Anthropology of Dreams and Dreaming

Have you ever had a nightmare in which you scream out and no matter how hard you try, no sound comes out? You can really feel the effort you are putting into that scream and that is because your voice box is actually making the micro-movements of a scream whilst you are asleep. The same applies when you speak words in dreams. Scientists are now decoding what you say in dreams by translating these silent voice box micro-movements into speech.

In this brief essay, I discuss my 2017 Ethos article, Specters of Social Antagonism, which was awarded the 2018 Boyer Prize for Contributions to Psychoanalytic Anthropology.  I also discuss why anthropology would benefit from having a "working model of psyche," and how a cultural psychodynamics approach might help move us in this direction.

The article considers the search queries containing the phrase “what does dream mean” (or similar phrases) which were made by Internet users from Poltava region (the material for the analysis was obtained using a tool “Keyword Planner” in Google AdWords). In the light of the hypothesis that cultural notions about the rules of dream interpretation influence how a user formulates a web search query about meaning of a dream, the content of search queries has been compared with the records of interviews (oral dream books and prophetic dream narratives) conducted in the same region (2012–2018). In the article are revealed correlations and discrepancies between texts of web search queries (frequently searched items) and popular symbols of oral dream books or frequently recorded motives of prophetic dreams narratives.

Статья посвящена пересказу и критическому анализу книги Е.В. Сафронова «Сновидения в традиционной культуре», которую можно назвать первым монографическим исследованием рассказов о сновидениях в русском фольклоре. Книга будет полезна многим специалистам, изучающим народные верования, нарративы о визионерском опыте, фольклорные и речевые жанры. Надеюсь, моя рецензия поможет читателям найти этот труд и лучше сориентироваться в его содержании.

It has long been recognized that dreams can only be understood in reference to culture. Culture supplies templates for dream imagery, interpretation, and expression. Dreams also influence culture back, providing experiences that seem to confirm, modify, or extend cultural models of reality. These links indicate that dreams facilitate cultural diffusion and generate cultural diversity. Cross-culturally, the content, understandings, and uses of dreams varies to such a degree that what dreams make possible—and even what they are—depend on the dreamer’s cultural models of reality.
Beyond these impressive findings, a much more profound and ancient connection between culture and dreams is coming to light. Dream imagery is now known to display the brain’s sorting and comparing process as it incorporates and consolidates recent memories with older ones. Since memory is a primary medium of culture, this means that dreams provide us with a window through which we can witness the recording and modification of culture itself. Other recent research has shown that humans spend less time sleeping but more of that time in REM (rapid eye movement) sleep than other primates. REM is the phase of sleep when dreams related to cultural updating predominate in our awareness. This pattern of sleeping and dreaming appears to be diagnostic of humankind’s hyper-socialness and exaggerated reliance on memory over instinct for adaptation. These qualities are themselves elements of our uniquely powerful capacity for culture. Hence, dreaming is related to the genetic evolution of our species’ capacity for culture, on which our adaptive dependence on technologies from stone tools to computers is based. In short, not only must dreams be understood in terms of culture; culture can only be understood in reference to dreams.
In this summary of the relationship between culture and dreams, I discuss each of these topics in order, indicating some of the sources for these findings in the literature. I introduce the breadth of this subject and point to evidential examples. I mean for them to add up to an argument supporting the following thesis: Culture and dreams are mutually instantiating aspects of the process by which humans make models of and for reality. We see dreams intertwined with the inherently social processes by which culture is created, transmitted, received, modified, and diversified.

Reference:
Lohmann, Roger Ivar. 2019. Culture and dreams. In Cross-cultural psychology: contemporary themes and perspectives. Second edition. Kenneth D. Keith, ed. Pp. 327–341. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.

The article tries to show how the concept non-wakefulness explains in what way mental states are -- individually as well as collectively -- in relations with objects that are necessarily "withdrawn" (Harman) from us as presented especially in contemporary debates on Speculative Realism. Furthermore, the text develops an understanding of waking-up as the latter marks the moment when a mental state of epistemic deficiency is left behind. Reality exists only insofar as it is smoothed out via unconscious structures of non-wakefulness, while in dreams objects may unconceal themselves when 'secondary process' functions (Freud) of our judgmental capacities are dropped.

