This is what your soul does while your body sleeps. Where does it go? – Allan Kardec

Ayan Kardec, codifier of the Spiritist doctrine, dedicated an essential part of his work to understanding the invisible phenomena that occur beyond the physical senses.  One of the topics he addressed in particular depth was that of the partial detachment of the soul during sleep.  In The Spirits’ Book , Kardec raises fundamental questions about what happens to the spirit when the body enters into rest.

  The response from the higher spirits was clear.  During sleep, the soul partially detaches from the body and regains some of its freedom. This principle leads to a profound revelation.  Sleep is not just physiological rest, but a spiritual phenomenon, an emancipation of the soul that allows the human being to come into contact with other realities, with other planes, with disembodied beings and sometimes with himself in a higher state of consciousness.

  What happens to you while you sleep?  While your physical body rests, your consciousness remains active, even if you are not always aware of it.  Your mind, or rather your spirit, becomes partially detached from the material shell and can, in this state of relative freedom, travel, meet other spirits, remember past lives, receive advice, warnings, or simply wander according to your moral and mental level.

  Few people are fully aware of this reality.  However, both ancient spiritual traditions and modern neuroscience research have shed light on this age-old mystery.  What you are about to understand could radically change your view of sleep and even more so your understanding of who you are when your body is silent and your spirit speaks.

  Have you ever had a dream so real it felt like another life?   He is not alone.  These experiences, far from being mere fantasies, may be memories of real experiences of the soul during its partial detachment, as the Egyptians and Greeks affirmed, and as the higher spirits also teach.  During sleep, the soul lives, learns, observes, finds itself, and moves through spaces that material science has not yet been able to fully explain.

  In ancient Egypt, dreams were considered divine messages sent by the gods.  In classical Greece, philosophers like Plato already intuited that the soul, in the repose of the body, accessed more subtle truths and planes .  Today we know thanks to neuroscience that sleep plays a crucial role in memory consolidation, brain regeneration, and emotional balance.

  But that’s just the surface.  During certain phases of deep sleep, particularly in the so-called REM (rapid eye movement) state, brain activity behaves very similarly to the deepest meditative states .  In fact, some studies have shown that the brain waves generated during these episodes are remarkably similar to those observed during near-death experiences, trance states, or transcendental meditation.

  During these stages, our perception of time, space, and even identity changes radically. The sense of reality is transformed, and it is then, right at that subtle threshold between matter and the spiritual, where the soul can move freely as if waking up within a dream.  From a spiritualist perspective, this phenomenon is not just a curiosity of the unconscious; it is a manifestation of the soul, of the real being that we are, which, by momentarily detaching from the body, can reunite with its spiritual origin.

And here the real journey begins.  But here a fundamental question arises that deserves serious reflection.  If consciousness were merely a biological manifestation of the brain, how can we explain that thousands, even millions, of people worldwide throughout history have reported lucid experiences during sleep, encounters with deceased loved ones , and visions that defy the logic of space and time?  Or experiences so vivid that they surpass even ordinary reality?  Are they just illusory projections of the mind,

mere games of the unconscious?  Or as Ayan Kardec stated, they are real manifestations of the soul that during sleep momentarily regains its freedom and acts outside of bodily limits.  From a materialist perspective, every phenomenon must pass through the sieve of what is measurable and tangible.

  And yet, as the spiritist philosophy rightly maintained, life is not limited to the body nor consciousness to the brain.  Kardec asked it clearly in the book of spirits. During sleep, the soul remains inactive.  And the spirits replied, “No, the spirit is never inactive. During sleep, the bonds that tie it to the body relax, and then it can move more freely.”  Question 402.

That is, sleep is not a suspension of consciousness, but a partial release of the spirit.  The body enters a state of rest, brain activity decreases, perceptions of the physical world dissolve, but the consciousness that is an attribute of the soul remains awake acting on another plane of existence.

  This phenomenon occurs every night, without exception, although few people are fully aware of it.  During deep sleep, especially in the phase known as REM, rapid eye movement, where the most intense and symbolic dreams occur , the soul partially detaches from the physical body through the perispirit, its semi-material envelope, and can move through the spiritual space that surrounds it.

  This has been described by other names: astral projection, out-of- body experience, spiritual journey, but it was already clearly explained by the Spiritist doctrine in the mid-nineteenth century as the detachment of the spirit during sleep, a natural fact that obeys the very structure of the human being, body, soul and spirit.

  Modern institutions such as the Monroe Institute or contemporary scientists such as Charles Tart have contributed valuable studies on this phenomenon, suggesting that consciousness can indeed temporarily separate from the physical body and access expanded states of perception.  These conclusions, although formulated in modern scientific language , do nothing more than confirm what the superior spirits had already revealed to Kardec.

  The soul sees, hears, and perceives beyond the body.  His spiritual activity never stops.  So why do most people not have a clear memory of what their consciousness experiences during sleep? According to spiritualism, the explanation lies not in an incapacity of the soul, but in the natural forgetting that matter imposes upon awakening as a psychological protection mechanism.

  Furthermore, the way we have been raised to perceive reality also plays a role.  We have been taught that only what can be measured, touched, or reproduced in a laboratory exists.  The invisible has been relegated to the realm of fantasy, and yet the real experiences of those who have lived through these states speak for themselves.

They report an indescribable feeling of freedom , an expanded consciousness, the perception of an interconnected universe, and, in many cases, the certainty of having visited places, learned teachings, or had dialogues with spiritual beings, all without having physically left their bed.  In this regard, Kardec pointed out that disembodied spirits or spirits in a state of detachment can communicate with each other, visit each other, attend meetings on the spiritual plane, and receive guidance, warnings, and comfort.  All of this is done without

the physical body necessarily having any memory of it upon waking.  Only fragments remain, symbolic dreams, intuitions, or inexplicable sensations. And it is here that the Spiritist doctrine offers a clear light.  Consciousness is not a product of the brain.  The brain is its instrument, not its origin.

