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Electric Dreams Volume 01 Issue 11
+=========================================================================+
| Electric Dreams |
| Volume 1, Issue 11 |
| 25 July 1994 |
+=========================================================================+
| Send your contributions to cbeattie@uwspmail.uwsp.edu or |
| cbeatty@worf.uwsp.edu |
| Dedicated to sharing and exploring dreams. |
+=========================================================================+
Notes...
Hi. Chris is dead after a particularly evil work week, so I'm
filling in (BJ, that is). As a result, I have no idea what I'm doing. I
don't know the format and I really haven't been following some of the
recent experiments or dreams, so I'm terminally confused. Any problems,
write Chris and berate me at her. I'm not sure if we have time for a
table of contents, but a brief run-down of this issue is:
These notes
Milk in the Razor dream commentary
Robocop and Bluejay dream part 2 and commentary
Bart, Terletskii and General Relativity dream commentary
Dreams Unnamed by Author commentary
Val's Serial Dream entries 85-87
Articles by Pam Ryan (domo arigato!)
Questions and Answers, what we can give of them
Again, because of the faroutness of your usual co-ordinator, this
may be a rocky issue. But then, I've always like flying squirrel under
glass...
Next issue, Chris is hoping to be up and running again. Just
watch for the "Temporarily Out of Order" sign to disappear, when we will
return you to your regularly scheduled newsletter. Be happy!
======Milk in the Razor====================================================
----Dream...
Milk in the Razor - 7/9/94
- i'm working late on a work project (computer stuff) in the office
of my boss's secretary. she is waiting around for me to finish.
when i'm done, i clean out my electric razor. chocolate milk is
dribbling out of it. i empty several quarts of it into her
wastebasket. i am worried that the razor won't work anymore, but it
does. my boss is lying on a sofa with another secretary. i empty
the wastebasket into a dentist's rinse basin.
- i'm driving with my wife. i park in a snowy parking lot. we go
into a room with alot of other people. there's going to be a meal or
meeting or something.
--Jay
----Comments...
This is a difficult dream to interpret because many of the images appear to
personal in nature, and J's factual recounting does not (with one
exception) reveal his feelings about what is going on in the dream.
The dream begins with J working late on a project in the office of the
boss's secretary; i.e. he is not in his own place or space. It is late, and
the boss's secretary is waiting for J to finish the project. Possibly, he
may feel under pressure to "get finished" with a problem in his conscious
life. J does complete the project and cleans out his electric razor. Men
use razors to "look good," so possibly J has some concern about how his
work performance will be perceived. He's cleaning the instrument that
will make him look good in the office. (The dream mind may also be making
a play on words; i.e. "shaving face" could be a pun on "saving face." )
Someone or some situation may be sabotaging J's efforts to "look good" at
work, because chocolate milk is dribbling out of the razor in copious
amounts. The image of chocolate milk has numerous possible meanings
(something adulterated or weakened, race, color, childhood, happy or sad
experiences specific to the dreamer, etc.) Whatever the meaning of the
chocolate milk in J's dream, it is apparently an important symbol, because
the only feeling J expresses in describing his dream is that he is "worried
that the razor won't work anymore." If so, then the dream is reassuring J
that he still has the means to "look good," because after he pours out the
chocolate milk into the wastebasket the razor still works. J does not
leave the chocolate milk in the wastebasket; he dumps it into a dentist's
rinse basin. While J did not drink the chocolate milk, possibly the
feelings or experiences the milk symbolizes, has left an emotional "bad
taste" in J's mouth.
J also notes his "boss is lying on a sofa with another secretary." While
the image is only vaguely sexual (no sexual activity is stated) another of
J's concerns may be that the boss is"screwing around" or possibly "screwing
up" and may not be noticing J's efforts. If it is possible that J could be
blamed for some of his boss's actions, that might be another cause for
concern.
In the last dream vignette J drives somewhere with his wife and parks in
a snowy parking lot. That may indicate that J feels that he is in an
emotionally "cold place" vis-a-vis his relationship with his wife. When J
is with others in a social gathering, however, he may feel nurtured and
less isolated; i.e. "we go into a room with a lot of other people. There's
going to be a meal or meeting or something."
As always, if J disagrees with the above interpretation, than my
interpretation is wrong. Only the dreamer knows....
--Bob
This dream is so brief it is difficult to interpret. The
idea of pouring milk into the secretary's wastebasket might mean
several things 1) you'd like her to handle your problems for you,
your trash; 2) you would like to have her job; 3) you would like to
sleep with her; 4) you would like to have your boss's job and
secretary. The appearance of your wife in the next part of the dream
might be an affirmation of your love for your wife and committment to
her after having some vague relationship in a dream with your boss'
sectretary.
--Cathy
"- i'm working late on a work project (computer stuff) in the office
of my boss's secretary. she is waiting around for me to finish.
when i'm done, i clean out my electric razor. chocolate milk is
dribbling out of it. i empty several quarts of it into her
wastebasket. i am worried that the razor won't work anymore, but it
does. my boss is lying on a sofa with another secretary. i empty
the wastebasket into a dentist's rinse basin."
--------------------
I think a lot depends on the dreamer's attitude toward his own actions.
