our culture according to our dreams. But before discussing it, let’s find out how they affect our reality.

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Photo by Ravi Kant from Pexels

For instance, let us consider a dreamer who dreams about many different things every night. When he sleeps, he begins to dream about the events that have taken place throughout the day.

Besides, he also notices connections between these events and enters into a state of subjective transcendence. As a result, he becomes aware of his spiritual experiences and tries to relate it with his reality.

However, he notices many things that are inconsistent in reality but well established in his dreams. Consequently, he adopts his version of reality similar to his dreams and rectifies the inconsistencies in it.

Likewise, our dreams heavily influence our reality and the way we perceive things around us. As a result, we adopt a culture that exemplifies our version of reality. Therefore, the distinctions between culture might exist due to the dreams associated with it.

So, “Is it true that our dreams help shape our culture?”

Maybe or maybe not.

Psychologists are still unsure about the truth behind dreams and culture. However, they also believe that there might be some relation between both that solves the mysteriousness of our dreamy nature.

Though one thing is for sure that, our dreams have a lot to do with our culture. Besides, many individuals also associate their identity with the culture around them.


Final Words:

To sum up, our dreams indirectly influence our culture and traditions. The cultures promoting spirituality through them identify themselves at a transcendental state beyond human perception.

Likewise, the impact of cultural aspects on our sense of identity affects our dreams. As a result, most people have dark and disturbing ones that are influenced by violence and chaos around them.

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