  The spirit is immortal and sleep is a daily proof of its independence. Throughout history, various documented accounts have testified that during the detachment state caused by sleep, human consciousness can move beyond the limits of the physical body. There are people who, upon entering this state of partial freedom of the soul, have managed to accurately describe events, people, and locations far removed from their physical environment, places they had never visited with their physical senses, but which were later verified

as real.  One of the best- known cases in the contemporary field is that of the researcher Robert Monroe, who dedicated a good part of his life to the study of so-called out-of-body experiences or projection of consciousness.  Through techniques that induce a state of deep relaxation and mental concentration, Monro claimed to have accessed what he described as non-physical realms of existence, experiences which he narrated in detail in his books.

  Although his approach was based on experimentation, many of his observations coincide with what the Spiritist doctrine had already revealed decades earlier.  The soul is independent of the body and during sleep it can expand its field of action.  Ayan Kardec, long before Monro, had already encoded in the book of spirits this invisible reality that science is only now beginning to explore.

  In question 414, the spirits explain, “During sleep, the soul regains some of its freedom and enters into a more direct relationship with other spirits. In this state, the soul lives a freer life while the body rests. This leads us to a crucial reflection that has direct implications for the quality of our dream and spiritual experiences.

 The emotional and mental state we cultivate before sleep directly influences the fate of our consciousness during sleep. This is no small detail. If a person falls asleep agitated, full of fear, anxiety, or negative thoughts, it is very likely that their soul, upon partially detaching, will head toward dense regions of the spiritual plane that resonate with its vibration.

 These regions can be murky, confusing, chaotic, and sometimes even disturbing. The spirit, still bound by matter, naturally gravitates toward places with which it vibrates in harmony. Conversely, if the individual falls asleep peacefully, with gratitude in their heart, with elevated thoughts, with a clear and sincere intention to learn or receive guidance, they can access higher planes.

”  The more subtle realms of the spiritual world, where luminous encounters, profound learning, and experiences occur that leave a lasting impression of well-being and understanding upon waking. This is why Allan Kardec and the spirits who collaborated on his work insist so much on moral cultivation and the mastery of thoughts, not as an act of repression, but as a form of spiritual education, a training to prepare the soul for the freedom it is granted, even if only partially, each night.

 A helpful, deeply spiritual piece of advice is to transform the moment before sleep into a small, conscious ritual. Before closing your eyes, formulate a clear intention. You can say mentally, “I want to remember what my spirit experiences tonight.”  May my soul be guided to realms of light and wisdom, may I use sleep to learn and rise.

” This type of suggestion, repeated with faith and serenity, can act as a spiritual compass, guiding the consciousness in its nocturnal movements. Few people know that the moments before sleep are a powerful threshold. In this brief period, the brain enters what science calls the hypnagogic phase, a transitional state between wakefulness and sleep, in which the mind is deeply receptive.

 It is then that the soul begins to detach from the body, and the consciousness, freed from material concerns, becomes more permeable to profound ideas, spiritual impulses, and higher inspirations. It is no coincidence that great geniuses of humanity like Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison used this transitional window with full intention.

 Both used to fall asleep repeating unresolved questions or problems , trusting that during sleep, their minds, or more accurately, their spirits, would find answers on a more subtle level of reality. Upon waking, they often did so with a clear idea,  An unexpected solution or a creative vision that had previously been inaccessible to them.

 This is perfectly understandable from the perspective of Spiritism. When the soul partially separates from the body, it leaves behind the limitations imposed by dense matter, accesses regions of pure thought, connects with other intelligences and with profound memories, even from past lives. If the intention before sleep is sincere, elevated, and well- directed, the spirit receives what it seeks according to its merit and level of development.

 This is why Kardec teaches us that the education of thought before sleep is not superstition, but the science of the soul. It is spiritual preparation for an experience that, although common, is profoundly sacred. Throughout history, many of humanity’s greatest geniuses have recognized that their most brilliant ideas did not arise during their waking hours, but in the quietest moments of rest.

 Men like Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison developed the habit of falling asleep with unanswered questions, trusting that upon waking, their mind, or rather their spirit, would bring the answer. This practice, although it may seem modern, embodies a profoundly spiritual principle, perfectly explained.  By Allan Kardec and the codifying spirits of Spiritism.

 When the body sleeps, the soul does not shut down. As we have already seen, it enters a state of partial freedom, momentarily separating from the body and continuing to live, learn, relate, and even work on the invisible planes of the spiritual world. What many call the subconscious mind, Kardec identifies as the manifestation of the soul in partial freedom, which can access knowledge that ordinary matter prevents us from perceiving.

 So, how can you use this spiritual truth to your advantage? The key lies in the power of directed intention and in understanding that thought is a real, vibratory force that acts on both matter and the perispirit—that semi-material envelope that unites the soul to the body. Before going to sleep, make a conscious act of mental direction.

 Instead of immersing yourself in chaotic thoughts, anxieties, or aimless distractions, direct your thinking with clarity and purpose. You can formulate it simply, but with concentration and sincerity. For example, “I want to wake up feeling renewed and full of energy. I wish my spirit to find new ideas to move forward.

”  in my professional life. Show me ways to generate abundance in harmony with good. Help me solve this problem while I sleep. Allow me to clearly remember what my consciousness experiences tonight. These mental suggestions are not lost in the void. As Spiritism teaches us , thought is a real fluidic emission that is recorded in the perispirit and projected onto the spiritual plane.

 The soul, when it partially detaches from the body during sleep, carries that thought with it like a compass, like a sign that guides its movements and nocturnal encounters. And what is more important, these guidances can bear real fruit. Many people have reported waking up with a sudden insight, a feeling of profound clarity, or even with the symbolic memory of a dream that reveals the solution to a personal dilemma.

 This is not about magic or superstition, but about the conscious use of the spiritual laws that govern the soul and its connection with the invisible world. Moreover, this practice can extend beyond daily life; it can be a tool to open the doors to deeper spiritual experiences.  deep during sleep.

 Those who consciously study or practice spiritual development, and particularly those familiar with the phenomenon known as projection of consciousness, often use specific affirmations before sleeping. These phrases, repeated with faith and consistency, act as spiritual seeds that blossom on the astral plane. For example, “Tonight I will be conscious in the spiritual world.

