Colette touch help with interpretation. Orthodox attitude to sleep and dreams. The art of dream interpretation

How should an Orthodox Christian treat dreams and fortune telling? Nowadays, in almost any bookstore you will be offered a dozen different guide books on one or another “most ancient and true” method of fortune telling. Newspapers - from provincial to metropolitan - are full of horoscopes and advertisements of people “sent to save” with icons and candles in their hands and an artificially mysterious expression on their faces.

Often, especially on the eve of big events church holidays, you can even encounter “Orthodox” dream books, fortune telling and omens. So how should an Orthodox Christian relate to certain manifestations of modern “spirituality”?

Attitude to dreams The Scriptures are ambiguous. On the one hand, we find in it stories about the prophetic dreams of Joseph, Daniel, and the Apostle Paul, on the other, the prophet Zechariah warns against false dreams (Zechariah 10:2). But the spiritual tradition of Orthodoxy calls us don't trust dreams. Don't engage dream interpretation.

It often happens that a person suddenly begins to have vivid, memorable dreams, which subsequently come true to one degree or another. And as the dreams come true, the person, who at first did not believe them, begins to think that the Lord is thus communicating His will to him, without thinking about who else could be the source of such revelations.

Naturally, it never occurs to a novice “dreamer” to doubt whether he is worthy of such “visits of God.” Then the person begins to wait for such dreams, to try interpret dreams, build your life in accordance with them. And... he falls into a demonic hook. I remember a case where a man, who periodically had such dreams, thought about their nature only when it was revealed to him in a dream that he had to kill his neighbor.

And any priest could tell many such stories. It is not without reason that Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) says that even if some dream is sent to us by God, but we, fearing to fall into spiritual self-deception, do not pay attention to it, the Lord will praise us for such caution and will find another way to warn us.

Horoscopes and fortune telling

When man turns to horoscopes, wonders, often he is driven by one desire - to find out what awaits him in the near future, what dangers await him, according to the proverb: “ If I knew where I’d fall, I’d spread straws" And at the same time, the words of Christ are completely forgotten that “without the will of God not a hair will fall from your head” (cf. Matt. 10:30).

That is, trying on your own find out your future, the person seems to say: “Lord, I, of course, understand that You care about me, but now I want to find out on my own, without You, what difficulties await me, and to cope with them.” And the Lord leaves a person, at his own request, alone with the trials that he learned about. And in the end, when a person goes through this “meat grinder,” he rejoices that he was warned about it, not realizing that if he had not told his fortune, this difficulty would have been overcome much easier with God’s help.

Don't just believe in God, but trust Him

As for the Magi, who, thanks to the star, came to worship the born Divine Infant, which lovers of horoscopes often recall, the Gospel says that “they went to their country by a different route.” These words are clearly interpreted by the holy fathers as a change in their attitude towards the created world, towards the stars in particular. The troparion of the Nativity says that “those who served the stars were taught to worship not the stars, but the True God.”

The point is that we must not just have faith in God, we must have trust in Him. Imagine a situation where parents, father or mother, take a child across the road. The child is small, but already understands that the road is fraught with various dangers - cars, open hatches, holes where you can trip. And so the baby begins to resist, pull the parent’s hand back, or tries to break free and run forward on his own. But the only thing that is required of a child is to trust his parents. After all, they see that the car is still far away, and it’s possible to get around the hatch, and they will support you if the child suddenly stumbles.

When we read the “Our Father” prayer, calling God our Father, we must cultivate trust in Him as a loving Father, caring for us as we do not care for our children.

About the attitude towards dreams Professor of the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary Osipov A. I. broadcasts:

DREAMS AND VISIONS

I.Dedicated

To the one who dwells inside us and gives us dreams - the Holy Spirit, who gives every person a direct, constantly accessible connection with the living God.

“… listen to My words: if there is a prophet of the Lord among you, then I reveal myself to him in a vision, and I talk to him about a dream.”(Num. 12:6)

People skilled in dream interpretation, such as Daniel and Joseph, were treated with respect.

Those who understood the revelations given to them from the Lord, such as Abraham or Solomon, became great and wise.

Those who listened to their inner experiences, such as the Apostle Paul or Ezekiel, became great missionaries and prophets.

“I will bless the Lord, who gave me understanding; even at night my inner being teaches me.”(Ps. 15:7).

On a note: Through dreams, God gives us advice every night.

II. Introduction.

Gift of Dreams

God, by His grace, brought Hermann Riffel into my life to teach me the Christian approach to dream interpretation. This was another topic in the Bible that I had never seriously considered, perhaps because dreams are not the focus of our rational culture. So she looks at them with her nose in the air and believes that they are simply the result of spicy food eaten at night. Naturally, such a view will not be found in Scripture, moreover, the Bible unconditionally repeats again and again that it is God who speaks to us through dreams (Num. 12:6; Acts 2:17), and what it is God who teaches us through dreams (Ps. 15:7).

It would seem that with such serious assurances and such a magnificent opportunity to receive advice from God every night and completely free of charge, we should all joyfully rush to write down our dreams and then ask God for an interpretation. However, most likely, even among 10,000 Christians, there will not be a single person who has ever been formally taught to interpret dreams. This is simply amazing!

Hermann Riffel taught me to hear what God says through my dreams. He helped me search the Scriptures and discover how God deals with and interprets dreams so that I could learn to interpret my dreams and the dreams of those I counsel. What a blessed gift!

I first met Herman Riffel near Toronto in the Canadian province of Ontario. I conducted a seminar “How to Hear the Voice of God” in one city, and Herman conducted a seminar “Christian Interpretation of Dreams” in the same city. Since my seminar ended a little early, I went to listen to the end of his seminar and meet him in person. This meeting was the beginning of a wonderful relationship, and we were later able to invite him to our church Bible school and videotape 12 hours of principle teaching Christian interpretation dreams The tapes record him asking students questions and interpreting their dreams. This is impressive! Daniel is alive. We recorded this man's teachings on audio and video tapes in order to convey to the Church his accumulated knowledge of Christian dream interpretation. This is a great blessing for the Body of Christ!

Now I can put my journal next to my bed and write down my dreams when I wake up. Then I ask God to give me an interpretation of these dreams. When I calm down and listen to His voice, I use the same four keys that I discovered when I first learned to hear the voice of God. I calm down, remember the images from the dream, tune in to spontaneity and ask God to help me understand the symbols with which the dream tells me something. The following pages list several excellent biblical principles that Herman teaches that have been of great help to me in understanding how to view dreams.

Conclusions about the importance of our dreams

God chose dreams as one of the ways to communicate with man. He guides and instructs us through our dreams. He confirms covenants with us through our dreams. He gives us gifts in our dreams. He uses dreams throughout history, from Genesis to Revelation, and claims that he will continue to use them in last days. If you add up all the dreams and visions in the Bible, as well as all the events and actions that followed as a result of the dreams and visions, you get about a third of the Bible, a part equal to the size of the New Testament! Dreams are one of the main ways that God has chosen to communicate with us, and we must give them appropriate attention!

Dreams about the future

In a sense, many dreams predict the future. Some dreams may simply show what will happen in the near future if a person does not repent and change their ways. Some dreams may speak of a very distant future, as is the case with some biblical dreams. Perhaps people with more developed prophetic gifts may notice that their dreams go further into the future and further from themselves, and people who do not have special prophetic gifts see dreams that are closer to themselves (that is, dreams relating to their personal difficulties and questions).