This study is based on the materials collected during the field study of speech and traditional culture of Timok region, done between 2015 and 2017. Research attention was focused on the sacred crosses, especially on stories about the founding and/or restoration of these cult places, and the narratives linked to such ritual practices. Structural and semantic narrative characteristics are established and their functioning and “life“ in oral culture. Narrative manifestation of methaphysics experience is interpreted as “legitimization“ of sacred space, and stories about dreams are seen as a part of vernacular religion as well.

C’est une version intégrale et partiellement inédite de la préface au numéro 42 de la revue Extrême-Orient Extrême-Occident : Récits de rêve en Asie orientale (PUV, 2018) qui est ici proposée. La préface au volume publié dut en effet être, pour des raisons éditoriales, sensiblement réduite par rapport au texte initialement soumis : cette première mouture, que l’on trouvera ici, est deux fois plus longue que le texte finalement publié ; elle présente quelques exemples de récits de songe et de réflexions qui nous ont paru pouvoir mériter d’être proposés au lecteur.

ABSTRACT
Through Dreams
by Lewis Dowell, III

When people dream they dream of dreams dreamt by dreamers created though the dream world to live and establish ‘place’ through the realms beyond a current reality to a paradigm where that reality is turned over to a dreamland established within the context of the supreme or desirable.  It is through dreams which the parameters of altered states are designed to manifest the things wished and hoped for to create the desired aesthetic and framework of what is perceived to be life.  This paper discusses the concept of dreams as a pursuit of place and time with relativistic approaches through its many pursuers.  As the concept of dreams have different meanings for different peoples and cultures, this paper will limit the topic to approaches of desired effects upon attempts to create manufactured dreams through place and time.

This paper explores Dreaming in the Bible, cataloging, and commenting on, the most relevant Bible verses from the Old and the New Testaments.
This study is based solely on the Greek texts of the Old and the New Testaments, as these are the primary texts that the Apostles used, or wrote.
The Biblical texts I used were the Greek Septuagint Old Testament (LXX, the text approved by the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Greek Orthodox Church, 1926/1977) and the Greek New Testament (Patriarchate of Constantinople, 1904 text and Nestle 26th ed.)
A dream in the Bible is known is described by a variety of terms, the most common in the Old Testament being: Enypnion - ἐνύπνιον - meaning "in-sleep" ('during the sleep') - other words for dreams and dreaming are used as well. In the New Testament the  most common word is: onar (ὄναρ, dream,) Other terms used are descriptive: "vision of the night" etc.
I will explore these too.
The Biblical text I used were the Greek Septuagint Old Testament (the text approved by and the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Greek Orthodox Church)  Greek New Testament (Patriarchate of Constantinople, 1904 text and Nestle 26th ed.)
On Dreams short FAQ
- Does the Bible mentions Dreams and Dreaming?
Yes, in quite a few places, both OT & NT
- Does the Bible presents Dreams under a good light or a bad light?
Mostly under good light, few times neutrally, some times warns and condemns certain deliberate dreaming practices or fraudulent dreaming and fraudulent dream interpretation.
- Does God speak to humans through Dreams?
Yes, Job 33:15 explicitly states that to be true, and  for all humans not only believers

- Where do Dreams come from (according the Bible?)
1. From God or from God via His messengers (Angels)
2. From the human mind, the humans themselves - day-to-day-life events and mental images, impressions, worries, obsessions, cravings, needs etc - These are seen as subject to deception or at best insignificant - nightmares could belong here sometimes.
3. From ambiguous sources, the self and/or unidentified "spirits" - nightmares can also originate from these.
5. From questionable or deceptive sources - caution is advised here for possible deception (con men/tricks) and/or "unclean spirits" influence