 I wish to remember everything my consciousness experiences outside the body. May my spirit be guided by light and knowledge through practice and repetition.” Many people, some even without prior knowledge of Spiritism, have managed to experience lucid dreams, encounters with disembodied loved ones , symbolic guidance, or even experiences of expanded consciousness, where they perceive that their true identity is not limited to the body, time, or space.

Kardec clearly explained in The Spirits’ Book, question 405, that the spirit, when detached during sleep, can communicate with others, visit places, receive teachings or warnings, and that while the body upon waking does not always remember these experiences, the soul retains them deep within its being.

  Sleep, then, is not simply a pause in existence, but a daily opportunity for spiritual connection. Using thought before sleep with elevated and directed intention is one of the most powerful acts we can perform to transform rest into a fertile ground for learning, revelation, and the soul’s evolution.

 The human mind, freed from the constraints of the body during sleep, seems capable of crossing boundaries that conventional science has yet to clearly explain. From a purely materialistic perspective, anything that cannot be measured with instruments or replicated in a laboratory tends to be dismissed as an illusion or psychological phenomenon.

 However, from the perspective of Spiritism, as codified by Allan Kardec, these phenomena are not only real, but fundamental to understanding the spiritual nature of human beings. Where exactly does our consciousness go during sleep? The answer, according to higher spirits, is neither singular nor uniform. It depends on several essential factors: the  individual’s level of spiritual development, their emotional and moral state at the time of sleep, and above all, the intention or inner disposition with which they surrender to rest. Kardec

asked in The Spirits’ Book if the soul goes to the other side during sleep.  Visit other spirits or places, and the answer was clear. Yes, and more often than you think. When we sleep, the spirit regains some of its freedom and makes use of it. This explains why some people report dreams so intense, so vivid, that they experience them as if they were in another existence.

 Others, on the other hand, experience what science has called lucid dreams, in which the individual is aware that they are dreaming and, in some cases, can consciously interact with the dream environment. Furthermore, there are those who calmly recount the experience of floating out of their body, observing their room from above, or traveling to places they have never visited before.

 From the Spiritist perspective, this is not the product of an overactive brain, but the natural manifestation of the soul in a state of partial freedom. Allan Kardec explained that the spirit, when detached during sleep, can move anywhere with a speed and subtlety that do not belong to matter and that transcend the laws of time and space as we understand them on the physical plane.

  Physical principles do not apply in the same way in the spiritual world. What is most revealing is that these experiences are not new. Similar accounts appear in all cultures and spiritual traditions; mystics, yogis, Buddhist monks, and even people who have had near-death experiences describe worlds where light seems alive, where thought guides movement, where time dissolves, and the soul experiences a level of clarity deeper than in waking life.

Some have spoken of cities of light, celestial gardens, temples of spiritual teaching, or encounters with disembodied guides, all in a state of complete lucidity. Others describe dimensions where space is not perceived as a place, but as a vibration, and where emotions shape the environment.

 This type of perception coincides with Spiritist teachings about the spiritual world, in which the thoughts and feelings of the spirit are able to directly influence its surroundings. And here a legitimate question arises: How can we know if these experiences are real or merely dreams created by the mind? Kardec already addressed this concern in the  In the 19th century, spiritists explained that while many dream images originate from the subconscious, others come directly from what the soul experienced during its separation.

 And when these experiences leave intense, clear, and coherent impressions, accompanied by a profound sense of truth, they are often authentic memories of what the spirit experienced on the invisible plane. Today, even within the scientific community, cases are emerging that support this assertion.

 People who have had out-of-body experiences accurately describe places, conversations, or events to which they had no physical access, but which were later verified by others. These accounts constitute at least consistent evidence that something more than a dream is occurring. Even in modern science, quantum physics has begun to question the traditional boundaries between mind and matter.

Some theoretical physicists have suggested that consciousness is not limited to the brain, but could interact with broader fields of information. One of the most notable testimonies comes from neurosurgeon Dr. Even Alexander, who, after undergoing a profound soul separation, stated that his experience on that other side was more real than life itself and that no other experience could compare.

  A neurological explanation could justify what was experienced. So, we must seriously ask ourselves, does the soul access other realities during sleep? Higher dimensions? Or perhaps planes of the spiritual world that we do not yet fully understand? Spiritist doctrine answers without hesitation. Yes. We access different regions of the invisible world, regions where the soul lives, learns, finds itself, or gets lost according to its vibrational affinity.

 And often the dreams we believe to be chaotic or meaningless are actually fragments of these journeys, of these real experiences that our bodily memory cannot fully retain. It is true that psychology has also sought to interpret dreams. Sigmund Freud considered them expressions of the unconscious and repressed desires.

Although his view contributed valuable elements to the understanding of the human psyche, it was limited to a purely earthly dimension, without considering the spiritual principle. Closer to the Spiritist truth was Carl Jung, who spoke of the collective unconscious, universal archetypes, and dream symbols as messages from the soul.

 Although Yun was a Spiritist, his Intuition about the symbolic and transcendent nature of dreams is close to what Kardec revealed through mediumship: that the soul, even in sleep, continues its path of evolution and that its dream experiences are often a reflection of its true state in the spiritual world. Thus, dreams are not mere brain creations, but in many cases records of the soul’s journeys through the spiritual cosmos.

 They are glimpses of a reality that transcends the senses, gateways to understanding our true nature. Unlike modern psychological theories that explain dreams from the perspective of the personal or collective unconscious, Allan Kardec did not see the dream world as a simple symbolic manifestation of the psyche, but as a real experience of the soul in a state of semi-freedom.

It is true that Carl Jung, a great scholar of the human soul from a psychological perspective, proposed that dreams reveal contents of the collective unconscious, where archetypes and universal symbols act as guides for the soul on its path of individuation. This view, while valuable, is still incomplete when compared to the broader understanding offered by Spiritist doctrine.

 Kardec, guided by higher spirits, taught us that sleep is not only an internal reflection but also a portal to the spiritual world. In sleep, the soul partially detaches from the physical body and, according to its degree of moral elevation, its vibratory state, and its innermost intention, accesses different regions of the spiritual plane.

