A prophetic dream is one in which future events are revealed. As skeptical as one might be about a dream’s ability to foretell coming happenings, there are innumerable accounts of prophetic dreams recorded throughout history. Prophetic dreams have foreshadowed political assassinations, war, famine, births, inventions and other momentous events that have altered the course of human history.

Dreamers often get panicked when their dreams seem to predict the future, especially if the dream events are tragic. Some become convinced that they somehow “caused” these events to happen. Rest assured, your dreaming a prophetic dream is not “making” an event come true. Your dream is not causing someone to fall ill, cars to wreck or earthquakes to destroy buildings. If such things do occur, they were bound to happen, and your dream simply tapped into a cosmic plane (dimension) upon which these things occur before they manifest on this material earth plane. Psychically sensitive people sometimes pick up visions from other dimensions both intentionally and unintentionally. That is how prophetic dreaming is possible.

Fear or prophesy?

But while dreams indeed can be prophetic, they more commonly express the dreamer’s fears. Those who experience prophetic dreams often can recount the details without any fearful emotions. While the dream can be tragic, even horrific, it does not bring on feelings of panic or dread. Lesser emotions, like sadness or resignation, are more likely. I often wondered why this is so, and after pondering over this, it came to me that when one can sense a coming tragedy—and it is unavoidable—there is a sense of acceptance that comes along with it.

On the other hand, when the dream brings on strong feelings of terror or panic, it tends to be a reflection of the dreamer’s waking life fears. For example, one dreamer had dreams of three tornadoes ripping through her town, leveling all the homes in her neighborhood. It was tornado season in her region and several devastating tornadoes hit several states recently. Was her dream predicting tornadoes in her area or reflecting her fears? The answer was revealed in the ensuing weeks during which her hometown did not experience any tornadoes at all.

If you feel your dream is warning you

If your dream is accompanied by a nagging or haunting feeling that won’t let up, and you feel it could be a prophetic dream, consider the following:
1. Review your dream carefully. What are the details that have led up to this negative or undesirable event? How do they relate to your waking life conditions?
2. Change course. Can you see alternate outcomes from changing your choices?
3. Follow your feelings. Choose the course that brings inner peace instead of charging ahead with doubts, inner conflict or emotional turmoil.

Prophetic dreams present themselves not merely to frighten or enthrall us with their predictions but to aid us in our earth journey. Understand that human free will has tremendous creative power over the future. Few events are “set in stone” as pre-determined destiny. Even if your dream is not foreshadowing a future tragedy, it at least reflects your feelings about something unwanted. Consider your waking life options and choose differently.