1. Was he embarrassed about the milk pouring out of the razor?
Was he feeling hostility toward the secretary (or the boss)?
Was he envying the boss and wanting to pour himself out to the
secretary? Was he at all pleased with this unexpected event?
2. How did he feel about getting rid of the milk in a dentist's basin?
Was he spitting out some feelings about anything in his work
situation? Was he surprised to find such a basin at work? Would
he have liked to say more but found himself unable?
3. Did he feel that the secretary was an ally against the boss? Or was
she more aligned with the boss? Or was she an unwelcome observer
of the spilling milk? Anything to cry about in the work situation?
The overall impression this dream gives me is that the dreamer is unhappy
with something at work, that he would like to say something to someone
but has to let his feelings drain some other way. The dream suggests
wanting to get something "out of his hair" but instead he has to get his
hair out of the something (razor). Things are not the way he would like.
--Marilyn
A very Freudian dream! Buildings and rooms often represent peoples
bodies (This is a strong symbol I recognised in my own dreams even
before reading that Freud came to the same conclusion) so being in
the secretary's office symbolises sexual desire and working is
symbolic of having sex. The electric razor is a quit obvious symbol
of manhood and so here I think it is symbolic directly of your penis,
the milk coming out of it is ejaculation and the fact that it is
chocolate milk represents the 'sweetness' of sex. The wastebasket is
a vaginal symbol and you emptying the milk into it is intercourse.
The wory that it won't work anymore may be guilt feelings about
having sex with the secretary. You then see your boss in an obviously
sexual position with another secretary, perhaps you are trying to
justify the dream by having others do the same thing. The dentist's
rinse basin however again has strong sexual overtones as going to
the dentist involves inserting things into orifices and then spitting
or ejaculating water into the rinse basin, another vaginal symbol. The
fact that a dentist also has a strong association with pain may be
another symbol of guilt from feeling sexually attracted to your
boss's secretary.
That dream fitted Freud's theories so well I couldn't resist giving
it a complete freudian analysis.
--Matthew Parry
My own projections about the milk-in-the-razor dream. As always,
these comments should really be viewed as reflections of my own
psychological issues, rather than the dreamer's (unless of course the
dreamer decides that they apply to him, as well!)
I am relating to technology and information. I am doing this too
much ("overtime"). I am displacing someone and forcing them to wait
for me.
I clean out my masculine instrument which cuts away excess....
Human kindness, feminine & sweetly flavored (but also
slightly dark and bitter?) flows out of it, to the extent that I worry
that my masculine-clean-cut-ness is no longer functional. (In fact, this
worry is unfounded.) My feminine, nurturing kindness is wasted (or else
I do not value it, or want to get rid of it and just throw it away!)
People of different rank (and sex?) are lying down together, on an
equal level, resting together. I pour my nurturing down the drain,
spit it out of my life....
My masculine and feminine are now riding together. The environment
is cold and frozen. We are going to a social event, but it isn't
clear whether this is an opportunity to exchange information (meeting)
or a chance to be "nourished" in some way (meal). The meeting/meal might
also represent another male/female distinction, like razor/milk (and
boss/secretary?)....
Overall, I guess the dream suggests to me an exploration of masculine/
feminine traits or aspects. In the dream, I am worried that my
masculine side cannot function if I allow my feminine, nurturing
side to "gush" too much....
I also feel an intuitive connection between this dream and my own
struggle with balancing work and personal relationships. Sometimes my
work "displaces" my home and family time, which may have a lower
"status" (secretary vs. boss) in my own estimation.....
The dream seems to carry a positive message that balance *is* possible.
The milk does not break the razor. The boss and the secretary can
lie down together. My mate and I can move forward together, toward
both responsibilities and rewards.
--Pamela Ryan
======Robocop and Bluejay Dream: The Next Generation=======================
----Dream...
You probably remember my dream in which I was a giant blue jay that pecked
out RoboCop's heart. Here is another dream I had, just the other night,
that involved RoboCop and blue jays:
I was in 21st century Detroit, at night, with RoboCop - who was my
husband. I was a cyborg too, except that my prosthetics and armor made me
resemble an anthropomorphic blue jay. Murphy (I called him "Murphy" rather
than "RoboCop" - that had become his real name) and I were hunting a false
RoboCop who was running around Detroit and causing no end of trouble. This
"RoboFake," as I called him, could fly - fortunately, I could fly, too.
Murphy and I stood on top of a skyscraper. I was going to use a grappling
hook to snag RoboFake, but Murphy told me that a harpoon would be better.
Somehow we had acquired a harpoon, and we were lying in wait for our
"friend" to appear. Sure enough he showed up. For a moment he seemed to be
hovering right in front of us, perfectly vertical as if he were standing
there; but he could not see us. His left arm was a weird sort of weapon. I
used my targeting system to draw a bead on the impostor. Suddenly I was
looking at his back. I fired the harpoon and skewered him. He screamed in
agony.
"Look, Murphy!" I said to my husband. "I done hooked me a marlin!"
Next thing I knew, I was hanging onto the cable attached to the harpoon,
flying after my prey. He tried to smash me into several buildings, but
because I could fly (I must have had something other than my wings to give
me the power of flight) I was able to dodge the skyscrapers we passed.