 There, it can encounter not only other disembodied entities but also other embodied spirits who, during sleep, are in the same condition of temporary freedom. Therefore, it is not surprising that many people report dreams so vivid and coherent that they seem more like genuine out-of-body experiences. In these dreams, some claim to have had encounters with beings of light, spiritual guides, disembodied relatives, or even to have accessed prophetic visions of the future.

 In other cases, these are lucid dreams, that is, those in which the dreamer is aware that they are dreaming and can actively interact with the dream environment. Spiritism does not dismiss these phenomena, but rather explains them naturally and profoundly, pointing out that they are legitimate manifestations of the soul’s activity outside of matter.

Various spiritual traditions, each with its own language and symbols, agree that sleep is a journey of the soul. Shamanism, for example, conceives of sleep as a realm of spiritual revelation, where the soul can receive messages, face inner challenges, or contact protective forces. Some schools of Tibetan Buddhism teach that the art of dreaming can serve as preparation for death, since in this detachment one rehearses the great transition that the soul will experience when it definitively separates from the physical body. These ancestral teachings

resonate with the Spiritist view, which considers sleep as an intermediate state between bodily and spiritual life. And it is in this state that some surprising phenomena occur, such as shared dreams. There are people who claim to have dreamed the same thing on the same night as a friend, a relative, or even a stranger.

 Upon waking, they compare their experiences and find coinciding details. How is this possible? According to the principles revealed to  According to Aymara Kardec, during sleep, incarnated spirits can reunite on the spiritual plane. The spirit is not confined to the body nor limited to the brain. When it is freed, even partially, it returns to its true nature: an intelligent, conscious being, capable of thinking, moving, communicating, and loving, even outside the physical body.

 Therefore, under certain circumstances, two or more incarnated consciousnesses can meet in the spiritual world, converse, share a common experience, and then, upon returning to the body, partially recall that experience as a dream. This occurs most clearly between kindred spirits, united by bonds of affection, vibrational attunement, or spiritual commitment.

 Although materialistic science does not yet fully accept this possibility, quantum physics has begun to open certain theoretical doors. Some models, such as the unified field theory, suggest that everything in the universe is interconnected at profound levels, where the separation between minds is only apparent. If thoughts and emotions emit real frequencies, as Spiritism also affirms , it is perfectly possible for two vibrationally attuned souls to meet and share the same landscape.  Spiritual.

This principle was anticipated by the spirits when they affirmed that thought travels, communicates, and acts as a real force in the invisible world. This is what happens in prayers, in spiritual evocations, in the mental bonds that unite us with those we love, whether they are incarnate or not. And during sleep, when the soul is freed from the weight of matter, these connections become much more accessible.

 Therefore, it is not fantasy to believe that our consciousnesses can interact with each other while we sleep. Rather, it is from the natural laws of the soul that Spiritist doctrine helps us to understand clearly, seriously, and without blind mysticism. It is possible, and in fact, it happens more frequently than we believe, that two people, while sleeping, enter into vibrational harmony and access the same spiritual landscapes or dream scenes.

 This connection is not a chance coincidence, but a natural manifestation of the principle of spiritual affinity, so clearly explained in Spiritist doctrine. When the spirit partially detaches from the body during sleep, it abandons the material limitations that isolate it and becomes more sensitive.  to the vibrations of other spirits, both incarnate and disincarnate.

 If two people are linked by emotional ties, similar thoughts, or a common intention, it is entirely possible for them to meet on the same spiritual plane and share an experience that they both later remember as a shared dream. This has been documented in numerous accounts where two or more individuals claim to have dreamed together, experienced the same scene, and even conversed with each other while asleep.

 Upon waking, when comparing their dreams, they discover details that coincide with a precision that rules out chance. The Spiritist explanation is simple. Souls can meet during sleep, consciously interact on the spiritual plane, and return to the physical body with a partial memory of that experience.

 Carl Jung, from the field of psychology, proposed a theory that may touch upon this spiritual understanding: the collective unconscious, a vast shared reservoir of symbols, archetypes, and memories common to all humanity. This notion can be reinterpreted in light of Spiritism as an expression of the spiritual world, where spirits, not being limited by the barriers of the body, exist  Physically, they can access a space of shared ideas, images, and experiences that then manifest in their dreams.

 That’s why it’s understandable that people from different cultures and backgrounds, without ever having met, report similar dreams, visions of cities of light, encounters with spiritual beings, and universal symbols.  personal ones such as doors, roads, temples, water, fire. They all reflect real experiences of the spirit or impressions gathered on subtle planes of the invisible world.

  And not all dreams are random or mere reflections of the day’s activities. Some dreams contain important messages, warnings, teachings, and even visions of the future. Spiritism teaches that the soul, by temporarily detaching itself from matter during sleep, can rise and access regions where time no longer follows the linear laws of physical existence.

  In our waking life we ​​are subject to a perception of time that moves in only one direction: past, present, and future. But in the spiritual realm where consciousness acts with greater freedom, time is malleable and certain future events can leave impressions or be perceived in advance by receptive incarnated spirits .

  Ayan Kardeek in the Book of Spirits did not deny the possibility of premonitory visions during sleep. On the contrary, the spirits explained that the soul can receive warnings, advice, or intuitions about future events, not through divination, but because on certain planes those events are already taking place and the spirit, by perceiving their causes, intuits their consequences.

  Science is slowly beginning to touch upon these truths. Physicist John Willer, in the field of quantum mechanics, proposed that the past could be influenced by the future under certain subatomic conditions. Although this theory does not directly address consciousness, it opens the door to rethinking time as something more complex than a simple straight line.

If this occurs at the level of the most subtle matter, why wouldn’t it also occur with spiritual consciousness, which is not subject to the same physical laws as the body?  By detaching from the body, the spirit can observe not only distant places, but also access pre-images of situations to come, as if seeing the reflection of a possibility that is taking shape.

  From there arise the so-called precognitive dreams.  There are well- documented cases that have intrigued both researchers and historians.  For example, Abraham Lincoln recounted having a dream about his own funeral days before he was assassinated, an experience that left him deeply disturbed.  Other people dreamed about the sinking of the Titanic or the September 11 attacks before they happened.

