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Electric Dreams Volume 03 Issue 07
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Richard at rcwilk@aol.com
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E L E C T R I C D R E A M S
Volume 3 Issue #7
21 AUGUST 1996
ISSN# 1089 4284
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Electric Dreams - on the World Wide Web
http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/~mettw/edreams/home.html
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-- Send Dreams and Comments on Dreams to:
Bob Krumhansl <bobk829887@aol.com>
-- Send Dream Questions and Concerns to
Victoria Quinton <mermaid@alphalink.com.au>
--Send Dreaming News and Calendar Events to:
Peggy Coats <pcoats@cruzio.com>
-- Send Requests for Dream Groups to:
Chris Hicks <shadow45@netonecom.net>
--Send Articles and Subscription concerns to:
Richard Wilkerson: <rcwilk@aol.com>
--For back issues, editors addresses
and other access see
ELECTRIC DREAMS ACCESS INFORMATION AT End of file
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Download a GREAT COVER for Electric Dreams 3(7)! Jesse
Reklaw
http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/~mettw/edreams/home.html
(cover may be delayed a day or two)
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CONTENTS:
Editors Notes
Question Airing Forum
+ Dangerous but Accessable Dream Groups - VQ
Bobk s Website Pick of the Month
Reminder on Nutcracker s Website
Poem: lucrative sublimation in your dreams
- by Daniel Carter
Interview : John Suler on Children's Dreams
by Victoria Quinton
Article: Theories of Dreams - By Scott Hughes
Poem: A Rose for Martina at the '96 ASD Conference
by Charles N. Eudy, MFCT, Ph. D.
Article: Safety in Dreamwork- Dennis Schmidt
Article: Dangerous Liassions - Sky Turell
Article: DREAM WHEEL UPDATE: Safe and Dangerous Dream
Sharing by Christopher Hicks
Article: Conducting Dream Research on the Net:
A Quick Start for Beginners - by Richard Wilkerson
=================================================
GLOBAL DREAMING NEWS - See GD Index - Peggy Coats
+ Special section on Research
DREAM EVENTS CALENDAR - FALL 1996 - Peggy Coats
===================
DREAM SECTION INDEX
===================
Editor's Notes - Bob K
Dream Index to Issue 3(7)
Previous Issue Dreams
1st Dreams
New Dreams
Commentaries
============
DISCLAIMER
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Editor's Notes - RCW
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RCW: Due to the wonderful response to "First Dreams" from
the Net and the ED community, we have an early harvest this
issue! The dream index is separated and put this right in
with the dreams & comments section. Tell us what you
prefer.
BOBK: As a theme for the dreams section *next issue* of
Electric Dreams: how about SIGNIFICANT DREAMS from the
dreamers perspective? Also, commentaries have dwindled in
recent issues. How about sending in your thoughts on one of
the ED dreams?
RCW: OK, let's go with the significant dreams for next
month. For those of you who are writing articles & doing
interviews, maybe this can be a focus theme as well?
We are continuing to reap the benefits of Chris Hicks
moderating the Dream groups. The ED DreamWheels, as we call
them, continue to be popular and are a real delight. Be
sure to sign up for the next group with Chris. Starts in
about a week! shadow45@netonecom.net
Also, our connections with Linton & Becky Hutchison at
DreamLink continue and you can find out how to participate
in this dreamsharing adventure by reading Chris' DreamWheel
Update.
Speaking of growing and expanding, the Electric Dreams
community is now at about 560 members. We don't advertise
much so as to keep the community - well, community like.
But the word gets out and we welcome all the new dreamers.
If you feel lost or would like some guidance on dreaming
online, look at the beginning or end of this issue for the
staff e-mail addresses in the area of your interest. They
are waiting for you to contact them.
Are you a dream researcher or interested in dream research?
Besides the updates on conferences, classes, web sites and
other dream events, Peggy Coats offers a *new* section in
the Global Dreaming News that will be just for research
projects!
And get you researchers off on the right foot, I've
included an article on conducting Dream research online.
Dream Sharing online - Safe or Dangerous? The time seems
ripe to lay it all out. The ASD Board has tabled the issue
of whether or not to link to the Electric Dreams community
and will be considering the issue again this fall. We
continue at Electric Dreams to try and educate those not
familiar with the Net & include as many diverse opinions
and viewpoints as possible. You will get the full spectrum
this issue. Send in your own thoughts on this as we
continue to explore dream sharing ethics and the Net.
Victoria Quinton opens the dream airing column to a variety
of topics, including a request concerning Dreams and CFIDS
and comments on the issues of dreamsharing in cyberspace
and other topics. She also has an interview with one of
Cyberspace's most interesting psychologists, John Suler.
Also, author Scott Hughes offers us some thoughts on dream
theory while Eudy and Carter offer us some very different
takes on dream inspired poetry.
Thanks again to all who sent in 1st dreams - let's dig into
the past this month and find those significant dreams.
- Dreamin' up a Storm,
Richard Wilkerson
***********************************************************
Question Airing Forum no 4
***********************************************************
Victoria Quinton
changing e-mail address- Please Note:
<mermaid@alphalink.com.au>
Hello all
First dreams are coming in to the Bulletin Board and to
other places, some will be in this issue.
Keep them coming!
Dangerous but Accessable Dream Groups - VQ
Well, without the Internet, I would not be able to
participate in Electric dreams, all the way from
Australia.
I would not be able to exchange wonderful ideas with such
interesting and varied people, nor have the foundation for
ongoing e-mail "interviews".
I have found these interviews take on a "life of their own"
Sure, I start off with a few basic questions, based on the
interviewee's main interest in the dreaming domain, but
then the replies generate further questions, and so it
goes.
And to think that a year ago "The Internet" was something
that seemed to crop up on occasional news stories, and was
not yet such an integral part of my daily life.
To my knowledge, there are no local dream sharing groups
and , especially while I have primary care of a toddler,
and am financially dependent on my husband, I would be
unlikely to find alternative outlets for dream-sharing.
There are apparently concerns about approaches to dreams
on line, not only the "interpretation" of them, but also
the sharing of them in any form.
For the moment, I shall assume that those criticising the
Dream Wheels have at least tried them out.
I personally found participating in them stimulating and
invigorating. What may be missed in terms of seeing body
language, facial expression or other non-verbal reactions,
is, in my view, compensated by a reduction in prejudices
based on these factors.
There is a healthy egalitarianism in this approach,
combined with compassion within the group, that would chip
in were "inappropriate" remarks to be sent.
Ironically, since taking on the Electric Dreams role, my
participation in the dream wheels has dropped off; but not
my support for them.
Victoria Quinton
=======================================================
A Response to our Ad on alt.dreams..
"Interpret your own dreams and it would be easier.......
Others may take out meanings that don't exists...."
POL POT.
======================================================
Jerry Garcia Gone - 1 year later....
"The White Room" dreamed by Karolen
I had a dream about Jerry Garcia on the night that he died.
The dream occurred within an hour of his death. I walked
into a room, and saw Jerry sitting at a table. The room
was all white and misty-like. The table was white. Jerry
looked very happy, healthy and young. He was wearing all
white. There were robed, white, indistinct figures sitting
at the table as well, about four of them. I walked in and
sat down across the table from
Jerry. We started a conversation. We talked for a minute
or two, but I don't remember what we said, only that I
enjoyed talking to him. Then I got up and left the room.
In the morning a friend came to the house and told me Jerry
had died. I was not surprised. I felt a definite sense of
peace and closure, as though everything was complete and
Jerry was in a good place.
email: deupree@concentric.net
Thanks for putting this together.
Sweet dreams!
Karolen
(Last Year when Garcia died we asked fans about their
dreams. The collection is still available at the
Electric Dreams Web site) RCW
======================================================
Dreams and CFIDS by NV
My interest in dreams and dream research goes back some
years, but it hasn't been serious until this last year when
I developed ME, or CFIDS as it's termed in the US. As you
may know one of the only pleasant (occasionally unpleasant)
effects of this chronic illness are vivid dreams. I've had
very diverse and very strange dreams for the last 9 months
and I've been recording them for most of the last 5 months.
I can now usually remember a couple each night. When I'm
having a relapse it's one of the few things that makes
things bearable - at least I can escape at night to another
realm where the laws of ME don't apply.
By training I am a biologist and, as a scientist, I've
always been curious about how things work and why - hence
my current interest in dream research. I've come across
some old texts and am keen to learn more. I wonder could
you or someone else in the group recommend a couple of
texts or papers on the latest findings.
I'd also be interested to know if there has been much
research into ME dreams, whether the nature of these dreams
are different (for me they are). Why do ME suffers tend to
have so many vivid dreams? An area to look at perhaps.
Might be interesting to compare the dreams of ME and non-ME
suffers. Incidentally disrupted sleep is common problem in
ME - you tend to sleep 10-14 hours or hardly at all, and
you wake up the next morning feeling awful, no matter how
long you've slept. I wonder if the wetchedness next
morning is because the pattern of REM and non-REM sleep is
altered in some way by the disease (although why would this
produce such vivid and unusual dreams?). If dreams and
sleep patterns are being distrupted then maybe some kind of
dream therapy (teaching people not to dream?) might help
suffers.
NV - (send replies via NV@dreamgate.com)
========================================================
From Sarah: When I was a kid I used to dream in cartoon,
now that I'm older I don't anymore. My friends give me
weird looks when I tell them and they say it sounds so
strange. Has this ever happened to anyone else?
==== end dream airing column ======
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BOBK S WEB SITE PICK OF THE MONTH:
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Check out John Suler s pages on WORKING (AND PLAYING) WITH
DREAMS at:
http://www1.rider.edu/~suler/dreams.html
====================
NUTCRACKER S SITE
For Nutcracker fans - don t forget to check out
Nutcracker s Web Page at:
http://www.dreamgate.com/dream/nutcracker
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lucrative sublimation in your dreams (luck-rate if...)
by Daniel Carter
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(Origninally published on the Fiction of Philosophy List
96-08-22)
I.
looking at you what is this stuff anyway what makes one ask
onesewlf a question that cut that accent wrinkle in the
fabric that reminds me of your dress under stress of your
body in it this I could not but how shall I resist it's
that composite thing I heard about when it ain't nobody in
particular it kind o' cools itself out as it swerve into
Holly would if you'd just let her
II.
looking at you what is this stuff anyway what makes one ask
onesewlf a question that cut that accent wrinkle in the
fabric of your dress under stress of your body in it this I
could not but how shall I resist it's that composite thing
I heard about when it ain't nobody in particular it kind o'
cools itself out as it swerve into Holly would if you'd
just let her
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Interview : John Suler on Children's Dreams
by Victoria Quinton
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Victoria Quinton [V]: Would you say you have been
interested in dreams most of your life?
Do you deal with children's dreams at all? I am keen on
creating a "dream
friendly" environment for my daughter who is almost 2 1/2
now.
John Suler [JS]: I think that's a wonderful goal on your
part. I hope you succeed. Unfortunately, there will always
be some people who are hostile towards the whole concept of
dream interpretation (probably people who are anxious about
their own intrapsychic life) - but we can still build a
community with(out) having to convince everyone.
[JS]: I don't work specifically with children's dreams.
