Dreams that Shaped History

A gift consists not in what is done or given, but in the intention of the giver.

~Lucius Seneca

People claim they can’t afford the time to pay attention to their dreams…I say you can’t afford NOT to. What if the goldmine you have been praying for is not in your backyard, but under your pillow?

My intent with this blog, at the very least, is that you will come to see your dreams and your dreaming mind as a powerful conductor for good in your life, and thus be inspired to dedicate a few minutes in the morning to your dreams (before guzzling that first cup of tea or coffee.) My greatest dream for this blog is that you will take the tools contained within and become so engaged, so enthralled, and so in sync with your dreams that you will go down in history as one of those dreamers that carried remnants of the dream world into the waking world, and thus leave a legacy of true benefit to the entire human race…for eons to come.

Lofty? I think not. Perhaps you will be inspired to up the ante of your dream work/play when you realize you are in good company. The greatest thinkers, scientists, artists, visionaries, and leaders throughout history were ordinary people like you and me, who simply had a deep respect for dreams. Because of this respect, these mere mortals became legendary as they shaped the world through their contributions to art, science, technology, and spirituality. Many of these people attributed their greatest successes to their ability to carry their dream wisdom and visions across the divide into the three-dimensionality of the waking world. For example:

• Our founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, attributed the philosophy contained within the Declaration of Independence to their dreams
• Albert Einstein attributed the theory of relativity to his dreaming mind
• Thomas Edison credited his dreams for his discovery of electricity
• Colonel Harold Dickson made one of history’s biggest oil discoveries (which later became the Kuwait Oil Company) based on guidance illumined in his dream
• Elias Howe credited his invention of the sewing machine to his dreams
• A dream led Otto Loewi to a Nobel Prize for his contribution to medicine
• Paul McCartney praised his dreams for his multi-platinum song, Yesterday
• Jeff Taylor dreamed of his patent for Monster.com
• The movie, Avatar, was dreamed in vivid detail by director, James CameronSummer blockbuster , as well as the movie about dreams, The summer blockbuster, Inception, grossed over $800 million at the box office, was inspired by dreams

Allow me to elaborate a bit more…

Stephenie Meyer was a stay-at-home mom who dabbled with writing from time to time and was certainly not into vampire stories at all. However, one night, she had a dream about a benevolent and hot (as in handsome) vampire who was captivated by the scent of an average girl. This dream was so vivid that Stephenie began to write what became the mega-hit Twilight book. This led to the next in the Twilight series…then the next…then the next…and the rest is her-story. Can you imagine what would have happened if she had shrugged it off as “just a dream?”

Is this phenomenon relegated to just a select few people in this world with especially good karma? Absolutely not! I believe it is special when a person has a dream like this but not unusual. It happens from time to time to everyone…even for those whose karma is questionable.

If you are still not sold on the fact that your dreams can catapult your life to riches, stardom, and/or your greatest contribution to humanity (or at least a bit of guidance as to what outfit to wear on your date tomorrow night) …then consider this to be your wake up call. Perhaps the dream you have tonight will be your breakthrough dream to heal your body, solve your problems, lead you to your very own gold mine, or contribute your unique gift to the world.

Dreaming is an act of pure imagination, attesting in all men a creative power, which if it were available in waking, would make every man a Dante or Shakespeare.
~H.F. Hedge