These premonitions are not the result of chance or suggestion, but manifestations of the soul’s ability to intuit, perceive, or receive impressions of the probable future, especially when those impressions are given by protective spirits who wish to prevent, prepare, or warn.  As Kardec explains, not all dreams have prophetic value, nor should all be taken literally, but some are undoubtedly important signs.

  The soul, acting outside the body, sees more, feels more, and understands more than the rational mind, limited by matter, manages to grasp upon awakening.  The psychologist Carl Jung, a profound observer of symbols and the psychic processes of human beings, coined the term synchronicity to describe certain significant coincidences that cannot be explained solely by causality.

These mysterious connections between facts and thoughts, dreams and realities suggested, according to Yun, that there is a deeper order underlying the events of our lives, an invisible web that links external facts with internal processes.  This phenomenon, observed from the perspective of spiritualism, is not only a psychological manifestation, but a concrete expression of the law of spiritual affinity and the connection between the soul and the higher planes of existence.

  Ayan Kardec, when addressing the role of dreams in the life of the spirit, explained that the soul, by emancipating itself during sleep, accesses regions where time, as we know it, loses its linear limits.  In fact, if time works differently in the spiritual world, as both spirits and various philosophical traditions teach, then it is possible that when dreaming the spirit anticipates certain events, intuits future possibilities or captures signs of the future, not as divination, but as natural access to a memory of the future

contained in more subtle planes of the spiritual universe.  This leads us to a fundamental question.  How to differentiate a common dream from a precognitive dream?  Experience and spiritualist studies agree that emotional intensity, clarity of images, and coherence of the message are distinctive signs of a precognitive dream.

  Those who have had this type of dream usually describe them as extraordinarily vivid, with concrete details and a firm internal logic and, most notably, with a deep feeling that it was not just a dream.  Upon waking, many claim to be certain that what they saw was not just a construct of the mind, but something they had lived, witnessed, or anticipated.

  In many cases, the events seen in the dream later manifest themselves in physical life, which reinforces the idea that the soul, when not limited by the body, can glimpse the horizon of what has not yet arrived.  If this is so, then we must accept that while we sleep we connect with something vaster and deeper than our individual mind.

  What Jun would call the collective unconscious, spiritualism calls it more accurately. Universal spiritual consciousness, the plane where intentions, soul memories, and the higher laws that govern evolution converge.  From the spiritist perspective, there are different types of dreams, and each one reflects a different aspect of the soul’s spiritual experience.

Below we present a basic classification of dreams according to Spiritist knowledge.  One. Symbolic or psychological dreams are the most common.  They reflect emotions, thoughts, desires, and fears of the subconscious, often expressed through symbols and metaphors.  Dreaming about a house, for example, can represent the dreamer’s inner state , their mental structures, their emotional stability, or their sense of security.

Two precognitive or prophetic dreams are those that contain glimpses of the future.  In them, the soul may have accessed a scene that is about to occur, either through contact with spirits that warn and through direct intuition of the spirit, or through access to areas of the spiritual plane where the future is perceived as a possibility already in formation.  Three, lucid dreams.

  In these dreams, the person realizes they are dreaming and in many cases can exercise will within the dream, exploring the environment, making decisions, or even modifying the course of the experience.  Spiritism sees this as a manifestation of the level of consciousness that the soul has reached and a sign of its ability to act freely on the spiritual plane.  Four.

Spiritual or instructive dreams.  In these dreams, the soul comes into contact with spiritual guides, disembodied loved ones, or teaching environments in the spiritual world.  These are dreams that leave a feeling of peace, of understanding, and often reveal concepts, answers, or lessons that the dreamer was not consciously aware of.

In The Book of Spirits, Heaven and Hell, Kardec recounts many cases of spirits teaching and guiding incarnate souls during sleep.  How to correctly interpret our dreams?  The key lies in two fundamental words: attention and intention.  Anyone who wants to understand their dreams must begin by paying real attention to them, valuing them, writing them down upon waking, and seeking their meanings, not only on a psychological level, but also a spiritual one.

Over time, the patterns become evident, the emergent messages of the soul become clearer.  That’s why it’s recommended to keep a dream journal where you record not only the dream events, but also your emotional state upon waking, your inner feelings, and the symbols that are repeated.

  In this way, consciousness is trained, dream memory is strengthened, and a firmer bridge is established between the physical world and the spiritual world. Many spiritual schools have spoken of the astral plane as an intermediate level between dense matter and the higher planes of spirit. Spiritism, along with currents such as hermeticism and theosophy, recognizes that during sleep the soul can move in this plane, which is not a physical place, but a vibratory dimension in which thoughts and emotions take shape.

  There, what is thought manifests, what is feared is projected, what is loved is attracted.  That is why the astral plane is considered highly malleable and the soul’s experience in that space is intimately related to its moral, emotional and mental state.  During sleep, when the soul partially separates from the physical body, it comes into contact with regions of the spiritual world, traditionally known as astral planes or vibratory zones of the spirit.

Ayan Kardec, in the book of spirits and heaven and hell, clearly explains that the spirit moves quickly through space and that depending on its moral state it can rise to higher regions or remain close to the earth’s surface, still feeling the influence of human passions.  The accounts of people who have had out-of-body experiences during sleep coincide on one key point.

  There are different levels or layers of the spiritual plane, each with very distinct characteristics.  Some describe luminous, peaceful spaces, where an atmosphere of wisdom, harmony, and benevolent presence is perceived.  Others, however, narrate experiences in dense, chaotic, dark environments, permeated with emotional confusion, fear, or guilt.

  This is not a fantasy, but a natural manifestation of the law of spiritual affinity, which Allan Kardec summarizes as follows: “Spirits group together by sympathy and moral affinity; that is, each soul, upon detaching itself during sleep, is drawn to those regions of the spiritual plane that vibrate in harmony with its innermost state.

 This is one of the reasons why the emotional, mental, and moral state before sleep directly influences the quality of the nighttime spiritual experience . Spiritual researchers, many of them inspired by Spiritist doctrine, have proposed a basic classification of the planes to which the soul can access during sleep, which can also be understood within the Cartesian framework.

