Zoo ( #atozchallenge )

A black bear in the Great Smoky Mountains, in the U.S. state of Tennessee. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 
        Well, this is strange.   At the beginning of the Challenge I scheduled my letters and used 'zoo' for 'z'.  I have not had many dreams about zoos, but it was the 'z' word I could think of since I don't recall ever having a zombie dream.  Then, on Sunday morning April 28th, I had a truly epic zoo dream

         I can't say that my scheduled topic had anything to do with my having this dream.  I suppose it probably did, but it came all too easily.  In this post I will recount that dream:

        I am in a park-like area that I know to be a zoo, but it does not look like any zoo I've ever seen before.  At first I don't see any enclosures, but I do begin to start seeing a few animals that seem to be roaming free.  As I begin to look around I do see a few enclosures with animals in them, but over all my reaction is that this is a zoo with very few animals.

         Then I find myself on a scenic loop road. At times I seem to be in a vehicle, but mostly I seem to be on foot.  The place seems like a natural habitat wild-life park, but I sense that I am on the Cades Cove Loop Road in the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.   I see various animals now and then.  They mostly seem to be roaming free.

          At some point I find myself at an area where there are refreshment stands.   There is a stage in a theater and I see Dolly Parton there.  I don't recall what she is doing.  Then I am in some sort of building or enclosed area where there are many men.  I realize they are prisoners.  I also come to the realization that I am a prisoner here.

          The zoo and the prison all seem to be one with animals roaming freely and very tough looking prisoners mingling about.  I feel somewhat scared feeling as though I may be in danger in this place.  As the dream progresses I find myself blending in with the prisoners and making friends.  At some point it is meal time and we are taken aboard a bus or tram to a food court type of place that is in the midst of the zoo.  We go to eat.   I revel in the realization that this prison is not such a bad place and it's just part of the zoo.

          Okay, that was a strange dream.  There was much more to it that I can't remember.  The amazing thing is that I started dreaming not long after I had fallen asleep on Saturday night.  I woke up about five times to go to the bathroom and each time I returned to bed the same dream would continue.  I guess I was very intent to dream about a zoo!

          Anyone want to venture an interpretation on this dream?   Have you ever dreamed about a zoo?   Have you dreamed about prison or being incarcerated?  

       My A to Z Reflections Post for A Faraway View will be posted this coming Thursday May 2nd.   The Linky List for the Reflections Posts will be available on Friday May 3rd at most A to Z Co-host blogs (Thursday Night on some blogs).   Be sure to do your own Reflections Post and add the link for that post to the official list.  We want to hear about your experience with A to Z and any ideas you might have for the future.   For more info please visit Blogging from A to Z Challenge Blog. 

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Younger days ( #atozchallenge )

Science Project 1974 (Photo credit: The Rocketeer)

     
          My own childhood is rarely a factor in my dreams, but every once in a while I will find myself back in high school or college.  I assume that I am of that age in the dreams.  My old friends who appear in these dreams appear as their younger selves.

          These dreams seem natural and appropriate.  Since in my younger self I am essentially of adult or near adult age, I feel of the same mindset of my current age.  At times the experience may be one of those cases of being younger but knowing everything that I know now.  I do almost always feel far more confident in those dreams that I might have felt when I was actually that age.

          Most of the time the dreams in these age settings take place in school or a school related scenario.  In some cases I come across as the hero of the dream or a person of notable influence.  Even in dreams where there may be an aura of something bad threatening my circumstance, I seem to almost always come up with a solution or deflect whatever threat might be present.

          The dreams are almost always positive and have a comfortable feeling to them.  After most of these dreams I awaken feeling confident, but perhaps with a wistful longing for my younger days.

          My interpretation is that these dreams are memory filters.   My mind is revisiting past times to reevaluate and perhaps even make things right for my memory of those days.  The dreams may be a reassurance to me that I currently am in control of most things in my life and I know how to find the solutions to any problems I might be having.

          Do you dream of younger days?   What are the most common things in your past that you dream about?   Do you wish you could go back in real life to visit times in your past?

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X Dream Factor ( #atozchallenge )

"INTERPRETATION ... party" (Photo credit: MAZZALIARMADI.IT)

 
      Sometimes I may have dreams where there is an unknown factor present in my memory of a dream after awakening, but I can't exactly place what the missing piece is.   This forgotten dream piece might be a person, a place, an event, a song, or any number of other things that somehow stood out within the dream so that I remember that it was there, but I just can't seem to remember what it was.

         It may be that the missing piece is something that was not in the dream at all but should have been.  In the remembering of the dream I may feel the need to place the piece into the dream somehow but I just can't figure out what might have been missing.  If I think about it enough I may fabricate a memory of this x factor. Still I know that I am lying to myself.