Somehow he was now missing his left arm - I don't know if it was I or
Murphy who managed to do that damage. I climbed hand-over-hand up the
cable. When I got near RoboFake, he kicked at me, but I used my wings to
fend off his feet. Suddenly I was on his back, with my right arm around
his neck. My left hand clutched a dagger, a special dagger, which I used
to stab the impostor in the face and throat. Then I forced him into a
spin, and he crashed.
Then Murphy and I were standing over the dead impostor. His head was
twisted at a weird angle, and there was blood all over the place. I
couldn't believe that even a normal human being, let alone a cyborg of
our ilk, would have that much blood in him - especially since he must
have bled a lot while flying around with that harpoon stuck in him. I
knew that I had to give his heart to my husband. I was about to rip into
his chest with my hands, when I remembered a poem I had written (a real
poem I wrote some time ago, inspired by my dream in which I pecked out
Robo's heart). I bent down and jammed the beak on my helmet up under the
pectoral plate, and when I yanked it out the impostor's artificial heart
was on the end of my beak.
"She stuck in her beak, and pulled out his heart, and said 'What a good
cyborg am I!" I quipped.
Next, Murphy and I were in a hotel room. We were attending a Mensa RG. I
was drawing a picture of our encounter with RoboFake, specifically when I
had harpooned him and was hanging onto the cable. I could somehow see
myself, and noticed how much my armor resembled my husband's except
colored like a blue jay. I had no hair.
--Robojay
----Comments...
What is striking about this dream is the violence that is in it, and the
dichotomy between human and "robot" feelings. Angry feelings and violent
behavior are usually corollaries. Although the dreamer graphically
describes her violent behavior, she does not directly state that she is
feeling angry.
As the dream begins the dreamer has a husband whom she calls by the
human name "Murphy," and an imposter "robocop" she calls "robofake." The
dreamer also sees herself as "a cyborg too, except that my prosthetics and
armor made me resemble an anthropomorphic blue jay." (Since the blue jay
is bald, the dreamer's prosthetics and armor may be a symbol of her
emotional vulnerability. The dream mind has created a "real" robocop and
a "fake" robocop, one of whom is the dreamer's husband. This may mean the
dreamer is of two minds about her spouse; the "real" husband and the
"fake" who shows up sometimes causing "no end of trouble" that she would
like to kill.
"Robofake" has the ability to hurt the dreamer and Murphy (i.e. hurt the
marital relationship or another of the dreamer's significant
relationships), but the dreamer is not helpless. She too can soar, fly
away, maneuver and do whatever "Robofake" can do to hurt her.
Waiting atop a skyscraper the dreamer wants to use a "grappling hook" to
fight "Robofake." Murphy, however, convinces her to use a harpoon. These
images may be the dream mind's way of warning the dreamer to deal with
whatever the conflict is at a distance. A grappling hook places an
individual within arms reach of an opponent, whereas with a harpoon you
can inflict injury and still remain at a distance. The fact that in the
dream the suggestion to use the harpoon is Murphy's may mean the real
Murphy in the dreamer's conscious life usually prefers to avoid direct "in
your face" confrontation, or that the dreamer at some level prefers to do
so but disassociates herself for whatever reason from that preference.
In any event, Robofake comes to the skyscraper and remains in a
perfectly "upright" position ("perfectly vertical"). In that position
Robofake cannot see the dreamer clearly. Possibly in real life the dreamer
may perceive the real life counterpart to Robofake as trying to disguise
himself as superior in some way, but it is a disguise the dreamer sees
"behind." The dreamer notes that Robofake's "left arm was a weird sort of
weapon." Often in dreams the left refers to the past, so perhaps there is
a past incident that the real life Robofake uses in confrontations. At
this point in the dream the dreamer's anger graphically erupts, and is
almost immediately disowned.
"Suddenly I was looking at his back. I fired the harpoon and skewered
him. He screamed in agony.
"Look, Murphy!" I said to my husband. "I done hooked me a marlin!"
A marlin is a cold-blooded fish, a species that is not even related to
cyborgs and thus, the dreamer has not really injured anyone related to her.
The next part of the dream "cuts to the chase." The dreamer has wounded
Robofake and doesn't want to let go. "I was hanging onto the cable
attached to the harpoon, flying after my prey." Robofake fights back but
ineffectually. "He tried to smash me into several buildings, but because I
could fly (I must have had something other than my wings to give me the
power of flight) I was able to dodge the skyscrapers we passed." Possibly
that "something other than my wings" might be the dreamer's anger which
gives her brute strength. The wings themselves might represent the
dreamers sense of morally superiority or being "on the side of the angels"
in the conflict.
Robofake is definitely hurt after trying to "mess with" the dreamer.
Somehow he was now missing his left arm - I don't know if it was I or
Murphy who managed to do that damage." Whatever the left arms represents,
it no longer works as a weapon for Robofake.
As the dream continues the dreamer's behavior becomes more violent.
"Suddenly I was on his back, with my right arm around his neck. My left
hand clutched a dagger, a special dagger, which I used to stab the impostor
in the face and throat. Then I forced him into a spin, and he crashed."
