SALT LAKE CITY — A book about the revelatory power of dreams actually began with a dream.
It was the summer of 2000. Mary Jane Woodger, a professor of church history and doctrine at Brigham Young University, was in Manchester, England, when one night she had a "disturbing dream."
In her dream, Woodger and her deceased father were driving through the English countryside in an American car but on the wrong side of the road. As they sped along, Woodger's father explained in detail that her sister was in trouble. The dream was short but so upsetting that Woodger awoke around 3 a.m. and immediately used a pay phone to track down her sister in the United States. Eventually Woodger got her sister on the line and she confirmed what her father had described.
"I felt blessed to connect with her," Woodger said later. "I left that experience very grateful for that dream that had been revelation in my life."
Woodger's dream was the first in a series of events that resulted in her teaming up with fellow BYU church history and doctrine professors Craig L. Manscill and Kenneth L. Alford to publish "Dreams as Revelation" (Deseret Book, 284 pages), a new volume that looks at dreams from the scriptures, the lives of general authorities and individual church members, and examines them within the context of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
"Our Heavenly Father communicates to his children in various ways, both in our waking hours and when we slumber," Manscill said. "Thus, we need to pay more attention to our dreams, recognizing their source and recording our revelatory dreams for our posterity to read. This is a self-guidance book on understanding dreams as revelation."
The trio of authors researched and organized these dreams into 11 categories, including dreams of the Savior, of missionary work and conversion, of family history and temple work, of warning, of instruction, of callings, of comfort, of death, of opposition and of prophecy, in addition to scriptural dreams and the many dreams recorded by Joseph Smith’s family.
"After a lot of hard work, we’re pleased that the book has been published," Alford said.
Woodger, Manscill and Alford each addressed various questions about their experience in writing "Dreams as Revelation," along with the topic itself. Here are their responses, which have been edited for length and clarity.
Deseret News: What is something that stood out to you as you studied and wrote on this topic?
Woodger: "What stood out to me most was that there were some common threads in dreams that are revelation so that a dreamer could be able to tell if his dreams come from the right source. These common threads became more and more visible, the more dreams we studied. I also found that with the coming generation, as President (Henry B.) Eyring (second counselor in the First Presidency) has declared, dreaming will become more and more prevalent and be used by our Heavenly Father to bless his children in the winding up days of this dispensation."
Alford: "One of the things that stood out to me as we worked on this book is that I have been reminded over and over how our Heavenly Father is mindful of each of us."
DN: What did you learn that you didn't know before?
Woodger: "I didn't know that Satan or evil spirits were not allowed to hide their true identity in dreams. Our research showed that the adversary cannot falsify his identity to a dreamer. I found this to be very comforting."
Manscill: "I learned that dreams of revelation have provided valuable information for the kingdom of God to move forward in all dispensations as well as dreams for individuals. Dreams have given us wonderful doctrines of the gospel such as Lehi's great dream of the Tree of Life, or dreams of warning and instruction have preserved the life of Jesus as an infant through his father Joseph.
"I learned that of all the various categories of dreams as revelation, dreams of the Savior are the most significant in terms of being life-changing and testimony-building and strengthening."
Alford: "The thing I learned the most was how many purposes there are for revelatory dreams. They can teach us, warn us, guide us, help us, prepare us and strengthen us. Another principle that I was reminded of is the fact that revelatory dreams are a rare gift that come, if at all, on the Lord's timetable. You can't simply place an order to receive one."
DN: Is there a favorite quote in the book that you would like to share with readers?
One of Woodger's favorite quotes came from Elder Richard G. Scott's April 2012 general conference talk, "How to Obtain Revelation and Inspiration for Your Personal Life."
"Revelation can also be given in a dream when there is an almost imperceptible transition from sleep to wakefulness," Elder Scott said. "If you strive to capture the content immediately, you can record great detail, but otherwise it fades rapidly. Inspired communication in the night is generally accompanied by a sacred feeling for the entire experience. The Lord uses individuals for whom we have great respect to teach us truths in a dream because we trust them and will listen to their counsel. It is the Lord doing the teaching through the Holy Ghost. However, he may in a dream make it both easier to understand and more likely to touch our hearts by teaching us through someone we love and respect."
One of Alford's favorite quotes in the book comes from President Spencer W. Kimball, who confirmed that some dreams can be revelatory in nature.
"Some revelations come by dreams. Most of our dreams are flighty and have no meaning, but the Lord does use dreams for enlightening his people," President Kimball said in "Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball" by Edward L. Kimball.
Manscill's favorite scripture about dreams as revelations comes from the Old Testament, Job 33:15-16: "In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed; Then he openeth the ears of men (women) and sealeth their instruction."
DN: What's one thing people can learn from this book about interpreting their own dreams?
Woodger: "There are several guidelines, which are discussed in detail in the book, that we can use to determine if a dream is inspired or revelatory in nature. For example, spiritual dreams concern important matters; they will strengthen your faith, they may be symbolic, they are often accompanied by a spiritual feeling, and they will always align with the commandments."
Manscill: "Interpreting dreams can be tricky. Just like learning to discern between your own personal thoughts and desires, in waking hours, from those of the Spirit (see Doctrine and Covenants 8) takes time and experience to understand the meaning of dreams. The only way to interpret dreams is by the same Spirit from which the source of the dream came — revelation from God through the Holy Ghost. Since the source of revelatory dreams are the same, then there is a discernible pattern that almost always accompanies dreams as revelation. One pattern to look for is that dreams of revelation is almost always accompanied with a powerful lasting feeling of peace, comfort and surety. This often remains with the dreamer many days, giving way to considerable pondering.
"I also learned that revelatory dreams are given to individuals because that is the best way that God can communicate his will to his children. In the case of Joseph, the husband of Mary, the Lord communicates important information through dreams about the safety and well-being of his family. In the same narrative story, Mary receives direct visitation from an angel. The point is that our Heavenly Father knows each of us so well that he understands the best way to communicate to his children to achieve his purposes."
Alford: "One of the key takeaways from studying the words of prophets and apostles on this subject is that revelatory dreams will always align with the commandments. As we note in the book, 'A (revelatory) dream will not contradict gospel principles, church programs or procedures that have been established by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve.'"
DN: What message do you hope readers will take away from this book?
Alford: "I hope that readers will take several things with them after reading this book. First, I hope it strengthens their conviction that God is real, knows who we are and loves us. Second, sometimes God can give dreams that are revelatory in nature to help and teach us. And third, we can benefit and learn from the revelatory dreams others have received."
Woodger: "Our hope is that these dreams will have an impact on readers. We, as authors, own any mistakes that might be found; however, we do wish to acknowledge that we have felt the accompaniment of spiritual assistance in the process of our research. This book, which was a work in progress over the better part of a decade, is written so that others may carefully observe revelatory dreams and draw inspiration in seeking divine direction in identifying their own spiritual dreams."
Manscill: "No longer should a member of the church closet their dreams or feel uncomfortable about sharing their dreams in a public forum. Rather we should consider our revelatory dreams important communication from God."