Much has been made of the mysterious nature of dreams—too much, I’d say. We’ve been duped into believing that you need a degree in psychology or a high-paid analyst to understand them. At the very least we’ve been led to believe that we need a dream dictionary or a pile of texts on Jungian or Freudian dream interpretation to get the meaning of dreams.

But dreams are democratic: they come to everyone equally. Everybody dreams! The barista who handed you your chai latte this morning dreams, and so does the person who cut you off in traffic. Your best friend dreams, and so does your best friend’s dog. Even babies in utero dream.

Whether we remember them or not, we dream several times each night, and the average person will have had some 200,000 dreams by the time he or she turns 80.

And remember, these are your dreams. They are speaking the language of your very own memories, personal associations, hopes, and fears. The only book you really need to understand them, is the book you write yourself—figuratively by creating your life anew each day, and literally by journaling your wake and dreaming experiences.

All you really need is an appreciation for and curiosity about the creativity, humor, wisdom—and yes, mystery—your dreams contain. By entering into a dialogue with your dreams on the page, their messages and guidance will be revealed, and you don’t have to sweat a drop.