 One is the lower astral plane. This level is associated with dense vibrations, negative emotions, and moral disharmony. The energies of fear, guilt, resentment, addiction, anger, and unresolved suffering manifest here. Those who access this plane during sleep often describe it as a dark, gloomy, sometimes oppressive, or even terrifying place.

 In reality, what they experience is a projection.”  direct from the spiritual state they are in . The spirit, still clinging to material passions or disturbed by disordered emotions, attunes itself to regions inhabited by kindred entities, some of them disembodied beings who have not accepted their condition, or even by obsessive thoughts that take shape.

Ayatollah Kardec warns that during sleep, imperfect souls or those dominated by material pleasures remain close to Earth, mingling with inferior or wandering spirits. This is also why many people, upon waking, feel tired, confused, or emotionally exhausted, as if they had spent the night battling inner shadows.

Two. The middle astral plane. This is the level most frequently accessible to most people during sleep. On this plane, conventional dreams develop, where the subconscious mind organizes impressions, memories, desires, emotions, and experiences of the day. Although not free from illusions, the middle plane also allows encounters with other incarnate or disembodied spirits, especially if there is some emotional affinity or prior bond.

Experiences can also occur here.  of a certain clarity, symbolic visions, or simple learning processes. The spiritual entities found there are usually in transit, evolving, or participating in tasks of help and comfort. The soul that accesses this plane may return to the body with vague impressions, but often with useful intuitions or messages in symbolic form.

 Kardec explains that spirits communicate with each other during sleep and that often the soul participates in important situations, but upon returning to the body, matter prevents that memory from being fully recovered. Three, the higher astral plane . This level is related to higher states of consciousness, subtle vibrations, and spiritual regions of light and wisdom.

 Only those souls who, through their merits, moral elevation, sincere intention, or authorization from their guides, can ascend to planes of instruction, comfort, or spiritual renewal, access this plane. In these planes, the soul may encounter guardian spirits, mentors, disembodied relatives on a mission, and participate in meetings, spiritual schools, or receive profound teachings.

People who access this level during sleep usually awaken  with a sense of inner peace, inspiration, gratitude, and clarity of purpose. The higher astral plane is neither a utopia nor a privilege reserved for saints. Ayatollah Kardec teaches us that any soul that sincerely strives for its progress and humbly seeks truth and goodness can be guided to these realms during the body’s rest.

 Can we consciously access these planes during sleep? Yes. While many astral experiences occur spontaneously, human beings can consciously train themselves to raise their vibration and have greater lucidity during nighttime detachment. This requires mental discipline, inner work, and spiritual practices consistent with the law of love and harmony.

 Techniques such as mindfulness before sleep, sincere prayer, meditation, repentance for negative actions, uplifting reading, or simply falling asleep with a clear and elevated intention are sure paths to prepare the spirit for a more conscious journey. In addition, some recently developed methods, such as lucid dream induction or states of deep relaxation, can help the detached soul retain a greater degree of awareness.

  Clarity and a clearer retention of memories from the spiritual realm. Ultimately, it is not the place that determines the soul’s experience, but its inner state. Sleep, as Alan Kardec teaches us, is a daily opportunity for spiritual evolution, and the planes we access while sleeping reflect the vibrational level we are cultivating with our thoughts, feelings, and actions while awake.

Therefore, preparing for sleep is not only a matter of physical hygiene, but also of the soul’s. Sleep is travel. The question is, where do you wish your spirit to travel tonight? Among the many experiences the soul can have during sleep, one stands out for its transformative power: conscious spiritual encounters.

Numerous testimonies from people of different cultures, eras, and beliefs coincide on this phenomenon. Upon waking, they recount having seen beings of light, spiritual guides, deceased relatives, and even, in some cases, incarnate beings with whom they shared intense experiences on that plane.

 The big question that often arises is inevitable: Are these encounters mere projections of the mind? Subconscious? A form of emotional comfort? Or are we witnessing genuine experiences of the soul, which during sleep partially frees itself from the body and accesses a level of existence inhabited by other consciousnesses? The most coherent and illuminating answer is offered by Spiritism as codified by Allan Kardec.

According to the teachings of the higher spirits, during sleep the soul does not sleep, it lives. And in this state of relative freedom, it can relate to other spirits, both incarnate and disincarnate, according to the law of vibratory affinity that governs the spiritual world. Kardec explains this clearly in The Spirits’ Book, question 402.

During sleep, the spirit regains some of its freedom and enters into communication with loved ones, with other spirits, and sometimes with those it only knows in this state. In other words, encounters during sleep are not only possible, but natural. The so-called astral plane, so often mentioned in esoteric and philosophical schools, is not a physical place, but a vibratory dimension where forms and scenarios respond to the  Thoughts and emotions of the soul.

This malleability of the spiritual environment means that during sleep, the  dreamer’s deepest intentions and moral state influence the encounters they will experience. For example, someone who falls asleep with a heart afflicted by the loss of a loved one, with true love and a desire for reunion, may be guided toward an experience of solace in the spiritual realm.

 These dreams, seemingly ordinary, are described as vivid, emotional, and intensely real. The dreamer perceives the loved one with complete clarity, hears their voice, receives a message, and upon waking retains a sense of peace, relief, or inner certainty. Although modern psychology tends to interpret these experiences as unconscious processes of grief, spiritualism offers a deeper understanding .

 In many cases, these encounters are truly real, and the soul has been authorized—by affinity, need, or neglect—to meet with the disembodied spirit. The veracity of the experience is confirmed when the dreamer recalls details they didn’t know or receives messages that later come true, such as warnings, advice, or information that was not in their memory.

conscious. But not all spiritual encounters during sleep are affective in nature. Many occur for educational and evolutionary purposes. According to the communications of numerous mediums studied by Kardec, the soul can be led during sleep to schools of the spirit world, where it receives moral, philosophical, or even technical instruction.

