Card for Dreams

[lgregg]

I was talking with a friend today. He said he had trouble sleeping last night, with vivid dreams. I said maybe Tarot could help, if we had a card for dreams. He said okay, so I went through my TdM deck and pulled four cards from the major arcana: Temperance, The Tower, The Star and The Moon. I asked him to pick one, which he did: The Tower. I picked another: The Moon. We then had a nice discussion of why we picked these cards. I finally advised him to buy and use a dream journal.

What card would you pick to use for dream interpretation, and why? Do you have a dream spread?

Larry

[DianaMC]

Interesting question, Larry.

For me, I think it would be the High Priestess - who might give up some of her secrets to help me better understand the messages from the part of my mind that does the dreaming!

But I also totally get the Moon as appropriate for dreams, particularly of the nightmare variety

[Alex M]

I think that The Moon was a good pick. I think I would choose the 7 of Cups that is often interpreted as daydreaming so it is surely good enough for the nighttime too. I like your friend's choice for vivid dreams though! So I think it depends of a nature of your dreams...

[lgregg]

Interesting question, Larry.

For me, I think it would be the High Priestess - who might give up some of her secrets to help me better understand the messages from the part of my mind that does the dreaming!

But I also totally get the Moon as appropriate for dreams, particularly of the nightmare variety

Diana:

The High Priestess appeals to me, too! The Moon and nightmares do seem to go together!

Larry

[lgregg]

I think that The Moon was a good pick. I think I would choose the 7 of Cups that is often interpreted as daydreaming so it is surely good enough for the nighttime too. I like your friend's choice for vivid dreams though! So I think it depends of a nature of your dreams...

Alex:

I did not know that the 7 of Cups is about daydreaming! Thank you for that. I agree with you about the choice of cards depending on your dreams.

Larry

[Pyronik]

I'd maybe go with the Hermit and the 4 of Swords, getting to know yourself through introspection / meditation while awake which will surely inform your dreams, & then spending the time reflecting on your dreams and so the learning cycle repeats...

I do sometimes pull a card as I go to bed so I can focus my thoughts.

[lgregg]

Pyronik, when you pull a card before bed, do you interpret the card, or perhaps, just take in the image?

Larry

[Jennifer]

Great question Larry.

My first thought was the RWS 9 of Swords as that can depict restless sleep, night terrors etc, and the moon and the star for nighttime.

A 3 card spread may help shed some more light on matters, just in case it's something your friend has not thought of.

[Pyronik]

Pyronik, when you pull a card before bed, do you interpret the card, or perhaps, just take in the image?

Larry

whichever, no rules.

[lgregg]

Great question Larry.

My first thought was the RWS 9 of Swords as that can depict restless sleep, night terrors etc, and the moon and the star for nighttime.

A 3 card spread may help shed some more light on matters, just in case it's something your friend has not thought of.

Jennifer:

I did not know that the 9 of Swords "can depict restless sleep". I agree that a three card spread would probably be enough to cast light on these dreams, if necessary.

Larry

[Byrds Eye View]

Interesting post to read as I have not been able to sleep tonight (most unlike me!) and decided to browse these forums
I like the idea of the High Priestess and The Moon to help with dreams. Also maybe Strength - it takes courage to work with our dreams that can sometimes bring up our shadows.
Over the past couple of years I've studied with Robert Moss up to level 1 Dream Teacher. He is very inspiring and has developed a process to help each other get the most out of our dreams. He describes it here: http://mossdreams.blogspot.com/2020/...ightening.html
If anyone wants to know more or is interested in starting an online group exploring tarot and dreams, do pm me. It is possible to use the cards to journey for insights.

[Luciana Berchi]

This is a wonderful thought, Larry. If I had to choose a major arcane to guide me in my sleep I would always choose The Star. In fact anywhere I went for a trip of any kind I would choose the Star, simply because it is the guide of my inner self, of my divinity, showing me the way. I would never get lost in any realm if I have my Star


Now for interpreting, I feel like once the client/bearer of the question tells you the dream and they want to know more about it, all the major Arcana cards will definitely give us an interpretation of the dream. As they all are archetypes representing our lives, and different stages in our lives, they can definitely help us get closer to the meaning, or more importantly, what is the action to take related to this dream...

[Juli]

I would have to go with The Moon for me it represents not only the twilight hours but that hidden part of life that we may only see in a dream. The Moon is a card of deception and our dreams can deceive us, they can be good or bad but either way we wake to reality.

[DianaMC]

I was thinking about the idea of a dream spread, Larry...being someone who has quite vivid dreams, some of which make no particular sense to me!

What about trialling a few? I'm thinking of something simple like this, as a starter:

1) What is the dream's theme or purpose?
2) What useful action can I take in relation to the dream?

The answer to (2) might even be a card of inaction, of course, which could mean something like "no action needed". But might otherwise show something about how to interact with the dreaming mind in future. Or just something that might merit addressing in day to day life.

Just some thoughts...

How did your friend get on with the dream journal - any better sleep? Fewer dreams?

[lgregg]

Diana:

As far as my friend buying a dream journal, he never said and I never asked. I think he has been ill for most of the past week, as I have not seen him at the bakery/coffee shop. I think he may have developed Covid-19, but do not know for sure. I'll ask about his dreams the next time I see him.

That two card spread should work as a trial dream spread. If I remember correctly, Gail Fairfield wrote that she would take several interesting items from a dream, draw a card for each, and weave a story. That might be another approach.

Larry