Psycho-Spiritual Dreams in the Nineteenth Century, Part II: Metaphysics and Immortality

Abstract

The author focuses on metaphysical issues as explored in the nineteenth century periodical dream literature. The relationship between dreams of death and myths of immorality is examined first, followed by illustrations of the use of death dreams in the expositions of both realist and idealist philosophies. Specific philosophies buttressed by these dream phenomena (as argued by the nineteenth century authors) are (a) the wandering soul, (b) spiritualism and Swedenborgianism (with the subcategories of dreams and fiction and fantastic dreams, (c) Naturphilosophie, (d) atomist theory, (e) ancestral memories, (f) naive realism, and (g) idealism. Further integration of dream phenomena in Christian psychotherapies and theology is recommended.