Additional Thoughts on Dreams

1. Dreams are credible messages. They show both the condition of a person's heart (Dan. 2:30) and the voice of God in a person's heart (Acts 2:17). Sometimes they can show a direct attack on the heart by the devil or demons (Job 4:12-21 may be an example of a case where a demon brings accusations, leading to loss of hope and death - this is the only possible biblical example of a demon speaking to a person in a dream ). In my own life, I have only had one dream that the Lord told me to ignore because it was satanic. Thus, referring to the biblical testimony, and to my own life experience, I can say that there cannot be many dreams from the devil or demons.

2. In the Bible, when people woke up from sleep, they acted according to what the dream told them. Put into practice the advice of your dreams!

3. Do not pretend to be an expert in interpreting other people's dreams until you have acquired at least five years of experience in interpreting your own. own dreams. You can offer advice or ideas for interpreting other people's dreams, but don't pretend to be an expert.

4. As with prophecy, the information and warning in dreams are conditional on the person's response (Ezek. 33:13-16). The dream calls you to action or change so that you can avoid some kind of misfortune. If you react correctly, trouble will not happen.

5.Dreams of sexual meaning should also be viewed symbolically. Sexual intercourse is a symbol of togetherness, so ask the question: “What in me or in my life is coming together right now?” This may be a combination of what was previously at war within you (for example, the fusion of your excessive dedication to work and your ability to relax and not stress can be reflected in a dream in the image of sexual intercourse). Or if you have had to cultivate the gift of hospitality, you may have a dream in which there will be a sexual relationship between you and a person who is known to you for his gift of hospitality.

6. Dreams can be repeated because you did not listen and act on what the dream told you the first time.

7. Nightmares are the cries of an unhealed heart asking you to use prayer for inner healing and release in the appropriate areas within you. In my own life, a nightmare that had been recurring periodically for 15 years disappeared completely and forever after the demon driving the very fear depicted in the nightmare was exorcised from me.

8. The most natural interpretation will most likely be correct.

9. Several dreams in a row in one night can usually deal with the same issue, depicting different approaches to it, and suggesting correct solution dilemmas.

10. The dream calls the dreamer to action.

11. When considering someone else’s dream, remember that you yourself know nothing about the dream. The dream itself and the dreamer's heart will have to suggest the meaning.

12. Religion tries to reach God through the development of various theological approaches, through arousal of emotions, through efforts of will. God comes to man, speaking directly to his heart and spirit through His voice, prophecy, dream, vision and anointing.

13. Dreams release inspired ingenuity and creativity. Many inventions and discoveries came through dreams. The placement of the needle hook in the sewing machine came through a dream. The discovery of the round structure of the benzene molecule came through a dream. And these are just two of thousands of possible examples.

Warnings about dreams???

1. There are no warnings in the Bible to beware of your own dreams, with the exception of Ecclesiastes 5:6, which most likely refers to fantasy, since all other references to dreams in the Bible are positive.

2. The only warning in the Bible regarding dreams is when we listen to strangers dream They may try to lead you the wrong way, to follow other gods (Jer. 14:14; 23:16,26,32; Ezek. 13:1,7; 12:24).

Examples of dream interpretation

The night after that day I learned to hear God's voice, see God's visions, and journal (write down what God tells me). Just because I put a diary next to my bed and asked God to speak to me, on the very first night I was able to have two important dreams.

Dream No. 1: I got a new job as a house cleaner. I was in this house and climbed the stairs to the second floor, but I was riding a horse. On the second floor I went to the bathroom and took some cleaning products there.

Interpretation: Question: “What in my life is like a new job right now?” Answer: “Just today I started hearing God’s voice, seeing visions and journaling?”

Question: “What makes me feel as if I were trying to climb stairs while sitting on a horse?” Answer: “I feel very awkward tuning into the flow of God's Spirit, receiving visions, writing in my journal. This lifestyle is a skill that I will have to practice until it comes easy to me. Now I feel so clumsy, like a bull in a china shop.”

Question: “How will this path take me up the ladder?” Answer: “By hearing God's voice, receiving visions from God and writing them down, I will rise higher in my fellowship and life with God.”

Question: “How will I get cleaning supplies?” Answer: “Hearing God's voice will cleanse some areas of my life.”

Dream No. 2 (same night as the previous one): I pulled the car into the parking lot and turned off the ignition. However, the engine did not stop; backfires occurred.

Interpretation: Question: “What am I trying to turn off, but it won’t turn off?” Answer: “My analytical thinking, so that I can tune in to the wave of intuition and hear the voice of God.”

So, these two dreams are subjective (concerning the processes that are happening within me), and they give me advice and encouragement, saying: “Even though I feel awkward in this new direction of my life (in hearing God's voice, receiving visions, in the diary), if I don't give up, it will raise me to new level in God, and will clear some areas of my life. Indeed, it will take effort to learn to turn off the analytical thinking processes that have ruled me and been my god for many years of my life.”

Mike Bastian's Dream: I once taught a seminar on “Communication with God” in a week-long course for 35 pastors at the Toronto Airport Christian Center. Towards the end of the week, one of the listeners, named Mike Bastin, began to express concern that he was not able to absorb all the information that I was trying to convey in a very condensed form in a matter of hours. I assured him that this was nothing unusual, and it was not scary, because he could take home the book “Communication with God” and the audio and video tapes with recordings of lectures, and watch everything again at home in a calm environment. Mike didn't take this advice to heart, however, because a day or two later he emailed me, concerned about a dream he'd had. With Mike's permission, I am sharing with you our correspondence over the next few days.

Description of the dream according to Mike: I was the age of a schoolboy. The school bus was already approaching my house. I was late and started to run, at that time I saw my father-in-law (Fred) getting on the bus, but as soon as I ran up to him, the door closed and the bus drove away. I was a little upset that they didn't wait for me. I tried to see who was driving the bus, and it seemed to me that it was George. (I meet George sometimes, and he actually was a bus driver when I was in school.)

Soon I saw another bus approaching. I knew that he was going to school in the same city, and I asked the driver to give me a ride. I was allowed and I got on the bus. I don't remember how I drove. But then suddenly I'm talking to my father-in-law and asking why George didn't wait for me. He answered something vaguely that seemed completely nonsensical, and I can’t even remember what it was.

This was the dream. What concerns me is that my father-in-law already died last December at the age of 61.

My first answer: I want to invite you to think about some questions and assumptions.

In the dream there were the following symbols:

*school = a place where we receive education and study;

*bus = transport to the place of study;

* didn’t wait = fear of falling behind or being abandoned.

Therefore, it is worth asking yourself the question: “Where in my life am I getting my education? this moment, and I’m afraid to fall behind in this?”

I assume that you are studying the topic “Communication with God”, and somewhere inside you are afraid that you will fall behind (that is, you will not be able to learn everything). These are exactly the concerns you expressed in class. I think that this fear in your heart was reflected in the dream.

But God showed you in a dream that there is hope. Another bus arrived and was able to take you. So you don't have to worry about missing something on your first listen. There will still be an opportunity to learn everything. For example, you can read the book “Communication with God” in its entirety; or take a three-month course on “Communication with God” at the Christian Leadership University where I teach; buy video cassettes with recordings of lectures; buy audio cassettes with the full course; purchase a teacher’s guide for the course “Communication with God”; find several spiritual mentors in your church or city with whom you can share your journaling and who can become your cover in this matter; etc.

