Psycho-Spiritual Dreams in the Nineteenth Century, Part I: Dreams of Death

Abstract

This historical examination focuses on dreams at a time when these manifestations of sleeping consciousness first drew the interest of the new psychologists in addition to that of philosophers, clergy, and laity. The data is the dream literature from 1860 to 1910, reflected primarily in popular magazines. The author summarizes the dream articles in religious magazines and by the clergy, followed by a description of parapsychological dreams and religious themes in dreams. Finally, a discussion of dreams of death and the various ways that death is symbolized and personified is presented. References are provided for selected literature of the twentieth century.