Dream incubation: ancient techniques of dream influence

Dream incubation refers collectively to the practices, rituals, techniques and efforts that an individual applies to intentionally evoke helpful dreams. Derived from the Latin verb incubare (in'upon' + cubare 'to lie'), the term connotes the support and nurturance provided by a laying mother bird for her developing egg. The parallels with dream influence are all too appropriate; in antiquity, the aspirant for a dream laid down to sleep in a sacred precinct with the intention of nurturing a dream of healing or prophecy. In more modern times, the aspirant frequently sleeps in a more profane location, but the nurturing intention toward the ‘developing dream’ remains the same.