Dreams and divination exist in the same realm. There are elements of synchronicity, surprise, and mystery to both. They go together like apples and cinnamon.
And in many cultures dreams are the divination tools.
Many Native American and other indigenous cultures make it a priority to share dreams every morning not just with the people sharing their bed or their home, but the entire community. Often these dreams tell the tribe about upcoming events or predict the success of hunting trips.
Beyond dreams, a plethora of divination tools exist. Bones, shells, sticks, and rocks are common. Some use copper rods or a Y or L-shaped tree branch, while others rely on pendulums, crystal balls, or scrying mirrors. Some cultures created written systems including the Runes, the I Ching, and tarot cards.
And let’s not forget tea leaves.
Dreams + Divination
All of these methods tap into the collective unconscious, the universal mystery that surrounds us all. And I knew there had to be some way to combine them.
Recently, during a spirited conversation with my DreamTribe colleague Amy, I figured out how. I mentioned to her that for years I’ve kicked around the idea of creating some kind of card deck.
All at once it hit us: I could put together a deck that paired dreams with a divination tool.
And so, the Dream Divination Deck was born.
How does the Dream Divination Deck work?
The Deck combines 24 of my original photographs depicting common dream themes like woman, dog, house, and car and a symbol guide that serves as a general guideline for interpreting the symbols.
Since I believe that it is only the dreamer who truly knows what a dream symbol means to him or her, I’ve given basic and universal words and themes associated with each symbol and I encourage the user to develop her own connection with the symbols.
For instance, I’ve listed words like feminine, mysterious, magical, and intuitive for the cat symbol.
However, you might associate cats with allergies, scratches, tomcats, smelly litter boxes, whiskers, and fur.
It all depends on your worldview.
And your associations with symbols might change over your lifetime. Ten years ago the word spider would bring up the words terrifying, disgusting, icky, anxiety-producing, and fear, but now I see them as wise protectors who radiate gentle grandmother energy.
Overcoming a phobia can drastically transform your relationship with a dream character.
The dream deck is meant to evolve and change as you do. I encourage users to add their own photographs and dream symbols to the deck. Making it personal will increase its potency.
My First Dream Divination
My first spread with the deck produced interesting results. I pulled path, road, and shadow in response to asking what the next steps should be for my business.
I interpreted the spread like this:
I’ve got an inviting path ahead of me that’s all my own and it’s leading me forward. At some point, the path will become a road, opening up wider and leaving me more exposed and with less idea of where I’m going (in the picture, the road curves sharply to the right and disappears). And then, the shadow will appear, and I’ll need to embrace the unknown and face some inner demons that are holding me back.
Dream Divination Deck = Fun
I’ve gotten a fantastic response to the deck from people who’ve downloaded it.
One user said that although she usually has trouble understanding her dreams, the deck helped her, because now the process is fun. She could engage with the symbols in a new way that pulled her out of her mind and into something more embodied.
Another said she enjoyed finding new combinations of dream characters and symbols she hadn’t thought of before, like earth children and fire woman. Putting the symbols together created a whole new character she could explore.
So how do you get your hands on a Dream Divination Deck?
Simple. Just visit katrinadreamer.com and look to the right-hand side of the page. You’ll see the sign-up form for the free deck. Fill it out and the dream deck will fly into your hands on the wings of a pegasus. (Okay, there’s not really a pegasus. But you can imagine one if it makes you happy.)
Soon you’ll be on your way into the world of dream divination!
About the Author
Katrina Dreamer is a spiritual healer, published author, public speaker, and teacher who helps women trust their innate wisdom so they can live in full bloom. Katrina is a member of the Dream Tribe and also the International Association for the Study of Dreams. Her website is KatrinaDreamer.com
Your cards are a beautiful creation, may they reach many. I love the introduction about dreams and divination, apples and cinnamon:-)
Thank you Adelita!
I definitely have a well-worn deck of dream cards floating around in my head every night. It’s interesting when I see a card I’ve never seen before. Most of my dreams are rehashes of worn-out themes and ideas, but once in a great while a wild card will pop up in the deck, and those dreams are the ones that are really interesting to record and analyze. I’ve found that most of my dreams have their own analysis built into them, so I don’t need to make use of divination tools. And I definitely don’t consult dream dictionaries: I’m a firm believer that nobody can tell you what your dream means but you.
It’s true, Morgan…no one else will know better what your dream means than you! Thanks for sharing your dream experiences.