Related Bible verses - A breakdown:
1. From God (sometimes through angels)
Job 33:15 (chapter 33 and specifically Job 33:14-33 is relevant)
Matthew 1.20, 2.12-13,19,22,
Matthew 27.19 could belong here* (see also Job 7:14) - nightmares and upsetting dreams of Godly origin.
Acts 2.17 - Joel 3.1 (Acts 2.17) dreams through the Holy Spirit
Genesis 28.12, 37:5-6,9, 15:12 contains dreaming elements
Gen 40:5 could be from God* - God warning secular people
Gen 41:1-25 from God - God warning secular people
Gen 41:25-26,32 the same dreams twice signify certainty of God's intention
Gen 46:2 direct communication from God
Judges 7:13 God warning godless enemies through dreams
Job 7:14 Godly nightmares (Matthew 27:19 too)
Esther (LXX) chapters 0 and 10
Sirach 13:14 (possible allusion to dreaming)
Dan 2:1-7 the same dreams twice signify certainty of God's intention
Dan 1:17 secular recognition of dreaming from God
Daniel Vel and Dragon 1:17 contrasting God given wisdom and godly learning to godly visions and dreaming
Dan. ch.2 God warning secular people
Dan ch.4, ch.7 (v.2-15) repeatable prophetic dreams
Dan 8:2-16  repeatable prophetic dreams
Ezekiel 3:24&4:4 possibly suggest dreaming
Jer 38:25-26 pleasant dreams of godly origin or involving God *
Joel 3:1 (Acts 2) dreams through the Holy Spirit

2. From the humans themselves - worries, obsessions etc - subject to deception etc
*Matthew 27.19 could partly belong here* (see also Job 7:14)
Job 20.8 could belong here
Isaiah 29:7-8 dreaming what we lack/need - "the thirsty dream of water"
Eccl. 5:2-6 dreams out of daily images, fears, worries
Sirach 31:19-21 disturbed sleep from overeating
Sirach 34:1-6 vain, false dreams mislead the careless, eluding dreams, dreams-as-mirror (v.4) vanity in dream interpretation and deceptive dreams (v.5-6)
Sirach 40:5-6 dreams distorting reality, source of imaginary fears
Jer 38:25-26 * pleasant dreams of contentment

3. From ambiguous sources, self and/or unidentified "spirits" - nightmares can also originate from these
Gen 40:5 * could be from God
Gen 41:1 * could be from God
Job 4.13-19,
Eccl 5:6 (7) Too many dream are vain, fearing God is important
Deut 13:5 dreams as a test from God - testing vigilance against false prophets

4. From questionable sources - caution is advised - humans deception (frauds, con-people/tricks) and/or demonic/devil influence
Jude 1.8 condemning unclean dreaming
Deut 13:2-6 against false/deceptive dreaming
Sirach 34:6 vanity in dream interpretation and deceptive dreams (v.5-6)
Mich 3.7 condemning "professional" "dreamers"
Is. 56:10 vain dreaming
Isaiah 65:3-4 against demonic induced dreams and against false dreaming (pagan incubation/vision quests)
Zach 10.2 condemning deceptive dreams alluding demonic origin
Jer 36:8-9 condemning vain dreaming (v.9) deceptive dreams alluding d origin (v.8)
Jer 23:16,15,28-32  condemning deceptive dreams alluding d origin
Jer 34:9 warning against false deceptive dreaming using substances / magical means
Jer. 36:8 unjust/vain dreams NOT to listen to!

5. on expressing dreams & discernment
Gen 37:8,10,19 suggesting caution in telling dreams from God, they might be from God but they might anger others if untimely told - unwise.
Genesis 40:8 The interpretation should be from God
Genesis 40:9,16 & Jer 23:28-29 suggesting people say their dreams for discernment
Genesis 41:8 dreams from God cannot be interpreted by human means
Gen 41:32 the same dreams twice signify certainty of God's intention/plan
Gen 42:9 memory of dreams verified by events
Judges 7:13-15 telling each other dreams
Job 20:8 dreams are fleeting
Eccl 5:6 (7) Too many dreams are vain, fearing God is important
Jer 23:30 condemning plagiarizing other people's dreams

We note from the above preliminary examination that in both cases, of the Old and the New testament, the earliest texts present dreams under an almost exclusively positive light (Genesis and Matthew) somewhere in the middle dreaming is stated as from God (Job and Acts) then dreams and then towards the end the Old Testament stance becomes progressively mixed and/or critical (Wisdom and Prophets' books) while in the New Testament a warning also appears towards its end (Jude's epistle.)

