‘Rostam sleeping while Rakhsh fights a lion'(British Museum 1948,1211,0.23). Attributed to Sultan Muhammad (Tabriz – circa 1555) Blue pencil, paper, ink, watercolor paint, gold.

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Today’s sharing from the Blue House of Via-HYGEIA, is excerpted from Azizuddin Nasafi’s ‘Of Dreams’, being the 18th treatise (last section, Page 200/201) published within ‘The book of the Perfect Man’, Fayard, Paris, 1984. Our English translation comes from Isabelle de Gastine’s French translation of the original Persian.

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“O Dervish ! If in the human body, one of the 4 humors prevail, the bile for instance, Imagination will conceive yellow shapes and present them in dreams; therefore a yellow flower, a yellow face, a yellow garment, a fiery furnace that spits flames. One needs to get rid of the bile and evacuate it; otherwise, biliary disorders will appear. According to the amount of bile in the body, the dreamer sees the flower, the fig, the garment or the fiery furnace. If he sees the yellow flower, he will not be sick, the bile being weak. With a bit of attention, the bile will appease itself. If he sees he is eating the yellow fig and doesn’t dispose of the bile, he will then get sick and fever will rise. If he eats one fig, he will have a proportional fever; if he eats two, the fever will rise up a degree; and so on, for as many degrees as many fig eaten. If he sees he is wearing a yellow garment and doesn’t get rid at once of the accumulation of bile, jaundice will appear. And if he sees the fiery furnace that spits flames, his liver will be overheated. It is to fear that from these heats the patient will burn – and in many cases, such patient doesn’t survive. Having learned what is at stake with the bile, know that it is the same with the other temperaments. If the ‘sanguine’ one prevails, Imagination will conceive red shapes and will present them in dreams. If the lymphatic temperament prevails, Imagination will conceive white shapes – foamy waters -and present them in dreams. If the Melancholic temperament prevails, Imagination will conceive black shapes – obscures dwellings- and present them in dreams.

As for the dreams proceeding from celestial angels, we will say again, that through sleep, the external senses being at rest, the internal senses gathered and the heart’s mirror being limpid, a relation is being established between the heart of man and the celestial angels. Heart and angels are like two polished mirrors facing each other: What is known to the angel will reflect on the heart of the dreamer. This kind of dream has a value and can be interpreted. It is the true dream. One of the forty-six aspects of prophecy. Glory to God, Lord of the two worlds !”

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رویای بیدار

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