But my students do on occasion tell me about their
childhood dreams. From time to time, I also ask my own
children (Asia-9, Kira-5) about their dreams. Funny you
should ask this question, because just yesterday Kira had a
dream about "Coonie" - her beloved stuffed animal (a
racoon) which has been with her since she was
born. Unfortunately, she lost him a few days ago in the
Bahamas where we were taking our family vacation. My wife
and I made desperate attempts to find Coonie, but to no
avail. Of course, Kira was quite upset about this loss and
went into a grieving process. The dream, no doubt, was part
of that mourning.
[JS]: She dreamt she was swimming in a pool with Coonie
nearby, but then realized that she was not swimming in
water, but in a large pool filled with many Coonies.
[JS]: A very simple dream, but so poetic and beautiful,
and packed with meaning despite its simplicity. In
psychoanalytic terms, Coonie is a "transitional object"
that sustains her sense of self, sooths her, and helps move
her along the developmental path. The dream clearly depicts
this. She is surrounded by Coonie, immersed in him, made
buoyant by him. It just so happens that on this Bahamas
vacation she learned to swim, for the first time, in the
deep end of the pool. It was a major developmental
accomplishment for her. And she associates that with
Coonie. There is also
a very spiritual/mystical aspect to the dream. Coonie
(God?) is not a single entity, but a all-surrounding
presence. In the dream, she is immersed in the "oceanic
oneness" that many mystics associate with God.
[V]: Would you say that book learning or "experience" has
had more influence on the way you approach dreams?
[JS]: Like all things, people, including me, learn best
when they combine "book" (intellectual) learning with
experiential learning. If you want to improve your skills
at dream work, read about it, work on your own dreams, and
talk to others about their dreams. If you do one or the
other, you can walk into a dead end. Books provide new
ideas and perspectives you may not have
considered before, but if you don't apply those ideas and
test them out "in the field", those ideas become stale.
______________________
John Suler, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology
Rider University
Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
suler@aol.com / suler@voicencet.com / suler@rider.edu
TEACHING CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY:
http://www1.rider.edu/~suler/tcp.html
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF CYBERSPACE:
http://www1.rider.edu/~suler/psycyber/psycyber.html
__________________________________________________
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Theories of Dreams - By Scott Hughes
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In the literature of dreams exist countless theories
regarding their meaning. Which theory are you to believe?
Each dreamer must eventually face this question. You cant
believe in every theory as such a view would only lead to
madness. You must personally decide the meaning of dreams,
and their relationship to waking life. Some believe dreams
lack meaning. Others believe they express omens from the
gods. Still others believe they contain messages of
repressed desires. What do you believe?
Each viewpoint on dreams arises from a bed of beliefs.
Beliefs making up a theory, a theory of dreams. Your
beliefs act like a lens focusing all that you see, both
physically and while you experience dream sleep. So decide
on those theories, those ideas you will use when looking
inward. Your dream beliefs reveal which brand of lens you
use when looking inward. They will reveal what kind of tint
you put on your dream time experiences.
I have never found an ultimate theory, an ultimate
explanation for the experience of dreams. I have found a
multiplicity of explanations that seem to work for
different people. Perhaps, we are each meant to have a
different theory of dreams. A unique perspective where we
have taken ideas from different theories to create a lens
that can look inward.
Scott Hughes
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/scoty
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A Rose for Martina at the '96 ASD Conference
by Charles N. Eudy, MFCT, Ph. D.
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(She had come determined to be enlihgtened, and dreamed of
being sucked up through the top of her head. Frightened,
she woke: "I don't die!" I had cmoe wanting to make peace
between my rational mind and spirit. I dreamed of a lovely
rose and bu8ilt this poem narrative around it.)
Whne I was a child
I found a rose and loved it,
So I took it to a scientist
who gave parts of it to ohter scientists
and said, "Cme back later, kid"
I came back later, and
the scientist said, "here's your rose, kid."
and gave me a box. Then with pride,
"And this is our report."
handing me a thisck stack of papers.
Later, alone, I looked in the box
and did not understand.
I raced through the repost
looking for answers
and maybe some comfort
but found only dead Greek workds
and dead latin words
and what was now
in the box
my one dead rose.
I peeked again its scalpeled, drying petals,
their bruised and blackened spots-
and wished I were blind.
I hear again the distand, santiezed Greek and Latin
replacements for my rose-
and wished I were deaf.
I started to cry, but stopped,
as I caught the scent of the box-
My rose was not dead.
but expanding, leaving its sweek mark
all that is touched in its new journey.
Now, though I am much, much older,
My rose is still with me,
and these new tears are not of sorrow!
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Safety in Dreamwork - Dennis Schmidt
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(Originally a note to me, some cut- RCW)
I don't like the dream interpretation that goes on in
Electric Dreams. I want to tell
you briefly how I feel about it, and I would like to know
how you feel about it.
I feel that people working with each other's dreams in
groups and partnerships have learned, and some have
articulated, certain requirements for safety in sharing
dreams. Several of us feel that it is not possible to meet
these requirements in group dream work over the Internet.
Sharing dreams person-to-person is dialogue. It is
emotionally engaging. It requires sensitivity to the
dreamer's reactions. Dream workers such as Monte Ullman,
Will Phillips, and Dick McLeester agree that all must agree
that the dreamer has authority over the sharing.
Such sensitivity and such authority are not possible over
the Net. A person commenting on someone else's dream can
not see the reaction, can not know when to stop or change
tracks.
Interpreting without giving the dreamer the opportunity to
interrupt -- and on the Web the dreamer has no opportunity
to cut short an interpretation -- can expose the dreamer
to serious dangers. I like Will Phillips's descriptions of
them, so I will quote him.
"The first is what I call 'Trojan-Horsing.' This is when
someone uses a dream as the vehicle by which to gain
access to another's psyche, and then assaults
them while their defenses are down. Trojan-Horsing is
often unintentional, and so must be even more closely
guarded against. It may even be motivated by good
intentions, as in misguided attempts to subtly slip in
'good advice' in the guise of dreamwork....
"The second, more serious, hazard might be called 'dream
rape.' This refers to the forced and insistent projection
of meaning onto someone else's dream. ..."
Simply the dreamer's inability to interrupt an
interpretation allows the interpreter to be "insistent,"
beyond the point at which the dreamer would interrupt.
I feel that the optional use of the prefatory clause, "If
it were my dream," and recasting each reference to the
dreamer as "I" instead of "you", offer almost no
protection, introduce some additional risk, and manifest a
dangerous misreading of the intention behind those
practices in work such as Ullman's.
The lack of protection and the additional risk stem from
the same cause: The commentator, feeling that he or she
has offered sufficient protection to the dreamer, may then
feel freer to project onto the dream than they would if
they would keep in mind that they are speaking to someone
else about their dream.
It is possible, and it can be injurious, to project
recklessly.
So are Ullman and Jeremy Taylor wrong in counseling lifting
your commentary from identification with the dreamer by
thinking and saying, "If it were my dream, ..."? No
(although I prefer a phrasing like, "When I imagine myself
in a situation like that, I feel ..." or "When I associate
on your dream, ..."). But it is not a magic incantation
that neutralizes the danger in all following suggestions
given to the dreamer. The intention is to increase
sensitivity in the commentator, to curb the impulse to
project onto the dreamer. I feel it is a dangerous error
to take it as license to analyze and interpret.
Finally, I feel that interpreting someone else's dream
(even when thinking about it as interpreting one's own) is
almost always a bad idea. This is true even if they ask
you to do it, and even if they thank you for it afterward.
I quote Will Phillips again:
"I cannot overemphasize the need to resist the urge to tell
a dreamer what you think their dream means. From
experience, I can say that such projected interpretations
are almost always either partially or completely
inaccurate.
Even if your interpretation should happen to be one hundred
percent correct, the dreamer still tends to feel invaded
and 'ripped off'. It is always best to remain in the role
of a guide or helper ... and draw the dream's meaning out
through sensitive questioning. Every human being deserves
to be granted the space for self-discovery."
I believe that opportunity for self-discovery, protected
from suggestions that are usually misleading, is far more
valuable than a harvest of ideas developed in an
environment that can not guide and be guided through
sensitive questions and responses.
I think you know that I am not opposed to technology. I
think, and have thought for years, that we have something
to gain by figuring out appropriate ways to use computers
in support of our dream work. But, as you see, I think
that dream interpretation is not one of them.
I am speaking for myself, and would like to understand how
you see these issues. I know that I am representing, in
general although not in detail, thoughts and concerns
shared by many others. I know that this will become a
public debate soon. I hope you understand that I respect
you as a coworker who sees these issues differently than I
do, and I hope we will both gain by discussing our views.
Sincerely,
Dennis Schmidt
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Dangerous Liaissons - Skye Turell
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(A response to "Dangerous Dreaming" ED 3(6) which I am
printing here as well as the extended re-quotes as it is
related to the above article "Safety in Dreamwork".) RCW
This issue of the appropriateness of online dream sharing
so beautifully focuses what is a head-on clash of old vs.
new paradigms. In fact, the paradigms involved are so
foundational that the much overused term *paradigm* doesn't
even begin to capture the magnitude. At the core, this is
about our fundamental belief systems regarding fear vs.
comfort, safety vs. danger and power vs. disempowerment.
These are **the** issues of the 1990's. We've barely begun
to tentatively approach them. **How** we approach them
will have everything to do with what the 2000's look like.
Whether we allow ourselves to believe that it's *safe* to
approach them (which is what this issue is really all
about), is obviously critical.
Cuts taken from:
>Dangerous Dreams - The risks of online dream sharing
>By Richard Wilkerson (Electric Dreams vol 3 # 6)
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>I was confronted at the ASD XIII conference with the
notion
>that dreams are too dangerous to be shared on the net.
The
>general idea was that there is something about dreams
which
>makes us so vulnerable, so helpless, that in the wrong
hands
>serious psychological damage may occur.
We are vulnerable when approaching the unknown, the
*other.* We've been taught by the world's major religions
that just beyond the veil lies the realm of Satan, demons,
negativity. If we stay in our narrow little track, we'll
be safe. Oh sure, sometimes Satanic forces impinge on our
safe little track and we can't always be sure whether our
sense of things is our own, or whether it's that negative
"authority" which has led us astray -- therefore we can't
trust our own impulses, our own sense of things. We have
little trust in our own capabilities of discernment.
If you believe yourself to be too 20th century for a belief
in the above, check again. These beliefs are **so**
engrained in our Western society that they influence all
of us.
For the scientifically minded, the ideas are the same, but
they are expressed differently. The *other* is the realm
of the irrational, chaotic random firings of the brain.
We can't even comprehend a theory that grants validity to
dreams, mystical or paranormal experiences. That's for
psychotics. We give them drugs so they no longer are
capable of having any experiences.
For the psychologists in the crowd, it becomes a firmly
engrained belief that dreams are representive of negative
unresolved issues, of neurotic conditions, or worse.
Framing them in the positive doesn't negate the fact that
the key idea here is that dreams, especially ones involving
fear and other *negative* emotional states, are something
to be gotten over. The idea of resolving them becomes
another way of saying to get rid of them, perhaps leaving
some positive residual learning in the wake. Dreams are
still considered to be fictional, manufactured artifacts of
consciousness. They are not granted validity,
experientially. The levels of consciousness and aspects of
dimensional existence involved in dreaming are not granted
equal footing with this *real reality* and the purpose of
dream analysis becomes to shift the dream learning into our
full waking state. (I'd suggest that the real goal here is
to blend the levels of consciousness so that it becomes
more a matter of us taking our waking consciousness
*there,* but that's definitely another conversation.)
