The newly released movie, Inception, stirs some intriguing questions about who we are, what the mind is, and what our experiences in dreams represent. Here at dreamschool.org we thought we would offer some valuable insights and answer some of the questions that this movie stimulates.

1. What is the subconscious mind?

The subconscious mind is much more vast and powerful then what most people believe it to be. The subconscious mind is the division of mind where we dream, where we can experience intuitions, and where we exist beyond our physical body. Some people think of the subconscious mind as the residence of the soul. It is also the division of mind where we can experience such things as lucid dreaming, astral projection, and certain types of mystical experiences.

In the movie, Inception, the subconscious mind is where many of the interactions take place.

2. What are dreams?

Dreams are experiences in the subconscious mind that we have each night when we sleep. Dreams are a means by which we process and assimilate our daily waking experiences. Dreams will always provide us with honest, truthful feed back about our previous day’s waking experiences. Dreams show us how we have been productive or unproductive in our soul’s learning and growth. The images we perceive in dreams are universal symbols that can be learned and understood by anyone.

In the movie, Inception, the separate dreams are distinguished by the scene, theme, and characters, which are different or drastically different depending on each individual and the timing of the dream.

3. What is a lucid dream?

A lucid dream is an experience a person has while during the course of a “normal” dream that person becomes aware that he or she is in the dream state and “wakes up in the dream.” Once the person becomes awake or lucid in the dream state he or she can then begin to make conscious choices such as flying, talking to specific people in the dream, going to new places, or performing fantastical feats such as walking through walls or changing the dream scenery. A lucid dream can also be used to explore the nature of our existence beyond the physical world and who we are as mental and spiritual beings.

In many ways all of the dreams in Inception are lucid dreams since the people in the dreams are actively alert to what they are doing and participating in the dreams with intentional objects.

4. What is attention?

Attention is the most important and valuable thing that any of us have. There is a truth that states, “You are where your attention is.” When a person’s attention is in the present moment then that person can listen completely, receive through the five senses as well as through the mental perception, and respond to people and situations with grace and ease. When we use memory our attention is on something that happened in the past. When we use imagination our attention is on a fabricated future possibility. Often people live in their memories or their fantasized imaginations and can get stuck or trapped in those misuses of attention.

Inception shows how the main character, Cobb gets distracted and scatters his attention, especially through his attachment to memories of his wife who has died. The movie also shows how drugs used to keep them asleep in the subconscious mind affects their use of concentrated attention. This is accurate since many drugs have a detrimental affect on our mental muscle or will.


5. What does death mean in a dream?

Death is the most dramatic change that most people will experience in the physical world. In dreams when you die or any person or living thing dies it indicates some kind of change or transformation has occurred. Depending on who is dying, the manner of death, and the other symbols involved, you can further understand what you have changed within your Self and why.

Inception shows an old man in the main character’s dreams who asks, “Are you going to kill me?” This most likely indicates an old aspect of Cobb’s Self that is ready to complete its cycle and be released.•

Damian Nordmann is an expert in master archetypes who enjoys lecturing and working with multimedia to "aid others to manifest their heartfelt desires." Based on Dallas, Texas, he is opening a branch of SOM in Ft. Worth while completing his dissertation for the Doctorate in Metaphysics from the School of Metaphysics.