People have always been fascinated by dreams. The earliest known recorded dreams were in Mesopotamia about five thousand years ago.
The Egyptians believed a person was blessed if they had vivid dreams. They believed they were messages from the gods, for example the account of Joseph and his dream of seven fat cows and seven thin ones. Interpreted to Pharaoh as seven years of plenty then seven years of famine.
The Greeks also studied dreams. They built dream temples, often on hillsides. They believed the gods took an interest in the everyday life of mortals and would contact them through dreams. Hippocrates supported a theory that dreams reflected a persons bodily health.
The Romans also placed great significance on dreams as did the native American Indians. They believed it was the ancestors who communicated through dreams
Unfortunately with the coming of Christianity a negative attitude evolved towards dreams. Instead of a tool for receiving messages from God, they were seen as proof of worshipping the devil. Dreams were even used as evidence in court to convict witches. If there was any suggestion a person had met with the devil or evil spirits in a dream, they could be burned alive.
And so it became, people disregarded their dreams and stayed quiet about them. They also forgot how to interpret them. It wasn't until the 19th century that theories of the unconscious started to emerge, most famously with Sigmund Freud that an interest in dreams started to re emerge.
You can read more about the history of dreams and how to interpret your own in my new book 'Dreams - The Forgotten Craft' available now from Amazon or as a download to Kindle.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dreams-Forgotten-Craft-carol-lewis-ebook/dp/B00KVXD9D6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402467423&sr=8-1&keywords=dreams+the+forgotten+craft+kindle
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