Can I tell you what dreams are?

The brain and senses require to be dulled—or numbed at certain intervals to be rested, soothed and invigorated—or they would burn themselves out. 

Nature has provided a reaction, and they practically close back on themselves. 

While awake, the senses are active because the brain is working—

In sleep, the consciousness is numbed by automatic action—the deeper the sleep, the more active the subconscious mind becomes. 

The actual cerebral change, which takes place—as with all other involuntary actions of the physical body—is an act of natural self-preservation, and works through nature-consciousness. 

When God created nature, He gave it a great general consciousness of its own through the Life-force—you might almost truly say God breathed upon it—which results in actions of self-preservation.

For instance, certain flowers close at night—some birds who require it migrate to warmer climates every year to escape the cold of winter, and so forth. 

In everything living on the earth, there is this nature-consciousness. 

It is especially pronounced in you, for you are the highest form of life manifest on earth, and you have will power in addition, and through this can misuse this nature-consciousness if you choose, but if you do, because it is potent, it punishes you eventually. 

For sound sleep, the brain ought to be thoroughly numbed, and in this case, there would be no dream—to dream shows that one part of the brain is still working, and therefore, some sense is not sufficiently dulled—or indigestion—or worry—may keep certain nerves "taut," so to speak, and they do not relax sufficiently, as this is necessary, too, to ensure perfect sleep. 

The momentary activity of a certain sense may induce what appears to the sleeper to be a long dream—it may actually last two seconds—

But what really happens is this—

The quickened sense telegraphs the fact to the brain, which connects up the sensation with an impression already there. 

For instance, a sharp sudden noise like a pistol shot may cause quite an elaborate dream of a revolution—or of the war—the noise taps a record on the memory of something heard—or read of if not actually experienced. 

Or, in the same way, a feeling of cold may bring about a dream of drowning—or of the Arctic regions—or touch some other memory record in affinity with this sensation—or along the same lines. 

Owing to the quiescence of the other senses, connected memories can come through from the subconscious mind more easily, and therefore may be of things long-forgotten and unrecognised normally, for the brain is more in touch with the subconscious mind during sleep. 

Owing to mechanical action of the brain itself, there might be some kind of a dream even if the spirit was out of the body, but it would not be a long, connected—or interesting dream, for the subconscious mind would be away with the spirit.

Sometimes, the travelling spirit, immediately on its return to the body, tries to imprint the memory of its experiences on the brain, and these get confused with the mechanical action of which I have just spoken—the result is intermingling and incongruity. 

Some people—they are very few—can remember their spirit experiences, and if they are sufficiently evolved for this, their guides may tell them sometimes of impending events—some few other spirits who find they cannot bring these memories through to their waking consciousness correctly in an elaborate—or detailed way have learnt to impress a sign—or a symbol on the brain, which they know will convey a certain meaning to themselves in their normal waking condition. 

Thus, you will hear someone say—

 

"I dreamt last night of a bouquet of white flowers tied with ribbon that always means a wedding;"—or "I saw a travelling trunk locked and labelled—that generally means a long journey for me," and so forth. 

This particular spirit has learnt that only in this simple primitive way—through symbols—can it convey information to the limited normal mind of the body with which it is connected.

—Spirit Claude