Don't worry that the person you saw in your dream died a year ago. People in our dreams most often symbolize some characteristic of us. Ask yourself the question: “Which main characteristic this man?" Usually in such cases we have dreams about our character. This dream is not about you going to die soon.

Mike's second letter: Thank you, Mark, for answering me. To be honest, this was not the explanation I expected. Everything seems to be fine, but I still have a big question... why exactly was my father-in-law in this dream, and why was his image so expressive? Is he somehow connected with this dream?

My second answer: When you think about Fred, your father-in-law, what aspect of his character seems most striking to you? That's the point. When you can determine this, you will understand what characteristic of you was discussed in the dream. Your heart paints pictures and images to make you understand something.

The part of you that Fred symbolizes accepts the teaching of “Communication with God” and does a good job of internalizing it (as evidenced by him getting on the bus on time). But there is still some part of you that is having difficulty learning the material, and you are afraid that you will fall behind.

Maybe Fred relied more on his heart than his head in life?

My guess is that your heart is learning everything about “Communication with God,” but your left brain is sending warning signals that it hasn't memorized everything yet (and that's true - it hasn't yet). However, as I said before, your head does not have to have time to absorb all four morning lectures with my teaching, because you will have the opportunity to receive books, audio and video tapes that you can carefully watch at home.

I think that your left brain (your analytical, thinking tendencies) is stressed, but your heart (which was probably symbolized by “good-natured Fred”) is calm, accepting the teaching of “Communication with God.”

What do you think about it?

Last letter from Mike: Mark, this is amazing! That's exactly what my father-in-law was like. Good-natured. Soft and calm. God bless you. Mike.

Another example of dream interpretation - from my employee: One day a woman who used to edit my works and attended my classes at Bible school came up to me and told me the following dream.

In her dream, she entered her house and smelled smoke. She went up to the second floor, looking for what was burning, but could not find anything. Then I looked on the first floor and also found nothing. Then I went into the kitchen, and the smell of smoke intensified. She opened the upper kitchen cabinets, but there was no fire, but when she opened the lower cabinets, flames came out of them and she woke up.

At that time, she could not understand what the dream was saying. Two months after this dream, she went to the doctor complaining of pain in her intestines. And she was diagnosed with intestinal inflammation. This illness was caused by stress, and doctors prescribed her medications for inflammation.

Do you see that the dream warned her about this disease two months before the doctor made the diagnosis?

Her dream said: “There is fire in her house.” Her home is where she lives - her body.

There was a fire in the kitchen. The kitchen is the place where we eat, which symbolizes its digestive system.

There was no fire in the upper cabinets, which symbolized the upper part digestive system or her stomach.

The fire was in the lower cabinets, which symbolized the lower part of her digestive tract, that is, the intestines.

The dream said “There is a fire in your intestines” two months before the doctor’s intervention.

A year later, the dream repeated itself again. She immediately realized that if she did not rest and relax, the stress she was experiencing would force her to go to the doctor again. She found an opportunity to rest and avoided another attack. Great advice! It was worth listening to it and putting it into practice. This is an example of a subjective dream concerning processes within a person himself. The dream conveyed to her advice from God, warning her of what disaster might happen if she did not mend her ways. Impressive, right?

The art of dream interpretation

The best way to see the biblical value of dreams is to examine the 220 occurrences of dreams and visions in the Bible. Many of these references describe the entire history of the dream, and tell what revelations and actions followed it. Next, we will examine nearly 1,000 verses of Scripture in an effort to determine the biblical approach to dreams. We will go from Genesis to Revelation, examining the words: dream, dreamer and vision. By prayerfully reflecting on each dream story, we can come to a balanced and complete biblical view of dreams.

We learn how God speaks through dreams. We explore the language of dreams: symbols, literal meaning, or both.

The Bible records many dreams that use symbolic language. In some cases, the dream is followed by the interpretation of these symbols. We explore these interpretations to overcome our wariness of symbols in our own dreams.

Some symbols have a universal interpretation, while other symbols are associated only with a specific dream. This applies not only to biblical accounts of dreams, but also to dreams today.

We learn that “God gives interpretation”; so we will learn to bring our dreams to God, and trust that He will reveal the meaning of the dream through communication and journaling.

It is obvious that God spoke through dreams at all times from Genesis to Revelation, and nowhere did He warn that He would stop doing so. Therefore, it is time for the Church to open Her ears and listen to what God says this way.

As we do our research, we will ask in prayer, “Lord, show us what You desire regarding dreams and their interpretation.”

This research guide is designed to be done in a classroom setting under the guidance of a tutor, for which the Tutor Guide (Part 2) has been written.

While reading, look biblical principles , relating to dreams and visions.

God not only communicates with us when we are awake, He also instructs us at night through our dreams.

“I will bless the Lord, who gave me understanding; even at night my inner being teaches me” (Ps. 15:7).

Student, Fish and Agassiz

Before studying the Scriptures in this book, read the following article. “The Student, the Fish, and Agassiz” deals with the issues of careful and thoughtful examination of passages that you need to ponder.

More than fifteen years ago, I walked into Professor Agassiz's laboratory and told him that I had signed up for science classes as a natural history researcher. He asked me several questions about the purpose of my coming, about my background in general, in what direction I was going to use the acquired knowledge subsequently, and, in the end, whether I wanted to have a thorough knowledge of all branches of zoology. I intended to devote myself especially to the study of insects.

“When do you want to start?” - he asked.

“Right now,” I replied.

He seemed to like it, and cheerfully saying “Very good,” he took a large jar of samples preserved in alcohol from the shelf.

“Take this fish,” he said, “and examine it; we call it Hemulon; From time to time I will ask you what you saw.”

At this point he left, but returned a moment later and gave me extensive instructions on how to handle the object entrusted to me.

“A man cannot be a naturalist,” he said, “unless he knows how to take care of specimens.”

I had to place the fish in front of me on a tin tray, and periodically moisten the surface with alcohol from a jar, not forgetting to then tightly close the jar with a lid. At that time there were no frosted glass stoppers or elegantly shaped display flasks; students of that time remember huge necklace glass bottles with wet, waxed specimens that were half eaten by insects and stained with basement dust. Entomology was a purer science than ichthyology, but the example of the professor, who did not hesitate to “dive” his hand to the bottom of the bottle to get a fish, was infectious. And although his alcohol reeked of an “ancient and fishy smell,” I did not dare show the slightest disgust while on this sacred territory, and treated the alcohol as if it were pure water. However, I felt a sense of frustration coming over me, since looking at the fish was not unlike an ardent entomologist.

Ten minutes later I had examined everything I could about this fish and went in search of the professor, who, as it turned out, had left the museum; and when, after gawking at some of the scattered animals kept in the upper hall, I returned to the laboratory, my specimen was completely dry. I splashed the liquid on the fish, as if trying to bring it back to consciousness, and anxiously awaited the return of its normal slimy appearance. At the end of this small exciting episode, there was nothing else to do but return to looking at my silent companion. Half an hour passed, an hour, another hour; the fish began to disgust me. I turned it to the other side, twisted it back and forth; looked into her face - a terrible sight! I was in despair; I had already come to the conclusion that it was time to have lunch, so with great relief I carefully returned the fish to the jar, and was free for the whole hour.

