Prophecy has played a big role throughout the history of mankind and it probably always will. Religious leaders, poets, etc, all seem to have foretold events that happened well after their time.

Prophecies have often ignited social revolutions. Consider the Bible's prophecies about the Second Coming of Christ.

While modern-day prophets are harder to spot, or at least define, they are still around and influencing human destinies. They often rely on their dreams and even visions during waking life to make their prophecies. How can you develop such a skill?

1) You must see it to believe it

The first step is to simply recognize when a dream or vision is meaningful. Sometimes we have the knowledge and insight to make powerful predictions but we miss the opportunity, because we just aren't aware of what we know.

The next time you have a striking dream, do not shrug it off as just another dream. Instead, analyze it for its symbolism and try to make sense of it. What is it telling you?

2) Knowledge is prophetic power

In addition to paying attention to the signs, you must know how to interpret them. The more you know about history, cultures, traditions, religions, and spirituality, the more equipped you will be to comprehend your visions.

3) Make your dream world a reality

Take your fantasies and daydreams and nighttime dreams seriously. Just because they do not always greet you in waking life or do not literally resemble people or outcomes in your life, it does not mean they are not real.

After all, anything you experience is real! So, consider your dreams and visions a playground. When you experience a dream or vision, completely embrace it, remove yourself from outside distractions, and pay attention to every detail, interacting with what you see.

You never know what conclusions this will lead you to.

4) Meditate

You should develop a routine of meditation, in which you clear your mind and prepare it to receive anything. You must be physically and mentally ready to accept prophecy!

The key is to focus on anything but yourself. Humility is invaluable if you want to open yourself up to a prophetic life and you must let god or the universe communicate with you, without the interruption of your ego.

5) Don't make hasty prophecies about your prophecy!

You should not have any expectations about what visions you will have, etc. This will only put you back into the equation in a big way, and you must play a tiny role as a prophet. It is your message, not you, that is important. So rid yourself of all bias and approach meditation with the utmost objectivity.

6) Trial and error

We all make mistakes. Sometimes you might misinterpret a dream or vision; that is okay. Learn from your foibles and move on.

Many religions boast modern-day prophets and it seems like even the most ordinary person can somehow expect the unexpected. Personally, I have had dreams about events that happened no more than a few days later.

Those with more scientific minds might attribute it to mere coincidence or on the other hand, conclude that there were real world clues these events might happen and my subconscious picked up on them.

Whatever the case, when we listen to our inner thoughts and take our intuition seriously, there are powerful, awe-inspiring results.

Before you start working on your prophetic ability, you should determine what your motives are. Are you simply trying to find more clarity in your personal life or are you looking to take on bigger issues and responsibility?

If you answered yes to this latter question, then are you inspired by your visions or are you trying to force visions that just are not there? Only if your heart is in the right place, will you become a true prophet as opposed to a false prophet.