Empire Theater (Photo credit: ChrisM70)Let me relate some fragments of a content-laden and complicated dream that I had on the morning of Sunday June 17, 2012. I had experienced an extended period of inability to sleep, having awakened at about 1 AM and unable to return to sleep until sometime after 3:30 AM. After having fallen into slumber, I slept fitfully, drifting between dream state and semi-wakefulness with vivid dreams that continued with an ongoing story line.
The dream lead-in finds me on an extended quest to find something or get somewhere. I don't recall who my companions are in this early stage of the dream where I am wandering through various outdoor and indoor settings. The first notable thing that I remember is that I am inside a large building and come to a decision point where I must choose between going down a very long nondescript hallway with some doorways along the passageway which comes to a darkened area that dead-ends. My other choice is an old looking doorway to my left.
As I am trying to decide which way I should go, I audibly say to myself or to any companions that might be with me, "This looks like the kind of a hallway you'd see in a dream." After I have said this I immediately realize that I am having a dream and become dream-aware for everything that follows in the dream cycle in this morning session. From this point on I awaken at various times pondering the dream that I am having and then go back to sleep to continue the same dream.
Eventually I find myself entering a large movie theater with my wife and daughters, who appear as children in the dream. The theater is very filled with people and we have to look around to find a seat. My wife and one or two of my daughters and perhaps someone else find empty seats on the very last row. I briefly go somewhere with one or two of my other daughters for some reason I can't remember. When we go back to sit with the others all of the seats around them are taken, so the daughters with me and I go searching for another place to sit.
The theater is a very large chaotic place. Parts of it are like a restaurant, while other parts are like a store. There is fixed theater seating in the middle of the theater, but on the sides are many folding chairs as well as rows of attached seating that are portable. A large canopy extends above the seats in the middle and people are fixedly sitting in those seats while the perimeter of the theater interior bustles with activities of people engaged in looking for seating, milling about socially, and looking at merchandise on display. As my daughters and I wait for the movie to start, my long time boss from my previous job joins us. We are all happy to see one another.
As the film begins I notice that the screen is rather small and from where I sit it will not be easy to see the movie. I am disappointed that we will not be able to fully enjoy the movie from the angle we are viewing it. However, once the film starts I come to the realization that the movie is presented in a sort of triptych with the main movie on the center screen, while the similar film experience appears on side screens where the action is shown from slightly different angles.
On the opposite side of the theater from me I can tell that that audience is seeing the same film but from a different vantage point. The center screen is visible to me, but what is being projected upon it looks distorted from where I view.
Looking around further, I realize that not only is the film projected on three screens presenting three different perspectives, but a film-like experience seems to be projected on all the walls around us and upon the audience as well. There is no story to this film, but only a totality of a chaotic environment where visuals exist on many levels and the experience is a multi-sensory bombardment of sight, sound, smell, and tactile involvement. It is not so much a movie as it is a place where people are merely gathered to interact with each other and experience an artificially induced environment. I think to myself that this is a truly amazing idea.
After I wake up the dream experience lingers in my mind. I wonder if a place like this--an experience like I have visited in this dream--could actually be created. I ponder the possibilities. The dream theater was not like a 3-D amusement park ride like one might experience at Universal Studios or the like. Instead, this experience was like an artificial recreation of real life as depicted in some chaotic total dimensional movie in which we become a part of in this simulation of a phantasm of life as seen through someone else's mind.
Sound confusing? Of course it does! It's a dream and how can you adequately describe a dream?
Have you had any dream ideas that seemed totally amazing to you? But were they really that amazing when you thought about them or were they merely weird and confusing? Is the fruition of amazing dream concepts possible?
A very intricate dream indeed. I hope there's a level in our psyche that understands all these symbolic images our dreams produce, otherwise, why have dreams if we don't find their meaning?
ReplyDeleteWow! Really complicated and layered dream Lee.
ReplyDeleteI don't dream often, at least that I remember, but when I do recall a dream it is often an extended story such as yours, which causes me to ponder on the reality points and how they might fit into what is happening in my life.
I dream constantly of my two offsprings who decide they've had enough of me. I guess I have them on my mond, hence the dreams.
ReplyDeleteYvonne.
Em-- That's a good question. If there is something in the back of my mind that understands all of these dreams, I wish it would become more obvious. On the other hand, it could be that the interpretations are more obvious than we realize because we don't take the time to dissect and analyze the dream event.
ReplyDeletePaula-- This dream remembering was an anomaly for me of late. Mostly I tend to just quickly abandon any dream recollections upon waking. There was something about this particular dream that seemed to grab me and stick in my mind,
Yvonne -- I'm sure you have a lot weighing upon your mind that undoubtedly influences your dreams. Maybe you need to meditate and focus on something else before retiring at night.
Lee
Of late, my dreams have been filled with small children . I seem to always be taking care of them. They are not necessarily children that I know and, for the most part, they are compliant and cooperative. My dreams also have a lot of men in them recently. About a week ago, the main character was frightening and he wore a stocking over his face. Other nights, the men have been engaging and helpful.
ReplyDeleteOh, and the craziest dream of the last couple of weeks was an earthquake! I've been in several substantial earthquakes so I know what to expect - but this was crazy. For one thing it lasted six minutes - a long time for earthquakes. AND, the wind started blowing really really hard and the house I was in started spinning.
I have been reading a bit more about James Hillman and some of his work in an effort to understand these things more.
Hi, Lee. I was happy to find the comment you made, oh at least a week ago in my spam folder on WordPress. (I still haven't been able to get back even halfway to blogging; my daughter's needs take much more of my time now.) But don't worry. I now put up the same post on both WordPress and Blogger.
ReplyDeleteIt's great to see your smiling face. You are one of my favorite blogging friends. I have appreciated your friendship and support, and want that to continue!
I love this post, and glad I got over to read it tonight. I immersed myself in Carl Jung's Memories, Dreams, Reflections in my early 20s. I used to remember such dreams at yours in great detail, but they flee upon my waking. Sometimes I've thought I should keep a pen and paper by my bedside to capture them precisely at that waking moment! There are some childhood dreams, however, that I do remember as vividly as yours.
Well done, Lee. Your details are vividly intriguing!
p.s. As for Twitter - I've been hacked it seems twice. I'm giving up on it for now! Not worth the hassle. Facebook is a good place for book promotion through its Kindelmojo. My publisher can do the Twitter thing! I was told by several people the messages were vulgar. So awful what some people will do...
ReplyDeleteGracie -- Those sound like some interesting and very meaningful dreams. Not sure what they mean, but they are probably worth studying to see how they might apply to your current life circumstances.
ReplyDeleteAnn--Thank you for stopping by with such kind words. I knew those Twitter messages couldn't be from you. It's sad that people do such things. As far as dreaming, yes, you almost need to keep a dream journal nearby and train yourself to record your dreams if you are interested in them. The escape memory so quickly most of the time.
Lee
Arlee, this is a very detailed summary of your dream. It sounds like an Inception moment.
ReplyDelete