For the politically minded, these ideas have expressed
themselves as cold or hot wars. *Enemies* outside the
boundaries. They must be fought in order to keep us safe,
in terms of physical safety, or perhaps more to the point,
in terms of financial security.
Yes, the *other* is dangerous. We've believed that since
The Garden of Eden, since Sodom & Gomorrah, since the Tower
of Babel debacle. If we venture into the other realms,
*get above ourselves,* then God or The Gods get majorly
pissed off. The result is famine, plagues, bolts from
heaven...all sorts of dangerous stuff.
>But wait a minute. One of the self assigned tasks in my
life
>is to bring our culture into a relationship with dreaming
that
>moves in a different direction than, for example, telling
our
>children upon awakening, "Oh forget it, it was just a
dream".
>Simply dismissing the arguments about the potency of
dreams
>would be counter-productive.
Sure, first we go into total denial -- *it's just a dream*
translates as, it's meaningless, nonexistent really. For
those with a more insight therapy orientation, then it's
still more denial. Sure dreams have meaning, they are
symbolic reflections of the unresolved conflicts of our
lives. But it's messy business learning what all these
symbols mean -- that's best left to those with the
education (social status), definitely not for the average
person on the street. Certainly not something to be
granted the ultimate status -- calling them, or the levels
of consciousness or dimensional locations **real.** Let's
make sure they remain safely in the realm of the
theoretical and intellectual -- something that can be
safely discussed around even the most refined dinner table.
(Explain to me, people, why we all seem to be having
essentially the same dreams, why we meet strangers in
dreams only to meet them again in reality, why people can
*meet* in the dreamstate and both recall the identical
experience? I could go on and on. New belief: We live in
a multidimensional universe, with a multileved
consciousness, we humans are quite capable of penetrating
the veil and having contact with events and individuals we
are told can not be.)
Further, since all this material is reflective of
unresolving issues, it by definition borders on abberant
states of being -- it is **dangerous business**. There's a
fine line between mental health and mental illness, we are
taught. Only those in positions of authority have the
education or the right to make judgements about which is
which. And we have often granted them the legal authority
in such matters. Certainly the average citizen is not
capable of making such determinations, we've been taught,
which is just another way of saying that these things
aren't really real. They are not accessible, or their
meaning is not accessible to just anyone. They are of
another realm altogether.
This leaves us, as a society, in a strange catch-22. Those
who might help us venture outside our safe little track,
who might show us more expansive ways of being, are
automatically negated, debunked, deemed a threat.
Instead, reality will be determined by those with enough
social clout to be granted that authority, those who most
often have the most to gain from maintaining the status
quo. It becomes a very undynamic system and, need I point
out, life doesn't appear to thrive in undynamic systems.
> Now to be fair, the main arguments made were about the
>assumption of authority, the potential damage of telling
>other people what their dreams mean rather than letting
them
>come to find this meaning with their own inner resources.
Are we so warped that we would automatically assume that
any ol' person who happens to respond to our dream is some
kind of *authority*? Are we so conditioned to accepting
anyone as having more authority than we do, that we will
grant that position to someone who isn't even using their
real name, for pete's sake?
If the answer is yes, then we are in very serious trouble,
my friends. I mean this quite seriously. My personal
opinion is that we grant authority **much** too readily
and, at the same time, the average citizen is quite capable
of absorbing an idea and determining it to be either
useful or pure unmitigated bull. If the answer to this is
*no,* then we'd better come up with a quick alternative to
the democratic system. Since this is actually a readily
accepted statement, we *have* dispensed with the democratic
system. Instead, we allow those in positions of authority
to withhold information that's deemed **too much for us**
or contrary to our **national security** (another wway of
saying the same thing) and many actually support these
attitudes and actions as valid!!! Amazing!
The fact that we are even having this discussion, though,
is cause for a lot of concern. Am I to understand that
some of our key dreamwork people, many of whom are mental
health professionals, have really accepted some status of
authority for themselves? I mean, late at night, all alone
with their thoughts, do they really believe they understand
very much at all about human consciousness? I **know**
that we understand very little (and, for the record, I'm a
reasonably well educated person), I know that *they*
understand very little. That's not a put-down, but simply
a realistic assessment. We all, individually and
collectively, and with total equality, need to go back to
the drawing board. We can not continue to dismiss
extraordinary experiences and that means that we must
develop some understanding and explanation for them. For
our purposes here, I include dreams in the category
*extraordinary experiences* because I believe many of them
to be just that -- completely real experiences which don't
appear to happen every day. This process, by definition,
is one that is not welcomed by those embracing the status
quo.
>Its been my feeling for sometime that dream texts are
somewhat
>similar. Certainly the technique of taking the dream "as
if it
>were your own" moves in this direction. In this technique
we
>approach a dream as if it were our story, not the
dreamers,
>and then talk about the ways it is relevant to us, how the
>imagery moves us, how we give it meaning and how it
returns to
>us its significance. The author of the dream is
decentered.
Richard, here I have to disagree. Some may have noticed
that during dream wheels and online message board postings
I do not stick to the Ullman technique. That's because,
while I understand the sentiment behind it's development --
to establish a structure so that group members can't lay
*trips* on each other -- it simply doesn't work. And
worse, I think it adds to the potential problems.
I got my feet wet in the human potential movement back in
the late 60's-early 70's.This was the era of encounter
groups and group therapy in general. There were many
ground rules to prevent people from laying trips. However,
it didn't work. It didn't work in spades, in fact. Those
who wanted to tell someone what they really thought, did
so, simply altering the wording so that it fit the ground
rules technically. No one was fooled, we understood
perfectly what they were trying to communicate. In fact,
the ground rules added insult to injury in the sense that
these communications were dishonest. People could pretend
to agree, approve, or be *helpful* while something else
entirely was going on. I much prefer a straight-ahead
communication. It's honest and I can decide how I wish to
respond and how I want to deal with the information within
myself.
This issue really becomes one of form vs. substance. We
have been taught that if the form is acceptable, then
that's all we need be concerned with. It doesn't matter
what our government does, as long as they stick to the
agreed upon structures, then any action undertaken is
"democratic." We have learned the hard way that this is
not always the case. None of that democratic form has
protected us from anything, if anything it has helped to
camoflage some significant wrong-doing.
You can't control what other people do and say. That's the
hard truth, but that's it folks. What we need to learn is
how to use what other people do and say in a positive way.
Even the most difficult interaction can be used in a
positive way. Everyone in this society, by virtue of being
human, has an unalienable right to real truth. They will
know, or can learn, what to do with it. That is not an
easy process necessarily, but it's time that we gave up the
illusion of being able to protect anyone from anything.
Life doesn't happen that way and online dreamwork doesn't
either. Further, if we continually tell people that they
are incapable of hearing the truth, they may believe us!
This is a very *disempowering* social dynamic that is
everywhere around us.
>And so dreams became aligned with the irrational and, this
is
>my point, aligned with psychology. (There is also a hidden
>ethic in Christianity about the natural and the irrational
>being the same, but that's another topic).
It's not another topic, Richard, it's the psychological
crux of this discussion. But it's more like the
natural/irrational/paranormal/not Church sanctioned equals
Satan. Or, framed a little more in urban culture
terminology: it's ideas from outside the system as we have
understood and defined it which might upset our theoretical
apple cart big time, which might force us to realize, in no
uncertain terms, the ineffectiveness of our current
theoretical understandings of practically everything.
Psychology is part of the mainstream, the status quo, and
absolutely certainly its practitioners are solidly in the
cultural elite (well, especially psychiatrists -- that M.D.
still garners a lot of respect.). That mainstream has
everything to lose.
> None of this is meant as evidence that the dream is or
isn't
>dangerous. It is a statement saying that the dream is not
>owned by psychology and psychologists, nor by clinicians
or
>the board of behavioral sciences.
No, the dream isn't owned by psychology...see my above
statements about the state of the mental health profession.
But the very idea that a dream *might* be dangerous --
that this is even a valid conversation to be having, is
absurd in the extreme. Do we discuss whether having five
fingers is dangerous? Whether breathing is dangerous?
Obviously the human being has the capacity for dreaming.
More than that, without the dream experience there is
significant psychological and physical stress and distress.
We are **supposed** to dream. It's absurd to have the idea
that something that is an inherent facet of our nature can
also be detrimental to our existence. (It's reductionist
Western Civilization that's detrimental to our existence,
but that's definitely another story.)
>I haven't yet been able to understand the arguments that
>dreams in and of themselves are simply too psychologically
>toxic, too revealing, to apt to cause major psychological
>damage in and of themselves. The damage theory seems to
come
>more from how we approach dreams, what people think and
feel
>they are doing when they share them with a qualified or
>unqualified individual or group.
I will expand a bit here on some of my earlier statements
about the narrow track vs. extraordinary experiences. The
*damage* is potentially real, but it involves the
disintegration of our current scientific and social
understandings and structures. The danger isn't what we
might experience out there in those other realms -- people
have been having extraordinary experiences since recorded
history was first recorded -- the danger is that once we
understand what's *out there* we might come to understand
that our entire framework for what *here* is, what life is,
what the human race is, all of that will come to complete
disintegration and reintegration.
What we fear is that we won't be able to integrate those
new under- standings and we will protect ourselves from
that eventuality at all costs, including our own
self-destruction. Those who have a lot to lose politically
and financially don't believe that they can have real
power, rather than the trappings and illusions of power
they now enjoy. They are grasping at the trappings and
illusions with all their might as they feel them slipping
away. In a sense this means **all** of us. The old
structures and ideas are falling away and we are finding
it very difficult to let go and realize that in the
process we might find real power, rather than the illusion.
>I will guess that those who are concerned about the danger
of
>the dream are more concerned about people coming to share
>dreams and expecting some kind of psychotherapeutic effect
or
>environment. The explanation of the danger here will
vary
>according to the psychological perspective. From the
>perspective of the innocent dreamer, the problem is that
they
>have *already* given over the function of the creation of
>meaning and value to a supposed authority. In a sense, we
are
>all kind of in this position with dreams as we feel any
need
>to interpret them at all. I don't feel the need to
interpret
>my going to work in the morning (well, most mornings) but
>there is a call I have imposed upon myself with dreams.
>Is this more dangerous than simply going along with the
rest
>of my culture and society and saying, "Well, it was just
>dream" and forgetting it? I suppose it is - in that my
path
>now includes the dream text and my explorations of it.
Going
>through it, with it, are then more dangerous than if I
had
>just left well enough alone
I think there is a validity to this idea of
*interpretation.* Yes, dreams are a natural language, a
universal language even, maybe. But it's a language that we
were forced to stop speaking and it has faded with time.
In that sense, we do need to re-learn, to compile new
*dictionaries* and help each other puzzle it out.
The irony will be that once we re-learn how to speak the
dream language I'm certain we'll realize that we were
speaking it all along. That our daily *real* reality is
comprised of the same symbols, that the same sort of
*reality creation* is taking place in both realms. **That**
is not something that we are keen on exploring at all
because that will require acceptance of self-responsibility
at entirely new levels.
