Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-03-29
A NEW THEORY OF DREAMS.

stating what that supposed discovery lie,
let me mention few facts SIS they occur
to me, concerning the conditions that ap-
pear to govern these phenomena and from
tde facts draw few conclusions
First-The distinctuess of dreams, their
frequency, and perhaps their presence at
all, are dependent upon an abnormal condl-
ton of the nervous system often caused by
preceding excitement
Second-They are nearly always sue
cession of images incongruous yet con-
nected with the dreams, but without ap-
parent purpose.
Third-The dreamer seldom remembers
the words of any conversation when he
aWakes.
Fourth-That persons suffering from
nervous pros.ration have similar dreams,
and, as far as my observation extends, all
persons under similar nervous conditions
have similar dreams-dreams that typify
| similar principles; which leads me to the
| conclusion
Fifth-That ali dreams in some manner
represent the nervous condition Of the
| dreamer.
II we take this for granted-and i is
apparently acted upon by most physicians
the question arises, Where is the con-
nection between the images dreamed OF
and the nervous condition of the dreamer,
| and do those images in any manner typl1y
that nervous condition
The writer asserts that they do; and,
| furthermore, that they never, as far as he
is aware, do anything else. But that pre-
supposes a higher intelligence than the
| dreamers mind concerned in the matter,
and the average reader at once concludes
that the writer is a Spirituslist and q
crank.
| Over and over again has the almost uni
verssl voice Of science asserted that nc
communication from higher life was pos
sible, for the obvious reaso that we could
not deter mine our own thought from that
coming from another source. But in
| despite of the men of science people
dream, and before their very eyes the
| drunkard raves Of creeping, crawling forms
of lower life filling his nerves with
agony of the snakes in bis boots, and
even they themselves startle up from q
tussle with some grizzly shape of the
" nightmare" without giving a thought
that there might be some truth concealed
in dream after all. Now if we concede
that the state of dreaming is produced by
the nervous condition of the dreamer, and
that dreams in degree represent that
condition, we must suppose that if ttey
have any meaning, and there are many
things that point in that direction, that
meaning must relate to the dreamer ex'
clusively. But here we are met by the
fact that a man dreams of all the world
and everything in it except his nervous
system, and presume he never knowingly
dreams of that.
| Now l contend that no real seeker after
| truth ought to stop here disheartened be-
cause the scientists say he can go no far
Their, but that instead he should examine
these phenomena still more closely, and,
since he can make nothing of these by or
binary methods, he should try and see If
they do not symbolizs the truth he is
seeking. At once a thousand instances
almost will occur. And here let me men,
ton one that is invariable. In every case
! Of dreaming during nervous prostratlon, if
| not temporarily excited, the dreamer
dreams of being in low places. This is
universal and can not be contradict2d with
| truth. So far | have stated facts and
argued from premises known to others as
well as myself. Now 1 will state what l
believe to be facts drawn from my own in
vestigations. The nearing of all dresms
| is from a source outside the mind of the
dreamer, and relates to the condition OF
| the dreamer excluslvely. All objects, per
sonalities, actions and words symbolic
that condition and have no other meaning.
In word, there is first yourself, the ego,
| the mind next the earth on which you
! exist the life ascending and descending
always the sea which signifies proatra.
ton, imbecility and death water any
where signifies weakness. Everything that
grows out OF the earth that you see in
| dreams relates to the nerves. Houses are
nervous states, if built of wood into
which you enter or not. They may be
near you and still you may not 90 in
them. They are probably mesmerio. 1
| never dreamed of being in brick or stone
| building but once, and then l was quite
| sick with dlsordered liver. All person.
! alities, whether male or female, are parts
| OF your own nature and represent quail
ties or principles. If you recognize them,
| then they represent some quality your
mind attaches to the person represented.
! Animals represent animal principles in
| yourself muscular, perhaps. Machinery
and iron seem to suggest magnetic intlu.
ences. People seldom dream of flying,
but when they do they are in an abnormal
condition Of nervous eXcitement-on the
borders of epilepsy, All actions are the
movements, professions and contests of
cohering and opposing principles in your
| own nature, and so on. This list might be
extended indefinitely. But l prefer to
stop here, merely stating that the moral
law never loses its force in understanding
dream. Darkness is darkness viewed
from any side, and all dark.Complexioned
principles are to be commended against
when awake, The high is high and the
low is low. Your feet are your lower
parts morally speaking, and beware if you
dream much of them.
Now | have stated what believe to be
true. ANY person after reading what l
have written can, with their known nerv-
GUS condition as basis and bearing the
principle in mind that l have stated, de-
eide upon its truth or falsity SIS soon almost
as they awake from their next distinct and
remembered dream. l think people re-
member all there is of dream oftener
! than they think they do. Sensation has
nothing TO do with understanding a
dream; it however points to the prinoi-
pies IN motion. A. J.
Chico March 20 1884