These are not gentle images. The dreamer is very angry at this point. You
usually look at a face when you talk and you obviously need a throat to
talk, so the dreamer is destroying the means of communication.
The end of the dream again apparently shows the dreamer is of two minds
about her emotions and her relationship with her husband. "Then Murphy and
I were standing over the dead impostor. His head was twisted at a weird
angle, and there was blood all over the place. I couldn't believe that even
a normal human being, let alone a cyborg of our ilk, would have that much
blood in him - especially since he must have bled a lot while flying around
with that harpoon stuck in him. I knew that I had to give his heart to my
husband." The dreamer has inflicted a mortal injury from a distance, and
the end result of that injury is that Robofake reveals himself to have
human qualities after all, perhaps even more human "than even a normal
human being" since he bled so much. The dreamer wants to give Robocop's
(human?) heart to her husband. The question is why? Does Murphy need
one? Robofake at this point is closer to a human than to a cyborg.
Next, he dreamer is about ready to rip out Robofake's heart with her
hands, but changes her mind. "I bent down and jammed the beak on my
helmet up under the pectoral plate, and when I yanked it out the
impostor's artificial heart was on the end of my beak." These symbols
again may serve two purposes. First, by noting that Robofake's heart is
artificial, the dreamer is once again reassuring herself that it is not a
"real" person that she killed. Secondly, the helmet covers the head, so
possibly these final symbols mean that the dreamer wins the final victory
over Robofake by using her head (her rational mind) rather than with brute
strength (her anger).
Then once again the dreamer shows herself to be of two minds. She
immediately becomes sarcastic about her behavior. "She stuck in her beak,
and pulled out his heart, and said 'What a good cyborg am I!" It would
appear she is angry about using her intellect, and possibly through
inference that she has used her intellect so often in the past to mask or
control her anger that she has become a "robot."
The dream ends with Murphy and the dreamer together, but not in a
permanent place. It is a hotel room, a place for transients. They are at
a Mensa function (rational thinking) and the dreamer is recreating some of
her angry feelings on paper (i.e. drawing a picture of harpooning
Robofake). She notices she has the same defenses as her husband, except
her armor was a different color and she had no hair. These concluding
images might mean that while the dreamer and her spouse use the same
defenses, they use different "protective camouflage," and the dreamer
feels her thoughts/emotions leave her vulnerable, "I had no hair."
In summary, the dream may reflect that the dreamer has an on-going
conflict either with her spouse or another significant male in her life,
and is very angry about the conflict. The anger may stem in part from the
feeling that she has overcontrolled her emotions and used rationalization
to deal with the conflict. Repressing her anger and rationalizing appears
to have left the dreamer feelings very frustrated. In the dream she allows
herself to do what she cannot do in her conscious life; she "acts out" her
anger, which appears to be getting to the point of rage. Even in her
dream, however, the dreamer disassociates from her anger. Whatever she
injures or kills is not real. It is a robot, a fish, a cyborg who bleeds
copiously but then is given an artifical heart by the dream mind. Even the
violent behavior is not human (i.e. real). The dream mind has made the
dreamer and her husband cyborgs. Hopefully, the dream has allowed her to
ventilate her "stuffed" feelings and given her insights into the conflict.
As always, if the dreamer disagrees with the above interpretation, that my
interpretation is wrong. Only the dreamer knows....
--WHO DONE DIS? WAZZIT U, BOB?
To dream of being a warrior, sentient bird, might suggest you long
for power and freedom. The sci-fi theme of the whole dream suggests
that you want to play the role of a hero or savior. To be the wife
of one such savior of the future/world is perhaps a modified
fantasy--to be the hero itself would be too much pressure, but you
long for the intense bonding that occurs in action-adventure movies
and to bond with some kind of hero or savior figure. To want to mate
with the most power being on the planet and a force for good seems a
normal fantasy, despite the cross-sex innuendoes in this dream. The
fighting off of an evil twin (a plot that goes back to Cain and Able)
is another classic theme. The evil twin theme usually is interpreted
to mean you must kill the evil or dark side of yourself--i.e. the
part that likes the dream fantasy just for the gore and killing and
doesn't give a damn who lives or dies.
--Cathy
the fact that there are two robocops, a good and a bad one, and the
fact that you notice that you yourself look very much like them,
makes me think that you are concerned with different aspects of
either your husband or yourself, some of which you like better than
others.
again, there is the same symbolism of your removing robocops heart.
--Jay E. Vinton
First, the standard disclaimer: the following comments almost certainly
shed more light on the personal/psychological issues of the commentator,
rather than on those of the dreamer. Nevertheless, the dreamer is free
to accept any ideas that "click" and feel correct. All other nonsense
should of course be rejected as meaningless!
Okay. The overall feeling here is like an action/adventure movie!
(My husband and I just saw "True Lies" yesterday ... perhaps the dreamer
likes these movies, too?)
Anyway, I am struck by how all of the characters are so heavily armored,
and are all part machine/part human. This makes me think about the ways
I armor and protect myself in real life, and how I often try to fight
my emotions and be more mechanical/businesslike....
