How to Keep a Dream Journal
Growing up, it was a given that if a deceased loved one showed up in a dream (or really, any deceased individual) it was understood as a message. How did they look? What did they say? Glad to hear they’re doing well were statements not outside the norm. This is to say, I have always thought about, analyzed, and tried to interpret my dreams. But as a writer keeping journals, the dreams were just added to the mix. As the journaling intensified, there was no way for me to keep track of what was where and when. I’ve never been good at keeping an index or some type of table of contents. I’ve tried and failed. That wasn’t going to happen.
A few my dream journals from Designworks Ink
In 2017, when I first Bruja: A Dreamoir by Wendy C. Ortiz, it felt like I should really keep my dreams in one place. You can click on the title to learn more about this mesmerizing read, though it’s just what it sounds like. A record of her dreams, a “sister memoir” to her collection of essays, Hollywood Notebook. (All 3 of her books are being re-released April 2025 through Northwestern University Press. Highly recommend!)
I’m incredibly particular about the notebooks I use, about page quality and pen. I’m not sorry. After trying for years, I had to accept the fact that if I don’t like the notebook, I will not write in said notebook. If it’s spiralbound, hardcover, if the pages are rough and scratchy, if the pen interrupts my flow, I am not writing. It’s not about being finicky either, or being complicated, if you’re being honest about figuring out what works for you. There are legitimate reasons at play here that might not affect everyeone in the same way. If I’m journaling, I need to limit the distractions. The words need to flow. Though the entire act of journaling will have to be a separate post, figuring out what was going to work for a dream journal and staying consistent required trial and error. I’d start, stop, forget. My regular notebooks weren’t doing it.
During the summer of 2020, after following the work of Yaya Erin Rivera for a long time through Instagram, she posted a course offering called Dreaming with the Ancestors via Escuela del Rio Cosmico. I come from a family that practices ancestor worship with an emphasis on listening to ancestors, so I was intrigued by what this course might provide so I signed up. I want to take a moment here to say that not everyone needs to believe they’re communing with ancestors, but call it whatever you want: the universe, god, goddess, angels, your subconscious.
I already had a system in place in terms of how to interpret my dreams (and a friend I consulted often), and believed there are three different types of dreams.
The prophetic kind. The kind where it really felt like a higher power, the dead, something! was coming through and delivering a message. Showing a possible future that would then happen.
The subconscious kind. Doesn’t mean you should ignore it. Anxiety dream? Sex dream? Why ignore what you’re trying to tell yourself? More on that in a sec.
The traveling kind. Hear me out. This one is wild and wonderous and I honestly don’t know how to feel about it. It’s the kind where you wake up and it was all so real, all so intense, it’s as if your body stayed in bed, but your soul didn’t.
The dreaming with the ancestors course was validating, but here are the two key points that unlocked my practice and helped me stay consistent ever since.
Use a larger than standard book. Yaya recommend a very large book. I found a happy medium in a 7.5" x 10.25" jumbo journal by Designworks Ink. I’ve tried other similar sized books, but… the paper was trash. The book has to be kept by your bed with a pen or pencil handy. Sit up and write as soon as you wake up.
This was a fun one and something I wouldn’t have thought of. Taking it a step further beyond setting the intention, write it down on the first page or inside cover. Be clear! Why are you keeping track of your dreams? What’s the purpose for you? Write that down and decorate. Draw. Color. I wrote different words for home and included that single word in different languages that I believe my ancestors spoke.
Recent example of dream journal entry with terrible sketch. I should mention I have no spatial awareness, so it’s naturally worse in the dreamworld.
The act of intention setting can also be used if you want a question answered. I mean, honestly, has this worked for me? Eh. It’s been a mix of getting a question I didn’t ask answered or my anxiety taking over. It’s become a habit to immediately make a note if I feel something happening in my life is influencing the dream. It’s been a practice in learning to distinguish different interpretations of dreams. Not everything is a profound “sign.”
During my son’s winter break this year, I started watching Dexter with him. Things got a little out of control, watching an episode or two about a serial killer right before bed while watching presents? Of course I woke one morning and thought, Oh boy. Definitely need to stop doing that!
That being said, here are some questions to consider when writing your dreams and learning to interpret them:
What was the mood? How did you feel?
Color? Color scheme?
What really registered and feels significant? However small. Documenting and noticing the small details can help establish a pattern for you and what a particular thing might mean to YOU.
I use this as a way of strengthening my own intuition, so I don’t usually look up symbols on websites with symbol interpretation, though it can be helpful. Also note, there is a lot about paying attention to sensory details. So if nothing else, this is an exercise on writing or morning pages.
Let me know if this is something you’ll try or already do!
