Did you know itโs estimated that the average person spends almost 2 hours every night dreaming?
Dreams are perhaps one of the most bizarre and psychedelic experiences almost all of us share on a regular basis.ย
With one-third of our life spent asleep, why not use the symbology that emerges in our dreams for self-insight and life direction?
Spiritual Wanderer Course:
Being a lone wolf and a spiritual wanderer is a sacred calling in life โ a unique and alchemical path of awakening. You donโt need to feel lost, alone, or stuck on your journey any more. Itโs time to meet your soulโs deep needs for clarity, self-acceptance, and empowerment. Let us show you how โฆ
Renowned psychiatrist, Carl Jung, did a lot of research and reflection surrounding dreams and commented:
The dream is the small hidden door in the deepest and most intimate sanctum of the soul โฆ
Indeed, our dreams have an uncanny way of revealing hidden truths about ourselves that can lead to everything from simple shifts in the way we think and act, to tremendous life changes that empower us to live from the heart and soul instead of the โsmallโ ego self.
Iโll be specifically sharing a simple beginner-friendly approach to starting your own dream journal.
However, if you want to go into exploring the contents of your dreams more in-depth or learn certain dream techniques, you might like to check out these free guides that I wrote:
- How to Practice Dream Work (& Decipher Your Psyche)
- How to Lucid Dream (The Ultimate Beginnerโs Guide)
- How to Authentically Understand the Meaning of Your Dreams (No Fluff Guide)
You can also use the table of contents below to skip to areas of this dream journal guide that may be of interest to you:
Table of contents
What is a Dream Journal?
A dream journal is quite simply a notebook or diary that youโve dedicated specifically to recording your dreams. (A dream journal can also be a space where you record your conscious dreams, desires, or goals, but thatโs not what weโre exploring in this guide.)
You can either choose to create your own dream journal with a simple blank notebook, or you can buy pre-formatted ones.
Dissolve the shadows that obscure your inner Light in this weekly email-based membership! Perfect for any soul seeker serious about practicing ongoing shadow work and self-love.
To start a dream journal, the easiest approach is to simply begin recording your dreams as they occur and not overthink the process!
Benefits of Starting (and Keeping) a Dream Journal
Dream journaling for me goes back to the early 2000s, and Iโm often surprised by the dreams I recorded and the patterns that can reemerge throughout the years (like tornados before big upheavals, oceans when Iโm feeling sensitive, and traveling to mysterious lands when Iโm ready to evolve).
Here are some of the main benefits of starting and keeping a dream journal:
- Increases your dream recall (or your capacity to remember dreams and reflect on them in detail)
- Relaxing and therapeutic
- Helps you to connect with deep unconscious wisdom
- Enhances your self-awareness and self-understanding
- Becomes a supportive resource you can turn to for guidance
- Sparks your creativity and improves your problem-solving skills
- Can lead to profound realizations and sudden epiphanies that may change the course of your life for the better
- Reconnects you with your Soul (or deep inner Self) and the messages it may have for you
To get your free dream journal template, you can access that below:
Free Dream Journal Template!
Want to download an easy template to start your own dream journal? Get our FREE printable!
Dream Journaling and Spiritual Awakening
I dreamed I was a butterfly, flitting around in the sky; then I awoke. Now I wonder: Am I a man who dreamt of being a butterfly, or am I a butterfly dreaming that I am a man?
โ Zhuangzi
One of the most meaningful aspects of dream journaling is the fact that it supports us through deep inner transformations, such as the spiritual awakening process.
No matter whether youโre going through an awakening, existential crisis, or big shift of some kind, starting a dream journal can help you to integrate whatโs happening and gain a profound degree of insight.
To me, our dreams are the most accurate oracles or mirrors of our deeper needs, desires, dreams, and fears because they exist outside of the domain of the ego self.
Not only that, but the Soul โ that deep and wise part at the core of all humanity โ has a mysterious way of speaking to and directing us through our dreams.
For example, I often find that my Soul speaks to me through repetitive dreams of a certain nature. One repetitive dream I have in periods where I am resisting change and transformation is a dream of always missing my flight. In these dreams, Iโm packing my bags furiously, applying makeup, and then as I rush to the airport I realize Iโve missed my flight!