When I returned, I learned that Professor Agassiz had been at the museum, but had left again and would not return for at least a few hours. My classmates were too busy to be distracted by constant conversations. Slowly I pulled out the nasty fish again. It was forbidden to use any tools. My two hands, two eyes and a fish; it seemed that the field for research was extremely limited. I stuck my fingers into her mouth to test the sharpness of her teeth. Then I began to count the scales in different rows until I was convinced that this was a useless exercise. Finally, a happy idea struck me - I will draw this fish; and then, to my surprise, I began to discover new features of this creature. And it was at this time that the professor returned.

He listened attentively to my brief report on the structure of the parts, the names of which were not yet known to me; about the fringed edges of the gills and movable tires; about pores on the head, fleshy lips and eyes without lids; about transverse stripes, a spike-like fin and a forked tail; about a compressed and curved torso. When I finished, he was in no hurry to answer, as if waiting for me to continue, and then with a hint of frustration he said: “You didn’t look very carefully; why?” he continued, with great emphasis, “You have not noticed one of the most striking characteristics of the animal, which is right before your eyes, like the fish itself. Look again, take a closer look!” - and he left me to suffer further.

I was irritated and depressed. Still staring at this unfortunate fish? But now I forced myself to set to work with greater enthusiasm, and began to notice new features one after another, until I was convinced that the professor’s criticism was very sensible. Evening imperceptibly approached, and towards the end of the working day the professor asked:

“Well, have you found it yet?”

“No,” I replied, “I’m sure not yet. But I see how little I noticed at first.”

“This is already a great achievement,” he answered joyfully, “but I will not listen to you now; put your fish back and go home; I think that tomorrow morning your answer will sound better. I’ll check you before you fish.”

It was completely confusing; I not only had to think about my fish all night, studying, without the most visualization, what this unknown but obvious feature could be, but also, without re-examining my new discoveries, clearly state them the next day. I had a bad memory; so I walked home along the Charles River, embarrassed by my difficulties.

The next morning the professor's cordial greeting sounded rather comforting; in front of me was a man who, just like myself, seemed to want me to see what he saw.

“Perhaps you mean,” I asked, “that fish have symmetrical sides with paired organs?”

His clearly pleased “Of course, of course!” was a reward for sleepless hours of the night. After a short explanation, which he did, as always, with joy and enthusiasm, about the importance of this point, I decided to ask what I should do next.

“Oh, look at your fish!” - he said, and left me to my own discretion. A little less than an hour later he returned and listened to my new list.

"Good good!" - he answered. - "But that is not all; continue.” And so three long days successively he placed the fish in front of me, forbidding me to look at anything else, or use artificial means. “Look, look, look,” the instructions were repeated.

This was the best entomological lesson ever taught to me—a lesson that influenced every detail of subsequent research; the legacy that the professor gave me, like many others, a legacy of immeasurable value that you cannot buy and which you will not part with.

A year later, several of my classmates and I were having fun drawing all sorts of strange animals on the blackboard with chalk. We drew jumping starfish, mercilessly fighting frogs; worms with hydra heads; fish slowly emerged, standing on their tails and carrying umbrellas, solemnly; cartoon fish with open mouths and bulging eyes. The professor just came up and laughed with us at these experiments. He took a closer look at the fish.

“Gemulon, every one of them,” he said. “Mr. _________ drew them.” And so it was; and to this day, when I try to draw fish, I still end up with hemulons.

On the fourth day, a second fish from the same group was placed next to the first, and I was asked to point out the similarities and differences between them; then another fish appeared, then another, until the whole family lay before me, and a multitude of jars filled the table and the shelves nearby; the smell became a pleasant aroma; and even now the sight of an old six-inch worm-eaten cork evokes fragrant memories.

Thus, the entire group of hemulons was submitted for consideration; and whatever I do: dissection internal organs, preparation and examination of the body structure or description different parts, the lesson taught by Agassiz in the method of examining facts and organizing them, which encouraged not to be satisfied with what has already been achieved, was always used.

“Facts are a stupid thing,” he used to say, “until you connect them with some general laws.”

At the end of eight months, somewhat reluctantly, I left these friends and turned to insects; but what I got thanks to these additional classes, had more value than years? further research in my favorite field.

Write down lessons you can draw from this story that you can apply to your future studies. And then apply them. I repeat: use them. Consciously use these principles until they become a natural and integral part of your meditation on the word of God.

Biblical Reflection: The principles that were portrayed in the story of “The Student, the Fish, and Agassiz” are principles that a person should follow when meditating on the Bible. Below is an overview of the principles of biblical reflection.

Biblical Model of Meditation

Biblical meditation results in insight, revealed knowledge, and anointed thinking..

Do not do that:

Left hemisphere

Study/rational humanism

1. Have an unconfessed sin

2. Have prejudices

3. Be independent: “I can do it myself...”

4. Read quickly

5. Rely on your thinking and logical analysis

7. Take praise for insightful insight personally.

Do this:

Participation of both hemispheres/heart

Reflection/Revelation from Above

1. Be washed in the blood of Jesus

2. Be willing to embrace new things and learn.

3. Pray: “Lord, show me”

4. Take your time, think about it, weigh everything

5. Connect anointed thinking, image flow, music and speech

6. Read with a specific purpose

7. Praise God for Understanding

A dream that gives protection

I have been paying attention to my dreams since I was very early age. I remember how, at the age of five, I was delighted with the adventures that I experienced during sleep. Also at that age, God influenced my life through my dreams. His protective hand was already on me, and He saved me from certain misfortune and wounds, warning me in a dream not to sled down the hill, near which there was a road below.

The day after this dream, I was playing with my friends, and when it was my turn to sled down the hill, the Holy Spirit reminded me of the dream. And I didn’t sit on the sled, but simply let it roll down the hill empty. When the sled reached the site, the slide met the road, a car suddenly drove out, hit the sled and dragged it a couple more meters before stopping. The memory of this dream never leaves me, and to this day my heart is filled with gratitude and delight at how God can communicate with us through dreams. /Johanna Thern/

Epilogue

One university mentor wrote about one of his observations: when students are given the task of keeping a diary of their dreams for six months, they often begin to become convinced on their own that the living God is trying to communicate with them through dreams. This opens up a whole new opportunity for evangelism. /Mark Weckler/

Interpretation of sleep

The first part of the dream caused me a lot of frustration for several years. I often woke up feeling completely desperate and helpless. I think that children being hit by a car symbolized, first of all, inner child in me, who was not given the necessary care and attention. These were also symbols of the ministry God placed me in to care for and nourish children to grow in their walk with God. The car symbolized the powerful destruction that Satan wants to bring upon us.

The boy who has grown into such a fine young man most likely symbolizes the Christ in me who wants to guide, protect, and lead me to full life. I am reminded of Philippians 2:12 and 13, where we are encouraged to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to work.” Because of my willingness to give Him my attention, He was able to respond by growing and guiding me into the fullness of God's abundant blessing. I remember verse 7 of Psalm 15, where it says: “I will bless the Lord, who gave me understanding; even at night my inner being teaches me.”

The three-headed monster that was lurking in the forest symbolizes the three areas of my life that God is dealing with. The monster seemed so huge to me because these spheres seemed completely insurmountable to me. But thanks to the dream, the words I saw in the dream, and the young man who fought for me, I have more confidence that God will win, has already won this battle, and He is always there to protect and guide me in every situation .

I felt confident that the Holy Spirit is always there to refresh us and heal our wounds.

