There is a dream in which a person sees during the night what he has been doing during the day; when his mind has been very much engaged in all thoughts, occupations, and cares of the day, these appear before him in the dream. This dream is called Khwab-i khayali. It does not have much effect upon the mind, because it is not very deep.
The second kind of dream is Khwab-i ghalti, in which one sees the opposite of what really happens: when one sees someone dead that person recovers from his illness, or one sees someone as one's enemy who in reality is one's friend. When the mirror of the mind is distorted, then the image falling upon it is distorted too, just as in some mirrors everything appears reversed: if you are thin, you appear as fat and round as a ball, and a short person appears as tall and thin as a column.
The third kind of dream is Khwab-i ruhi, in which events are shown exactly as they are. This dream comes to the upright, pure mind, to the righteous, pious person. It is seen either in a dreaming or half-waking condition. If something is lacking in the person's piety, he may see something reversed in the dream. He may see the death of the father when it is the death of the mother, or the illness of the daughter when it is the illness of the son, but if he is absolutely pious he sees the exact event. This dream comes only to the few, to the chosen ones, but we should remember that in all of us the soul is the same; it is only its cover that is different. So we may all dream this dream at times.

Many years before the Prophet Muhammed came forward as a master, as a prophet, his wife knew he was a prophet, because every morning he used to tell her what he had dreamt in the night, and it was always that which happened the next day. Whilst he himself was not yet sure of his message, she believed that he was the chosen one, and she encouraged him. If there was a first disciple of Prophet Muhammed, it was his wife.

The three kinds of dream are the most wonderful subject of study in life. The kind of dream, which is the exact picture of a reality which a person may sooner or later experience in his so-called real life, teaches us that the incidents which we experience unexpectedly in life were pre-ordained for us. It also teaches us that, although here in the physical plane we appear to be separate one from the other, in the plane of the dream the whole world exists upon the surface of the individual's mind. He who is one single being on the physical plane inverts into the whole world on the plane of the dream, although even there where he is alone he still holds fast his individuality.

The nature of the second kind of dream, in which everything appears to be the reverse of what may happen, is the opposite of manifestation: a person seen dead in this dream will have a long life, and the sickness of a friend seen in the dream would, on the contrary, bring him good health. It is because of their negative nature that things like the printer's block, the photographic plate, and all other things of negative character, will show their opposite before they produce the right image.

The kind of dream produced before the view of man, in which he sees what he has been doing during the day, is of little consequence. It is either caused by unbalanced activity of the mind, or by physical disorder. Such dreams as a rule have no importance and, although they create before man a moving picture, they are surely a waste.

This kind of dream, caused by the activity of his mind, is given to each person in his everyday life. The second kind generally manifests itself before the view of those who possess the attribute of humanity, who first think of the world and its responsibilities, together with the thought of God. The third kind of dream generally is vouchsafed to the spiritual person; it is, of course, seldom seen by the average man.

The first thing that happens in the spiritual development of a person is that his dreams change. First he dreams a thing and the contrary happens. Then he dreams a thing and that thing happens exactly as he dreamed it. Then God gives him warnings in pictures, just as the first writings were picture-writings. Then, when his soul discloses itself more, he hears a voice and he sees angelic beings. Then, when his soul opens still more, he realizes the true being of God. When the true being of God is realized in the waking condition, then he is a saint.

Vol. 8, Health and Order of Body and Mind

Dreams are of Three Kinds

-ALL-

Vol. 8, Health and Order of Body and Mind

Dreams are of Three Kinds