There are serious students of occult who doubt entirely occult significance of dreams, and it must be granted that no good reason exists for classing them generally with vision, or a condition of 'second sight' or ecstasy." (11)

The amount of time we live in our dream state is substantial and there are many things we can work upon in our dreams. To regard it as occult is somewhat foolish. If one learns and achieves things that are of value, should be a higher concern. Truly some probably can gain tap-ins through dream state, especially if they become adept at conscious dreaming and astral travel. To say it is supernatural is an appeal to ignorance. There is no such thing as 'super'-natural - it is all a matter of what we can't explain. Dream work and Yoga's 'soft focus' have answered or made sense of many things that mental blocks due to over- intellectualization might create. There are ways to become conscious and effective in dreams and overall experiencing of life - that is how I prefer to think of it, rather than a psychic developmental thing. Psychic aspects of life usually have a more physical component. If our soul is what counts then what we interpret from physical during sorting out process of dream reality might be more important than what happens during waking state.

"Dreams and Psychical Phenomena

Dreams of a supernormal character fall within purview of psychical research. The dividing line between normal and supernormal dreams is not easy to draw. Subconscious elaboration often presents supernormal affects.

Goethe solved many definite scientific problems in his dreams and also composed poems. So did La Fontaine compose The Fable of Pleasures and Coleridge Kubla Khan. Bernhard Palissy made one of his most beautiful ceramic pieces on dream inspiration. Maury confessed: ‘I have had in dream ideas an inspiration that could never have entered my consciousness when awake.' Tartini heard his Sonate del Diavolo played by Beelzebub in a dream. Holde composed La Phantasie in his sleep, Nodier's 'Lydia' was similarly born. R. L. Stevenson's most ingenious plots were evolved in dream state. Kruder, Corda and Maignan solved mathematical problems in dream, Condillac finished an interrupted lecture.

A dream of Professor Agassiz is frequently quoted. He had been for two weeks striving to decipher somewhat obscure impressions of a fossil fish on stone slab in which it was preserved. It was found impossible. In his dream he saw fish with all missing features perfectly restored. The image escaped him on awakening. He went to Jardin des Plantes in hope that an association with fossil would recapture it. No such thing happened. Next night he again dreamed of fish and in morning features of fish were as elusive as ever. For third night he placed paper and pencil near his bed. Towards morning fish again appeared in his dream. Half dreaming, half awake he traced outlines in darkness as best he could. On full awakening he was surprised to see details in his nocturnal sketch, features which he thought impossible. He hastened to Jardins des Plantes, began to chisel on surface of stone, taking sketch as a guide and to his surprise he found hidden portions of fish as indicated in drawing." (12)

I am not convinced this is dream state work. The early and late REM sleep is more akin to Beta brainwave relaxation. With bio-feedback and its creative state some ad agents like those at McDonald's have used this state to make and test ads. Hank Wesselman has been studied by University of Illinois and he is even more able to reach 40 MGHZ brainwave state than psychic healers and yogis. He is a person who was part of anthropological or archaeological team that found Lucy and his gift was brought out by his wife who is a shamanic teacher. It is possible to generate this kind of state while taking exams (I've often done it.) and good marks often come. Those who stay in alpha state and experience tension and pressure or stress are less able to recall, create or integrate. Intuition is also often mistaken as psychic. There can be a component of it, and as Mr. Shepard notes it is often a fine line between some of these concepts. Thus you are able to see that I am not a believer in unexplainable phenomena, rather I think we are simply not able to explain it in every case because we are learning or are presently ignorant.

Lost objects are frequently found in dreams. In most cases subconscious memory sufficiently explains mystery. There are, however, more complicated types. Hercules appeared. {Herakles, a De Danaan or Danaus, is an actual historic personage of lineage claimed by Ptolemy in Manetho's somewhat questionable history of Egypt.} in a dream to Sophocles and indicated where a stolen crown would be found. Sophocles got reward which was promised to finder.

The supernormal character is clearest in telepathic and prophetic dreams. They usually produce an impression lasting for days. Sweating and trembling is often noticeable on waking from a dream of this character. They tend, too, to be repeated. One of best authenticated cases of prophetic dreams announced murder of Chancellor Perceval. It was thus narrated by Abercrombie: 'Many years ago there was mentioned in several of newspapers a dream which gave notice of murder of Mr. Perceval. Through kindness of an eminent medical friend in England I have received authentic particulars of this remarkable case, from gentleman to whom dream occurred. He resides in Cornwall, and eight days before murder was committed, dreamt that he was in lobby of The House of Commons, and saw a small man enter, dressed in a blue coat and white waistcoat. Immediately after, he saw a man dressed in a brown coat with yellow basket metal buttons draw a pistol from under his coat, and discharge it at former, who instantly fell; blood issued from a wound a little below left breast. He saw murderer seized by some gentlemen who were present, and observed his countenance; and on asking who gentleman was that had been shot, he was told that it was Chancellor. He then awoke, and mentioned dream to his wife, who made light of it; but in course of night dream occurred three times without least variation in any of circumstances. He was now so much impressed by it, that he felt much inclined to give notice to Mr. Perceval, but was dissuaded by some friends whom he consulted, who assured him that he would only get himself treated as a fanatic. On evening of eighth day after, he received account of murder. Being in London a short time after, he found in print-shops a representation of scene, and recognised in it countenance and dresses of parties, blood on Mr. Perceval's waistcoat, and yellow basket buttons on Bellingham's coat, precisely as he had seen them in his dreams.'

Prof. Richet quoted a remarkable predictive dream of Mgr. Joseph de Lanyi, Bishop of Nagyvarad. He dreamed on morning of June 28, 1914, at 4 a.m. of seeing a black-edged letter on his study table bearing arms of Archduke Frederic. The Bishop was professor of Hungarian language to Archduke. In his dream he opened letter and at its head saw a street into which an alley opened. The Archduke was seated in a motor car with his wife; facing him was a general and another officer by side of chauffeur. There was a crowd about car and from crowd two young men stepped forward and fired on royal couple. The text of letter ran: 'Your Eminence, dear Dr. Lanyi, my wife and I have been victims of a political crime at Sarajevo, June 28, 1914, 4 a.m.' 'Then,' stated Mgr. de Lanyi, 'I woke up trembling; I saw that time was 4:30 a.m. and I wrote down my dream reproducing characters that had appeared to me in Archduke’s letter…” (13)

Of course most of these are mere anecdotal references, even if last one is a political event of great import and intrigue. The bottom line is that there are interesting things to explore and facts when presented in advance can't be put down to mere hit and miss luck by people accustomed to making prophecies. Many are they who I've met and heard about such things as clock stopping when their mother died, etc. It won't matter much for me to say that these things happen according to real science that most scientists are in 'denial' about, at this juncture; but I hope they are enough to open mind to possibilities that will continue to be presented from all facets of life experience.