I knew that every silver gift was a part of me that I had put aside and no longer gave it a place in my life. Because I neglected these gifts of God, they became abandoned places crying out for healing. Every gift was put aside because I was made to think it had no value, was not good for anything, or was not good enough to meet anyone's expectations. I once developed the gift of playing the clarinet over the course of eight years, but it seemed to me that I was not achieving sufficient success, so I abandoned this activity.

As the meaning of the dream unfolded to me more and more, I was blessed to know that my God cares for me, that He speaks to me not only during the day during prayer and journaling, but continues to bring healing and edification to my spirit even when I'm sleeping.

I am sure that the streams of water in this dream spoke to me about the need in my life to more often allow the Holy Spirit to refresh me, comfort me, and bring peace to my troubled soul. White clothes

they talked about my purity in Christ when I emerged from the waters of the Holy Spirit. The food that was prepared in front of us reminded me of the food I need to take every day from God's Word.

When the young man handed me a book and a pen, I realized that it was

In the history of mankind, dreams have always played a special role. This was reflected in the works of literature of different times and peoples, as well as in their religion. Dreams in most cases were considered by people as inexplicable actions or revelations of a mysterious Providence. We will get acquainted with the Biblical view on the issue of dreams and their interpretation. Let us immediately note that vision and dream are two different things. We will talk about dreams, not visions.

I. Introduction: general review question about dreams

1. Terminology of the Old and New Testaments
Dream: Hebrew noun " khalom "; Greek noun " onar ».

2. What is sleep? ?
Dreaming is a state of consciousness during which images, thoughts and impressions run through a person's mind during sleep.
A dream is “a sequence of images, etc., passing through the mind of a sleeping person.”

3. Three aspects of sleep
Man is a complex being, having a physical and spiritual beginning. Speaking about dreams, it is necessary to note three aspects of dreams: physiological, emotional (or mental) and spiritual.

A. Physiological and emotional aspects of dreams
We are physiological beings with a body. Sleep is a necessary part of the daily schedule, during which the body rests and recovers. Most of our dreams are the result of the activity of the organism: body and soul:

Very often, our brain continues to reflect in our sleep on what worried us during the day. This is evidenced by the fact that many discoveries were made in a dream after a long and stressful day of work.
Often our dreams are the result of certain physiological processes our body. For example, lack of oxygen in a stuffy room; overeating before bed; lack of certain vitamins in the body. That is, our body is designed by the Lord in such a wonderful way that he himself tries to “shout out” to us through certain images in a dream and suggest; the body is trying to tell us what it lacks for normal functioning.

B. The spiritual aspect of dreams.
The Bible contains stories when the Lord God appeared to people in a dream in order to warn them about something. For example, God warned Abimilech not to touch Sarah: Genesis 20:3 « And God came to Abimelech at night in a dream and said to him: Behold, you will die for the woman whom you have taken, for she has a husband." Similarly, the Lord warned Laban about Jacob: Genesis 31:24 « And God came to Laban the Aramean at night in a dream and said to him: Beware, do not say good or bad to Jacob.».

4. Revelation from God through dreams is a characteristic...
A. ...The early era of the patriarchs (fathers of the faith):
Jacob - Genesis 28:10-16; Joseph - Genesis 37:5-10(two dreams on one topic).

B. ...Eras of the reign of King Solomon:
1 Kings 3:5-15 « The Lord appeared in Gibeon Solomon in a dream at night, and God said: ask what to give you».

C. ... God's communications with the rulers of the pagan world, in particular with the kings and nobles of the land of the Philistines, Egypt and Babylon:
Genesis 20:2-3 « And Abimelech sent, king of Gerar, and took Sarah. And God came to Abimelech at night in a dream and said to him, Behold, you will die for the woman whom you have taken, for she has a husband»; Genesis 40:5 « One day cupbearer And baker the king of Egypt, imprisoned in prison, had dreams, each his own dream, both in one night, each a dream of special significance»; Genesis 41:1 « After two years to the pharaoh dreamed...»;
Daniel 2:1 « In the second year of his reign Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, and his spirit was troubled, and sleep departed from him»; Daniel 4:1-2 « I, Nebuchadnezzar, I was at peace in my house and prosperous in my palaces. But I had a dream who frightened me, and the reflections on my bed and the visions of my head troubled me».

D. A dream as a revelation from God for those who are outside the Kingdom of God.

Midianites: Judges 7:12-15 « The Midianites and the Amalekites and all the inhabitants of the east settled down in the valley in such a multitude as locusts; There were no number of camels; they were as numerous as the sand on the seashore. Gideon has arrived. And so, one tells another a dream and says: I dreamed that a round piece of barley bread was rolling through the camp of Midian and, rolling towards the tent, hit it so that it fell, knocked it over, and the tent fell apart. Another answered him, “This is none other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, an Israelite; God delivered the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands. Gideon, having heard the story of the dream and its interpretation, worshiped the Lord and returned to the camp of Israel and said: Arise! The Lord has delivered the camp of Midian into your hands»;
Pilate's wife: Matthew 27:19 « his wife ».

In almost all cases when the Lord spoke in dreams to the rulers of pagan nations, He also sent them the people of God with the gift of dream interpretation, so that they would correctly interpret dreams from God: Joseph ( Genesis 40:5-23; Genesis 40:8 « They said to him: We have dreamed dreams; and there is no one to interpret them. Joseph said to them: Are not interpretations from God? tell me»; Genesis 41:1-32) And prophet Daniel (Daniel 2:19-45; Daniel 4:5 « Finally came to me Daniel whose name was Belshazzar, after the name of my god, and in whom was the spirit of the holy God; I told him a dream»).
In accordance with Genesis 40:8, the true interpretation of dreams is from God. This is God's gift. And, as we know, God gives people spiritual gifts for edification, building up the church (the people of God) and glorifying the Lord.

II. The Old Testament about dreams and their interpretation

1. Dreams and Old Testament prophets.

During Old Testament times, the ability to interpret dreams was associated with the Hebrew prophets.
Numbers 12:6-8 « And he said: listen to my words: if a prophet of the Lord happens to you, then I reveal myself to him in a vision, I speak to him in a dream; but not so with My servant Moses - he is faithful in all My house: I speak to him mouth to mouth, and openly, and not in fortune telling, and he sees the image of the Lord; Why were you not afraid to rebuke My servant Moses?"According to this verse, God most often reveals himself to prophets who dream...
- in visions;
- in dreams;
- obviously (face to face).

However, the Word of God prohibits believing all dreams as prophetic. God's people were called to recognize false prophets and not believe their prophecies:
Deuteronomy 13:1-5 « If a prophet arises among you, or dreamer, and he will present you with a sign or a miracle, and the sign or miracle about which he spoke to you will come true, and moreover he will say: “Let us follow other gods whom you do not know, and we will serve them,” then do not listen to the words of this prophet, or dreamer this; For by this the Lord your God is tempting you to find out whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul; Follow the Lord your God and fear Him, keep His commandments and listen to His voice, and serve Him, and cleave to Him; and that prophet or that dreamer must be put to death because he persuaded you to depart from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and delivered you from the house of slavery, wanting to turn you away from the path in which the Lord your God commanded you to go. ; and so destroy evil from among you».

