Dreamland of the Lost

        What have you lost in your dreams?

          The theme of losing something can be common in dreams.  I'm not talking about losing your way or being lost--that's a different topic for another blog post.  What I am talking about is actually losing something or someone in the dream and you spend time looking for what has been lost or worrying about it.  A dream like this can create apprehension and cause you to awaken in a state of uncertain anxiety.

           For now I'm going to focus on the dreams where we have lost a loved one--a person or a pet.  I see two primary meanings in these types of dreams.

           The first relates to fear of losing someone.  Perhaps there has been a recent event that you've heard about that involved a disappearance or a death.  It's natural to have concerns for loved ones and we will often relate stories about this type of loss event to those we cherish.  A dream of this nature may cause us to awaken with feelings of immense sadness.  Dreaming of death or inability to find a loved one can be the subconscious rendering of the what-could-happen scenario or the fear that the worst imagined thing could happen in our lives.  This may be an inner mind rehearsal for a worst case scenario.  The element of fear is the one that would most commonly apply with dreams of the loss of a pet.

          The other loss interpretation could be a more abstract realization that we are out of touch with or have lost contact with someone we care about.   If the dream is about a family member or someone we encounter on a regular basis the dream may be triggered by an estrangement that has come between us and the one who has become lost in the dream.  This dream is a reminder that we need to patch up any difficulties or start developing better ways of communicating with this person.  In our waking lives they have become emotionally lost to us which later could translate into a physical loss in dream life.

          When we dream that a friend or relative is lost it may be a sign that we have been out of contact with that person.   Once again this dream is a reminder that we need to take action before that person really is lost to us through some kind of separation or even death.

            Any other interpretations are dependent on the dreamer's personal symbology.  Being lost could have religious connotations, be related to substance abuse, or some other distinctly personal circumstance of the dreamer and the dream subject.

           The main observation to make upon waking from a dream of loss is how the dream made you feel.   Were you sad, remorseful, or puzzled?  How did you feel in the dream as opposed to your feelings upon waking?  Your emotions will be the best guide on finding the meaning of your dream.

           The important thing to do is heed the warning or hear the message that your dream is conveying.  Hug your spouse or kids and tell them you love them, patch up disagreements that you may have had with a person who is special to you, or call someone you haven't contacted for a long time.  Pet your dog or play with your cat.  Assuage the fears that you may have.  Solidify your relationships.  The dream is telling you something you need to hear.

            Who has been lost in your dreams?   Did you find them?   Can you relate the dream to something in you waking life?




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Dream Code

Art by Ada

         In my dream I was trying to copy and paste a code to my blog.

         These days it is not unusual for me to dream about blogging since it is activity that takes up a good bit of my time and something that I frequently think about.   I typically dream about activities that are part of my normal life although the imagery might be quite abnormal and confusing.

         In this dream about the computer language code, I was apparently having some difficulty in getting the code pasted onto the page I was working with.  Studying the code it appeared to me that it was different than when I had first seen it.  In a state of perplexity, I saw the code differently each time I looked at it until I eventually realized that this code was no longer usable.

         Dream imagery is like a code that needs to be translated before it can be clearly understood.  An image from one dream may mean something entirely different in another dream.  It is usually necessary to look at the entire context of a dream to better understand what a thing symbolizes.

          If you dream of a snake for example, the snake may represent uncertain fears, an impending trip, or just a snake.  Think about the image in context of things you have seen or thought about recently.  Then also consider how that particular image fit into what happened in the dream and how you reacted to the dream image.

          In my opinion, dream dictionaries are sometimes fun diversions and interesting contemplatives, but they are not all-encompassingly accurate.  A thing symbolized to me may mean something entirely different to you.

          When you are trying to interpret or understand your dreams you must decipher the code.  Every detail should be considered and each thing must be taken in proper context.  Especially for those who say they don't remember their dreams, think back and try to remember a detail and then try to relate that detail to another and another until you begin to see the entire picture more clearly.

           Think of a dream as a page of computer language code or text written in a completely foreign language.   At first what you see may seem a garbled mess, confusing and nonsensical.  But as you study more and learn the code you begin to see the patterns and understanding becomes clearer.

            Do you have recurring images in your dreams?   What in your dreams tends to make you afraid?  What dream imagery makes you feel a sense of peace or happiness?

   

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A Mystery Explained

Art by Ada

         Why have I created this blog devoted to dreams and things related?  Why not?  This is the subject matter and inspiration of my most intensely focused early writing experience.  It's a topic that is close to my heart and lives within me.   And dreams are a place where I live when I sleep.

          Which life is the real one?   Which dream is most meaningful in the end?  I yearn to learn the language of the subconscious mind and relate it fluently to others.  Can that be done?  

           How can I keep a blog about dreams sustainable?  For one thing, I have a file of recorded dreams that is large enough to keep a one-post-a-week blog going for years.  The dreams keep coming.  This morning I dreamed, yesterday I dreamed, as well as the day before and the day before that.  I'm confident that there are many more dreams coming that will be equally remembered.  Sleeping perchance to dream is something which I do not fear and even look forward to.

           I am a dreamer.

           This blog will probably have a limited audience, but it is a subject matter of wide interest.  I hope to go beyond my dreams and explore the dreams of others as well.  I will welcome guest posts from anyone who is interested in telling about their own thoughts about the topic of dreaming.  Poetry?  I'll consider that.  Stories or art?  Surrealism will be the focus here and if you have something to contribute I'll be very interested in your submissions to this blog.

            On this blog I will be featuring the artwork of Ada Zdanowicz, a very talented young artist who specializes in painting and collage.   Be sure to visit her website.   She will be happy to create artwork per your specifications.  She also creates custom video.  

            Do you have a dream that you'd like to tell us about?   Is there a topic about dreaming that you'd like to discuss?  Has any of your creative output been influenced by your dreams?  I look forward to hearing from you.

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I am a dreamer

           I dream.  We all dream according to sleep researchers.  I've heard it said that if you didn't dream then you would go insane.  Your mind would create dreams that would then be forced upon you by your subconscious.  Your hallucinations would become indistinguishable from your reality.  Your reality would be dreamlike.

           In a sense I suppose one could say our dreams are a form of controlled madness.  Not in a bad sense usually, but in a strange, often incoherent sense--even a lack of making any sense.  We see, we hear, we experience things good, bad, and indifferent.  Entranced for a while in sleep until our mind awakens us.  Perhaps we remember, perhaps not.

          My dreams are events seen at a distance as though looking through an ethereal telescope.  I have a faraway view of things that seem to make sense as I see them and yet don't make sense when I think about them.  The dreams are mysteries to be solved.  Or are they explanations that are delivered in a language I have yet to decipher?

          What do these faraway views mean--these dreams?  Why do we dream?  What purpose do our dreams serve?

            I see a faraway view clearly until I try to remember what I have seen.   It slips from memory quickly if I do not preserve it to my memory.  It must be written.  Few are the dreams that stay with my mind.  And if they stay why do they stay?

           I dream because I am a dreamer.   I want to remember sleep in my wakefulness.  I want to awaken my memory of a faraway view that I have seen.

          How about you?  Have you deciphered the language of your dreams?  Do you run from your dreams or do you try to embrace them and let them fill you with their mysteries?



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