Often, I view the chgaracters in my dreams as expressions of various
parts of my own personality. Using this dream as a basis for my own
projection, I can identify three aspects of my own personality that
correspond to the three characters in the dream:
The Free Bird -- soaring, colorful, and limitless
The Enforcer -- very conscious of rules and "proper"
behavior. (Interesting that the Enforcer is married to the
Free Bird!.... Perhaps this keeps the two in balance?)
The Fake -- dishonest and phoney....aspects of my own
personality that I do not like, and often wish I could destroy!
The most striking image in the dream is when the Bird is tethered to
the Fake, and the Fake threatens to harm the Bird by smashing her into
tall buildings. This image apparently *wants* to present itself to
the waking intellect (Mensa conference)!
To me, this presents some questions:
-Does my fakery somehow threaten my freedom? ...
-Does my freedom allow me to escape the consequences of my
own negative actions? ....
When the Fake is killed, there is a large quantity of blood, and I
pluck out its heart. This is the only part of the dream where I
truly feel "in touch" with LIFE and LOVE. Was the "fake" robot
an embodiment of my own deep, human feelings?
Do I become a "good little cyborg" by denying my feelings
and removing my own heart?
Or do I become "good" by reclaiming my heart from within this "fake"
robot?
Perhaps the message is that it can be an exciting adventure to
seek "the heart" and to try to destroy one's own fakery......
--Pamela Ryan
======Bart, Terletskii and general relativity --- 8/7/94===================
----Comments...
I can't say much about this dream as I don't watch the Simpsons or
understand physics. However, identification with Bart might mean
identification with mediocrity and goofing off. Your career is
obviously academic and challenging; this dream may suggest you wonder
what life would be like as a blue-collar worker in a no-brains job.
The freezing might indicate that you see the fun of such a job
(waterslide) but that it is going no where (no way out of park, car
snowed over). The remainder of the dream could just be jibberish
related to worrying about your classes (anxiety, stress) and being
hungry. I don't know enough science to say more.
--Cathy
======"Dreams Unamed by Author" Issue 9====================================
----Comments...
This dream has four parts 1) the path, 2) the white room, 3)the man's
body, and 4) the conclusion. Two of these dream segments are very
common. The path is the path of life, your journey to death. The
sense of the path being endless and you meandering may indicate a
lack of direction or goals in your life. The white room is often
taken to mean a womb fantasy. There is a interesting novel which has
Freud as a character interpreting white room dreams as wombs called
THE WHITE HOTEL. The retreat to the womb and the sense of evil
outside, may suggest your life is difficult right now and you are
very unsure. The fear of death emerges very strongly in the last two
parts of your life. Are you afraid to make an important life
decision? You seem to meander, try to go back and see only death
ahead. This seems to be an intense stress dream about the state of
your life.
--Cathy
======Val's Serial Dream===================================================
"I'm Death, BJ's the Crow, and We Hunt Down a Serial Killer"
VMK
DREAM JOURNAL ENTRY #85
Vol. 5, March 26, 1994
(I was up working on a project and only had time for a nap; I only had some
snippets of dreams. Following the snippets, I had a waking vision the
following day...)
1. Water Lily:
I was floating on water. Looked down and saw that I was a lily.
Someone dangerous wanted to pick me out of the water. I was frightened. I
could smell the scent of honeysuckle. I hoped the Dangerous Person would
pick honeysuckles instead of a water lily like me. Eventually a frog
jumped onto my pad and I sunk.
2. Thunder-Dance:
I felt my stomach churn and was dizzy. I was spinning. There was
lightning and I had feathers. I was Enaemkiw (Thunderbird) again. I felt
powerful. I danced in the sky.
3. Hear-say:
I was agent Scully from the X-Files. Someone wanted me to
investigate strange goings-on at the rickety house (from my first dream on
the 19th). I heard some woman say, "It can't be possible...people living
like they love each other...who can be sure someone's sincere or not?" I
went up to the house, didn't go in, but disappeared.
4. Something Missing:
Next I was walking throughout my apartment trying to find something
I'd lost. I didn't know what it was, but it was something important. I
called up some of my friends to see if they might've found anything--but I
just ended up calling Brandon every time, whether I wanted to or not. I
was frustrated.
5. Running Away:
I escaped my apartment and was back in the woods. I knew the
serial killer was somewhere in my apartment and I had to find BJ. I spent
hours running around without any clothes on. It got cold so I fashioned
some leaves together and wore them as clothing. I wanted to be the
Thunderbird again, but I was grounded. Felt like being punished. I
couldn't find BJ and I knew the serial killer was watching me. Then I felt
ashamed. I woke up and couldn't return to sleep (I had only slept for two
hours that night).
VMK
DREAM JOURNAL ENTRY #86
Vol. 5, March 27, 1994
Today I celebrated the coming of Spring, Eostre (Ostara), and I had myself
something of a Vision Quest. I felt the need to clear my mind and
strengthen my heart. I spent the whole day at Circle Sanctuary in Mount
Horeb, WI.