>There are a few life practices I am not yet willing to
hand
>over to the *exclusive* use of the psychotherapeutic
>encounter.
Don't hand 'em any, Richard. Don't give your power away to
anyone, anytime. Besides, only when we are each secure in
our ability to determine what's appropriate for ourselves
as individuals and actively create our own lives, only then
can we truly listen to each other. Until that time, we
*must* to some extent be afraid to listen to each other --
so insecure are we in our ability to confront aspects of
ourselves we feel might be too threatening.
>I guess the Orthodoxy would say that since there
>can be no authority on dreams, no one should be allowed to
>make meaning of them. The Christian church has
historically
>make exceptions for saints.
Wrong. Any orthodoxy will want to claim that right for
themselves, and only themselves. That's the nature of
power-seeking. Knowledge is power and no one wants to
share their power.
>The Ecology of Cyberspace.
>As John Herbert has noted in an unpublished study on the
>difference between online and offline groups, one of the
main
>differences is the reflective quality of the Online groups
and
>the emotionally pitched quality of the face-to-face
groups.
>This emotional pitch picks up a bit in real time chat, but
>never quite reaches the face-to-face pressure.
>This is not a judgement of one being superior over the
other,
>just a note that it is much more likely for emotional
>instability to play a factor in face-to-face encounters.
>(However, Herbert did note that online groups were rated
>higher in self rating scores of insight gained). The point
>here is that in cyberspace there is a time factor, a
infusion
>of reflective imagination over reactions. There is time to
>consider other people's reactions as well.
Modern psychiatry/psychology, as well as every other human
institution, is **terrified** of emotions. We believe them
to be the means by which we can be manipulated, or even
destroyed. We're afraid we'll be confronted with knowledge
of ourselves that we won't be able to handle. (Doesn't the
devil entice and seduce? Don't mentally ill people
express unusually high levels of emotional expression?
Don't emotions herald all those personal issues that we'd
really rather not confront?)
>This means that to participate in our society, the adult
has
> to been able to handle free speech. To begin saying that
there
>are adult citizens who can't, is a serious theoretical
and political
>statement.
Racist, elitist, supremicist...and afraid. I find it
ironic that the *human potential movement* is probably the
last bunch, in my experience, to really embrace the
reality of our actualization.
>I talked to other dreamworkers at the ASD XIII conference
who have
>been exploring dreamworking online, including John
Herbert, Jeremey
>Taylor, Jayne Gackenbach and Electric Dreams community
dreamworkers
>and have yet to find *one* single case of an unhappy
camper.
>Again, there are many who find the process useless, and
don't
>like the _idea_ of dreamsharing - but not one bad
experience
>has been reported in now what is about the 3rd public year
and
>several pre-public years of online dream sharing. If other
>adult activities that are deemed dangerous can boast these
>statistics, I think they would be hardly be called
dangerous.
Gee, Richard, y'now that's exactly what's happened in the
UFO field. Insiders at the government have said that the
reason they instigated their debunking, discrediting,
coverup procedures during the late 1940's and even more
vigilantly in the 1960's is because they were afraid that
the presence of Ets would set off wholesale panic. In
particular they were afraid that it would lead to the
disintegration of society -- most particularly that people
would stop paying their taxes.
In the years since then there have been repeated broad
daylight sightings by millions of people over Tokyo, Mexico
City and other locations. Y'know what? *No one* seems to
be particularly upset. These are the subject of serious
news programs and newspaper coverage in many parts of the
world (that it isn't covered in the U.S. is an interesting
sociological/political oddity that warrants some serious
study), and the atmosphere seems to be more that of
excitement and curiosity. Mexico City, like most modern
large cities, is probably not highly educated by and
large, and certainly Mexicans are typically very
conservative in their religious beliefs...still, there's no
panic.
One wonders if it's the governments of the world that are
on verge of panic and that the *protection* is really more
an attempt to protect their best interests. I don't trust
anyone who tries to *protect* me. They almost certainly
are on an ego-trip or have agendas. I'll protect myself,
thank you very much.
>Let's say that dreams are potentially wonderful, and save
the
>dangerous warnings for a culture that hides away and
represses
>dream discussions.
Amen.
Skye Turell (turel33@west.net)
dwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdw
DREAM WHEEL UPDATE: Safe and Dangerous Dream Sharing
by Christopher Hicks
dwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdw
The Dream Wheel groups are going well this month. Our
eleventh email Dream Wheel, running with three dreams, will
be complete, or near completion by the time of this issue
of Electric Dreams. The new venue of the World Wide Web
continues to be an adventure. The Dream Wheels on the
Dream Link Web site http://www.iag.net/~hutchib/.dream/
now have their very own section. With much thanks to Linton
Hutchinson the Dream Wheel groups and instructions can now
be found by clicking on the "Wheel" button from the main
Dream Link page. I would ask patience from everyone when
finding technical problems or instructions that seem to
have been written for a different group. Everything has
not yet caught up with everything! It is all very
exciting. New territory is being covered here. The trail
is so very fresh, in an ancient sort of way.
We are all on a tremendous journey. As with any such
journey fear and danger are present. The importance comes
in how one handles them. Recently the staff of Electric
Dreams was made aware of a letter from someone concerning
the potential dangers of dream groups such as ours. This
letter is not, I believe, written out of malice or spite.
However, it seems to be a sincere expression of very real
perceptions of danger to the dreamer in the environment of
our dream groups.
I believe that our groups provide for the safety of the
dreamer, but I am only one person. As moderator of both
the email and WWW Dream Wheels some might say I am less
than objective. I, therefore, throw this out to the
readers of Electric Dreams.
Do you believe dreamwork is dangerous? Are the Dream
Wheels dangerous? If you haven't participated in one of
our groups yet I invite you to do so. Afterwards let me
know what you think. Let Richard, our chief editor, know.
Post you opinions to the Electric Dreams bulletin board,
the ASD bulletin board, the dream newsgroups, and email
your dream-interested friends. If we don't communicate
openly as a community then what sort of community are we?
Dreamwork is like anything else--not all of us will agree.
Let us work together to further dreamwork and not let
disagreements block us!
As always, if anyone is interested in more information on
any of our Dream Wheel groups simply email me. I will note
here that all are welcome. If you think the Dream Wheels
are dangerous I encourage you to join one and observe
without actively participating. After which I am always
welcome to discussion of the group and/or process.
--Christopher Hicks
shadow45@netonecom.net
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=
Conducting Dream Research on the Net:
A Quick Start for Beginners
August 1996 Notes - Richard Wilkerson
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=
As an editor for Electric Dreams I often receive requests
for research assistance on dream and the Net. This article
is a summary for researchers new to the Net.
In July of 1996 DreamGate (in cooperation with the
Electric Dreams community) built an educational web site
for 13th annual Association for the Study of Dreams
conference in Berkeley and included the available research
that was being conducted online as well as links to venues
for future research.
Though no longer fully supported by ASD, a mirror of this
site at http://www.dreamgate.com/asd-13
is still available to researchers and educators seeking to
use the Net and needing a quick place to start. Included at
the site are not only other dream research online, but
other research supports as well, such a the collection of
dream bibliographies by long time researchers, such as
Ernest Hartmann, Milton Kramer, Henry Reed and Harry Fiss,
to mention a few.
Included below is an update and general report on the
venues and networks available to dream researchers online
who may be unfamiliar with these different tools and cyber-
ecologies.
I would like to request that researchers using the research
link site or this article get back to me on new
developments and venues for dream research either by
posting the information to the Electric Dreams Bulletin
Board or e-mailing me
rcwilk@dreamgate.com
New research requests may be sent to Peggy Coats
pcoats@cruzio.com
Checklist:
- E-MAIL DREAM E-ZINES
-USENET NEWSGROUPS
-WEB BULLETIN BOARD POSTS
-MAIL LISTS LISTSERV & MAJORDOMO
- COMMERCIAL SIGS AND BOARDS
- USING A WEB SITE TO COLLECT DATA.
-Final notes
DREAM E-ZINES AND MAGAZINES
At this time, the only online dream magazine that is
distributed via e-mail is _Electric Dreams_. Controversial
among researchers due to its policies of free speech and
encouraging dream interpretation, this E-zine is your best
bet for contacting the largest amount of dream concerned
netizines in the world. Besides the wonderful articles,
poems, dreams and comments, the e-zine also offers the
Global Dreaming News which has a special section for
researchers and is often posted in a variety of Online
sites around the Net and Web. The editors suggest that
researchers establish a relationship with the community
rather than just leaving requests for experimental
subjects. This can be easily done by running a continuing
column about the research, keeping the community up to date
and offering simple educational essays. Contact the
community via the web site
http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/~mettw/edreams/home.html
or sending a letter to Richard Wilkerson rcwilk@aol.com
USENET NEWSGROUPS
Newsgroups are done in bulletin board style posts and
allow for conversations and dialogue to take place in a
somewhat public venue over time. You may post a note today
and a couple days later someone may respond. And yet, the
feeling when reading is of a real written dialogue.
Responses are generally one or two every 48 to 72 hours. If
you don't get a response within this time frame, probably
this is not the place to ask the questions you are asking.
For examples of dream research done on these boards,
see
http://www.dreamgate.com/asd-13/4r00.htm
for a history of Usenet itself:
http://www.vrx.net/usenet/history/
Some Dream Friendly Newsgroups
alt.dreams - discussions about dreams and dreaming.
alt.dreams.lucid - about lucid dreaming, issues.
alt.dreams.castaneda Carlos Castaneda & friends
alt.psychology.jung. - Jung and related topics,
alt.consciousness - Has had low participation in 1996
alt.consciousness.mysticism - focus mostly on mediative
alt.consciousness.4th-way - Gurdjieff leftovers
alt.mythology - remind them that Cambell liked dreams
alt.pagan - a really wild bunch
alt.psychology.adlerian -- lately its been dead
alt.psychology.jung - generally open to research,
alt.psychology.help - wide range of interests -
alt.psychology.personality - generally about psych types,
alt.psychology.transpersonal - has been dipping lately
alt.surrealism - sometimes outrageous - always unexpected
talk.religion.newage - a very busy group - wide range
alt.health.cfids-action Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Moderated)
alt.med.cfs Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Information.
alt.med.fibromyalgia Fibromyalgia information.
alt.support.sleep-disorder Sleep disorders support group.
WEB BULLETIN BOARD STYLE POSTING.
Quickly taking the place of Usenet Newsgroups are more
privately run bulletin boards. These boards may be even
more specific and focused than the Usenet groups. Electric
Dreams, The Association for the Study of Dreams and the
Sleep disorder related boards. There is no collected links
page I've found at this time for Web Boards, but most can
be found from the ASD-13 Research Page
http://www.dreamgate.com/asd-13/4r00.htm
Electric Dreams BB:
http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/~mettw/edreams/home.html
Association for the Study of Dreams (ASD) BB:
http://www.outreach.org/gmcc/asd
MAIL LISTS. LISTSERV AND MAJORDOMO
Unlike offline mail lists, online mail lists are useful
and center around thousands of topics. Each one requires
that you send an e-mail with instructions on joining, and
the instructions for joining are a little different for
each. But if you send a polite request, you will get back
some kind of helpful info on joining. They also require a
little lurking or just waiting to see what is and isn't
appropriate to ask. Some are intimate discussions of inner
personal life between people who have know one another for
years, while others are wide open to anyone and full of
continual heated debates on everything from bob dole's age
to whether or not Nietzsche was a Nazi.