 These spiritual schools are not a metaphor, but real vibrational places where higher entities guide incarnate spirits who are prepared to learn. There, the soul attends lectures, receives direct teaching, or participates in meetings with other incarnate and disincarnate spirits. Sometimes what is learned is forgotten upon waking, but on other occasions, the memory is imprinted so clearly that the person, without rational explanation, awakens with new concepts, elevated ideas, or understandings they did not previously possess.

Numerous cases have been documented in which people claim to have received teachings during sleep on spiritual, cosmic, or philosophical topics that they later found developed in sacred books or ancient esoteric texts they had never read before. These facts are not surprising in light of the Spiritism.

 The soul, being immortal, holds within itself the traces of its past lives, its commitments, and its desires. When it sleeps with humility, with a sincere desire to learn, and with a vibrational affinity with higher entities, it is received and guided to realms where its desires reside. The Spiritist doctrine, with its rational clarity and respect for the freedom of the spirit, teaches us that sleep is a legitimate field of spiritual connection, that what we experience there is not always a product of fantasy, but often an authentic reflection of what the soul experiences on the

invisible plane. Therefore, encounters with guides, loved ones, or instructors should not be dismissed or trivialized. If the experience leaves the dreamer with a sense of peace, understanding, and inner growth, it is very likely that it was real. And even more so , if the message received is useful, transformative, or even manifests later in material life, then there is no doubt that the soul has been in contact with higher intelligences.

 To have a greater degree of awareness and control over the spiritual encounters that occur during sleep, there are techniques. Simple yet powerful techniques that can be applied consistently. One of the most effective involves setting a clear intention before going to sleep, mentally or quietly formulating phrases such as, “Tonight I want to meet with my spirit guide and remember this experience upon waking.

” This simple declaration of will is not a fantasy, but a vibratory act that the soul registers and carries with it when it partially detaches from the physical body.  Thought, as Alan Kardec taught, is a real force that projects itself onto the spiritual plane and acts as a guide for the soul in its state of relative freedom.

  Along with this practice, it is advisable to keep a notebook by the bed to write down upon waking any image, phrase, emotion or detail that has been recorded from the night’s experience, since the memory of the soul, upon returning to the body, tends to be lost quickly if it is not exercised.  However, not all experiences during sleep are pleasant or enlightening.

Nightmares are one of the most intriguing and misunderstood phenomena of the dream world, and their origin, far from being solely a consequence of everyday stress, can be much deeper.  They often function as symbolic messages from the subconscious that alert us to unresolved internal conflicts, repressed tensions, or wrong decisions that are brewing.

  But they can also be, according to the spiritist view, real experiences of the soul in denser regions of the spiritual plane, tuned by the emotional vibration of the dreamer. Why do they occur and can they be controlled? Neuroscience has shown that the brain remains active during sleep, especially in the REM phase, where it processes memories, emotions, and experiences that were not fully integrated during the day.

  The threat simulation theory developed by the researcher antirebonsuo suggests that nightmares could be an adaptive mechanism through which the mind is symbolically trained to deal with dangerous situations, anticipating reactions to potentially traumatic events.  However, from a higher spiritual level, Spiritism invites us to consider another dimension.

If the soul detaches from the body during sleep and accesses a plane according to its vibrational state, then nightmares can also be a direct reflection of the vibrational level at which the spirit moves.  This means that if a person falls asleep with anguish, hatred, guilt, or destructive thoughts, it is very likely that their soul, upon emancipation, will tune into lower regions of the astral plane, inhabited by dense energies and entities akin to those states.

  In that context, the nightmare ceases to be just a psychological process and becomes a warning or a spiritual experience that starkly reflects what is being cultivated internally. Classical psychologists also offered valid interpretations.  Freud believed that nightmares were expressions of repressed desires and unresolved traumas , while Jun saw them as manifestations of powerful archetypes of the collective unconscious, psychic forces that emerge to bring balance and revelation.

Clinically, studies have shown that people who go through traumatic situations, extreme stress, recent grief, or existential crises tend to have more frequent nightmares, as the brain, like the soul, desperately seeks to process, reorganize, and heal the impact received.  However, not all nightmares have a strictly psychological origin.

  There are many that arise with such a particular intensity and symbolic charge that they seem to come from mysterious sources. as if the soul had accessed specific vibrational zones where it came face to face with a lesson, an inner reflection, or even a warning from the spiritual plane.  If we understand that nightmares somehow reflect our energy state before sleep, then we can also take concrete steps to decrease their frequency or even transform those experiences into learning opportunities.

  Some of these measures include spiritual hygiene practices such as energetic cleansing of the space and body before sleeping, through the use of incense, smudging, salt water baths, or visualizing a protective light surrounding the body.  You can also use mental reprogramming before going to bed, replacing negative thoughts with affirmations such as, “I sleep in peace, in protection, guided by the light of my guardian spirit,” which generates a vibration that accompanies the soul in its detachment.

  Avoiding heavy foods, alcohol, caffeine, or excessive screen time also contributes to a more harmonious and deeper rest, reducing the possibility of nightmares occurring on a physical level.  Furthermore, writing down and analyzing nightmares can be very helpful, as many contain hidden messages or repeat patterns that, when understood, free the soul from its burdens.

  Keeping a record allows you to detect recurring symbols, dominant emotions, or calls from the subconscious that need to be heard.  One of the most powerful tools is the development of dream consciousness, known as lucid dreaming.  Through it, the dreamer learns to recognize when he is dreaming and, if he finds himself in a nightmare, he can transform it, confront the monster, talk to him, or even modify the environment with his will.

This type of experience is not fantasy; it is a manifestation of the soul’s lucidity , of its ability to act on the spiritual plane when it is not completely immersed in unconsciousness.  Although most people wish to avoid nightmares, certain spiritual traditions, including spiritualism, teach that they can become real opportunities for evolution.

  If a nightmare recurs frequently, it is likely revealing something that needs to be faced, acknowledged, or forgiven.  In many schools of spiritual projection, practitioners are trained not to run away from nightmares, but to remain conscious within them, discovering that what seemed like a threat is actually a part of their own being crying out for integration.

