Induced Dreams in Ancient Egypt: Techniques for Communicating with the Gods

In ancient Egypt, dreams were considered a privileged way to communicate with the gods. The Egyptians believed that the deities could send messages through dreams, offering advice, warnings, or visions of the future. They developed specific techniques to promote these dreams, which were often called « induced dreams. »

1. Dream Temples (Incubation Shrines)

The Egyptians used specific temples to induce prophetic dreams. These shrines were dedicated to particular gods, like Imhotep, the god of healing, or Serapis. Priests encouraged people to spend the night in the temple in hopes of receiving a divine dream. This practice, called « incubation, » often involved preparatory rituals, like prayers or offerings to the gods.

2. Purification before the dream

Before sleeping in these temples, individuals often had to purify themselves. They took sacred baths and wore special clothes. This purification symbolized the cleansing of the body and mind, allowing better contact with the deities.

3. Herbs and substances to promote dreams

Certain herbs and plants were used to induce more vivid dreams. Substances such as blue lotus ¹, which had calming properties, were consumed before bedtime to help access the dream world. These plants were often prepared as herbal teas or incense, burned in sleeping chambers.

4. Prayers and invocations

Before going to sleep, the Egyptians recited specific prayers to attract the attention of the gods. These prayers invoked the goodwill of the deities and implored them to convey clear messages through dreams. Temple inscriptions show that these invocations were sometimes accompanied by sacred chants.

5. Dream Interpretation

After dreaming, the Egyptians called upon priests to interpret divine messages. These priests were trained to read symbols and decode visions received during sleep. Dreams were classified into several categories: clear dreams, where the message from the god was direct, and symbolic dreams, where the images needed to be deciphered.

6. The objectives of induced dreams

The Egyptians primarily sought divine guidance on personal matters, like health, crops, or family affairs. They also hoped for revelations about the future or instructions for appeasing the wrath of a deity. Induced dreams were thus considered direct channels of communication with the spirit world.

In summary, in ancient Egypt, dreams were a valuable tool for contacting the gods. Through purification techniques, prayers, and the use of herbs, the Egyptians sought to induce divine dreams to obtain sacred messages and answers to their daily concerns.

1 In the 7 Rivers civilization, after the shortage of soma, the blue lotus was used to replace it.