Idena ti awọn ala: How Dream Incubation Facilitates Spiritual Healing

In medical terms, incubation is the time it takes for a disease to manifest itself after being contracted. More importantly, this word derives from a Greek medical practice, the incubatio, which was very common in ancient times [1] The origin of medicine (iaetria) in Greek civilization is directly related to mythology, where there is no clear dividing line between the human and the divine. The Greeks thought that it was the gods who healed. The primary healing divinities of the Hellenic pantheon were Apollo, inventor of the art of healing, and his son Asclepius. In classical Greece, the Greeks dedicated numerous sanctuaries to Asclepius, vestiges of which remain in Cos, Pergamum and Epidaurus, epicenter of healing during that period [2]

The Asclepiades (temple priests) would receive the sick and offer sacrifices to the divinities - usually a rooster - and perform a complex of rituals, including baths, massages, anointings, in preparation for a good night's rest. The patients would then sleep in the abaton, an area of the temple designated for sacred sleep (incubatio), in close vicinity of a statue of Asclepius [3]. They rested with the confidence that the divinity would visit them in the night and put them in a state to regain health through incubatio.

Incubation (incubatio, in Greek) is the religious practice of sleeping in a sacred area with the intention of experiencing a divinely inspired dream or cure. Incubation was practised by many ancient cultures. In perhaps the most well known instance among the Hebrews, found in 1 Kings 3, Solomon went to Gibeon "because that was the most renowned high place to offer sacrifices." There "the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night," and Solomon asked God for the gift of an understanding heart. [4]

In addition to incubatio, the Asclepiades performed a range of other medical activities, including surgical interventions, special diets, the use of medicinal waters, compulsory attendance at the theater and participation in certain religious ceremonies [5]. It was tradition that the patients attended and offered votive offerings consisting of reproductions in clay of the organs treated, a practice that continues today in Brazil. More precisely, in the 18th century Church of Our Lord of Bonfim in Salvador, Brazil - where Orisa Lifestyle thrives in the form of Candomble - hundreds of plastic offerings of body parts hang from the ceiling. They are offerings of thanks - and proof - from people who have been healed. 

In modern psychology, dream incubation is a practiced technique of learning to "plant a seed" in the mind, in order for a specific dream topic to occur, either for recreation or to attempt to solve a problem. In my own professional practice, for example, it is quite common that I will instruct a person go to bed with a specific prayer that instructs their ORI to retrieve certain information or solutions to particular problems. Over the years, I have prescribed this practice - in conjunction with specially prepared medicine - as part of a more comprehensive daily ritual. Sometimes, the ritual is repeated for 30 days. Other times, it can continue for up to 64 days, depending upon the spiritual obligations identified through Ifa divination. 

In my book, ALAKONERI: Dreams, Archetypes & Myths in Orisa Lifestyle I address dream interpretation in Orisa Lifestyle in a comprehensive, yet easy to understand format. It is a work of many years of participatory research for more than 20 years.  With 18 verses of Ifa, combined with exploration of Jungian archetypes, step by step methodology for dream analysis and proven strategies for effective dream interpretation, ALAKONERI is a truly one of a kind resource for anyone who is interested in understanding the power of dreams, according to Orisa Lifestyle.

[Order your copy now: ALAKONERI]

[1] Laín-Entralgo P. Historia de la medicina. Barcelona: Masson; 2006
[2] Castiglioni A. Encantamiento y magia. 2 ed. México DF: Fondo de Cultura Económica; 1991
[3] Laín-Entralgo P. Historia de la medicina. Barcelona: Masson; 2006
[4] Wikipedia
​[5] Gargantilla P. Manual de historia de la medicina. 4 ed. Málaga: Grupo Editorial 33; 2015