It's traditional for many of us pagans to honor and get in touch with the
birds during Spring. Another tradition is to do Egg Roll divinations where
you take a hard boiled egg, decorate it with symbols that represent thing
you wish to "grow" in your life, and you roll it on the ground. Whatever
symbol shows up once the egg stops is the thing you will experience new
growth in during the warmer months.
So, taking a pouchful of seed and offerings of tabacco and stones, I went
out into the woods (on a dreadfully wet day, mind you) to see what birds
and/or animals would show themselves to me. I also had my decorated egg
with me and I wouldn't roll it until I found just the right spot.
Part one of Part Eight: "Communing with the Birds of Spring"
The first birds who showed themselves to me were two red-tailed
hawks. Behind them was a Crow with a snake in its talons. The three birds
were fighting over the dead snake. The birds screeched at each other a lot
and it was interesting to see them dive at each other. I thought the Crow
would be outnumbered, but he held onto that snake for dear life. The hawks
eventually gave up on trying to get the snake away from the Crow. They
flew away in different directions. Triumphant, the Crow flew away as well,
flying right over me. The snake was a harmless garden variety. I felt
sorry for the snake, but was happy that the Crow got to keep it--he put up
such a stubborn fight!
As I went deeper (alone) into the woods, I heard some chirping. I
looked across from me and there were two sparrows sitting on the same
branch. They just sat there and looked at me, barely moving. When I went
near to them, they flew a short distance away, then landed back together
again upon another branch. I left some seed where they first appeared,
then looked down. Right in front of me was a huge rabbit. It didn't seem
to be afraid of me. We locked eyes for several moments, then it stepped
toward me. It was almost close enough for me to touch it. Eventually it
crossed my path and disappeared into the brush. Those sparrows were still
waiting for me...
I stepped toward them and they flew a few yards away. Again, I
stepped, they flew a bit, etc., etc. It was almost as if they were leading
me somewhere--deeper and deeper into the trees. There were thorn bushes
all around me now and I was having a difficult time getting through them
(that's what I get for following a bunch of birds, huh?) Eventually the
sparrows landed on a huge, moss-covered rock outcropping. This big rock
looked sort of like a throne with a tall oak shading it. The oak was
almost an exact replica of the Crystal oak in my dream (expect this oak
was a real oak tree, not made out of crystal). The sparrows flew away and
I went up to the "throne."
I felt something vibrate in my heart and felt a little dizzy.
Perhaps I had been climbing around too hard, my chest had a dull hurt and
my ears were ringing loud. Then, there was peace...and complete quiet. No
more birds. Not even a breeze was stirring. A heard a deep man's voice
say:
"...come to me...come to me and be my bride...come to me and
choose...choose what form I will take...come to me..."
I decided to do my Egg Roll Divination right then and there! I
rolled my egg down the "throne rock" and it landed inbetween two symbols
(so I had more than one thing that will grow in my life this Spring). The
two symbols were a purple eight-pointed star that represented Creativity
and a magenta heart with a yellow figure-eight infinity sign that
represented Love. This was a good omen. I should expect new growth in
love and creativity. I liked that answer and left an offering of tabacco
and a rose quartz upon the "throne rock." I also hugged the oak tree that
was there (go ahead and laugh; yes, folks, I'm a Tree-Hugger!).
Part two of Part Eight: "The Green Man"
Just as I was leaving, I saw something move through the trees. I
went to investigate. I almost fainted at what I saw...
There, straight from out of my dreams, was the _Green Man!_ In
his arms was the rabbit I had seen earlier (or one exactly like it). His
body was this mass of green leaves, branches, moss, and soil. His eyes
were black. The only thing I could compel myself to say to him was, "I
love you..." and he smiled at me. Then both he and the rabbit were gone
and I found myself staring at a pile of dried out leaves and dirt. The
Green Man had been the most beautiful man I had ever seen.
As it started to mist, I fell asleep in that pile of leaves and I
don't remember dreaming anything. When I finally woke up and headed back,
it was night and raining.
VMK
DREAM JOURNAL ENTRY #87
Vol. 5, March 28, 1994
Part One of Part Nine: "Building Drawings"
I started out in the painting lab at the Fine Arts building here on
the UWSP campus. I was gessoing some canvas when I realized I was being
watched. I looked around. Before I started gessoing, the lab had been
filled with other students, now it was empty and I suddenly realized I was
alone. I thought I saw someone run out of the room. I stepped out to
check. From the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Brandon standing
in the hallway. I ignored this, finished the gesso, and left the canvas to
dry.
Next, I started packing up my stuff when Diane Bywaters came up to
me (she's my painting professor). She was dressed all in purple and had an
armful of sketch pads, paper, and small pre-gessoed canvases.
"We're going to work outside today," she said, "you won't need to
bring anything with you, just follow me..."
I cleaned myself up and followed her out into the parking lot where
Brandon was parked. He was talking with some people. I couldn't hear what
they were saying, but I knew it was about me because they had these
"secretive" eyes when they saw me looking back at them. The people Brandon
was talking to did not keep their eyes on me for long. Brandon kept
staring at me with this "knowing" expression, as if he knew all there was
to know about me; that he was more of an "expert" on me than I am on
myself. I hated him for that look. I felt angry and frightened. Diane
tugged on my arm.
