I’ve heard many times that dreams are the gateway to the soul, but what does that mean? The dream debate has been going on for ages. Some believe that dreams  provide portals into the greater universe as a way for us to access what is beyond ordinary awareness from another state of consciousness. Others believe they are how our brains allow us to cope with our daily activities. Little is known about the world of dreams despite it being heavily researched within the scientific community, and heavily referenced in the metaphysical world, too.

I once experienced an all-too-real dream that seemed to predict a future I never saw coming in a million years. Since that experience, I can’t help but believe that dreams provide guidance to factor into our lives. I’ll elaborate.

I’ve heard many times that dreams are the gateway to the soul, but what does that mean?

In January of 2023, my best friend passed away from a massive brain bleed. She was only 35 years old, and it was relatively unexpected. The night before it happened, I had this strange dream that I was with her brother—and we were married! A voice presented itself in my mind saying, “Now is the time for the two of you to be together.” When I woke up, I dismissed it as a strange dream. I hadn’t thought about this man in a very long time. We hadn’t seen each other in years, despite my visiting my dear friend whenever I could get back home.

Later that day, I heard the news of my friend’s passing. I immediately flew home to Virginia to be with her family, and stayed for two weeks helping prepare for the funeral. I reconnected with her brother at that time. After years of not speaking, we began texting back and forth. Flash forward a year, and somehow we’re now together. I had forgotten about the dream almost entirely until we started dating and it crossed my mind once again. How could I predict such an unbelievably random future that I could never have imagined?

I believe dreams are a way for our higher selves to connect with us. We sometimes tune out our guidance when we’re not looking for it, and dreams are a great way for our team to make sure we are paying attention.

I believe dreams are a way for our higher selves to connect with us. We sometimes tune out our guidance when we’re not looking for it, and dreams are a great way for our team to make sure we are paying attention. Information can come to us in very straightforward ways, or more cryptically. Regardless, they are valid insights into things that our subconscious minds and our guidance want us to know. Even if you don’t believe in dream analysis, you can still pay attention to the things they present—and represent—to you, and listen to them quietly as a way to reflect on your deepest thoughts, fears, and desires. Our dreams are telling us something; they are a way we cope with the reality around us, if nothing else … and paying attention to them can surely offer a positive way to work on ourselves.

I’ve decided to keep a dream journal once again, to begin to analyze the patterns and thoughts that appear to me as I enter the dream state. After one of my dreams predicted a perfectly unexpected future, you better believe that I follow what happens in my dreams much more closely. Why not start paying attention to the hidden treasures in your dreams, too? You may very well surprise yourself with what you find.