The Chester Beatty papyrus kept by the ancient Egyptian priests which dates back to approximately 2,000 B.C., is one of the earliest record on Egyptian man dreaming.

The ancient Eqyptian believed that:

• dreams were messages from their gods
• interpretations of dreams should be based on the theory of opposites for example say that a dream of death represented an omen of long life

The men selected to interpret these dreams in ancient Egypt were called ” Masters of the Secret Things ” or ” Scribes of the Double House”. A disturbed individual slept in the temple following the administration of a potion to promote dreaming. The priest would then interpret the dream and give advice of its cure.

Incidentally, the ancient Hindu scriptures known as the Puranas reported that dreams were also messages from gods. The Upanishad (approximately 1,000B.C) states that dreams took place in a land between the real and the promixed world. This dream would freed us from inhibitions to allow our true nature to surface.

Many scholars feel that the concept of a soul and its existence after death of the physical body originates from dreams of primitive man.