"Keep your eyes on the sunlight," She forced me to face forward.
"I will," I promised, "I know that shadows can't touch me
there..."
Soon we came to an elementary playground. Sunlight was extremely
bright here and there were kids playing on the jungle gym. Their laughter
made me feel good. Diane and I sat down on the swings. She handed me a
sketch book and some drawing materials. I noticed a small, blond girl on
the jungle gym. She was on top and the other kids couldn't climb as high
as her.
"That one, right there!" Diane pointed her out to me. "Draw her.
She is Sunshine Incarnate."
I started drawing the little girl on the jungle gym. My hands were
moving very quickly. Suddenly, I found myself in a sandbox and Diane and I
were drawing buildings--very tall ones, but they weren't skyscrapers. The
two of us were creating some strange Manhattanesque landscapes of angular,
turn-of-the-century fortresses.
"Pay attention to the lines," She instructed me. "In some parts
there are zig-zags towering up--always move up while you draw--it makes
them look more polished and taller--you want tall, strong, towering
buildings."
I looked down at what I was drawing. Then looked at what she was
drawing. We were both drawing the exact same thing, in the exact same way.
Part Two of Part Nine: "Dangling"
Next, I was on a balcony with Susie, Judy, Diane, and a bunch of
other women I didn't recognize. All the women had sketch books and they
were busy drawing whatever they saw. For some reason, I felt the
inclination to jump over the balcony's gothic railing, balancing myself--
half-hanging, half holding on.
"Don't look down, Val," Judy told me before I could do otherwise.
I looked down and got dizzy. I almost lost my balance, but was
still hanging strong. I looked over to my right. Across from me was an
old German cottage-like building with faded flower pot windows and rickety
shutters.
"Who can tell me what style that building is?" Diane asked the
other women.
I knew an answer, but Susie beat me to it.
"German-Ayran. Built about 1909 during the Summer months," She
said, "look over onto those canvas buttresses. There used to be a balcony
there, too, where the owner of the restaurant below could look on onto the
street. The balcony was removed when he fell to death after his wife left
him in 1929."
Other questions were asked of the group and everyone answered them
before I could. I felt like I was in New York, but I knew I was in
Milwaukee. My voice felt "stuck" in my throat and I realized that was the
reason why I wasn't able to answer any questions. I almost lost my hold on
the balcony, but soon managed to stop hanging and dangling and got back
into the building where everyone else was.
Part Three of Part Nine: "BJ and I are Works of Art"
Next I found myself in an art gallery with famous paintings done by
the masters, except all their names were changed to mine. I looked at the
other women. Diane smiled at me. Suddenly I was the Mona Lisa painting.
Everyone was gawking at me!
"Yes, Val," Diane said, "you are really something to look at and
are worth looking forward to. Look to me for your recommendations. I'll
get you here..."
Now I knew I was in New York. I stepped out of the Mona Lisa
painting. Back to myself, I looked behind me. There was a huge painting
of a familiar face behind me, all in green. It was BJ--with real oak
leaves and twigs stuck in the paint on the canvas. It was very rich with
color and stood out against the red walls of the gallery. I looked at it
and thought, "Yeah, I'm gonna paint that someday soon..."
I looked around in the art gallery. The other paintings there were
all variations of the one of BJ. I looked at each in turn, then came to a
big Black Door. I opened it and suddenly I was back in the painting lab
telling BJ to hold still and take off his glasses. I was painting him and
he was modeling (clothed) for me. For some reason, I knew it was Friday
evening and I looked at the clock. It was 8:30pm.
"We're missing _The X-Files_!" I told him, "I'm sorry...we
should've done this at another time...when we had more time."
He didn't seem to mind. "This is more fun," he said, "besides,
_X-Files_ is a re-run tonight. You remember. That one where that Serial
Killer was invading people's dreams? Well, they finally found him, folded
him up into a black box, and shipped him to the Netherworld. He won't
bother us again."
While cleaning my brushes, I asked BJ who the serial killer was.
"Don't you know?" He looked surprised. "It was _us_--but now
we're both safe--now that you have me on canvas and..." He pulled out a
notebook and a small tape recorder from his duffel bag, "now that I got you
in words. We've been captured by ourselves--separated from our serial
killer selves--and yes, Val, WE ARE SEEDS."
I woke up.
--Val, the Dream Shaman
======Articles=============================================================
--Note: The following articles were posted earlier by Pamela Ryan on
alt.dreams and are reposted here with her permission.
What follows is the text of a promotional brochure about
the Association for the Study of Dreams (ASD).
A couple of people have asked me for this information in e-mail,
so I thought I would post to the entire group. Although I am
a member of this organization, I am not employed by ASD, nor do I
receive any financial benefits as a result of anyone else's membership.
The brochure is a couple of years old, so I'm not certain that
membership costs, etc. are current.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
if you are a person
for whom dreams are
more than a curiosity,
for whom
scientific discovery
and personal discovery
beckon,
you are invited to join
The Association for the Study of Dreams (ASD)
WHAT IS ASD?
The Association for the Study of Dreams is a nonprofit, international,
multidisciplinary organization dedicated to the pure and applied
investigation of dreams and dreaming.
