The moon has been the epitome of dreaming, intuition, emotion, balance and the life cycle for centuries. Theresa Cheung believes that with intent and dedication, dreams can be a great teacher, and we can use the phases of the moon to guide us in appreciating our dreams. Cheung is the author of The Moon Fix and How to Catch a Dream, set to be released July 5th, among other best-selling books. The dream decoding expert has been researching and writing about spirituality, astrology, dreams and the paranormal for 25 years.

“The dreaming world was considered as important as the waking world, and dreams were regarded as a sort of insight and inspiration,” Cheung, who was born into a family of psychics and spiritualists, says as she recalls naturally talking about her dreams as a child. She notes that modern science has found that dream recall, remembering your dreams in your waking life, and dream work is good for your brain.

Cheung compares dreams to your nocturnal intuition. When your ego goes to sleep, your deepest needs and desires can run free. Cheung emphasizes that dreams are cathartic and healing experiences that are full of hidden meaning. Dreams — even nightmares — are pointing to an area of your life that needs attention. “There’s an inbuilt therapist within us working away night after night to help us live the life of our dreams — forgive the pun,” she says.

“Dreams speak to you like a poet would … they will use symbols and metaphors and pathetic fallacy and figurative language and association,” Cheung says, and she believes that the lunar phases can help us learn to speak the language of our unconscious mind.

The New Moon

This is the time when the sky is dark — a fresh start. “This is the ideal time to start paying attention to your dreams. It’s the beginning phase of the moon. It’s the ideal time to say I’m going to be interested in my dreams again,” Cheung shares. To start investing in your dreams, you must set the intention to regard your dreams as valuable and wonderful.

The Waxing Moon

This is the time when the moon is growing. Cheung says that this period is perfect for tending to your sleep hygiene. If you’re not sleeping well, you’re not going to have enough time to dream. The waxing period is a great time to feed your brain, as Cheung suggests. She recommends getting lost in creative alternative realities, such as reading fiction or playing games.

The waxing phase is also a good time to start getting in the habit of journaling about your dreams. Simplify the task by putting a pen and paper by your bed, and take note of your dreams as soon as you wake up.

The Full Moon

“The full moon — when the sky is illuminated — is the ideal time for dream decoding,” Cheung explains. With two weeks’ worth of dreams written down from the waxing period, you’ll have plenty to interpret.

“People make the mistake of interpreting their dreams one at a time,” Cheung says. She compares that to trying to understand your favorite TV series from just one episode. You have to watch the whole series for the story to start falling into place.

To prepare for the next phase, during the full moon a person should fill their journal half with their dreams and the other half with the activities and situations taking place in their daytime life.

The Waning Moon

“Compare your waking life with your dream life and what you’re going to see is that your dream life is like a voiceover; a symbolic, poetic, artistic, nonsense, hilarious, crazy, infinitely visionary voiceover. And that’s when the magic begins,” Cheung expresses.

The waning period gives us time to reflect. You may start to identify dreams that directly relate to situations in your life, or see how numerous dreams relate to each other.

Fall In Love With Yourself

During the day, reason and logic keep us grounded. In our dreams, however, we can safely go wild. Dreams reflect our state of mind. Dreams allow us to meet our essence, our inner child, our critic, our shadow. The moon can be a guide to understanding our dreams and, therefore, understanding ourselves.

The moon can be a guide to understanding our dreams and, therefore, understanding ourselves.

Cheung proclaims, “There’s a part of you that has your back, that wants the best for you. There’s a part of you that is your own best friend, your inner guide; and if you start to engage with your dreams, have a conversation with them … you start to fall in love with yourself.”

Phases of the moon by Mark Tegethoff. 

Portrait of Theresa Cheung by Nina Duncan.

Kristen Grace is a writer, editor and yogi who ardently loves storytelling. She enjoys writing about all aspects of mental, physical and collective wellbeing. She finds bliss in nature, especially on picnics, as she is also a foodie and amateur baker. Kristen holds a degree in communication and is passionate about listening and learning. She is currently pursuing a yoga teacher certification because movement and breathwork are two of her true loves.