3 “Exotic” Types of Waking Dreams

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By Michael Avery

In an earlier post, we covered the 3 Common Types of Waking Dreams: Uncommon Events, Golden-tongued Wisdom, and Highlighted Waking Dreams. These become easily recognizable once we’re aware of them. Awareness is the key.

Now that we’re seasoned travelers and have found waking dreams helpful companions, we may want to venture further down the tracks of Divine Communication. For those blessed with an adventuresome spirit, the glorious lands of exotic waking dreams are waiting to be discovered just beyond the near horizon. 

Generally, we approach the three exotic lands of waking dreams in this order: “Microcosmic Waking Dreams,” “Waking Dreams in Retrospect,” and “Messages from Memories.” More posts on each will be forthcoming, accompanied by examples, but this brief overview will get you pointed in the right direction.  

1) Microcosmic Waking Dreams

When waking dreams appear at the beginning of cycles, we call them “Microcosmic Waking Dreams.” The importance of recognizing the first uncommon event in this “train of waking dreams” cannot be overemphasized. By sharpening our awareness and learning how life speaks to us through outer events, we can study the beginning of new cycles in order to gain some idea of what lies ahead.

The first uncommon event of the day will be the “engine” that pulls the other cars. It could be a “newly paved road” or a “birthday card inscribed with an important message from a friend.” It could be “finding a large white feather” if that image has significance to us.  

Even if the first noteworthy event stands out, a second or third one generally becomes necessary in order to tell us that a Microcosmic Waking Dream is unfolding. The train could have several cars. 

For example, we might see a newly paved road (engine) followed by seeing an eagle land in a nearby tree (first car). A few moments later we might hear a song playing on the radio that we haven’t heard in awhile: “I Did It My Way,” by Frank Sinatra.

And then another unusual event catches our attention—a brand new utility vehicle with the logo, “Fresh Start,” painted on the side. As the day progresses, other potential signs arrive, complimenting our earlier sightings.

“What do each of these events symbolize to us,” we ask, “and what role might they play in the cycle ahead?” Once we have mentally noted or, better yet, written down the memorable events of the day, we may see a pattern developing. Pichaya and I once experienced a Microcosmic Waking Dream with a dozen symbols.

It’s much like connecting the dots in a children’s activity book and marveling at the image that emerges. Does this pattern relate in some way to the present focus of our life? If not, then it may be a microcosmic glimpse into our forthcoming cycle. 

It is important to pay attention to our surroundings and uncommon events on: birthdays, anniversaries, the first day of a new job, the start of a long-planned vacation, the beginning of a book, a graduation (endings spark new beginnings), and weddings, to name a few. These Microcosmic Waking Dreams represent the mileposts on the road ahead.

2) Waking Dreams in Retrospect

With Waking Dreams in Retrospect, we review a past event and find the lesson or insight that we may have missed the first time around. In the years prior to discovering the secret language of waking dreams, and even as a newbie, I missed many important messages from Spirit. 

Even though an event has long since passed, we can still learn from the experience and gain important insights on healing, self-love, balance, and more.

We completely learn a lesson by experiencing both polarities. I often use the example of “stealing” because I suspect most of us have done it when we were young (and we remember it clearly). 

In one polarity, for instance, we steal a hammer from our uncle’s tool shed when we’re ten. Then, at age nineteen, we experience the opposite polarity—we have our stereo stolen from our car in the high school parking lot. 

“What an injustice!” we cry, not understanding how the Law of Cause and Effect operates.

But now, with keener, present-day eyes, we can view this event from our high school days as a waking dream. “What lesson was the event trying to teach us?” we wisely ask. Providing we still can remember those days when we had more hair and a little less common sense, we may also ask, “How did this event relate to the primary focus of my life back then?” 

Hey, whatever happened to that cool kid who sat next to you in Math?

With our greater level of awareness, we can now connect these two seemingly unrelated past events about “stealing” and come to peace with the person who stole our stereo. We can turn our anger into appreciation and enjoy better emotional health by doing so.

We can even thank the unknown individual for helping us balance our actions and fully learn the lesson of stealing. This new understanding can also free our heart from guilt.

3) Messages from Memories

While contemplating and writing about Waking Dreams in Retrospect, I was given a new and fascinating insight. It arrived in the form of a two-part question: What if our strongest memories don’t arrive serendipitously to drag us into the past? What if they really show up in our present moment with important messages of hope, love, healing, inspiration, and guidance?

So, rather than consciously going back into our past and reviewing events, our attention is held in the present moment. When a memory revisits us, we ask ourselves how it relates to: 1) our thoughts the moment we became aware of the memory, or 2) the present focus of our life.

For example, imagine you are considering quitting your job and finding a better one in a different field. If the memory of a song begins playing in your mind, take a moment and allow it into your consciousness. Listen carefully to its words. Do the lyrics relate to the present focus of your life, quitting your job?

Johnny Paycheck wrote a song called “Take This Job and Shove It.” If the memory of this song begins running through your mind, do you see the connection with your present focus—leaving your current job? It’s pretty clear isn’t it? By the way, Johnny Paycheck once worked for my dad when he was the superintendent of a mercury mine in southern Oregon many years ago.

Another example: You remember drinking polluted water when you were four years old at the urging of a neighbor boy your same age. It sent you to the hospital. (This happened to me.)

If this memory suddenly revisits you at a time when you’re considering buying raw milk from a local farm, the memory might hold a message. It could have come into your awareness to warn you about a possible contamination issue with the milk.

Here’s another possibility. This memory has returned to give you an important piece of advice: “Don’t blindly follow in someone else’s footsteps. Think for yourself.”

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In conclusion, please fine tune your awareness and keep your eyes peeled down the tracks ahead. There could be other “exotics” yet to be discovered. The “Bigfoot of all waking dreams” is still out there, I hear. Happy hunting!