Notes and Links:
Early Christian texts illustrating active dreaming life as part of the early Christians' devotion and spiritual life:
- The Poemen of Hermas (The Shepherd of Hermas) (c. 90 AD) once included in the early New testament compilations and considered a New Testament text https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shepherd_of_Hermas
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/shepherd.html
- The Acts (Diary) of Vivia Perpetua (c.203 AD) known today as "Passion of Saint Perpetua, Saint Felicitas, and their Companions"
Vivia Perpetua is known today as Saint Perpetua. She was a catechumen (not yet baptized!) that martyred in 203 AD with others and her best friend and servant Felicitas (St. Felicity today) they were both single-mothers when they martyred. The diary St Perpetua was keeping towards her martyrdom is an archetype of Anne Frank's Diary.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passion_of_Saint_Perpetua,_Saint_Felicitas,_and_their_Companions
http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bio/117.html
https://earlychurchtexts.com/main/perpetua/passio_of_perpetua_01.shtml
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/actsperpetua.html
https://www.billmounce.com/greek-dictionary/enypnion
https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?t=kjv&strongs=g1798

Glossary (still in progress)
on Dreams and Dreaming
Onar - Onia - Onerus
Dream - Drom - Dro - Drasis - Drama
- Enypnion - hypnos -

Dreams as experiences: A temporality approach Using the historical discussion in philosophy around the 'dream argument' as both a starting point and a source of inspiration, and incorporating phenomenological approaches regarding time and dreams, I attempt to explore the multiple temporalities of dreaming while arguing that dreams constitute experiences in their own right. Whilst keeping the gaze towards the dream life, I take a dialectic approach between the realms of dream and waking life. All things considered, the question of dreams as experiences is no more interrogative about the state of dreaming than it is about the state of being awake and conscious. The question of how dreams relate to waking life has drawn the interest of thinkers since antiquity. Up until Descartes, much of this debate evolved around the source and meaning of dreams, in particular, whether dreams were sent by supernatural entities, carrying thereby a prophetic message. In 1641 Descartes famously juxtaposed being in dreams with being in waking life, albeit his main concern was far from investigating the state of dreaming: he was after knowledge certainty ('[…] all the thoughts which I now have are no more true than the phantasies of my dreams?'). Descartes held that in dreams the human mind is conscious; dreams, being unreal in the sense of non-corresponding to real life but 'feeling' real, served in his analysis as synonymous to a state of deceit and false knowledge. Malcolm (1956;1959) contended that Descartes' argument is senseless because dreams and waking life are far from indistinguishable. Central in his line of reasoning is that there is no state of consciousness in dreaming, i.e. one cannot think, judge etc.

Recourse to auxiliary disciplines has greatly contributed to the ways in which biblical scholars seek to elucidate various dimensions of meaning in textual constructions of dreams and dreaming in the Old Testament. The original contribution this article hopes to make to the ongoing research on associated oneirocritic topoi is to propose the so-called philosophy of dreaming as a potential dialogue partner to supplement already available perspectives within the multidisciplinary discussion. At present, there is no descriptive philosophical approach exclusively devoted to the identification and clarification of the folk-philosophical assumptions implicit in oneirocritic materials as conditions of their possibility. By way of comparative-philosophical commentary, the article features a brief introduction to the related research within Old Testament studies, an overview of the history and problems of the auxiliary subject,
and an illustration of how the new approach might look when applied to texts involving ‘oneirophany’ (Gn 15:1–21, 20:3–6, 28:11–17 and 1 Ki 3:5–15). The study concludes with a few remarks on the limits of the proposal and suggestions for more extensive and in-depth future research in related and alternative areas.

Dans ce contexte où la dissociation semble s’accroître entre les exigences de la condition humaine et les attentes d’une société soumise aux servitudes matérielles, écrire se présente comme le témoignage de la sensibilité. C’est aussi la quête de pérennisation ou de changement. Pérennisation de ce qui est louable et humain ou humaniste ;  changement, et/ou action quand la dignité humaine crie, frappée d’inanité, à l’air libre. Cette écriture se veut célébrer l’humanité, exhorter ceux qui s’y consacrent parfois au péril de leur propre existence ; et inviter d’avantage à cette priorisation de l’homme par l’homme. En fait, le chemin qui mène à la satisfaction des besoins élémentaires, la lutte contre l’inanité rampante passe par l’accord d’une attention première aux réalités du destinataire premier qu’est l’homme. Le présent ouvrage, d’accord avec Alfred Döblin (1878-1957) d’après qui « la littérature n’est pas une forme d’idiotie », est une célébration de la vie s’employant à témoigner la solidarité de l’écriture en faveur de la condition humaine.