  If we can understand this phenomenon from a higher perspective, then even the darkest dream experiences can become portals to self-knowledge, emotional healing, and the inner transformation that the soul seeks on its journey to the light.  In some schools of astral projection, practitioners are trained to remain conscious and calm, even within a nightmare, learning to face what appears as a threat from a lucid and courageous perspective.

  This type of spiritual preparation allows us to understand that many times what we perceive as a monster or disturbing figure within the dream is nothing more than a symbolic projection of a repressed part of our psyche or even an aspect of our soul that needs to be observed, healed or integrated.

  When we stop running away from the images that frighten us and instead seek to understand them with serenity and openness, nightmares can become powerful instruments of self-knowledge, revealing internal conflicts, unresolved emotional wounds, or spiritual blockages seeking to be released.  If we can properly interpret these dreams, we can transform fear into growth, confusion into clarity, and pain into spiritual evolution.

  But one of the most frequent questions that arises among those who wish to take advantage of the deep content of their dreams is, why do we forget them?  From the Spiritist perspective, this difficulty has a twofold explanation.  On the one hand, the physical body, upon waking, regains control of consciousness, and the rational activity of the brain prevails over the subtle impressions that the soul may have experienced during the dream detachment.

  On the other hand, dream recall depends on the degree of affinity between spirit and matter, that is, on the soul’s ability to translate what it experienced on the spiritual plane into images understandable to the incarnate mind.  At a physiological level, during the REM phase, the brain operates in a very different state than when awake, processing memories, creating symbolic narratives, and accessing expanded states of consciousness .

  But upon waking, the rational mind regains control and often dismisses that subtle information as irrelevant, causing almost immediate forgetting.  However, this forgetting is neither definitive nor absolute. Dream memory can be developed and strengthened with practice.  Like any skill, remembering dreams is something that can be trained.

  That’s why it’s recommended to keep a notebook by your bed and write, without judging any fragment or impression upon waking. Although at first only scattered images or vague sensations are captured, over time the connection between the soul and the conscious mind becomes more fluid and memories become clearer.

  In addition, remaining still upon waking without moving immediately helps to retain the details of the experience, since the first few seconds after opening your eyes are crucial for consolidating the dream memory.  Another effective strategy is to reduce stimuli before sleep, especially screen use and exposure to blue light, as these interfere with the natural rhythms of deep rest and hinder the connection with the subtle planes of consciousness.

  However, there are experiences that, due to their intensity and uniqueness, are hard to forget, and one of them is sleep paralysis. This phenomenon, which can be terrifying for those who experience it for the first time, occurs when consciousness awakens before the body, leaving the individual in a state of lucidity without motor control.

  The person feels awake, but cannot move and in some cases experiences sensations of chest pressure or the presence of dark entities near their bed. Scientifically, it has been explained as a temporary disconnection between brain activation and deep muscle relaxation that prevents the body from moving during sleep.  However, from a spiritual point of view, various traditions, including spiritualism, suggest that this state occurs when the soul abruptly returns from an out-of-body experience and is still partially in contact with other

dimensions, allowing a momentary perception of parallel realities. If you ever experience this situation, the most important thing is to stay calm, remember that it is temporary, and focus your attention on your breathing, trying to slowly move your fingers or toes to regain control of your body.

  Many people, after becoming familiar with this experience, have learned to use sleep paralysis as a portal to conscious projection, turning it into an opportunity to explore the spiritual plane in a lucid and safe manner.  Another common challenge in the dream world is contact with unknown entities.  Some people dream of figures that do not seem to be mere products of the mind, but rather presences that convey intelligence, energy, and even free will.

  These entities can be friendly, neutral, or in certain cases, disruptive.  What are they really?  Some experts argue that these are symbolic constructions of the mind, representations of internal aspects that seek to be recognized. But from the spiritist perspective, it is also possible that during sleep we come into contact with other real consciousnesses, disembodied spirits, spiritual guides, or even lower entities that inhabit subtle planes and with which our vibration resonates.

  Intense emotions, especially those not properly managed, can be projected and take shape during sleep, manifesting as symbolic figures, voices, or situations, but they can also attract the presence of intelligences that exist outside of us, whose interaction with our dream consciousness depends largely on our vibrational level.

Therefore, the golden rule in any spiritual encounter during sleep is not to give in to fear.  Fear destabilizes consciousness, lowers vibration, and can intensify the experience by giving strength to what was previously just a shadow.  On the other hand, if the dreamer remains calm, steady, and protected by their high intention, they can transform the experience, illuminate the environment, and elevate their connection to higher levels, understanding that everything that happens during sleep, even the strangest or most disturbing things, is an

opportunity to discover who we really are beyond the physical body.  If at any time you feel that during sleep you enter negative environments filled with fear, confusion, or disturbing presences, it is important that you learn to apply energy protection techniques before sleeping, since the spiritual world responds to the vibrational quality of our thoughts and emotions.

  One of the simplest and most effective techniques involves visualizing a field of white or golden light surrounding your entire body, enveloping you in a feeling of peace, security, and connection with your spiritual guides.  This practice, in addition to creating a protective vibrational barrier, strengthens your conscious intention to rise to luminous regions during sleep.

  Another phenomenon that some people experience is excessive activity in their dreams. Consciousness becomes so active in the dream world, so involved in multiple scenes, symbols, and experiences, that upon waking they feel a mental fatigue comparable to having lived a second full day while they were asleep.  This may be due to very intense emotional processing or an overload of unprocessed mental impressions during the day.

  In these cases, it is essential to develop energy anchoring techniques upon awakening to help the soul rebalance and rediscover its center. Simple practices such as drinking a glass of water slowly, walking barefoot on the ground or the floor of your home, or even taking a mindful shower allow consciousness to fully return to the physical body, dispel any interference, and regain lucidity with greater serenity.

If you wish to navigate safely and harmoniously through the world of dreams, there are two fundamental practices you can incorporate into your nightly routine. The first is to create a spiritual ritual before going to sleep.  This ritual may include meditation, a sincere prayer from the heart, or the visualization of light that purifies your mind, your environment, and your energy.

  This type of preparation not only calms the body, but also predisposes the soul to rise to more subtle planes, attracting benevolent spiritual presences.  M.