         One frequent x factor of dreams I have had is the recollection of a song or piece of music that I recall having heard in the dream.   There is a distinct memory of music having been present in the dream, but I will have absolutely no recall of what the melody was.  This is often frustrating to me because I tend to be musically minded and want to know if the music was original to the dream or something I'd known from waking life.  When I have been able to remember songs, I have often written them down and they seem quite good.  It's frustrating to lose one.

        Then there are the dreams where the entire subconscious experience becomes one big X in the memory.  I know the dream was there and might even remember a few elements of it, but the dream is lost.  This is the most frequent dream experience.   Usually I don't take the time to review and study what I have dreamed and actually write it down.  The dreams are forgotten.  Those dreams become relegated to the X File of my mind.

         If my nightly dreams are all part of a formula to figure out who I am, then there are many unsolved x's in the equation.  Too bad.   Those x's may be gone forever.

          Have you had missing pieces from your dreams that have vexed you?    Is there an X factor in your subconscious mind?

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Walking ( #atozchallenge )

English: Leonardo da Vinci, shoes for walking on water. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

        In most dreams I seem to be going somewhere and in most cases I seem to be walking.  Since dreams are a reflection or extension of waking life this would make a lot of sense.  Travel on the broad scale is typically done in some sort of transport, but details of getting from one spot to another are usually accomplished on foot.  

         Walking in dreams may be only a matter of the mechanics of getting somewhere or a scene setting device.   However there are occasionally circumstances where the act of walking is the main focus of the dream. The symbolic significance of walking in these types of dreams might be dependent on who we are with, where we are, where are going, how we feel, or some other state of dream mind that is affected by our walking.

         Usually in my walking dreams I will pass through strange areas that may appear abandoned and in a state of decay.  I think these dreams represent something in my past.  The meaning of these dreams is related to my state of dream mind and the factors that give me cause to be where I am in the dream.  For the most part I think these dreams are mostly an interpretation of something that has happened in the past either recent or further back in time.

         When I dream of walking in a busy place where there are many people and much activity going on, I think I am dreaming about present and possibly anticipated future events.  If the people accompanying me are people I know then there is more confidence about my circumstance, but if my companions are strangers I usually feel optimistic about where we are going even if there is an uncertainty about what might happen.   These dreams probably represent apprehensions I have about something in my life.

         As with traveling dreams, the dreams in which walking is involved most likely symbolize my life journey that has either already occurred or that I am in the process of making.  There is something comforting about walking in a dream much as there can be in waking life.  When walking we can carefully observe our surroundings and have more flexibility in where we can go.

          Do you have dreams that are specifically about the act of walking?   Where are you usually going in a walking dream?   Who walks with you or do you walk alone?

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Violence ( #atozchallenge )

Violence (role-playing game) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

     
     My dreams of violence have been relatively few, but I have them now and then.  Sometimes these violent dreams will involve direct physical combat such as fist fighting or attacking someone with an object.  My dream aggression is always instigated by an attack upon me or someone whom I am trying to protect by someone who poses a very obvious threat to me or loved ones.

          In other violent dreams I may wield a weapon such as a gun or a knife.  I am not happy when I have these dreams, but I am earnest in my dream assaults.   These dreams may symbolize some kind of threat that I feel in waking life and the dream is the cathartic act of taking care of the threat that I have been sensing.  There is not so much of a sense of anger in these dreams as there is a sense of duty or determination to take care of a problem.

           Another type of violent dream that I have had involves me witnessing others engaged in violence.  These dreams are sometimes almost akin to a movie scenario where I am almost writing the script or directing the dream as I go.  Some of these dream stories have resulted in a dead body which is hidden somewhere.  At some point in these dreams the body begins to decompose and the stench of decay becomes something of concern to me and the dream cast.   I usually wake up soon after this begins to occur.

          This murder movie scenario might represent a fear that I have about something in my life.  I could be fearing that someone in my life is threatening some aspect of my life that gives me security.  There is a sense of fear in these dreams, but almost in an artificial sense as though I were watching a film.  If I wake up during this sort of dream I will usually play out the story to have some resolution.  Sometimes I've written these stories down for later use as a piece of literature.

            The violent dreams are about aggression, but they do not cause me to feel aggressive upon awakening.    I think for the most part these are story dreams with a referenced symbolism, but where the symbolism is not especially important.  The dream story is probably most related to actual bad events in my waking life that are not overtly violent, but representationally violent in the sense the events might be threatening some element of the status quo of my life.

           Have you had violet dreams?   What is the nature of the violence in your dreams?   How have you felt after waking up from a violent dream?

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University

The University of Sydney, established in 1850, is the oldest university in Australia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

   
      Since I spent over five years of my life attending classes at two different universities, it makes sense that I would still have dreams about this very significant time of my life.   The university years were very influential in shaping who I've become and providing an ongoing schedule of activities that has ingrained itself on my memories.  If I did not have occasional dreams about university life I would be very surprised.

