Myths and Dreams. 4

It's rather obvious that man seems to have a tendency to think quite similarly, in all contexts and everywhere on earth, unless she is governed by political doctrines or religious beliefs. Equally universal is the belief that dreams are associated with the soul's outward journey or spiritual visits. In a primitive society there are four types of dreams:

• Big dreams that belong to a certain culture, and they are highly valued. C. G. Jung regarded such dreams as archetypal expression of man's collective unconscious, and they are usually accompanied by an overwhelming sense of reverence, terror, fascination and wonder.
• Prophet dreams that predict or warn of upcoming events.
• Medical dreams which seems like a healing effect.
• Small dreams that are purely personal to the dreamer.

As human societies have evolved from the primitive through the nomadic, the agricultural and the early urban stage to the modern day society, the influence of the archetypal dreams seems to have diminished and been replaced by more personal dreams. C G Jung understood that in the 1920s when he visited the Elgonyifolket i Kenya. A sad shaman told Jung that his people always have had big dreams that guided them in important decisions. Nowadays they didn't need their dreams anymore, because the white man who ruled the earth, knew everything and that's why big dreams no longer were important. This has also happened in our culture. When we were children ou parents convinced us that our adventures during the sleep were just dreams. I'm sure that if we took away the varnish of civilization, the primitive is exposed.

I would like to tell you about a dream my grandmother had in the beginning of the 1950s. I regard it as a prophet dream, simply because it was fulfilled. My grandmother was at the hospital and was near death. The hope was gone, but then she had a dream. Her own mother came to her and held a little blonde girl in her hand, and she said: "You must not die! You shall live and when the time comes you shall take care of this girl."My grandmother recovered miraculously and could go home to her children. After a few year, her dream finally came true when she had to take care of me for good. I was a little girl with blonde hair.