For more on the use of mail lists, you can drop by a mirror
site I created out of an article on mail lists for the ASD
newsletter, which include Yahoo directories for Mail Lists
as well as special search machines devoted to them.
http://www.dreamgate.com/dream/cyberphile/rcwasd02.htm
Here is an example of a mail list used in dream research
and how to join.
JUNG-PSYC
Subscribing, Unsubscribing, and Posting
It's easy to subscribe to JUNG-PSYC. The subscription
address to which you should send a message is :
To: majordomo@creighton.edu
Subject: Sub me (or anything, it is automatic)
The text of your subscription message should read:
subscribe jung-psyc
(Please note that there's no 'h' at the end of jung-psyc.)
For example, someone with the address of
1234567@place.com should send the following
message
to: majordomo@creighton.edu
Subject: Sub me
in body of text put:
subscribe jung-psyc 1234567@place.com
For a list of mail lists and how to subscribe, here is a
web address
http://www.earn.net:80/lug/notice.html
This includes thorough instructions for subscribing
to, participating in, and unsubscribing from mailing lists.
Email by sending
To: LISTSERV@EARNCC.EARN.NET (or LISTSERV@EARNCC.BITNET)
Subject : Get file guide
In Body : GET LSVGUIDE MEMO (plain text).
Here are a few more sleep research related lists:
SLEEP-L Moderated. A sleep bulletin board for healthcare
workers particularly sleep specialists and researchers.
Available through
subscription. Contact: Southmay@qucdn.queensu.ca
PEDSLEEP Moderated. Pediatric sleep list which covers
developmental and clinical sleep-related issues from birth
to adolescence. The list is
open to all medical and education professionals
involved in child-care. Available through subscription.
Contact: Sadeh@ccsg.tau.ac.il
DENTAL-SLEEP Moderated. Dental sleep list that
provides information for dentists who are working with oral
appliance therapy for snoring
and sleep apnea. Available through subscription. Send
SUBSCRIBE DENTAL-SLEEP Firstname lastname Degree to
listserv@dental.stat.com
===========================================================
COMMERCIAL SIGS AND BOARDS
Every commercial carrier, AOL, Compuserve, Prodigy, ect
has sig's or special interest groups, each with their own
focus. In addition they pull together different tools -
chat rooms, boards, graphics and more to bring you whole
areas devoted to special topics.
Examples:
-AOL now has a Bulletin Board, chat room, a weird but cool
dreamworld news and Jermey Talyor online each morning. Use
Keyword and Select HUB. Electric Dreams is available in
the Writers Club Electronic Magazines Library. Research
requests should be directed to Jeremy Taylor at
Ktaylor597@aol.com
-Compuserve has Donna Campos each Monday night in New Age B
forum and they now have lots of material online and these
boards are available for posting research. Contact Donna at
imaginer@aol.com
-On the MSN network, contact DoctorStrange@msn.com
===========================================================
USING A WEB SITE TO COLLECT DATA.
One of the newest ways to collect data online and conduct
research is to use a Web page that explains your research
and offers visitors a way to immediately engage the
project, fill out forms and gain a preliminary
understanding of the project. The World Wide Web, (WWW or
most often, simple the Web) is the newest and most
explosive aspect of the Internet. The Web allows
individuals and groups to put up graphical, visually
pleasing pages of information, pictures, sounds, response
forms and someday soon, movies and live action
telecommunications.
Again, I would like to refer you to the ASD XIII
Conference Index and Education site:
http://www.dreamgate.com/asd-13/4r00.htm
For an example of how this may be accomplished, I would
like to offer two samples.
The first is the
The Quantitative Study of Dreams site by Adam Schneider &
G. William Domhoff
http://zzyx.ucsc.edu/~dreams/
which uses forms and pages to teach the complex system to
participants and students.
The Second is not directly set up for research, but Dr.
Jayne Gackenbach does conduct surveys at the end of each
dream class. See her Introductory Dreamwork Course
http://www.outreach.org/dreams
If you are interested in putting up a Web site for your
Dream research and are willing to do the coding for the Web
page yourself, Electric Dreams offers space to put your
page up.
You can contact Matthew Parry - mettw@newt.phys.unsw.edu.au
If you need the page coded and designed, DreamGate offers
introductory web pages and for about $300.00 will design
and put up to six pages online for 6 months. For more
information contact Richard Wilkerson rcwilk@dreamgate.com
or visit DreamGate at
http://www.dreamgate.com
Final Notes:
Conducting research online is very new and each foray an
experiment in itself. Often simple sending out e-mail to
friends and colleagues will be enough,
but other times even the posting to all the above mentioned
sites may not produce enough data for your project design.
We are all just learning how to best contact one another in
this soup of interconnectivity. However, your research will
be greatly improved if you use the new search engines that
are available. There are several different styles. Some,
like Yahoo, build large data bases and allow you to search
as if wandering around in the stacks at a library. Others
go out and look for keywords and phrases and build reports,
like metacrawler. A useful web site to start with is
Search.com
http://www.search.com
as they allow searches from various machines. However,
don't forget that your best contacts will still be people,
and the use of the various networks that mix online and
offline will be more productive than just searching online
or offline alone. For a summary of dream networks, go to
the Novato Center for Dreams
http://members.aol.com/jilgregory/ncd/jillhome.htm
And don't forget that both the DreamNetwork Journal and
the ASD Newsletter have online contact addresses and will
publish your research requests for free in their hard copy
magazines.
DreamNetwork Bulletin, contact Roberta Ossana
dreamskey@sisna.com
And ASD newsletter, contact Alan Siegel
dreamsdr@aol.com
And finally, again I want to remind researchers who use and
read this article to network back with the online dream
community, telling us new and useful places for posting
research in dreams, statistical considerations in
cyberspace and the final publishing reference for your
research.
-RCW 8-21-96
===========================================================
==========================================================
G L O B A L D R E A M I N G N E W S
==========================================================
Hi Everyone,
This month I'm adding a new section to GLOBAL DREAMING NEWS
entitled "Research Requests", which I am hoping can grow to
become a forum for
connecting researchers with interested
dreamers to participate in dream-related studies and
projects. If you are conducting research, engaging in a new
project, or just have news you'd like to share with our
online community, I invite you to send me the particulars
at any time via email and/or to post a thread in our
Bulletin Board on the Electric Dreams web site. Don't know
what would be of interest to ED's readers? Well, think of
what interests you -- book reviews, classes, workshops,
dream groups, art exhibits, movies, music -- the ways in
which our dreams can integrate with our life experience is
endlessly exciting!
Peggy Coats, News Director (pcoats@cruzio.com)
THE HARROWERS, A DREAM SITE FOR KIDS OF ALL AGES
DREAM CLASS via YOUR E-MAIL - DreamGate Class #11
JUNGIAN PUBLIC PROGRAM IN BOSTON
DREAM PRACTICUM
"FACE TO FACE WITH C. G. JUNG"
ARCHETYPAL DIMENSIONS OF SELF-ORGANIZATION
THE AFRICAN UNCONSCIOUS: THE PRIMORDIAL ROOTS OF HUMAN
CONSCIOUSNESS
LANGUAGE AS IMAGE: WORKING IN THE DARK
JUNG'S TYPOLOGY AND HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS
EARTH, AIR, FIRE, WATER
AMONG ALL THESE DREAMERS
GACKENBACH OFFERS INTERNET DREAM CLASS
ALCHEMICAL DREAMWORK
NEW DREAM GROUP TO OPEN IN MONTEREY BAY
SEEING DREAMS IN A NEW LIGHT
CONSCIOUS DREAMING, THE PATH OF THE SHAMAN IN EVERYDAY LIFE
HILLMAN TO VISIT MONTANA
DREAM CHAT GROUP ON MICROSOFT NETWORK
R E S E A R C H R E Q U E S T S
RESEARCH PROJECT ON DREAMS AND THE 1996 PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION BY KELLY BULKELEY
DREAM INCUBATION STUDY BY CHARMAINE SUNGY
B O O K S - N E W R E L E A S E S
D R E A M W E B S I T E S
G L O B A L D R E A M I N G C A L E N D A R
==== THE HARROWERS, A DREAM SITE FOR KIDS OF ALL AGES ====
Ready to have a playful adventure with your dreams? Or
perhaps you'd like to share a new online dream exploration
site with your favorite youngster(s) between the ages of
7-12? If so, then the HARROWERS is for you. A unique,
participatory site designed to introduce kids to dreamwork
in a way that is fun and easy to relate to, the Harrowers
is a serialized children's story about kids who visit their
dreamscapes and bring back 'artifacts' (e.g., symbols,
images, feelings) from their dreams.
Rick Smith, creator of the website, when asked how he came
to develop The Harrowers, said: "Chris Goldberg and I sat
down in October one night and tried to figure out how far
we could go with dreams. By the morning, we had come up
with a dozen ideas: machines that filmed dreams as they
were occurring, tape machines that stuck with velcro to the
side of the bed so you wouldn't have to turn on the lamp
and look for a pen to document your dreams, and many
others...all unfeasible. So we started small; we made a
dream journal and a guide to active dreaming. We figured
the best part of dreams is recalling the strange events and
characters and objects from the dreamscape and talking
about them in everyday reality. Then it hit us. There were
no words to solidify these concepts in people's heads. What
were those stories full of things that dreamed about? Where
did we go when we dreamed? And what were we doing when we
engaged in the exercise of actively remembering our dreams
(and maybe even playing an active role in them)? So we
started using the terms harrowing, harrowers, to harrow,
Aldebaran and artifacts to concretize the subjects and
allow us to get down to business. What came out of these
forays into language was an almost tangible world of
dreams. All of the sudden, people were bringing back
artifacts from beyond the wall of sleep. Back from
Aldebaran. What was once simply considered a dream journal
entry was now an artifact.
We've got a lot coming up. The first thing we introduced
after the initial concepts was "The Harrowers".. Because of
the lack of dream material available to children, we
figured a fictionalized account of one harrower named Paige
would inspire kids to start getting involved in Aldebaran.
"The Harrowers" is currently a serialized novel. A little
bit goes up on the web each day. So kids can check back and
see what Paige and all the characters she's meeting are up
to. And they might even see some imagery from their own
dreams. That's because we're encouraging children to submit
dreams to the harrowing page. We're going to weave the
imagery from the dreams into the storyline somehow. So "The
Harrowers" is actually interactive in the end. One of the
neatest things about "The Harrowers" is that readers are
encouraged to submit dream reports. I intend on
incorporating them into the storyline. So not only do kids
get an adventure to read on a daily basis, they also get to
see their own dream imagery woven into the story. "
If you're interested in experiencing The Harrowers, check
out the website at
<http://faraday.clas.virginia.edu/~rls3z>
============ DREAM CLASS via YOUR E-MAIL ===========
DreamGate presents its 11th class on dreams beginning
September 1st. What to people say about this class?
ML: I am really enjoying them. As a research base with a
chatty style but an obvious respect for the material-not to
mention huge amount of ground covered, they can't be beat!
Thank you so much for putting them together.
