Dream Interpretations According to the I Ching
Dreams are a part of life that drift between illusion and reality. We often find ourselves in fantastical scenes; some dreams feel so vivid that, even after waking, we question whether they were real. Others are absurd and fleeting, easy to laugh off. Some stop the heart and linger, leaving us drained in body and mind. Dreams are latent, unstoppable stirrings. They begin without our knowing and end when we wake; they never truly invade our minds yet seem to have been there all along; we are only passing through.
Modern science tends to explain dreams in biological terms, tracing them to the workings of the brain and nervous system. Yet many modern accounts in which dreams and waking life seem to overlap pose questions science has not yet answered. So when it comes to "dreams," it is hard to draw absolute conclusions or dismiss their mystery.
Across countless nights, how many dreams—and how many sorrows—have we known? Many troubling dreams simply mirror the small concerns of daily life, while others hint at deeper meanings, foreshadowing major turning points. Since antiquity, the study of dreams has been a rich and far-reaching strand within the philosophy of the I Ching, and a culture of dream interpretation has flourished for more than five thousand years. The "Book of Dream Interpretation" attributed to Zhou Gong distills this tradition, summarizing seven major types of dreams.
When we try to read the omens in our dreams, we often think of the "Book of Dream Interpretation," but Zhou Gong himself did not author it. Zhou Gong, surname Ji and given name Dan, was the fourth son of King Wen of Zhou, historically known as Zhou Gong Dan. He aided King Wu in overthrowing the tyrant King Zhou and was the sage who helped found the Zhou dynasty. In Confucian teaching, Confucius famously said, "I no longer dream of Zhou Gong." Because Zhou Gong often appeared in his dreams, people later referred to dreams as "Zhou Gong's dreams," which gave rise to the tradition of attributing dream interpretation to him.
The "Rites of Zhou" classifies dreams into six types, later expanded by scholars to nine. Professionally speaking, these frameworks are systematic and rigorous. The ancients called undisturbed, natural dreams "true dreams"; dreams born of fear "nightmares"; dreams driven by preoccupation "thought dreams"; dreams shaped by what one sees and hears "sleep dreams"; dreams that run counter to reality "reverse dreams"; dreams that hide their meanings in imagery "symbolic dreams"; and dreams arising from concentrated reflection "essence dreams." Confucius often dreamed of Zhou Gong because he continually contemplated Zhou Gong's great virtues—an example of essence dreams.
Since ancient times, dream culture has been an integral part of Chinese civilization, yet the divinatory methods for interpreting dreams are subtle and seldom mastered. Popular readings of auspicious and inauspicious dreams draw on calculations from the I Ching, blending the wisdom of the sages. Sharing the same lineage, the evolution and adaptation of the "Book of Dream Interpretation" can also be seen as part of the ongoing development of I Ching thought.