Thursday, December 26, 2013

Christmas Dreams

English: Picture of the Space Needle and the m...
English: Picture of the Space Needle and the modern Christmas decoration. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
     
           I hope everyone had a good Christmas and is continuing to enjoy the holiday season.

          When I was a child, Christmas used to factor into my dream life to a greater extent than it has in my adult life.  I can't actually recall having any Christmas related dreams as an adult.  It's probably due to the busy times of the season--the travel, the gatherings, and out of the ordinary activity.  This is a season where I usually don't remember my dreams.

          Though I can't recall any specific childhood dreams at Christmastime, I do remember having holiday related dreams.  They were usually the wish dreams of what I fantasized about getting for Christmas or dreams of receiving special unexpected bounties of gifts.   The dreams were always happy and hopeful.

         During this season I hope you are having those happy dreams and most of all I hope you are having happy times in your waking life.   I wish you all the best in the year to come.

          Can you remember having special dreams related to Christmas when you were a child?   Does the activity of the holidays interfere with your current dream life or does it enhance your dreaming?   What types of dreams do you associate with Christmas?

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Thursday, December 19, 2013

People You Long to See

Christmas 2010, Maryville
Christmas 2010, Maryville (Photo credit: kmoliver)
   
         Do you have dreams where you see or are looking for people from your past, dead or living, that you long to see or had forgotten about?   This is a common theme in my dreams.  The following is a dream that I recorded from September 29th of 2013:

       In this dream I am in my old hometown in Tennessee:   There has supposedly been a snowstorm of epic proportions, although by appearance it doesn't seem too major.  It isn't very deep, but I see snow over a vast landscape panorama all around me.  The power is out and people have been warned not to drive.
      I go to a house or structure not far from my mother's house.  An old friend and  his band are supposed to be playing at a gathering to which many of our friends have been invited.
     Then I find myself in a car with my mother driving.  We are at Buddy's Market, a store that has been gone for many years.  She is trying to find a parking space.  She almost drives into a vast rocky chasm in the middle of the parking lot.  It was obstructed by snow.
      We go to a house where one of my sisters lives.   I am aware that many of my relatives will be there.  A niece answers door.  I see many of my family members there.  One of my sisters is mounting a 36" flat screen TV near the ceiling by easily screwing it onto a bracket.  The TV looks unusual and modernistic.  There is a picture but she can't get the sound working.
      Some older people are outside and I speak with them briefly.  Returning back inside I find that everyone seems to have disappeared into back rooms.   One of my dear old friends comes into the house.  He has something in a bag which at first I think is marijuana.  He asks if anyone wants some oranges.  I look more closely and realize what he has is more of a pod like fruit surrounded by leaves.   At first I decline but then he peels one and I try it.  The fruit tastes more like mango.
     Soon Vernon is gone.  I go to look for others but I'm afraid to enter any rooms.  I want to smoke some pot.   I go to wash my hands at a sink in the hallway.  A friendly stranger comes and we discuss the oranges and other things.   Somebody comes out from the back and says they've been in the pool.
     I want to go back to find my friends but I don't know where they are.

     Throughout this seemingly very long and involved dream I am with people who are dear to me or I am looking for such people.  The dream is very comforting and when I awaken I feel very hopeful as I long to see old friends and family.

       Do you often dream about people you haven't seen in a while?   How do these kinds of dreams make you feel?    What do you think a dream of this sort means?


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Thursday, December 12, 2013

Quirky Behavior and Gestures

Eiwe
Eiwe (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
   
      A recent dream reminded me of peculiar images that sometimes occur in my sleep life.  These images involve odd mannerisms that certain dream characters may display during the sequences in which I am involved with them.   This can include various ways of walking or moving, facial expressions, or other outward physical manifestations.

       In the specific example that I am thinking of, I have been having a very long complex dream that involves many situations and characters.  I don't remember anything about the dream except for one particular image...

      At one point my wife is talking to me in a very animated fashion.  She seems very happy and is smiling as she is talking.  While she speaks, she has her open hands in front of her face, palms toward her face and backs of hands toward me.  Her hands are moving together in a rapid circular motion as though tracing the the circumference of her facial circle.  She continues to move her hands in such fashion while cheerfully speaking in an ebullient manner...

     Thinking back I can recall having other dreams where characters will make gestures or move in such ways that seem out of character with how they are in waking life or, if they are dream strangers, the movements are comical, puzzling, or just plain weird.  Unfortunately I cannot offhand recall any specific examples from my own dreams, but the dreams are not uncommon for me to have.