20 Classes range from ancient dream techniques, move
through classical and modern approaches and end with the
new venues in Cyberspace. $10.00 What a Deal!
For syllabus and registration info, e-mail Richard
Wilkerson rcwilk@dreamgate.com
============ JUNGIAN PUBLIC PROGRAM IN BOSTON ============
The New England Society of Jungian Analysts is pleased to
announce its Public Program for Fall 1996. All events are
open to the general public and will be held at the C.G.
Jung Institute-Boston.
THE COLLECTED WORKS OF C.G. JUNG:
MYSTERIUM CONIUNCTIONIS (VOL. 14)
Seminar by John Haule, Ph.D., IAAP
8 Tuesdays, Oct. 15 - Dec. 3, 8:00 - 10:00PM.
The thirteenth semester of a comprehensive introduction to
the Collected Works of C.G.Jung, considered in rough
chronological order with attention to their place in Jung's
personal development. This semester we will begin
_Mysterium Conjunctionis_ (Vol. 14), Jung's last major book
and the culmination of his work on alchemy. No prior
attendance in this series is required.
DREAM PRACTICUM
Ann Loftus, M.A., IAAP
6 Wednesdays, Oct. 16 - Nov. 20, 7:00 - 9:00PM
This practicum will focus on theoretical and practical
aspects of dream analysis, including the usefulness of
shadow integration. We will work directly on dream
material and participants may also offer dreams for our
consideration.
"FACE TO FACE WITH C. G. JUNG"
Film/Discussion with Warren Erickson, LCSW, IAAP
Friday, September 20, 7:30 - 9:30PM
The BBC film Face to Face" will be presented with an
introduction by Warren Erikson. In this film, Jung talks
about many issues including his views of the archetypal
structure of the human psyche, his relationship with Freud,
and the spiritual dimension. The film provides an
opportunity to hear directly from one of the most profound
thinkers about psyche in the 20th century. Discussion will
follow.
ARCHETYPAL DIMENSIONS OF SELF-ORGANIZATION
Workshop by Michael Conforti, Ph.D., IAAP
Saturday, October 5, 10:00AM - 4:00PM
One of Jung's greatest discoveries was the presence of
self-organizing tendencies in the psyche. Manifested in
dreams, symptoms, and other symbolic forms, Jung realized
that the psyche continually introduces greater degrees of
meaning and complexity into the life process. He went on
to suggest that much of life represents an unfolding of
these archetypal, ordering processes into matter, where
they then assume a recognizable form in both the internal
and external worlds.
THE AFRICAN UNCONSCIOUS: THE PRIMORDIAL ROOTS
OF HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS
Lecture by Edward Bruce Bynum, Ph.D.
Friday, October 18, 8:00 - 10:00PM
The rise and unfoldment of human consciousness and the dawn
of civilization are inextricably linked. The source of our
primordial images, dreams, and intimate family dynamics is
also the ground out of which these archetypal images have
arisen. This presentation will trace the genetic,
anthropological and historical evidence of these
developments in order to demonstrate that the universal
archetypes are embedded in the ancestral African memory
that is a living part and dynamic of every human being
today.
LANGUAGE AS IMAGE: WORKING IN THE DARK
Workshop by Jacqueline Schectman, LICSW, IAAP
Saturday, October 26, 10:00AM - 4:00PM
As therapists, we are presented with a wealth of visual
images the moment our patients enter the room. But what
would we see if we sat in the dark (or behind the couch)?
What of the pictures that we and our patients paint with
words? Every hour has its own language, a core image
presented in a dream, a fantasy, a description of the
traffic on the street. If we can tune our ears to the
sound and shape of words, play with and illuminate the
pictures that they paint, we can bring the image alive in
the room to yield up its many-layered nuances,
associations, and meanings.
JUNG'S TYPOLOGY AND HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS
Workshop by Jane Pretat, M.S., IAAP
Saturday, November 16, 10:00AM - 4:00PM
Introversion/Extroversion, Intuition/Sensation,
Feeling/Thinking. Can understanding these concepts help us
interact more consciously both with our significant others
and with our own life in psyche? Using fairy tales and
symbolic material, this one day workshop will attempt to
explore in some depth the symbolism of Jung's typology, its
strengths and weaknesses and how it might be useful in our
human interactions as we approach the new millennium.
EARTH, AIR, FIRE, WATER
Lecture by Mariann Burke, IAAP
Friday, December 6, 8:00 - 10:00PM
The first of three sessions on the elements, this lecture
will introduce symbolism of the elements drawn from alchemy
and myth and related to our psychic birth and growth.
Later workshops will be offered on The Elements, The Body,
Body Symptoms, and The Self.
Lectures: $15. Seminars and Workshops: $75 - $175
For more information about registration or other Institute
programs, please contact:
C.G. Jung Institute-Boston
283 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 267-5984
E-mail: cgjungbos1@aol.com
=========== AMONG ALL THESE DREAMERS ================
A new book, "Among All These Dreamers: Essays on Dreaming
and Modern Society" has just been released by SUNY. Dr.
Kelly Bulkeley, author of "The Wilderness of Dreams:
Exploring the Religious Meanings of Dreams in Modern
Western Culture" is the editor of this exciting and thought
provoking multidisciplinary volume which "examines the
cultural and social relevance of dream studies, looking at
various ways that the field can contribute to the
resolution of the modern West's most troubling social
issues. The essays offer novel insights on education,
sexual abuse, ecology, crime, race, gender,religion,
politics, death, and cross-cultural conflict. The
contributors argue that the study of dreams can provide
valuable resources to regain a vibrant, trustworthy sense
of moral and spiritual orientation in life. Contributors
include Jayne Gackenbach, Jeremy Taylor, Carol Schreier
Rupprecht, Wendy Doniger, and Johanna King." SUNY Press
can be contacted for orders at 1-800-666-2211.
====== GACKENBACH OFFERS INTERNET DREAM CLASS ==========
Unlocking the Secrets of Your Dreams is a noncredit
introductory course that is delivered on the World Wide
Web. The course consists of five lessons which teach you
to interpret and work with your own dreams, both alone
and in an electronic group session. Each lesson is
accompanied by an assignment where you will put what you
have learned into practice, and answer a questionnaire
about your dream experiences. You will receive feedback
on the completed assignment the following week.
Throughout the course you will have access to a student
bulletin board where you can share your ideas and
impressions about dreams with others enrolled in the class
as well as an active dialogue with the
author/instructor, Jayne Gackenbach.
Here are some comments from students who have taken the
course: I think this must be an Herculean effort on your
part, and it is appreciated. I am finding it interesting
and challenging. As with the rest of your feedback, I
find it FASCINATING and am already imagining ways to
adjust my clinical work from it's influence. Everthing
looks great! Very nice graphics - touches that part of
dreaming that is marvelous and wonderful. I find your
comments and students' feedback help me to understand
better. Once a path of communication is established, who
knows where it can lead and that's exciting, if a little
scary...
The course start dates are Sept. 9, 1996 and Oct. 28, 1996.
More information about the course and the instructor is
available at:
http://www.outreach.org/dreams
Jayne Gackenbach, Ph.D. e-mail:
jgackenb@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca #5; 4505 - 102 Avenue
phone (403)461-3219 Edmonton, Alberta T6A OM8 Canada
fax: 497-5308 (mark my attention)
Internet Dream Course: http://www.outreach.org/dreams
Association for the Study of Dreams Home Page:
http://www.outreach.org/gmcc/asd
====== ALCHEMICAL DREAMWORK ====================
Dream Studies Program at Twin Lakes College of the Healing
Arts offers an in-depth training in dreamwork for both
personal and professional applications. The 200 hour
program is designed as a progressive multi-level training
that will prepare students to work professionally with
dreams using a dream interview method. This approach
facilitates access to the transformative potential of the
dream state. It respects the many ways in which various
cultures utilize dreamwork as a valuable resource for
physical recovery, emotional and mental balancing, as well
as spiritual exploration and guidance. Our client centered
model of training also respects the unique aspects of each
dream and dreamer. A Dream Studies Certificate will be
awarded upon the successful completion of this program.
The Dream Studies Program is for: personal exploration of
dreams; people who want a professional practice in
dreamwork; professionals who want to integrate dreamwork
into another practice of the healing or educational arts -
such as body work, counseling, acupuncture, hypnosis,
teaching, aromatherapy, chiropractic, nursing, and
traditional western medicine. The course runs from
September 17, 1996 - May 6, 1997. Level 1: Personal
Dreamwork, Tues. 9 am - 12 noon, Sept.17 - Nov.26 Cost is
$280.
For more information, contact: Twin Lakes College of the
Healing Arts, 1210 Brommer St., Santa Cruz, CA 95062.
(408) 476-2152.
====== NEW DREAM GROUP TO OPEN IN MONTEREY BAY =========
Kathleen Sullivan, long-time dreamworker and host of a
weekly radio show, "Dreams, Another Way of Knowing", will
be opening two new dream groups in the Santa Cruz area in
September. These on-going groups will meet every other
week for two hours per session. One group will meet
Thursday evenings, the other Friday mornings. Call
408)372-8534 or email dremwvr@mbay.net if interested.
============ SEEING DREAMS IN A NEW LIGHT =================
Alive & Well, Institute of Conscious BodyWork, is pleased
to present a three day-workshop with Steven R. Vazquez
September 13-14-15 entitled "Seeing Dreams in a New
Light". This workshop will teach students how to use
colored light projected into the eyes to deepen
understanding of shadow elements in dreams; to use strobe
light stimulation to achieve desired brainwave states; to
use colored light stimulation to elicit underlying
emotional issues and to use the transpersonal dimension of
dreams to acquire answers and resolutions to problems.
Steven Vazquez, Ph.D., is a prominent workshop leader and a
licensed professional counselor and marriage and family
therapist. He has pioneered the use of brief strobic phot
stimulation for accelerated in-depth Mind-Body work. His
development of confluent somatic therapy, incorporating
bionergy work with psychology delivers rapid
results-oriented, cost-effective methods of treatment with
compassion and high ethical standards.
For more information, contact ALIVE & WELL, Institute of
Conscious BodyWork, Inc., 100 Shaw Drive, San Anselmo, CA
94960.
=== CONSCIOUS DREAMING, THE PATH OF THE SHAMAN IN EVERYDAY
LIFE ======
Join Robert Moss, author, shamanic counselor, and lifelong
dream explorer, for a week-long intensive workshop in the
skills of conscious dreaming: dream reentry, shared
dreaming, dream enactment and shamanic sould flight to the
sources of insight, creativity and healing September 29 -
October 4, 1996 at Esalen Institute, in Big Sur,
California.
Among Native Americans, the shaman is widely known as 'one
who dreams'. The gifts of dreaming come in many ways:
through the spontaneous wisdom of sleep-dreams, through
creative incubation, through conscious dreaming in a
relaxed state, through shamanic soul-flight to other
worlds and times -- and by paying attention to the
dream-like symbols and synchronicities of waking life.
In this workshop, dreamers are aided by drumming, guided
visualization and partner exercises to experiment with
shape-shifting, shared dreaming, folding ime, scouting
possible futures and other life experiences.
For more information, contact Esalen Institute at 408)
667-3005 or FAX 408) 667.2724.
