Have you had strange dreams during the COVID lock-down? You are not alone. As a dream expert, many have reached out to me during this time with similar descriptions of recurrent nightmares such as this concerned dreamer:
“There is a dark shadow chasing me down a dark street, and I keep looking back over my shoulder to see if it will catch me. What is the dark shadow? Is it evil? And what does this dream mean?”
Shadows during the pandemic are sweeping our dream world. Are we caught in the spiderweb of the dreamcatcher? Why would we all be sharing signs and symbols in our dreams?
The answer is universal oneness. It connects us all to quantum entanglement. According to Science Daily1, quantum entanglement is a phenomenon in which the quantum states of two or more objects have to be described with reference to each other, even though the individual objects may be spatially separated. In other words, people separated by time, space, and sleep may still share dream symbols.
Shared dreams are natural, and what began more than 6,000 years ago in ancient Egypt during the plagues is happening today during COVID. In ancient Greece, Asclepions – dream temples – were dedicated to Asclepius, the first dream-doctor-demigod in Greek mythology.2 In part eight of the book Dreams That Can Save Your Life, based on modern cutting-edge dream research3, patients dreamed health-related information and shadows were often present. Although times change, dream symbols remain the same.
Everything dreams. The rapid eye movement of sleeping puppies, kittens, and even a fetus observed with ultrasound shows the power of dreams.4 But getting back to COVID dreams, let’s explore why people experience the same dream symbols.
There are universal aspects to being human; having a shadow is one of them. We see our shadow during daylight, and we have a moon shadow. So, no matter where we go, there we are, “me and my shadow.”
Shadows in dreams can also be the universal shadow figure. Several religions, legends, and belief systems describe shadowy spiritual beings, and shadowy creatures have long been a staple of folklore.5 Dreamers often describe their shadow-people as silhouettes with human shapes and profiles that flicker in and out of peripheral vision in dreams. For dreamers who find shadow figures disconcerting and feel chased by them, I offer another explanation.
What if it is our shadow-self always there to protect us by having our back? And what if, rather than chasing us, it is trying to keep up with us.
During these times of COVID, dare to speak to your shadow. Reassure it that you are not trying to lose it but misunderstood its dream purpose. Embrace it as an essential protective aspect of yourself. Our shadow can help us feel less lonely and turn our nightmares into beautiful dreams of unity.
Kathleen O’Keefe-Kanavos of Rancho Mirage is a survivor, author, dream expert, speaker, TV/radio host/producer and has been featured on Dr. Oz and The Doctors. For more information, visit www.KathleenOkeefeKanavos.com.
References:
1) Science Daily- https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/quantum_entanglement.htm#;
2) Wikipedia Asclepeion Temples- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepeion#Asclepeion_Temples;
3) https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Dreams-That-Can-Save-Your-Life/Larry-Burk/9781844097449;
4) Science Daily- Baby’s First Dreams- Sleep Cycles Of The Fetus- http://bit.ly/3cWslo9;
5) Wikipedia History and Folklore https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_person.
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