2. Interpretation of dreams as a type of fortune telling

Dreams and their interpretation are often a means of lying and a type of fortune telling.
Zechariah 10:2 « For the teraphim speak empty things, and the prophets see false things and tell dreams are false; they console with emptiness; that's why they wander like sheep, they are in poverty because there is no shepherd».
Jeremiah 23:25-32 « I have heard what the prophets say, prophesying lies in my name. They say: " I dreamed, I dreamed"How long will this be in the hearts of the prophets who prophesy lies, who prophesy the deceit of their hearts? Do they think to bring My people to forget My name through their dreams, which they tell to each other, as their fathers forgot My name because of Baal? The prophet who saw a dream, let him tell it as a dream; but he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What does chaff have in common with pure grain? says the Lord. Is not My word like fire, says the Lord, and like a hammer breaking a rock? Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, says the Lord, who steal My words from one another. Behold, I am against the prophets, says the Lord, who act with their tongues and say, “He said.” Here I am - on the prophets of false dreams, says the Lord, who tell them and lead My people astray with their deceptions and deceptions, while I did not send them or command them, and they bring no benefit to this people, says the Lord».

The revelation that the Lord gave to the prophet in reality, and not during sleep, was most often valued more than the revelation in a dream. And this is no coincidence. The Lord forbade contacting fortunetellers, soothsayers and sorcerers who used chemical and biological substances, introducing a person into a state of trance or hypnosis - that is, a type of sleep. The Lord calls us to be “sober-minded” and to be sober-minded worshipers, not superstitious fanatics.
In the history of mankind there have always been, are and will be charlatans posing as vessels of God with the gift of interpreting dreams. There are even special books that interpret dreams - “dream books”. But the Lord gave us the Bible - the Word of God, according to which we must measure our lives.

3. Two periods in the Old Testament era of dream interpretation

IN Old Testament two special cycles are described, during which dreams were interpreted by experts with a special gift from God. First cycle dates back to the life of Joseph: Genesis 37:5-10 « And Joseph saw a dream, and told his brothers: and they hated him even more...»
Second cycle refers to the life and ministry of the prophet Daniel: Daniel 2. Dreams from these two periods are classified as prophecies about the future.

III. New Testament on dreams and their interpretation

1. Incidents of Dreams from the Lord in the New Testament:

A. Dreams of Joseph (husband of the Virgin Mary)
The Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and warned him about the birth of Jesus: Matthew 1:19-21 « Joseph, Her husband, being righteous and not wanting to make Her public, wanted to secretly let Her go. But when he thought this, behold, the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said: Joseph, son of David! Do not be afraid to accept Mary your wife, for what is born in Her is from the Holy Spirit; She will give birth to a Son, and you will call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins».
The Lord also warned in a dream Joseph about the danger facing baby Jesus: Matthew 2:13 « When they departed, behold, the Angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream and says: get up, take the Child and His Mother and flee to Egypt, and be there until I tell you, for Herod wants to look for the Child in order to destroy Him.», Matthew 2:19 « After the death of Herod, behold, the Angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in Egypt in a dream and says: Arise, take the Child and His Mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the soul of the Child are dead.», Matthew 2:22 « Having heard that Archelaus reigned in Judea instead of Herod, his father, he was afraid to go there; but having received a revelation in a dream, he went into the region of Galilee».

B. The Dream of the Wise Men from the East
Matthew. 2:12 « And having received revelation in a dream not to return to Herod, they went to their own country in another way»,

V. Dream of Pontius Pilate's wife
Matthew 27:19 « While he was sitting in the judge's seat, his wife sent him to say: do not do anything to the Righteous One, because now in a dream I suffered a lot for Him».

2. Fulfillment of the prophecy of the prophet Joel.

Acts 2:17 « And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; and your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams». This verse from Acts quotes a verse from Joel 2:28 « And it shall come to pass after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions».

It should be noted here that the Word of God does not promote dreams and the practice of interpreting them. Remember under what circumstances did the Apostle Peter quote a passage from the book of the prophet Joel? He did this on the Day of Pentecost - the day the Holy Spirit descended to earth. This was the day when God the Holy Spirit came down to earth to dwell in man. Previously, in Old Testament times, the Lord's Spirit dwelt only in God's chosen vessels: kings, priests and prophets. These were a few from the numerous Israeli people. According to the passage in Numbers 12:6, God revealed himself to them through visions, dreams or in reality. The purpose of the words of the prophet Joel, repeated by Peter on the Day of Pentecost, is not to promote dreams and visions, but to testify that a new era has now arrived in the history of mankind, when the Great God will dwell with man - with everyone who opens his heart to him: be it a man or woman, young man or old man. And now every person who has God's Spirit, will be equated with a prophet.

The Lord can reveal Himself to a person in a dream, in a vision or in reality. However, we must not forget that God mainly reveals Himself to us through His Holy Word - the Bible. Hebrews 1:1-2 « God, who spoke many times and in various ways of old to the fathers in the prophets, in these last days spoke to us in the Son Whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he created the worlds».

Jesus is the living word of God the Father ( John 1:1,14)
The Word of God is the standard against which we compare all prophecies, visions and dreams. They are rejected if in any way they do not coincide or diverge from what is written in the Bible.

IV . Additional observations about dreams

1. The purpose of dreams from the Lord:

A. Advice from the Lord:
Acts 2:17 « And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; and your young men will see visions, and your elders with dreams understandable will " It says here that the purpose of dreams is enlightenment.
Please note that the Lord will enlighten you with dreams elders. IN Greek language the word "elders" means elders or pastors (in this case the Greek word is used "presbuteros" from which it came Russian word "presbyter" ).

B. Deliverance from destruction:
Job 33:14-18 « God says once and, if no one notices, another time: in a dream, in night vision when sleep falls on people, while dozing on the bed. Then He opens a person’s ear and impresses His instruction in order to lead a person away from any undertaking and remove pride from him, in order to take his soul from the abyss and his life from being struck by the sword.». So, the purpose of dreams from the Lord:
- take a person away from any enterprise;
- remove pride from him;
- take his soul away from the abyss;
- to take his life away from being struck by a sword.

2. Dreams and serving the Lord

The Word of God warns that too much talk and too many dreams make serving God a vanity. Therefore, we advise you to be guided by the following biblical motto regarding dreams: Ecclesiastes 5:6 « Because in many dreams, as in many words, there is a lot of vanity; but fear God».
This verse is very reminiscent of the words of Jesus Christ in the Gospel of Matthew 6:7 « And when you pray, do not say too much, like the pagans, for they think that verbosity will be heard».

3. man cannot force God to answer him in a dream.

No matter how hard a person tries, he cannot force God to answer him in a dream. An example is the story of King Saul: 1 Samuel 28:6 « And Saul inquired of the Lord; But The Lord did not answer him even in his dreams, neither through the Urim nor through the prophets" King Saul rejected the Word of the Living God, and so the Lord God rejected Saul.
This story serves as a lesson for each of us. If you reject or do not fulfill the Living Word of the Lord - the Bible, and what is written in it, then do not hope that the Lord will speak to you in your sleep . He already said in Holy Scripture everything you need to know for salvation and a godly life on earth.

V . Common misconceptions about dreams

Misconception 1: " God chose dreams as one of the ways communication with a person».
Our answer: If this is God communicating with us, then why are there misinterpretations of dreams? Are we supposed to guess what God meant? What about forgotten dreams? What about people who don't dream? What about those who don't sleep at all? Does God not communicate with them in principle?

Misconception 2: " Dreams - one of the main ways, which God has chosen to communicate with us, and we must pay appropriate attention to them!»
Our answer: If dreams are God's primary way of communicating with us, then what place does God's Word have in God's communication with us? Why do we need it if God talks to us through dreams?