============= HILLMAN TO VISIT MONTANA ==================
Dr. James Hillman, noted dream pioneer and researcher, will
be visiting Bozeman, Montana for a six hour seminar,
September 29th from 9am until 4pm at Lindley Park Center.
He will be featuring material from his new book "The
Soul's Code: Character, Calling and Fate". Although it is
not entirely specific to dreams,Hillman is so filled with
imagination and dream content that it all blends together.
The seminar is called "The Acorn Theory and the Bad Seed:
Politics and Mysteries in Childhood Disorders". Attendees
can receive up to six hours of professional credit and the
cost is $85.00. Space will be limited to 85 people. Hillman
says the following to describe the day: This workshop has
three aims: to explore childhood disorders as signs of
destiny; to review current thinking about psychopathy and
criminality; to look for a "third" way out of the
Nature/Nurture [genetics vs environment] controversy.We
shall be stretched between politics and religion, and we
shall also question how we imagine our personal biography.
For more information, contact
<ttate@montana.campus.mci.net. >
WORLD OF JESSE REKLAW
Look for an interview with Jesse and Brave New World's 21
Questions On September 2nd.
On Monday, Sept. 23 at 9:00 pm EDT, I'll be a guest
speaker for Donna Campos's Dream Studio show on CompuServ.
If you've got CompuServ, drop by and
chat with me!
I'll be at the Underground Press Conference-Independent
Comics Exposition October 12th 10 AM-5PM at the Chicago
Cultural Center. Come have your dream
sketched or lurk near my table, sending me psychic
messages.
======== DREAM CHAT GROUP ON MICROSOFT NETWORK
==============
For those of you who are subscribers, Dr. Strange reports
that Microsoft Network (MSN) has at least two or three
weekly chats on dreams, and a number of bulletin boards
and libraries with information on dreams, OBEs, astral
travel, etc. Once you get into MSN, right click your mouse
on the little icon on the lower right corner of your
screen, then pick Go to ... . Use the Go to word
AlienChat to access the chat, and AlienDream to access the
BBS and Lucid Dreamer's Library. Use AlienPara to check
out the whole paranormal section of the Alien and UFO
Forum. MSN has a much more limited web site that anyone
can access. According to MSN management, they plan to make
all of MSN accessible from the Web in the Fall.
Dr. Strange hosts Paranormal Chat on MSN ) Thursdays from
7-9 PM PDT in the Alien Chat room (Go to word
...AlienChat) where topics often discussed include lucid
dreams, OBEs, and other paranormal subjects. Dr. Strange
has also posted a number of Handouts on lucid dreams and
related subjects in the Lucid Dreamers Library (Go to word
... AlienDreamL) on MSN.
For more information, contact: DoctorStrange@msn.com
==========================================================
R E S E A R C H R E Q U E S T S
==========================================================
========= RESEARCH PROJECT ON DREAMS AND THE 1996
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION ===================================
I'm conducting a research project on dreams that have
contents relating to the 1996 Presidential Election. In
the process, I'm asking for people's help in gathering a
collection of dream samples. Have you had any dreams in
which:
1) Bill Clinton, Bob Dole, or Ross Perot appears?
2) Some other political figure appears (e.g., Newt
Gingrich, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Pat Buchanan)?
3) A major political theme or issue from the campaign
appears (e.g., abortion, taxes, welfare, the
environment)?
If you've had any dreams with these contents, I'd really
enjoy hearing about them. Please include the date of each
dream and any thoughts, feelings, or memories you have in
connection with it. All information you share with me will
be used with total confidentiality. If you like, I'd be
happy to send you a summary of the project's findings after
the election.
Thanks,
Kelly Bulkeley, Ph.D.
76633.1555@compuserve.com
226 Amherst Ave.
Kensington, CA 94708
510-528-0226 (o,fax)
P.S. Although the focus of my research is on the 1996
election, I'd also appreciate hearing any dreams you've had
about past U.S. Presidents (e.g., Ronald Reagan, John F.
Kennedy).
DREAM INCUBATION RESEARCH BY
EXPERIENCED DREAMKEEPERS
You are invited to :BRING THE DREAMTIME INTO CONSENSUS
REALITY AWARENESS
by participating in a study comparing the formal and
symbolic imagery appearing in incubated dreams and shamanic
journeys
Be an historically significant part of this ground-breaking
study to promote a shift in consciousness that may allow us
to tap more easily into those dimensions with which until
now mainly mystics and shamans have reported regular
concourse.
=0= What will participation involve? =0=
1. completing three assessments and a short-answer
questionnaire to be used as participant descriptors in the
study (1 1/2 hrs);
2. incubating the dream; recording it;
3. discussing the dream description later on for 15-20
minutes to ensure full researcher understanding;
4. rating a packet of 4 shamanic journey descriptions
according to how well each one corresponds to the theme,
imagery, and mood of your incubated dream; and possibly
5. a tape-recorded phone interview of approximately one
hour in length should your dream and its corresponding
journey be selected for deeper comparison due to their
degree of congruence.
TIME COMMITMENT
It is estimated that items 1-4 require a total
commitment of 3 hours, and all can be done in your own
home. Participation in #5 will require 1 additional hour,
a 90-minute tape and use of a taperecorder at your end of
the phone conversation.
NOTE: Willingness to participate in all five parts of the
study is necessary.
CONFIDENTIALITY
For the protection of your privacy, all information
received from you will be kept confidential, and your
identity protected.
CHARMAINE SUNGY
625 GILBERT
AVENUE
MENLO PARK, CA 94025
=0= How can I volunteer? =0=
I greatly appreciate your interest in my study and your
willingness to share your precious time, energy, personal
dream experiences and insights with me.
Please detach this panel from the rest of the brochure,
fill in the requested information, and mail it poste haste
to receive further information.
PLEASE PRINT
Name
Address
City zip
phone/fax ( )
* I ve recorded my dreams yr mo.
* I have participated in a dream group
regularly for yr. mo.
*I M INTERESTED IN* (Check)
the late-September research study
___related future research
=0= BIRTH INFORMATION =0=
will be important in the astrological extension to my
transpersonal research methodology. [Exact time is key to
an accurate analysis; so please make every effort to get
this as soon
as possible, if you need to leave it blank.]
Circle
mo. day yr. time am pm
City state
(or country)
=0= As a dream participant you will =0=
* gain personal insights from your incubated dream;
* learn a shamanic journeyer s experiences
concerning your dream question;
* receive a summary of the patterns and conclusions
drawn from combined data from all participants, at the
completion of the study.
=0= Other advantages of participating in this research? =0=
It is hoped that discoveries made through this research
will create greater awareness, within both the scientific
community and our society in general, of the importance and
contribution to our lives of both Dreamwork and Shamanic
Journeywork, and *of Consciousness and Awareness, as key
players in the manifestation, integration, and
transformation of both our Universe and Life World.*
=0= About the Researcher =0=
CHARMAINE SUNGY is a doctoral student in her dissertation
year at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. Her
focus is on *archetypal structures of the Unconscious* as
they manifest through the *imagery* of personality type,
astrology, shamanic work, and dreams in the service of
health and wholeness. HER DISSERTATION will explore the
relationship between the imagery and symbols that dreamers
experience in their incubated dream and those that appear
in an intentionally-related shamanic journey of another
person.
Her study asks, to what degree are features of the dream
landscape and the dreamer s experiences in that landscape
replicable through another altered state way-of-knowing,
such as shamanic journey?
Charmaine Sungy was drawn to doing _shamanic work_ through
a series of shocking and synchronistic initiatory peak
experiences that transformed her life and set her on the
shamanic path of spiritual seeking and healing seven years
ago. It was through her shamanic work that she was led to
study astrology and to enter the Ph.D. program in
Transpersonal Psychology at ITP, where she has done
dreamwork with Jeremy Taylor during the past three years.
Previously, Charmaine taught in inner-city high schools
for 21 years in visual arts, literature, reading and
Spanish. Other personas dancer, poet, gardener,
hypnotherapist, astrologer.
*Like Alice through the looking-glass*
JOIN ME IN AN ADVENTURE
into symbolic dimensions reflections that of who
mirror we are TRANSPERSONAL PSYCHOLOGY, which embraces
spirituality as a basic characteristic of both humanity and
Universal Order in general, will become more clearly
understood and brought to
greater prominence within the culture through the topic as
well as the approach of this research.
_Holography _--until now only recognized by mystics,
shamans, Jungian depth psychology, and esoteric
transpersonal modes of being--is coming to be seen as the
actual way phenomena are sensed or made known to us.
The symbol or metaphoric experience is the space-moment
within which the archetypal elements emerge across the
threshold between formless and formed realities into their
first perceivable structure as *archetypal pre-thought form
images,*
B O O K S - N E W R E L E A S E S
_Stop Sleeping Through Your Dreams: A Guide to Awakening
consicousness During Sleep_ By Charles McPhee
Assistance in becoming a conscious participant is extended
from the book to the Net, as Charles is encouraging those
who have lucid dreams to write to him. Visit:
http://www.dreamgate.com/dream/mcphee
This is to let you know that _Electirc Dreams_ is listed in
a new book, _Surgery Electives: What to Know Before the
Doctor Operates, A Guide for Those Considering Elective
Surgery_, 2nd Edition, by John McCabe.
The 416-page book includes a research section containing
Internet and E-mail access to hundreds of health-related
organizations, associations, support groups, and government
agencies. It also includes references to holistic health
therapies.
Surgery Electives can be ordered through your local
bookstore. It can also be purchased through mail order by
sending $19.95 and $3 postage to Carmania Books, PO Box
1272, Santa Monica, CA 90406-1272.
==========================================================
D R E A M W E B S I T E S
========================================================
New participatory web site for kids: THE HARROWERS at
<http://faraday.clas.virginia.edu/~rls3z>. (see the article
in GLOBAL DREAMING NEWS for more information)
DreamLink Update
If you haven't visited DreamLink in the last few weeks
you're see some changes -
1. Addition of DreamWheel Section - an area where one dream
is looked at with the dreamer responding to questions and
queries sent by people that need more information before
they submit a translation.
2. Key Word Search - the JOURNAL section with all the
dreams and translations can now be searched for specific
topics to respond to or just view
3. Dream Chich - A section has been added to just ask
questions you have about dreams or to respond to questions
posted - a bbs of the Dreamworld.
Linton for DreamLink
http://www.iag.net:80/~hutchib/.dream/
ASD Homepage Update - conversation!
Stop by the ASD bulletin board and join in conversations on
the study of dreams, color and dreams, dream interpretation
issues, references and bibliographies on dreams and many
other topics.
Also, be sure to check out the ASD Art Gallery while you
are there and see a wonderful gallery of dream inspired
art.
http://www.outreach.org/gmcc/asd/
Big Dream Eric W. Fitz
Big Dream is both an experiment in literary criticism and a
fiction. The project begins with an actual dream of mine,
represented in fragments, that move in both a temporally
linear and crossing manner. Small parts of each fragment
are given brief Freudian analyses, and are interpreted
symbolically. These symbols are then abstracted into the
driving forces for the multivocal fiction.
http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/hypertext/landow/SSPClust
er/Dreams.html
==========================================================
G L O B A L D R E A M I N G C A L E N D A R
==========================================================
August 31
-September 2 Shamanism & Healing Conference - Dream
Reentry Santa Sabina Center, Dominican
College, San Rafael, CA Contact:
Ruth-Inge Heinze, Ph.D., 2321 Russell
Street. #3A, Berkeley, CA 94705-1959.
