The Five Different Types of Dreams

I have had two recurring dreams for as far back as I can remember. They sometimes vary in small details, however, for the most part they remain the same.

The first one is strange in that I can view it but not myself. That means, that I don't have any idea how old I am in the dream. In fact, I have no real conscious idea of my own body. In many ways it is as if I'm viewing the dream remotely.

The dream takes place on the porch of my grandmother's house. It's a beautiful sun shiny day in late spring. The air is crisp; not too hot and not too cool. The sky is a stunning vivid shade of blue. There isn't a cloud in the sky, yet I see a huge rainbow that seems to span the length of my field of vision.

As I watch, totally in awe of the beauty of nature, I sense that my body is beginning to shake. I have no reason for the thought since I can't see my body. However, the concept is clear in my mind. Then I realize that it isn't me that is shaking, but the earth itself. I remember thinking it odd since, as a rule, we don't have earthquakes in Oklahoma.

As the ground begins to split open, panic sets in. Yet I cannot move. I'm glued to the spot. Then as I watch, in terror, balls of fire begin falling from the sky. I remember thinking that they look very much like the scene in "The Ten Commandments" when God rained fiery hail down on Egypt because the pharaoh refused to let His people go.

With that thought, I always wake up. I've never gotten any further in my dream. I have no idea of its ultimate conclusion. I only know in my heart of hearts that I don't really want to know how it ends.

Because of this and another recurring dream, which I'll share with you later, I've always been interested in the meaning of dreams. It is a fascinating subject with a wide variety of theories.

Some people believe that dreams are a link to the deepest recesses of our psyches, but few experts totally agree on their purpose. Some say that dreams are a way for us to problem solve while we sleep. Others say that our dreams try to give us knowledge about our lives - - past, present, and future. Still others suggest that our dreams have no meaning at all.