        I remember when I was a very young child, my younger sister told me of a dream that she had that in a sense fits in this category...

        There were funny looking men dressed in Scottish-looking outfits.  They have apples on their heads.  One of them is holding another by his arms and spinning around.  Another says, "Don't swing me around, swing me around"...

         My sister says she woke up laughing and was laughing when she told me about the dream.  We were probably about six and five years old at the time.  The oddness of the dream and the way my sister related it to me has caused me to remember the dream to this day.

        I've heard other people relate this type of a dream as well so I think it's probably a fairly common archetypal image.

        Have you ever had a dream where characters act in unusual and unexpected ways?     What quirky dream behavior can you remember?   Did you find the behavior to be funny or frightening?

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Thursday, December 5, 2013

Dark Dreams that Seem So Real

The Tenth Doctor
The Tenth Doctor (Photo credit: Rooners Toy Photography)
         Sometimes I have a peculiar dream phenomena in which the dream takes place in the same setting in which I sleep.

          In a recent example of this sleep setting dream...

I am asleep and dreaming something that I don't now recollect.  I awaken to go to the bathroom.  There is a certain aura of strangeness in the house, but I can't quite put my finger on what it is.  I hear muffled sounds of voices outside.  When I get to the bathroom I feel around in the darkness to push the light switch.  I think I push the switch but no light turns on.  Thinking that I have not actually pushed the switch I try a few more times with a greater intensity of awareness of what I am doing.  I start to feel somewhat panicked and afraid realizing that the power might be off.  I return to my bedroom to see if the power is off there as well.  Since there is no light on my alarm clock my fear of a power outage is confirmed.  Feeling very afraid I notice my wife is sitting up in bed.  In a quivering voice I say, "The power is off!"   My wife says, "We should pray."

       At this point in the dream I laid down in bed and  I closed my eyes.  Then I opened my eyes and rolled over to look at the clock again.  The red numbers were glowing and not blinking like they would be if the power had really gone off.  The time is 11:28--I have been in bed for about twenty minutes.  My wife is asleep.  I realize that the sequence about getting up had been a very realistic dream--almost a lucid dream in a sense.

        Some of my most realistic dreams have been dreams of this nature; dreams within dreams in which I might be dreaming and wake up to experience something unusual and yet seemingly real since I have had the sensation of awakening.  Usually these sorts of dreams occur at night when the room is dark, but on a few occasions they have happened during afternoon naps or when I'm asleep while riding in the car while someone else is driving.

         Do you ever have "dark dreams" where you believe you have awakened from sleep but only are dreaming that you have?   What do you suppose is the significance of dreams such as I have described here?  Do you believe that there are parallel dimensions or threads of time that we cross into during sleep time?



     
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Thursday, November 28, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving Dreams

The First Thanksgiving, painting by Jean Louis...
The First Thanksgiving, painting by Jean Louis Gerome Ferris (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
        You might be dreaming about food or you might be dreaming of being chased by angry turkeys, but one thing will be sure for more than a few of us--tryptophanic dreams may be kicking in sometime during this day.   I don't associate any dreams with Thanksgiving.  Maybe I always eat so much that my dream senses are dulled as I sink into a deep heavy sleep.

         Whatever the case may be I hope you are having a great Thanksgiving. And if you remember them I hope your dreams are as sweet as freshly baked hot pumpkin pie.

Happy Thanksgiving!


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Thursday, November 21, 2013

Dreams with Dual Interpretations

Cast a giant shadow
Cast a giant shadow (Photo credit: StefZ)
       A dream can mean different things to different people.  The dreamer might tell a dream to others who will give very different interpretations as to the dream meaning.  The objectivity from one hearing a dream can often shed new light on an interpretation  that has been skewed by the dreamer's own wishful thinking or irrational fears about what a dream means.

       Here is a dream that I told my wife:

In my dream I am involved with people putting together a stage performance of an opera.  While I am not directly involved with the production,  I am there because people I know are involved--possibly one of my daughters.

I am at the debut performance which is taking place in a beautiful modern theater.  A full audience is present for the premier.    When the opera begins I realize that intense sunlight from the front entrance is flooding into the rear seats of the audience and I realize that this will become very distracting and annoying to them.   There is a  lot of empty carpeted floor space at the back of the auditorium.  As I stand in the light I realize that my shadow will block the light from shining onto audience members and allow them to view the stage production without distraction.  I position myself so as to prevent the light from disturbing anyone in the audience.