Misconception 3: " God comes to man, speaking directly to his heart and spirit through His voice, prophecy, dream, vision and anointing».
Our answer: Nowhere in the New Testament is there evidence of this idea. On the contrary, almost all the books of the New Testament emphasize the Word of God (Scripture) rather than dreams and visions.

Misconception 4: " The heart of the person who sees the dream will tremble and “confirm” and say “Exactly so!” when he hears the correct interpretation, so never accept an interpretation that does not have evidence in the heart of the dreamer himself».
Our answer: Our heart should not be the key to interpreting dreams, but the Word of God. The human heart, as defined by the Bible, is deceitful and desperately wicked: Jeremiah 17:9 « The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.».
Matthew 15:19-20 « ...for from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, blasphemy - this defiles a person" This is why our heart cannot be the standard. Only God himself and His holy Word should be both a standard and an authority for us throughout our lives.

The state of sleep itself is mentioned in the Holy Scriptures as something natural for humans. The first mention of this state is found in the story about the time before the Fall: the Lord puts Adam into a dream before creating Eve from him (see: Gen. 2:21).

Here's what they say about good sleep: “God sent the king deep sleep, this good gift, which from time immemorial has been sent by Him, night and day, to everyone to whom He wills” (3 Mac. 5:6). The type of sleep is influenced by a person’s life: “Sweet is the sleep of a worker, you never know how much he will eat; but the rich man’s satiety does not allow him to sleep” (Eccl. 5:11); also in another place it is said: “Healthy sleep comes from moderation of the stomach” (Sir. 32: 22).

There are indications that God uses people's sleep, or lack thereof. So that David could slip out of the encirclement, Saul and everyone who was with him fell into a “dream from the Lord” (1 Samuel 26:12); on the contrary, in order to remind King Artaxerxes of the good deed of righteous Mordecai, “The Lord took away sleep from the king” (Esther 6:1).

As for dreams, it is said about them that “dreams come with a lot of worries” (Eccl. 5:2), and that “in a lot of dreams, like in a lot of words, there is a lot of vanity” (Eccl. 5:6) . This applies to ordinary dreams.

But in Scripture there are often indications that God sometimes, in one way or another, announces His will to man through a dream or a warning about future events.

In a dream, the Lord spoke to Abraham (see: Gen. 15: 12) and the pagan king Abimelech (see: Gen. 20: 3–6); Patriarch Jacob received a vision from the Lord in a dream (see: Gen. 28:12); through a dream, God enlightened Laban (see: Gen. 31:24); Patriarch Joseph saw a prophetic dream in his youth (see: Gen. 37: 6–9), he also interpreted the prophetic dreams of the Egyptian butler and baker (see: Gen. 40), and then the pharaoh (see: Gen. 41 : 15–32); a prophetic dream for the sake of Gideon was sent to one of the Midian army (see: Judges 7:13); “in Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night” (1 Kings 3:5); the prophet Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's prophetic dream (see: Dan. 2) and himself saw “prophetic visions” in a dream (Dan. 7: 1).

Among these cases there are examples of the Lord speaking directly in a dream, and there are examples where a person receives revelation through a vision, which, as a rule, needs interpretation. Such dreams from God happened to both the righteous and sinners, and even to pagans, both to kings and prophets, and to ordinary people. One can even talk about such dreams not so much as exceptions, but as a certain rule: the Lord speaks “to people in a dream, in a night vision, when a dream falls on people... then He opens a person’s ear and imprints His instruction in order to lead the person away.” from his intended task and remove pride from him, in order to lead his soul from the abyss and his life from being defeated by the sword" (Job 33: 15-18).

But to the greatest and most significant extent this was characteristic of the prophetic ministry: “if there is a prophet of the Lord among you, then I reveal myself to him in a vision, I speak to him in a dream” (Num. 12: 6). If an ordinary person, as a rule, there are prophetic dreams concerning only his fate, the prophet receives revelations about the fate of the entire people and even all of humanity.

And in the New Testament we see that the Lord continues to admonish people through dreams. Twice an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, informing him of the will of God; the wise men were warned in a dream not to return to Herod; finally, Pilate’s wife had a terrible dream when her husband was judging Jesus Christ. That dream was given to her as a sign of Jesus' righteousness. She said to Pilate: “Do not do anything to the Righteous One, because now in a dream I have suffered much for Him” (Matthew 27:19).

The prophet Joel predicts: “And it shall come to pass after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions” (Joel 2:28). At a sermon delivered on the day of Pentecost, the Apostle Peter testified that this prophecy was fulfilled in the New Testament Church, which addressed the apostolic gospel to all nations: “Men of Judah, and all who live in Jerusalem!.. This is what was prophesied by the prophet Joel: And it will happen in the last days “, says God, I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh... and your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams” (Acts 2:14, 16-17).

However, this does not mean that any human dream is prophetic. Scripture repeatedly mentions false dreams and how destructive it is to trust them and try to pass them off as revelations: “Sorcerers see false things and tell lying dreams; they console with emptiness” (Zech. 10:2). “Do they think that they will cause My people to forget My name through their dreams, which they tell to each other?” (Jer. 23:27); “Behold, I am against the prophets of false dreams, says the Lord, who tell them and lead My people astray with their deceptions and deceptions, although I did not send them or command them, and they bring no benefit to this people, says the Lord.” (Jer. 23:32); “Let not your prophets who are among you and your fortune tellers deceive you; and do not listen to the dreams that you dream” (Jer. 29:8).

Even more attention is paid to both the state of sleep and the phenomenon of dreams in the works of the holy fathers of the Church.

Sleep state

Meaning of sleep

St. Augustine describes the state of sleep this way: “What sleep produces arises from the body and acts in the body. Sleep leads to an insensitive state and in some way obscures the bodily senses. The soul yields to this change with pleasure, because this change, which renews bodily strength after labor, occurs according to the law of nature... a bodily change, which is a dream, can deprive the soul of the use of the body, but not its own life.”

Blessed Theodoret of Cyrus points to the providential significance of sleep as rest for the bodies of workers: “The sight of God... gave... sweet and long sleep, which can calm the body after fatigue and make it stronger for work next day. Therefore, do not look at the labors alone, but pay attention to the consolations after the labors and praise the Ruler of all for everything.”

Saint Gregory of Nyssa speaks of the state of sleep as a natural phenomenon, caused by variability as an indispensable attribute of earthly life: “Sleep weakened what was tense in wakefulness, then wakefulness brought tension to what was weakened. And none of these states continues together with the other incessantly, but both give way to each other when one and the other appears, and thus nature renews itself with these changes... If you are in both states in time and in moderation, then this gives nature has the strength to maintain itself... Proper rest for the bodily composition is necessary so that food can be easily distributed throughout the body along the paths known to it, while no tension interferes with this transition.”

The Holy Fathers drew attention to the fact that the incarnate Lord Jesus Christ was sleeping. According to the thought of Blessed Theodoret of Cyrus, “hunger, thirst, and moreover sleep testify that the body of the Lord is a human body.” And Saint Gregory the Theologian explains that the Lord “sometimes sleeps in order to bless sleep, sometimes he labors in order to sanctify his work, sometimes he cries in order to make his tears praiseworthy.”

