Incubation is the religious practice of sleeping in a sacred area with the intention of experiencing a
divinely inspired dream
A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, althou ...
or
cure. Incubation was practised by many ancient cultures. In perhaps the most well known instance among the
Hebrews
The terms ''Hebrews'' (Hebrew: / , Modern: ' / ', Tiberian: ' / '; ISO 259-3: ' / ') and ''Hebrew people'' are mostly considered synonymous with the Semitic-speaking Israelites, especially in the pre-monarchic period when they were still ...
, found in
1 Kings 3,
Solomon went to
Gibeon "because that was the most renowned high place to offer sacrifices." There "the appeared to Solomon in a dream at night," and Solomon asked God for the gift of an understanding heart. Among the members of the cult of
Asclepius
Asclepius (; grc-gre, Ἀσκληπιός ''Asklēpiós'' ; la, Aesculapius) is a hero and god of medicine in ancient Greek religion and mythology. He is the son of Apollo and Coronis, or Arsinoe, or of Apollo alone. Asclepius represe ...
, votive offerings found at ritual centres at
Epidaurus,
Pergamum
Pergamon or Pergamum ( or ; grc-gre, Πέργαμον), also referred to by its modern Greek form Pergamos (), was a rich and powerful ancient Greek city in Mysia. It is located from the modern coastline of the Aegean Sea on a promontory on th ...
, and
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
detail the perceived effectiveness of the method. Incubation was adopted by certain Christian sects
and is still used in a few Greek monasteries. Modern practices for influencing dream content by
dream incubation use more research-driven techniques, but sometimes they incorporate elements reflecting ancient beliefs.
A form of incubation was also used by the
iatromantes of the ancient Greeks. According to
Peter Kingsley, iatromantis figures belonged to a wider Greek and Asian shamanic tradition with origins in Central Asia. A main ecstatic, meditative practice of these healer-prophets was incubation (ἐγκοίμησις, enkoimesis). More than just a medical technique, incubation reportedly allowed a human being to experience a fourth state of consciousness different from sleeping, dreaming, or ordinary waking: a state that Kingsley describes as “consciousness itself” and likens to the
turiya
In Hindu philosophy, ''turiya'' (Sanskrit: तुरीय, meaning "the fourth") or chaturiya, chaturtha, is pure consciousness
Consciousness, at its simplest, is sentience and awareness of internal and external existence. However, the la ...
or
samādhi
''Samadhi'' (Pali and sa, समाधि), in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools, is a state of meditative consciousness. In Buddhism, it is the last of the eight elements of the Noble Eightfold Path. In the Ashtanga Yoga ...
of the Indian
yogic
Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...
traditions.
References
Further reading
* Edward Tick, PhD, ''The Practice of Dream Healing'', Wheaton, IL: Quest Books, 2001
* Peter Kingsley, ''In the Dark Places of Wisdom'', Inverness, CA: Golden Sufi Center, 1999
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Incubation (Ritual)
Dreams in religion
Religious rituals