Quirky Behavior and Gestures

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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Dark Dreams that Seem So Real

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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Happy Thanksgiving Dreams

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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Dreams with Dual Interpretations

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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A Good Omen Dream --My wife's interpretation

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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