How to Start a Dream Journal
So, what do you write in a dream journal? How do you even get started recording your dreams? Here are some simple pointers:
1. Keep your journal next to your bed
For easy access, itโs best to keep your dream journal right next to your bed with a pen, and perhaps even a little torch (if you donโt have a lamp or donโt want to wake up your partner). I sometimes scrawl words in the dark into my dream journal when Iโm too tired (or lazy!) to turn on a light.ย
Would you like to save this?
Your information will never be shared.
2. Record your dreams quickly
Dreams are kind of like ice cubes on a hot pavement โ they dissolve and disappear before you know it! So the sooner you record your dreams, the better.
Ideally, youโll want to record your dreams right after you wake up. So that might mean that you scrawl down a few sentences or keywords at 2 am. If you prefer to draw a little picture of your dream, you can do that as well.
3. Detail, detail, detail
Hereโs one crucial point I want you to remember: the silliest and most insignificant details are often the most critical when it comes to understanding the deeper meaning of your dreams. So record your dreams in as much detail as you can!
For example, I had a dream this morning of visiting a cabin on the side of a mountain with a group of mysterious people. Some random details that stuck out to me in the dream were how steep the mountain was and how at one point I was holding on really tight to some kind of ledge in the cabin.
Other examples of seemingly insignificant detail (which paradoxically hold a lot of value and meaning) may be the color of an object, a strange sound, the shape of a personโs mouth, the size of a certain animal, the feeling of walking into a certain area, some nonsensical words you say in a dream conversation, and so on.
4. Leave your dream journal, then revisit what you write later
After youโve recorded as much detail as you can muster (whether in the form of words or images), put aside your dream journal for a few hours. Go about your daily business. Then return at the end of the day or week to what you wrote. Can you pick up on any new connections? Do any realizations burst into your mind?
Often, the best way to understand the meaning of your dreams is to give them space to simmer in your subconscious. When you return to them later, you’re more likely to have a greater perspective than before because you donโt have the same kind of tunnel vision attention as you had originally when first recording your dreams.ย
5. Donโt overthink, go with your intuitive understanding
There are so many books and blogs out there dedicated to dream symbolism. But as I explore in my article on How to Authentically Understand the Meaning of Your Dreams, no two people will see the same dream symbol the same way.
For example, I might love snakes because my uncle bought me a harmless carpet snake when I was little for my 11th birthday. But someone else might hate and fear snakes because they were bitten by one when they were little.
Yes, some dream symbols are fairly universal (like the ocean representing our emotional state), but whatever appears in your dream is so nuanced and personal that the only one who can truly understand the meaning is you.ย
So donโt overthink your dream journaling and go in search of decrypting every single dream symbol based on others’ definitions โ itโs just unhelpful and frankly disempowering to your dream work journey.
Instead, learn how to trust your intuition. Whatever insight you have that first pops into your brain is usually the most accurate one as youโre not operating from the level of the mind, but the heart or instincts.ย ย
11 Dream Journal Prompts
The interpretation of dreams is the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious activities of the mind.
โ Sigmund Freud
To help you understand the meaning of your dreams, Iโll share a few prompts that you can explore below. By the way, donโt forget to check out my How to Practice Dream Work article if you want more guidance.
- List some of the notable dream symbols, and what you think they might mean. (Donโt overthink!)
- Have you had this kind of dream before? If so, when? And what was happening in your life?
- What was the strangest person, being, object, or situation in your dream? Why did it feel strange or out of the ordinary?
- What kind of emotions (if any) did you experience in your dream?
- What kind of thoughts (if any) did you experience in your dream?
- Was the dream set in the past, present, or some kind of future?
- If you could use one keyword to define the dream, what would it be (and why)?
- If you could use one image/symbol to define the dream, what would it be (and why)?
- Did anything sudden or unexpected happen in your dream?
- What patterns or symbols appeared in your dream that have shown up in previous dreams?
- If one of the dream characters could speak to you, what would they say?
If you’d like more guidance on how to get into the habit of journaling itself, see my free How to Journal guide and my 30+ mindfulness journaling prompts to get you started.
7 Beautiful Dream Journals (+ Free Template)
There are many options when it comes to obtaining an actual dream journal.