       One possible interpretation suggested by my wife turned out to be very different that the one that originally came to my mind.   Both interpretations seem to have equal validity.

       My thought was that in the dream I am sheltering the people and providing comfort to them.   My actions contribute to the greater success of the performance.   My shadow is a protective influence that will help others.  My waking life application is that I can exert a sense of power and influence that will allow others to focus on the main event of life without being adversely affected by external influences.  From the dream I see myself as a comforter and one who wants others to be successful.

      My wife suggested that the bright sunlight can represent a positive force--perhaps akin to a radiance from God.  My influence and shadow is preventing the light from touching others and keeping them in the darkness for them to be distracted instead with worldly things.  I am more concerned with the stage procession of trivial life matters and trying to shut out more important spiritual issues.   I should be welcoming the light and allowing it to illuminate everyone so they can see what is truly most important in their lives.

      Either interpretation works for me.  There may be some alternative interpretations that others might come up with.  Perhaps I should look more deeply into the symbolism of the modern theater, the opera, the large empty carpeted space at the back of the theater, or the poor design of a theater with open entrance doors that allow outdoor light to filter through.

       What do you think this dream means?   Do you think I am not giving certain symbolism enough relevance?    Have you ever made comparisons on interpretations by others versus your own of your dreams?   


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Thursday, November 14, 2013

A Good Omen Dream --My wife's interpretation

English: A sunny August day at the beach at Jo...
English: A sunny August day at the beach at Joss Bay, a rural beach not far from Broadstairs in Kent, England. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
        My wife enjoys interpreting dreams.  Sometimes I tell my wife about dreams that have stood out for me and she sometimes offers her interpretation of what she thinks my dream means.  Here is a dream that she thinks is a very good dream that portends a good omen.

        In a busy dream where many different events had been occurring, my dream turned to a segment about an airliner that has made an emergency landing on a beach.  I am to fly the airliner off the beach under the guidance of someone from the control tower.  The beach is crowded and it is late afternoon.   I consult with someone whom I find at the location where I am about to do this takeoff.  The man seems to be in a position of authority.   He goes to the top of a needle-like rocky pinnacle to survey the scene and beckons me to follow.

      As I make my way up the towering rock structure I am afraid as the climb is rather treacherous.  Rocks are breaking loose and falling after me.  When I reach the top it is night though all around me the lighting is bright enough for me to see the panoramic view very well.  I see the ocean and waves coming to shore.  Hundreds, maybe thousands, of people can be seen on the beach and in the water.  The beach is vast.  I wonder how I can safely take off in the jet plane on such a crowded beach.   I am assured that a way will be cleared for me and my take-off will be successful.

      My wife's explanation made me see the positive aspect of the dream since I was mostly focused on the doubt, discomfort, fear, dilemma.  My perception was that the dream was eerie and foreboding.  On awakening I was afraid that something bad was going to happen in the dream.

      However, as my wife brought me to realize, I was up high and looking over everything.  The scene below me was peaceful, happy, and positive.  Though there was an emergency landing,  the plane was still okay and would be able to continue safely.  Though I had no flying experience, I had the guidance of someone with experience who had confidence in my abilities.  There was actually an aura of confidence in my abilities from everyone around me in the dream.

       I am still not sure what the dream portends or if it is telling me something about my abilities.  If left to my doubt-filled analysis of my dream, I might have felt anxiety.  An objective view from another allowed me to look at my dream in a very different way and understand all that was positive about the dream.

       Sometimes telling someone else about our dreams can provide us with more insight about the dream meaning.

        Do you tell others about your dreams?   Has someone to whom you have described a dream offered you an interpretation?   Do you tend to take the weirdness of a dream and think of your dream experience in a negative way?   Do you agree with the interpretation my wife offered?


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Thursday, November 7, 2013

Precognitive Dreams


       This installment of A Faraway View features author Yolanda Renée and her experience and thoughts about precognitive dreams.   Perhaps you have had dreams or visions of future events.  Yolanda has put some of these concepts into her novels.    Yolanda's links appear at the end of this post.




Precognitive Dreams &
 Premonitions

        Precognitive dreams is a plot line I use in my books, especially my recent release Memories of Murder. I discussed this earlier on a blog post for Julie Luek, called Precognitive Dreams Fact or Fiction, but there were several requests for more information about my own experience with such dreams. Therefore, for Lee's Dream Blog, I thought I would do just that, get a bit more personal, and share a few more details.

