Are Dreams Honest?

SYTYCD audition photo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

        Dreams are typically strange.  Sometimes they will present us with familiar situations while at others we may be in unfamiliar places and circumstances that remind us of something from our past.   Are these seemingly familiar people, places, and circumstances actually real or has our subconscious mind created them?

          How honest are our dreams?   Perhaps they are completely fabricated stories based on vague notions.  Or at other times they might be revised dream versions of what we've actually experienced at some time in our past.

         Here is a case study of a dream that I've had:

I am going to downtown "L.A." to audition for a film or TV role.   My second wife (S),  our kids, and our high-school age girl babysitter is with us.  We go to a big building.  I am confused where to go, but remember coming here once before for another audition.

There are many people, most of whom seem to be here to audition.  I'm not sure where to go.  While S. goes to the bathroom there is a call for everyone to go somewhere but I'm not sure where we were told to go.  When S. returns we go to where I think we went last year.  In the dream I realize that S. and I are no longer married or speaking.

We are directed to a car that will take us to the audition. I get in the front where two hispanic kids are sitting practically on the driver's lap.  We are dropped off at another location.  I find a place with people and tables, but no indications what we are supposed to do.  I wander around and finally we are in a chaotic place where auditions seem to be happening.  There is a wide variety of strange people.

At one point a pudgy quirky looking guy sitting up on a ledge becomes belligerent when I think he has been told to leave.  He begins talking about "cake".  I realize he is doing a comic monologue and is doing a good job at it.  In the end it appears he has the job.

They start dismissing groups.   I stay kind of hidden in hopes I will be missed and allowed to stay.  I see S. dancing with another group.  She looks awkward.

Finally I'm told to leave.  I see it's raining hard outside.  I worry about my kids.

I leave, but then decide to return.  As I walk back I begin singing a very good and unique rendition of "Hotel California".  I am convinced that I should get a part.

       There are many aspects of this dream that are clearly based on my past experiences.   Though S. and I never went to any auditions, we worked in theatrical productions for many years.   S. had often danced in these productions though she was an awkward looking dancer.   The baby-sitter was a real character who had filled this role when my children were younger.  I often fantasize about being a singer and feel that I have a decent singing voice.

        I'm not sure what this dream is telling me about my ambitions or about my previous marriage.   I woke from the dream with a certain feeling of melancholy about that marriage, but a sense of positivity and optimism about the future.

         Do you dream about a past that is not exactly like it was?   Are you more talented in your dreams than you think of yourself in waking life?   Have people from your past unexpectedly appeared in your dreams even though you haven't seen or thought of them for years?
         

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Dream Iconography

Rudolph the mug deer (Photo credit: Renato Pequito)

         The imagery of dreams is frequently considered in terms of symbolism.  However it may be that certain recurring images symbolize different things from dream to dream depending on the context of the dream story or the circumstances in which the dreamer finds themself.   Could certain flexible images be considered iconography that covers a broad spectrum of meanings?

          My dreams will often feature certain people who appear in various dreams playing a variety of roles that influence my thinking in different ways.   Some primary dream figures that I think of in this context would be my old friend Fred who passed away in 1995, my father who passed away in 1990, and my former employer and his son both whom I would consider to have been my bosses when I worked for them and both still living.

         These iconic characters reappear in different dreams that are often very dissimilar in content.  Their appearances can evoke a variety of emotions and thoughts in my mind.   While the characters themselves don't appear to symbolize anything in particular their presences may be symbolic in accordance to the circumstances of the dreams in which they appear.

          To use another example, let's say I frequently dreamed about a favorite coffee mug.   In one dream I am enjoying a beverage from the mug, in another the mug gets broken, in another I see someone else drinking from the mug, and in another I am looking for the mug because it has been misplaced.   Each dream might cause me to have different reactions and emotions.   Maybe the mug symbolizes something or maybe it is a dream icon that becomes an inherent part of my emotional being and my personal history.

        Perhaps the iconic people or things are merely actors and props necessary to tell the dream story.  They do not mean anything symbolically in and of themselves, but they are important to give the dream story meaning and to evoke emotion from me the dreamer.

          The concept of dream iconography is not clearly established in my mind and may be too involved to discuss in a short blog post, but it's an idea that had crossed my mind after a recent dream.  I thought it might be worth airing in a post.

            Do you have repetitive images--people or things--that seem to have different meanings and roles in different dreams?    What do think would be good examples of dream iconography if there were such a thing?    How many dream characters appear repeatedly in your dreams and who are they?


         

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People You Long to See

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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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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Obama in a Parade

(Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

         Often when I dream of people it's almost as though I am seeing a sort of shadow or projected image of them rather than a distinct in-person presence.  At times it may be as though I see them in the periphery of my vision.  At other times it seems I have an awareness of the essence of being or the soul of a dream character without actually seeing them.  In my dreams I seem to know most of the characters whether or not I see them clearly or directly.

          A recent dream I had exhibited an anomaly to the way I typically see dream characters.   In this dream I am standing on a sidewalk watching a parade pass by.   A strange vehicle comes into view.  It's not a float, but more like an industrial type vehicle which has a large high powered fan device mounted on the back.   The force of the fan-driven air is so strong that a person is suspended in that stream.

         I look closely and realize that the floating person is President Obama.  He is wearing a finely tailored expensive looking suit and high quality shoes.   His body is tossed about in the air stream, tumbling as though in slow motion.   I can see his face very clearly and he is very real to me.   His eyes dart about as though looking for someone to extract him from his predicament.   He doesn't look overly afraid, but he appears to be very confused with a sense of helplessness.

          As for me, I am amused by his predicament and awaken in a humorous frame of mind, perplexed by what the dream might signify.

          How do you see people in your dreams?   Have you ever dreamed about a president or world leader? What do you think my dream meant?




     

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