         In these dreams I am usually in class with typically a sort of discourse setting in progress.  There is rarely a pressured feeling in the sense of having to take a test or have a paper due.  Usually the setting is more social and often has something to do with a female student that I am trying impress or already involved with.   The feel of these dreams is intellectual, philosophical, comfortable, and sometimes sexually charged.

         Apparently when I have these types of dreams I am at relative peace in my waking life.  I may be remembering good times where I felt relaxed and content with my life.   In some cases, the dreams might be representing a longing for the feeling evoked by that type of environment.  My sense upon awakening usually relates to a need to do something mentally stimulating or to work more on my writing.

          University dreams are very positive.  They either strongly influence my day ahead or deeply reflect my attitudes of preceding days.

          Do you dream about college days?   What are your dreams concerning academic environments about?   Have you ever dreamed about problems with taking a test or not having a due paper ready?

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Traveling ( #atozchallenge )

Preserved Routemaster prototype RM3 (SLT 58), Baker Street, London, July 1979 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

       Traveling is a very common motif in my dreams.  Most often I travel by automobile, but other times I may be in public transport and on occasion I may be traveling on foot.  In nearly every case I will be going to a destination, but become diverted or lost along the way.  In these cases, I seem to be more interested in what is going on around me and not overly concerned with being lost, but more so with arriving late to my destination.

         My traveling dreams predominately have to do with being on the road with a touring show and on my way to a performance.  In other instances I might be on my way to school, work, or even a visit with family or someone else.  I rarely feel frantic in these dreams, but only mildly distressed that I am not on schedule or will not be properly prepared for my performance.   Over all, I am focused on whatever distraction is at hand with a vague concern about my true destination.

        Sometimes the locations are specific places that I either recognize, am told about in the dream, or just instinctively seem to know based on dream memory.  At other times the setting is indistinct and not referenced in any way.  The oddest situations are when I am told or seem to believe I am in a certain locale, but the dream setting looks nothing like what I know about that place.  I may accept this knowledge of my location, but with some reservations.

        It seems apparent to me that the symbolism of traveling represents my life or life journey.  My destination is my future.  Sometimes that future is rather specific while at other times the destination is vague. The thematic content of the dream most likely reflects circumstances that are on my mind.

        Do you dream of traveling?  In travel dreams what is your mode of transportation?  Where are you going?   Who are you with?

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Socializing ( #atozchallenge )

Socializing PTHS (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

        Rarely in a dream am I alone.  There are almost always at least a few companions present and typically I will encounter many people in my dreams.   We may not all engage in any lasting interactions within the dreams, but usually everyone seems to be aware of my presence as I am of their being a part of the dream.  The entire dream cast seems to be socializing on one level or another.

         These social interactions are not usually parties--though at times they are like parties--but they tend to be more like events with large gatherings of people or work environments.    I can usually see people near and far going about doing various activities and interacting with each other.   Likewise, I will interact in a social context with those whom I encounter in the dreams.

          Most of the time my social interactions in dreams are on a friendly or positive level.  Occasionally there will be a relative indifference in the same way two people might exhibit in passing on a street without any acknowledgement of the presence of the other.   There have been some instances of confrontational or belligerent encounters, but fortunately these have been rare and in most cases these will end up in a mode of reconciliation where all parties leave on a positive note.

          My socializing in dreams may reflect my desire to engage in more social activities during waking time.  Sometimes the socializing merely exists to create a setting for some other message that is not specifically socially related.   The fact that most social encounters in dreams are positive or end with a positive feel tells me that I have a relatively healthy outlook toward others.

            Who do you interact with in your dreams?   Do you ever have dream arguments or confrontational situations?    Have you ever attended a party in your dreams?

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Running ( #atozchallenge )

English: Students running cross country (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

   
        A heart condition keeps me from running in waking life, but it does not stop me from running in my dreams.  In my sleep life I am able to run with great speed, agility, and endurance.  Usually if I am running in a dream I am not doing so because of fear.  Most of the time I don't seem to be running away from anything, but running towards something or just running for the mere exhilaration of the experience.

         When I run in the dreams it is almost in a superhuman manner.  I may run in leaps and bounds which make it almost an experience as though I am flying close to the ground.   I may run so fast that I am keeping up with fast moving vehicles or animals known for their running abilities.   There doesn't seem to be any purpose to my running in dreams other than just for the experience of the activity.

         This dream activity may represent my desire for a sense of freedom or escape in my waking life.  I think it displays a desire to be unencumbered by something in waking life that is repressing me.   From a physiological point of view I think it's possible also that I may be experiencing rapid heartbeat during sleep and this translates into running in my dream.  Since I have no quantitative evidence for this, I am posing a speculative scenario for the latter possibility.

         Whatever the real or symbolic interpretation of running in my dreams, I will usually wake up feeling energized and optimistic after I've had a dream about this.

          Do you ever run in your dreams?   Are you running because you are afraid of something?    Do you run in waking life?

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