Its purposes are to promote
an awareness and appreciation of dreams in both professional and public
arenas; to encourage research into the nature, function and
significance of dreaming; to advance the application of the study of
dreams; and to provide a forum for the eclectic and interdisciplinary
exchange of ideas and information.
WHO ARE MEMBERS OF ASD?
Members engage in a wide range of dream-related activities including
academic research, clinical practice, incorporation of dreams into
literature and art, and personal study.
A variety of disciplines is represented among those who study dreams
professionally: anthropology, comparative literature, education, fine
arts, medicine, psychology, religion, and social work.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP?
You will be in touch with the newest in dream research.
You will meet leading dreamworkers and experience their methods.
You will be exposed to a variety of approaches to dreams from all
over the world.
You will receive the quarterly professional journal DREAMING, which
features scholorly articles on every spect of dreams and dreaming.
You will receive the ASD NEWSLETTER, a quarterly devoted to brief
articles and research reports, book reviews, interviews with noted
dream authorities, and news of the association. The newsletter
provides an open forum for members through letters to the editor and
discourse and dialogue on dreams.
You will receive a list of current members and their addresses. (Any
individual not wishing to be included on this list may so indicate on
the membership application.)
You will receive a reduced registration fee at the annual conference.
This fee includes workshops and social events, as well as invited
addresses by leaders in dreamwork and dream research, paper
presentations, panel discussions, demonstrations of dreamwork
techniques, dream-inspired arts, a bookstore, participatory
experiments, and a costume ball. You will meet valuable colleagues
and make lasting friendships. Tapes of invited addresses from
conferences are available for purchase.
HOW DO I JOIN?
There are five levels of membership: Individula, Student, Couple,
Family, and Patron. Contributions in any amount are welcome for
purposes of education and outreach. To join, complete the application
form and send your check or money order in U.S. funds.
Regular $70
Student $40
Couple $90
Family $110
Patron $150
Association for the Study of Dreams
P.O. Box 1600
Vienna, VA 22183
(703) 242-8888
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The annual conference is taking place right now, in Leiden.
Next year, I think it will be held in New York.
When I attended last year's conference in Santa Fe, it was a marvelous
experience..... I got to hear -- or even meet -- many of the dream
experts whose work I'd been reading for years. It was a wonderful
mish-mash of scientists, artists, psychotherapists, mystics.... and
there were also quite a few of us "laypeople" ( dream pun :) )
in attendance.
What follows is information about DREAM NETWORK, a magazine entirely
devoted to dreams and dreaming. I'd classify it as a mystical
approach to dreams, with very little empahsis on scientific
information.
There is almost always some information for people who do small-group
dreamwork, and for people who want to talk about dreams in classroom
settings, but the main focus seems to be personal/mythological stories
about dreams and dreaming.
I'm not affiliated with this publication in any way (don't even
subscribe, any more) so I do not receive any financial benefit
from anyone else's subscription.
I think the subscription rates are current -- they are from an
early-1994 issue.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dream Network
Published since 1982
Dream Network
1337 Powerhouse Lane, Suite 22
P.O. Box 1026
Moab, UT 84532-3031
Phone: 801-259-5936
SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION:
One year (4 issues) $22 regular
$28 Canada, Mexico, or library....
$36 Foreign Air
Two years (8 issue) $40 regular
$50 Can, Mex, Lib
$36 Foreign Air (? is this right?)
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE:
Our purpose is to disseminate information that will assist and
empower us in taking responsibility for our cultural, emotional,
and spiritual well-being, with the help of dreams and mythology.
Our goals are to unite and serve those who respect dreams, to
empower dreamers in demystifying dream work and to assist with
the integration of dreamsharing into our culture...in whatever ways
of integrity are shown and given us.
We believe that dreams are agents for change and often reveal
important new insights about the life of the dreamer, both
personal and cultural.
Recalling a dream is a signal that we are ready to understand the
information that has been presented. Enacting the dream's hint can
bring personal empowerment.
We seek to provide a balance and to give all nations, voices, and
schools of thought an opportunity to be heard. There will be times
when a particular area of interest will be given greater emphasis
than another because of the limited space in the Journal and that
which is surfacing that is of interest to the readership.
The emphasis will change over time to allow for a wide range of ideas,
opinions and areas of interest to be explored and expressed.
======Questions and Answers================================================
Theme choices:
5. Spiritual Dreams
14. Erotic Dreams
1. First Dream You've Ever Had
7. Cross-Gender Dreams
Also, what about dreams about your parents and family. I think these
make up some of the most interesting and self exploratory dreams I ever
have.
--Matthew Parry
Hey, does anybody out there have dreams where you are aware of yourself
lying on your bed/sofa/whatever and you're also aware of and participating
in your dream? Sort of both at once? I mean, you can hear people around
you and see light and feel your covers/pillows/gravel, but you can carry
on in your dream, talking to those people, looking around and generally
having fun. Is this just a me thing? Happens a lot. Try it--it's a
unique experience!
--BJ
======Disclaimer, yeah!====================================================
"Electric Dreams" is its own entity and not affiliated with anybody but
us. Nobody is making any money from it, but we hope all the readers
profit in their own way.
