Firstly, they can be the subconscious mind's work on rearranging and evaluating memories during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. This is the time your brain goes into overdrive, deciding what to file into long-term memory, what to keep at the forefront, what to put into deep storage, and how much to delete. It involves a lot of recalling of information. These can be extremely random in nature.
Secondly, dreams can be your mind's way of expressing what is bothering you or worrying you, or things which have been prevalent as of late in life. These dreams can be quite literal or symbolic, depending on how your own brain is attempting to express the issue. For example, feeling like having a lack of control in one's life, with some people, results in dreams about driving a car with no brakes and steering like it's on ice. Binge watching a television show can result in dreams about the show. This is called the Zelda effect, classified as such after people played video games for hours on end, and had dreams of Link running around eight-bit Hyrule for the duration of their sleep cycle.
Sometimes dreams carry a deeper message. Whether this message is believed to be from the higher self, guardian angel, a deity, a demon, or what, is up to the interpretation of the person who experiences the dream. Sometimes it may be a dream more 'astral' in nature -- that is, working towards some improvement or knowledge during sleep. It may be the same type as listed above, but again it is up to interpretation by the person whose dream it is.
Something to keep in mind about dreams is that no matter the type, they are highly symbolic in nature. Reading, for example, is extremely difficult, and trying has induced a lucid state for some, and will make some people wake up. If a dream is significant on a psychological or spiritual level, its meaning comes from the dreamer's own subconscious, and cannot necessarily be interpreted by using a strict definition dream dictionary. Do you want an example?
There are dream dictionaries which list one or two meanings for any prominent element in a dream. These can be misleading. In the case of one's mother appearing in a dream, a lot of dictionaries would consider that a good sign; mother is a sign of luck. But what if it is a nightmare, about an abusive parent? I don't think the mother who caused harm could be much of a lucky sign in a dream. There has also been the case of the candle. Someone had a dream with a candle prominently featured. They consulted a dream dictionary, which insisted that a candle -- specifically a taper candle -- must always be a phallic representation. But the candle in the dream had little to do with any masculine aspect, but rather served as illumination or guidance.
We all dream. Even when we don't remember the dreams, we dream. In fact, it is believed that most people forget at least 90% of their dreams. We typically only remember the dreams we had while waking up, or close to waking up. And these end up being the very few dreams which are recorded in journals, and analyzed for interpretation.
It depends on your view of magick and how you treat your dreams. I’ve had clairvoyant dreams often, and that alone can be taken in so many ways. If you believe in deities, there may be one that you use your dreams to link to. I’ve found a bond with Breksta, but there are plenty of gods and goddesses you may feel a connection to.
Dreams are just our subconscious speaking, so find what they mean to you. I’m just speaking from my own experience. If you are interested in dreams, try studying lucid dreaming. It’s a wonderful way to get into dreams.