Inner Work Journal Bundle:
Ready to take your spiritual practice to new depths? Our highly-rated set of guided inner work journals leads you step-by-step through processing trauma, transmuting pain into power, and finding transformation through deep healing and self-illumination.
You can opt to purchase a cheap notebook from a $2 store, download and print out the free template below, or get a snazzy preformatted dream journal โ your choice! Do what works for you.
To get your free dream journal template, revisit the section above entitled Benefits of Starting (and Keeping) a Dream Journal and you’ll be able to access your printable.
Here are some of my favorite dream journals on Amazon (I have the second Celestial journal):
***
The magical thing about dreams is that they are an abundant source of insight, inspiration, and revelation โ why not make the most out of them?ย
Dreams can reveal feelings, thoughts, fears, dreams, and desires within us that our conscious selves donโt know about.ย
Furthermore, our dreams are often a powerful portal to our Soulโs wisdom, and they can guide us through difficult life transitions.
I hope this guide helped or inspired you in some way. Do you have any advice, insights, or comments youโd like to share about keeping a dream journal? Iโd love to hear them!ย
Whenever you feel the call, there are 3 ways I can help you:
1. The Spiritual Wanderer Course: Need "big picture" direction, clarity, and focus? Our Spiritual Wanderer course is a crystallization of 10+ years of inner work, and it can help you find your deeper path and purpose in life as a spiritual wanderer. You get 3+ hours of audio-visual content, workbooks, meditations, a premium test, and more!.
2. Shadow & Light Membership: Want weekly intuitive guidance to support you on your awakening path? This affordable membership can help you to befriend your dark side, rediscover more self-love, and reclaim inner wholeness.
3. Spiritual Awakening Bundle: Looking for a collection of all our essential transformative resources? You get five enlightening ebooks, seven in-depth journals, plus two empowering bonuses to help you soul search, heal, and awaken.
I am so glad to see in the comments that i am not the only one with a vivid dream world! Most people give me a glassy gaze, or think I’m crazy when i tell them about my bad dreams.
Since about 10 years I started keeping track of my dreams. At first on separate memo sheets i kept in my dream book, after a while that became messy, thats when I switched to a separate notebook. It’s nice to see that real diaries exist now. I am actually curious about them, they look great!
If your ability to recall dreams is nonexistent, what can a person do to improve that?
Hi Dori, you might like to check out this article that can help you with that: https://lonerwolf.com/legal-psychedelics/ :)
The info on this email is very valuable to me. I get profetical dreams as well as others. I also keep a dream journal, already a few years.
Thank you for all your time and effort putting it all together, much appreciation!!
I do not have time to study all of them, but hopefully one day! I keep them all. Although I am already 72, I must still work, but living my passion, like you. I am a health and weightloss couch.
Love and light!
Thanks Retha ๏ปฟ๐๏ปฟ
I’ve been dream journaling for a while now.
And I have a suggestion:
Why not just use a tape recorder to quickly “scrawl” your dreams impressions , then transcribe it later?
I mean, just for times when you’re too drowsy to write or you need to jot something down quickly before you soon forget it. A tape recorder would be much easier in this endeavor.
“I find it kind of sad…The dreams in which I’m dying are the best I’ve ever had.”
–Roland Orzabal, Tears For Fears.
Boy do I relate. I get the most release the next morning only from my most intense dreams/nightmares.
Sometimes I feel like dreams are a kind of energetic release of tension, so this definitely makes sense!
This is such a great suggestion (if you have a tape recorder) โ maybe use the record function on one’s phone? I find the light from my phone too stimulating late at night (it gives me insomnia), so yeah, if you can get access to a screenless recorder of some kind, all the better! Thanks Xen ๏ปฟ๐๏ปฟ
Thank you both for the free dream journal download. It is always a chore to decipher my dreams. As often they are multi layered experiences and some what illogical.
May you both be wealthy, healthy and happy together now and always.
Regards John ๏ปฟ๐๏ปฟ๏ปฟ๐๏ปฟ๏ปฟ๐ค๏ปฟ
I’m glad the free dream journal template has inspired you to go deeper into your dreams, John. And thank you for those lovely affirming words (right back at you!) ๏ปฟ๐๏ปฟ
I Had a Dream! A Reoccurring Dream!
