Dream Scape- Reality, Projection, Otherworld Download?

One subject which seems to find alot of controversy in the world of shamanic arts is the world of "sleeping" dreams. What is the meaning of our dreams? Some spirit workers have told me they receive downloads from Spirits in their dreams. Some say they receive hard and fast premonitions of what is to come. Some practitioners have told me they believe dreams are purely your own subconscious thought or simple psychology. Some believe that each particular element of a dream (such as cups, fire, cars, etc) all have specific pre-determined meanings and can be scientifically dissected to uncover a factual meaning. Some practitioners have said that dreams can be a combination of the inner world and messages from other worlds, but that messages from spirits in dreams are very rare. The list goes on and on, and meanings vary as wildly as if you ask people "What is the meaning of life?"

How can any one person judge what another person experiences in their dream scape? Who am I to tell someone that a dream is subconscious or a directional map given to them from another source?

I believe that anything presenting in dreams, especially repetitive dreams, are something to review regularly. Perhaps it does not matter whether the message is coming from "you" or from "other". Perhaps all that matters is the subject of the dreams, and what it awakens in you. How well do you know yourself in the context of sometimes bizarre scenarios? Is it inspiring? Is it scary? What about the dream is causing motivation or fear? If you dream that you are flying, does that make you feel free? Do you have trouble lifting off? Do you feel afraid of falling? In my experience, more important than the content of a dream is the way it makes you feel. Trusting your heart to fit these dream experiences into what you already know to be true, awake or asleep. Learning to trust your internal compass in any scenario, especially while you are dreaming, is a very empowering exercise which can strengthen you, both awake and asleep.