       I stated before that precognition can fall into the realm of the paranormal, but I've worked hard not to let it go there in my book, even though what I write is fiction. This is a personal choice, as I am a dreamer, and some of my dreams have been precognitive or visions of future events. I also know that it's an easy statement to make and that I have no physical proof, still I'm not afraid to make the claim. I've spoken to, and read of many with the same capabilities.

        There have also been several studies done by major universities, such as Duke and Princeton. You can do a Google search to read of these. But it's also true that the mainstream scientific community is still skeptical. While I prefer to fall back on personal experience, for the nonbelievers there are interesting books that may change your mind, or at least get you to question the status quo, such as J. W. Dunne and his book An Experiment with Time.
"According to Dunne, whilst human consciousness prevents us from seeing outside of the part of time we are "meant" to look at, whilst we are dreaming we have the ability to traverse all of time without the restriction of consciousness, leading to pre-cognitive dreams, resulting in the phenomenon known as Déjá vu. Henceforth, Dunne believes that we are existing in two parallel states, which requires a complete rethink of the way that we understand time."  Taken directly from Wikipedia

        While I've had minor premonitions, you know that nagging sixth sense that tells you something is wrong, I've also experienced precognitive dreams that came true. These dreams began when I was twelve and foretold future events that I, as a child, could not reconcile. I had dreams of horrific incidents, dreams that kept repeating, and left me, grieving. The only reason I remember them now, is because of the number of times they repeated and the emotional toll it took on me. The truths of those dreams played out over several years, and are too deeply personal to share here. I only mention them to give you a bit of my history with the subject.

        Through the years, precognitive dreams showed me my husband, years before we met, warned me of several violent encounters, some that I escaped, and others I did not. I've seen future events and health issues that have all materialized. However, there was one violent premonition that kept me from behind the wheel of my Jeep pickup for two full weeks. This particular instance did not happen as a dream, but came as a vision while wide-awake. I'm sharing it here because of its strength and the amount of time it took before it was resolved.

        One beautiful Sunday afternoon I was with a boyfriend. He was driving my Jeep pickup back from brunch. We were headed into Anchorage, when a waking dream played like a movie before my eyes. I was behind the wheel of my pickup, going down the highway, much as we were right at that moment. However, in my vision, the pickup came to a sudden stop and I went flying through the windshield. One minute I'm driving and the next I'm lying on the side of the road, shredded by the glass and bleeding profusely. The vision threw me. I wasn't sure what to make of it. I looked at my surroundings, looked at my boyfriend, who asked me if I was all right.

        I was shaken, but told him I was fine, and never said a word about what I'd just seen. After all, he was driving, and the vision did not fit the circumstances. I pushed it aside, figured I was being silly, and enjoyed the rest of the day.

        The next morning I went into the garage to drive to work, but within ten feet of my Jeep, I started to get an eerie feeling. That same vision hit me again, along with an intense feeling of terror. To say I was shaken would be an understatement. When I reached to open the door of the truck, I couldn't even grasp the handle. That feeling of doom was so overpowering I could only get relief from it, by walking away. Stunned and confused, I walked to work.

        I told no one. I mean I knew what the word crazy meant, and the last thing I wanted was for the men in the white coats to come haul me away. I managed to hide my secret for several days. However, I had to confess when my boyfriend showed up and needed a ride home. I refused to drive and had to tell him why. He laughed, but gladly took the keys to my truck. Several days later, a friend dropped me off at his place to pick up the Jeep, but despite my desire and the need to have my vehicle back, I still could not get behind the wheel. Those feelings of foreboding were still too strong. By this time, I just felt stupid, but I couldn't, and I honestly mean couldn't get in that truck.

        Eventually, my boyfriend drove the truck back to my garage, and by then everyone saw me as hysterical, but I refused to test the fates.

        It was two weeks before I could get into that Jeep. When I finally opened the door and slid behind the wheel, the vision no longer assaulted me, I felt no fear, not even a twinge. There were no feelings of panic, and I no longer broke out in a cold sweat. I still don't know how to explain what happened, but I will never regret refusing to drive during that time, despite the laughter of friends.

        Should we heed those voices in our head, or tempt fate? Do you believe in precognitive dreams or premonitions – have any of your dreams or visions ever come true?

        Thanks again Lee, I hope I've given your readers something to ponder.

** ********** **
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