I travel to a meeting by train and lose my way in an old style city go to buy my ticket and find only a few coins in my pocket. But not enough to cover the cost of travel. So I am forced to beg help from strangers as to where and how to get from the station to my meeting. Then I wander into the main street full of shops and arcades, get lost in back alleys and forever finding steps that lead to business houses or office areas and have to turn back. So I call this type of dreaming the frustration dream. As everything from other people not caring, to lack of finance, to loss of direction seems to block my way. I often think this my way of letting out life or soul loss from previous lives.
The other similar dream is where three persons meet with me and ask me to attend their meeting in the same or similar old style city. Here I am using my current vehicle (pride and joy) and travel into this unknown city about the size of Melbourne. As parking is locked up into divisions and restrictions, I am forced to trust parking attendants and park some way from my location. From here onwards I either come back later to find my (pride and Joy) misplaced, or gone. Upon asking, no other attendant seems to know where my car has been placed, They just give bull s**t
directions, which builds worry and annoyance, plus loads of….yes frustration!
Conclusion:- I may swallow much frustration and annoyance from big city living yet some how fail to release the fears, loss, minor panic and financial problems by day. To release them from my psyche by night. So it may be my weak spot that needs TLC and some adjustment..
Thanks for sharing this dream of yours John, it will be interesting to see whether it reoccurs again in the future ๏ปฟ๐๏ปฟ ๏ปฟ๐๏ปฟ
Hello John, are you familiar with the dream encyclopedia from Georg Fink? I am not sure if the book is translated in english. The books says, that traveling regardless of means of transport, usually symbolizes your own life path.
In the past i had a lot of dreams about traveling by train, losing my luggage, missing the train and never arrive at my destination. With the help of the book i start to understand that i was just stuck inside.
One of lonerwolf’s journals gave me a hand to get unstuck. The dreams have stopped now.
I hope you find your way soon! :)
Dream journaling is very interesting and sometimes funny. I reread mine a few years ago and had a good laugh.
I dream a lot, I’m under the impression that I have four to six different dreams almost every night, should I write them all? And when I am lucid dreaming should I journal as well?
I love this website so much and I am very grateful to you guys for all the knowledge you share with us so generously.
Interesting question Yasmin! I’d say record the dreams that are most intense or unusual to you. Recording all dreams isn’t necessary as I believe some dreams are simply the brain’s way of reorganizing the psyche and processing the past day. But dreams that have a certain emotional undercurrent of fear, sadness, joy, or other strong emotions I would pay close attention to. As for lucid dreams, whether you record them or not is up to you. But it would be curious to keep a log of what you experience and see within them, and even the kind of information you glean.
Thank you for your lovely compliment as well , it means a lot! ๐๏ปฟ
I wish I could do that. Your article is great so thank you. I very rarely remember my dreams unfortunately
That’s okay Sib. Not all of us can remember our dreams, and there are many other avenues of self-discovery. You could always try some dream herbs (listed here https://lonerwolf.com/legal-psychedelics/) if you’re interested in dreaming more. Otherwise, thank you for reading and sharing ๏ปฟ๐๏ปฟ
Thanks for this great article. I am also a person who has been practicing dream journals for 3 years. At first, it was just out of curiosity, to satisfy my hobby of taking notes, but later on, I felt that the information I recorded was more valuable than that. Somehow the things I dreamed in 2020 predicted a lot of things about 2021. And the dream diary 2021 reflects the vision of 2022. I didn’t know this before so I let myself immersed in a lot of negative thoughts, bad habits. It was not until this year (2023) that I learned how my mind works and creates realities. It’s been a long journey.
This is fascinating Yu Yu. I have had instances of precognition before where I dream of an event before it actually happens. It’s intriguing how this has happened within your dreams for a long period of time! ๏ปฟ๐๏ปฟ ๏ปฟ๐๏ปฟ
Wonderful.
A card is in the post on its way to you, snail mail / boat.
I had to pull the wolf from the card so it went through the Royal Mail slot.
Still there is perfection in the imperfect.
Thank you for all, itโs been one beautiful ride thatโs far from over.
Best wishes to you all from the UK ๏ปฟ๐๏ปฟ
Aww, thanks James! We look forward to receiving that card from you, very thoughtful of you ๏ปฟ๐๏ปฟ Thank you for connecting ๏ปฟ๐๏ปฟ