DREAMS are a universal language, and touch every aspect of human history. Evolutionary anthropologists theorize dreams may have initially functioned as rehearsal and preparedness training. Australian Aboriginal peoples are of a dreaming cosmology. Dream and sleep temples in Ancient Greece and Egypt may have been the earliest forms of what we might call hospitals today. Religions from around the world include stories about dreams. Indigenous cultures have long used dreams for information, guidance, and communal decision-making. Countless inventions, inspirations, artworks, and discoveries have come to us during sleep and in our dreams.

WHALES are captivating, mysterious, and awe-inspiring. They are some of the oldest and most evolved animals on our planet. We deeply relate to their sentience and social nature. Whales are an especially powerful bridge between the scientific world of researchers and conservationists, and the spiritual world of ancestors, elders, sacred animal spirits, and dreams.

One of our teachers explained: “The Ocean is Consciousness itself. This is not a metaphor. Whales came out of the ocean and lived on land for a bit, but then had the good sense to go back in.”

As a dreamwork practitioner, many of the whale dreams I’ve had myself and have heard from others are exceptionally memorable. We know that emotional salience impacts memory, and that dreaming involves memory consolidation and emotional regulation. How might these all be related to Whales as a specific dream element? What are the common experiential sensations of Whale encounters in our dreams? How do dreamers interpret the meaning of the Whales in their dreams?

As scientists continue to explore the sonics and acoustics of Whales in the interest of interspecies communication applications (check out the fascinating research at Project CETI) , The Whale Dreams Archive Project endeavors to contribute to the study of Whale communication by exploring the science and spirituality of Whale dreams.

We are gathering Whale dreams in order to:

1) QUALITATIVELY REVIEW elements such as specific imagery, themes and messages as interpreted by the dreamer, cultural and geographic influences, and overall collective dream experience. Details on methodology and findings will be shared and accessible on this site.

2) Create a future PUBLIC ONLINE ARCHIVE for anyone to come and enjoy reading others’ dreams about Whales.

Here is how you can support our efforts:

-Donate your Whale dream here on WhaleDreams.org

-Initiate conversations with friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors about dreams in general

-Refer friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors to WhaleDreams.org if they mention a Whale in any dream

-Collaborate with us if you have relevant skills, ideas, or expertise that may support the project

The Whale Dreams Archive Project is an independent “citizen dream scientist” project initiated by SoundsLikeADream.com and WhaleDreams.org. The project is personally funded and is not affiliated with any formal institution, nonprofit, or organization.

You can donate your Whale dream by:

1) Filling out and submitting a form by clicking on the DONATE YOUR WHALE DREAM TO THE ARCHIVE button below

2) Emailing a write-up of your dream to WhaleDreams.org@gmail.com

We request your dream be written in the first-person, present tense. For example: “I am in a large building that feels like a museum. I walk into a gallery room expecting to see art on the walls but instead I see a whale in an aquarium tank. The whale is small, and it looks like it is sleeping.”

Supplemental artwork inspired by (or as a direct account of) your Whale dream is also accepted and encouraged—everything from crude sketches and drawings to professional portfolio work to musical compositions is welcome!

3) Arranging a phone interview by contacting WhaleDreams.org@gmail.com

You will have the option to SHARE your dream or keep it CONFIDENTIAL.

-If you opt to SHARE your dream, you are providing consent to The Whale Dream Archive Project to disclose your dream on this website’s future Whale Dream Sharing page, on social media @WhaleDreamsArchive, and/or in future dream research-related projects and/or presentations. You have the option to list your full name, initials only, or Anonymous.

-If you opt to keep your dream CONFIDENTIAL, your dream will not be shared in any way other than in generalized qualitative analysis (for example, “20 dreamers lived within 10 miles of the ocean” or “5% of dreamers considered their whale dream a nightmare”).

You may withdraw your dream or consent to share at any time by contacting WhaleDreams.org@gmail.com.