Speaking about the sleep state to which we are subject ordinary people, St. John Climacus points out that it can take possession of a person by various reasons: “Sleep is a certain property of nature, an image of death, inaction of the senses. The dream itself is the same; but it, like lust, has many causes: it comes from nature, from food, from demons, and, perhaps, from excessive and prolonged fasting, when the exhausted flesh wants to strengthen itself with sleep.”

The dream state as a metaphor

The dream was often used by the holy fathers as a metaphor, denoting something illusory, impermanent and unreal. Quite a few of them compared real life to a dream. As an illustration, it suffices to quote one quote from St. Ephraim Sirina: “Just as a dream seduces the soul with ghosts and visions, so the world seduces with its pleasures and blessings. Can be deceiving night sleep; he enriches you with the treasures he has found, makes you a ruler, gives you high ranks, clothes you in magnificent clothes, puffs you up with pride and imagines in dreamy ghosts how people come and honor you. But the night has passed, the dream has dissipated and disappeared: you are awake again, and all those visions that appeared to you in your sleep have become pure lies. So the world deceives with its goods and riches; they pass away like a dream at night and turn into nothing. The body falls asleep in death, but the soul awakens, remembers its dreams in this world, is ashamed of them and blushes.”

Another metaphor is worthy of attention, less common, but no less vivid. St. Augustine compared his conversion to faith with the process of awakening: “The burden of the world pressed gently upon me, as if in a dream; my thoughts about You were like the attempts of those who want to wake up, but are overcome deep sleep, are immersed in it again. And although there is not a single person who would like to always sleep - wakefulness, according to common sense and universal opinion, is better - but a person usually hesitates to shake off sleep: his limbs are heavy, sleep is already unpleasant, and, however, he sleeps and sleeps, although It's time to get up. So I already firmly knew that it was better for me to give myself to Your love than to give in to an evil desire; she attracted and won, but it was sweet and held. I had nothing to answer to Your words: “Wake up, you who sleep; rise from the dead, and Christ will illuminate you."

In these metaphors one can see the attitude towards dreams as something that should not be trusted and to which one should not become attached, and to the process of sleep as something that should not be indulged in excess.

Ascetic attitude towards the sleep process

Describing the dangers from sleep, the Monk Barsanuphius the Great says: “Sleep is of two kinds: sometimes the body is burdened by overeating, and sometimes a person cannot fulfill his ministry due to weakness, and sleep comes over him; after gluttony there follows the curse of fornication, for (the enemy) burdens the body with sleep in order to defile it.”

The Monk John Cassian indicates two types of harm that a monk can receive from sleep: “The devil, who hates purity... tries to defile us during rest and plunge us into despair, especially after we have brought repentance to God... and he sometimes succeeds in a short time of this an hour of sleep to wound someone whom he could not hurt during the whole night. Secondly... and pure sleep without dangerous dreams can relax a monk who needs to get up soon, produces lazy lethargy in the spirit, weakens his vigor for the whole day, dries up the heart, dulls the vigilance of the mind, which for the whole day could make us more cautious and stronger against all the slander of the enemy."

And here is what the Holy Father says about the dangers of sleeping too much: “A waking eye cleanses the mind, and long sleep hardens the soul. A cheerful monk is the enemy of fornication, while a sleepy one is its friend. Vigil is the extinguishing of carnal desires, getting rid of dreams... Excessive sleep is the cause of oblivion; vigil clears the memory. “Many dreams are an unrighteous companion, stealing half of life or even more from the lazy.”

Venerable Paisios Velichkovsky writes that sleep gives rise to laziness, despondency, despair, “and many other passions.” “The great, brethren, calamity is sleep: just as darkness covers the sun, so many sleep covers the contemplative power of the mind and, like a curtain, imposes oblivion on the mind, which therefore becomes insensitive to everything good spiritual and unmemorable... Demons, like darkness, darken the mind and Just as they extinguish a fire with water, so they overcome it with drowsiness and sleep, so that they can deprive the soul of all good deeds and bring passions upon it.”

Considering the indicated dangers from excessive sleep, it is not surprising that the holy fathers paid attention to how to deal with it, and this should have been one of the first ascetic deeds of the novice monk. St. John Climacus writes: “Just as drinking a lot depends on habit, so does sleeping a lot. That is why we must, especially at the beginning of our struggle, strive against sleep; for it is difficult to heal an old habit." The Monk Paisius adds that “just as eating and drinking a lot becomes a custom... so does sleep: if someone becomes weak and does not fight sleep, but wants to sleep until he is full, then nature demands a lot of sleep... If someone learns to sleep a little, nature also requires little sleep. then he asks for this... Nothing helps against sleep more than the following four virtues: abstinence, sobriety, the Jesus Prayer and mortal remembrance; these virtues are called a cheerful and sober guard... Never sit down without a book and needlework; not because handicraft is needed, but in order to counteract sleep... Measure of sleep per day: beginners - seven hours, average - four, perfect - two hours and all-night standing.”

The Holy Fathers also gave specific advice on how an ascetic should prepare for sleep every day so as not to be harmed during it. St. Anthony the Great advises: “When you bow down on your bed, remember with thanksgiving the blessings and providence of God. Then... the sleep of the body will be for you the sobriety of the soul, the closing of your eyes will be the true vision of God, and your silence, being filled with a sense of goodness, will with all your soul and strength give the ascending mountain heartfelt glory to the God of all.”

And the Monk Nilus of Sorsky advises paying attention to the position of the body when preparing for sleep: “We must most especially observe ourselves during sleep, reverently, with thoughts collected within ourselves, and with decorum in the very position of our members; for this short-lived sleep is an image of eternal sleep, i.e. death, and our reclining on the bed should remind us of our position in the grave. And with all this, one must always have God before one’s eyes... He who does this always remains in prayer.”

The Monk Barsanuphius gives the following advice on how a monk should combat excessive sleepiness: “Recite three psalms for each hymn and bow to the ground, and sleep will not overtake you, except for weakness. This is what you should do every night."

The ascetic precepts expressed concern not only monks, but in general principles they are also useful for the laity. This follows, firstly, from the fact that some of the above principles of attitude towards sleep found expression in the morning and evening prayer rules which every Orthodox Christian reads.

Thus, in the first prayer for the coming sleep (of St. Macarius the Great), the believer asks: “Grant me, Lord, to pass through this sleep in peace,” and in the fourth prayer (of the same saint) he says: “Grant me, Lord, to deliver me from the snares of the evil one... and now make me not condemned to fall asleep, and without dreaming: and keep the thoughts of Your servant untroubled, and cast away all the work of Satan from me... lest I sleep into death. And send me an angel of peace... may he deliver me from my enemies, and rising from my bed, I will bring you prayers of gratitude.” In the prayer of St. John of Damascus, the worshiper remembers death: “Master, Lover of Mankind, will this grave be my bed? And after awakening, the Christian, in the sixth of his morning prayers (St. Basil the Great), thanks God, “who gave us sleep for the repose of our weakness, and the weakening of the labors of the arduous flesh.”

Secondly, some saints directly wrote about the relevance of an ascetic attitude towards sleep for the laity. Thus, Saint Ambrose of Milan instructs those who want to repent of their sins to “sleep less than nature requires, interrupt sleep with groans and share it with prayer.” And Saint John of Kronstadt notes: “Whoever sleeps for a long time, spiritual interests become alien to him, prayer is difficult, external and heartless, and the interests of the flesh become in the foreground... Excessive sleep is harmful, relaxes the soul and body.”