(510) 849-3791.
September 7th "The Practice of Dream Reentry Healing":
9:30AM - 5:00PM Fred Olsen in
Novato, CA & Berkeley see:
http://www.dreamgate.com/dream/reentry
Sept. 9, 1996 and On the Internet
Oct. 28, 1996 Introductory Dreamwork Course
http://www.outreach.org/dreams
Jayne Gackenbach, Ph.D.
Sept 13-15, 1996 USA: San Anselmo, California
Seeing Dreams in a New Light
Alive & Well, 100 Shaw Drive
San Anselmo, CA 94960
Sept. 17, 1996 USA: Santa Cruz, California
Alchemical Dream Work
Twin Lakes College
Contact: Gina Pearlin
<glass@cruzio.com>
20 Sept USA: Concord, MA
"Sacred Dreams in World Religions and
Personal Experience" - Talk and Group
Discussion The Dreamwheel, 191 Sudbury
Road Call (508)369-2634 to register
Sept 23, 1996 NET: Jesse Reklaw on DreamStudio
On Monday, Sept. 23 at 9:00
pm EDT, Jesse will be a guest
speaker for Donna Campos's Dream
Studio show on CompuServ.
Sept 29, 1996 USA: Bozeman, Montanta
James Hillman Workshop, 9am-4pm
Lindley Park Center
Contact:
<ttate@montana.campus.mci.net. >
Oct 12, 1996 USA: Menlo Park, California
Introduction to Dreamwork Seminar
Two Sisters Bookstore, 605
Cambridge 10:00 am - Noon
Contact: <cboyer@wpo.borland.com>
Oct. 12, 1996 US: Chicago Jesse Reklaw: at the
Underground Press Conference-
Independent Comics Exposition
Chicago Cultural Center
Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z
DREAMS SECTION: ED 3.7 by Bob K.
Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z
Welcome to the Dreams section of ELECTRIC DREAMS. We
requested FIRST DREAMS for this issue, and have a full
harvest of dreams willingly shared with our community. I
guess it is not a surprise that these first dreams share
characteristics of conciseness, and vividness of images.
There are many nightmare type experiences described. The
dream had to be strong enough to leave a lasting impression
on the dreamers.
An interesting issue came up as to the definition of a
FIRST DREAM. The original intention and most widely
understood meaning was the earliest dream recalled in ones
life. However, some people could identify a FIRST
SIGNIFICANT DREAM or a SERIES OF DREAMS that made a strong
impression and wondered if that would qualify. Well, we
are still small enough to publish all submissions and so we
are doing.
The meaning of some of those dreams have become clear to
some of the dreamers while many still marvel at what they
could possibly mean. Mystery and wonder await those who
venture into the inner reality of dreams. Netizens of the
Web, for your viewing pleasure, emotional growth,
intellectual stimulation and spiritual nourishment, the
Dreamorama of ED 3.7 follows.
As always thanks to the contributors, both dreamers and
commentators. For the benefit of new readers, I would like
to repeat the information cited elsewhere in our
publication that the views of our commentators are personal
views and not intended as professional advice or
psychotherapy. We believe that only the dreamer can
determine what the dream means for the dreamer. Sharing a
journey of discovery, we can all gain much insight into our
own lives from the dreams and observations of others.
Offered dreams are submitted under code names for the most
part, unless a contributor wants direct feedback and
specifically requests their real name or email addresses be
used. For privacy and security reasons, we recommend using
a code name for your submissions.
C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C
C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C
FROM PREVIOUS ISSUE DREAMS:
Commentary on Alien Taste Test by SkyeT (960803)
N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N
N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N
NEW DREAMS:
F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F
-FIRST DREAMS:
CHALLENGES
1st Dream: Choices by BobK
1st Dream "The Hard Step by Ladystrange
MYSTERIES
1st Dream: Moon Mice by Richard
Commentary: 1st Dream Moon Mice (960804) by Narcissus
Almost 1st Dream: Melting Sally by Dreambat
Commentary on "Melting Sally" (960813) by Narcissus
THREATS
1st Dream: Candi's first dream- Insects! by Candi
1st Dream "Fun House & Not so Fun House" by Renee
1st Dream: "Holy Kidnaping!" by India [Batman s Penguin]
1st Dream: "The Maze" -Anonymous
1st Dream: "The Overstuffed Chair" by Dee Dee
1st Dream "Tumbling Boxes" by Martin
1st Dream: "window" by Melissa [Midieval Europe]
WONDERS
1st Dream: my first dream by mermaid
1st Dream: "Underground Amusements" by Andy
N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N
N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N
ANIMALS/ CHASES
Dream: Monkey Business by Nutcracker (960711)
Dream: Snakes by JRA (960816)
COLLECTORS ITEMS
Dream: More Pez Finds by Nutcracker (960709)
CREATIONS
Dream: Sculptor Dream by GSD (960819)
DREAMS OF DREAMING
Dream: Dreamsharing by Nutcracker (960705)
FAMOUS PEOPLE
Dream: At The Kennedy s by Nutcracker (960713)
(The Kennedy Clan)
Dream: Dream#9" by Sprock (960805) (John Lennon)
FRIENDS
Dream: Parallel Universe by Nutcracker ((960709)
JOURNEYS:
Dream: "Bocca de Verita" by India (960809)
Dream: "Get to the Airport!" by Blair (960715)
Dream: King Arthur s Court by Nutcracker (960712)
Dream: Selfish by Nutcracker (960702)
Dream: The Trip by Nutcracker (960706)
JUMBLES
Dream: dreams of sunny last month...this month by LorD
Commentary on Dream questions (96-07-28) by Narcissus
LOSS
Dream: NO SUN by Cathv (960725) revisited
Commentary/ Part 2 by Bob K on No Sun
LOVE, ROMANCE & SEX
Dream: I left my Pablum, In San Fran-cisco"
by Martski(960810)
Dream:" Necrophilia" by Nutcracker(960808)
Commentary on " Necrophilia" (960808) by Narcissus
PLACES
Dream: Electric Dreams by Nutcracker (960704)
Dream: The Unknown Basement by BobK (960720)
PRECOGNITIVE
Dream: Dying Dog & TWA 800" by Michelle K (960716)
Dream: Message From Mom & Uncles Death by Michelle K
(960728)
Dream: Neighbors and Cancer by Michelle K (960728)
SOUNDS
Dream: Dream #9" by Sprock (960805) [John Lennon]
Dream: "Dancing with the Ghost of the Turntable"
by Blair (960514)
Dream: "I d Rather Play my Bass than Get Married"
by Blair (960420)
Dream: Thunder in The Cupboard by Nutcracker (960713)
THREATS
Commentary on "Tornado Dreams" by Narcissus (960730)
TRANSFORMATIONS
Dream: "Chen & I" by Chesko (960819)
Dream: Of Trees Possessed by Nutcracker (960721)
=====
INDEX
=====
BOBK S WEBSITE PICK OF THE MONTH
REMINDER ON NUTCRACKER S WEBSITE
SUGGESTED THEME FOR ED3.8- SIGNIFICANT DREAMS &
COMMENTARIES
C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C
C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C
COMMENTARY ON DREAMS FROM PREVIOUS ISSUES
Commentary on Alien Taste Test (96-08-03) by SkyeT
** "Alien Taste Test" by BR (960627 by JR)
I dreamed that I was walking through a field at daytime,
with a friend. As I kept walking, I noticed there was an
alien craft near me. It was saucer-shaped, but something
was terribly wrong. The top of the spacecraft had been
removed, and only the bottom portion of the craft remained.
Piled throughout the craft there were hundreds of flattened
"greys" alien carcasses. Their skin somehow turned
transparent and yellow. I picked up an alien and bit into
its rubbery arm. IT TASTED LIKE IMITATION LEMON PIE
FILLING!!!
==-FOCUS ON EMOTIONS:
1)FEARS
The flattened Greys...you're not the only one who has seen
them. Whitley Strieber saw them, "stacked like cord wood,"
and I've seen a single one, head still retaining it's
shape, but the body flattened like a large hand puppet. In
other words, they may not have been corpses, but costumes.
imitation lemon pie filling = something artificial,
manufactured, not what it purports to be.
Let's incubate some dreams to discover what they Greys
*really* are! :)
Skye T
"...It has been speculated that of all groups scientists
and engineers might be the most devastated by the discovery
of relatively superior creatures, since these professions
are most clearly associated with the mastery of nature,
rather than with the understanding and expression of man.
Brookings Institute for NASA, 4/18/61
F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F
F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F
CHALLENGES
**1st Dream: "The Hard Step by Ladystrange
(from posting on alt.dreams)
The first dream I remember...I was about 2 or 3...I dreamed
I was walking in my house and because I was so young it was
hard I was still learning how. I dreamed I walked into our
den which was a step down den...I remember it was
hard..that step down. all I remember...sorry
**1st Dream: Choices by BobK
My earliest recollection is finding myself in a cave. I
have no idea of my age or physical condition. All I know
is that I am alone. I have reached the end of the cave
and there are several closed doors (five?) from which I
must choose my next path. There is a sense of finality
about the choice. Once I go through the door, I seem to
know that it will not be possible to turn back. I will be
embarked on a path of no return. How will I make my choice?
MYSTERIES
**1st Dream: "Moon Mice" by Richard
I am dreaming that I can't sleep. I get up and find my
mother in the living-room. She is standing in the moonlight
beside the sleigh-bed. She is wearing a diaphanous
nightgown and matching robe. When I tell her I can't sleep
(or did I have to tell her?) she tells me the following
story.
Once upon a time there were these moon mice that came
to earth. The sun was too bright for them and travel in the
sewers during the daytime.
Image: A mouse face like creature with wheels instead
of legs rolling down a sewer tube. From the back they look
like the back of a round wind-up alarm clock.
At night they would come out and gather around in a
circle and wait to see the moon (whom they worshiped).
But one night it was foggy and the when the mice came
out they were sad because they couldn't see the moon. And
so, on that night, with all the moon mice gathered in a
circle, the moon came down to them.
== Commentary on Richards Moon Mice by Narcissus
[** "Moon Mice" by Richard] > >
I am dreaming that I can't sleep. I get up and find my
> mother in the living-room. She is standing in the
moonlight > beside the sleigh-bed. She is wearing a
diaphanous nightgown and > matching robe. When I tell her I
can't sleep (or did I > have to tell her?) she tells me the
following story.
In my dream, the moon is the home of the goddess. To me, a
sleigh-bed is a slay-bed: a place of creation, death, and
transformation. Freud lives in me, so the images space to
my Oedipal desires.
> Once upon a time there were these moon mice that came
to > earth. The sun was too bright for them and travel in
the sewers > during the daytime.
In my dream, the sun god is male. The sun was too bright
for the moon mice because they were not ready for the
world of men. The sewers were the birth canals and my own
mixed feels about bathroom functions and sexuality.
> Image: A mouse face like creature with wheels
instead of legs rolling > down a sewer tube. From the back
they look like the > back of a round wind-up alarm clock.
As a child I loved to play w/ miniature cars. For a long
time, advertising agencies have been getting rich on the
relationship between cars and male sexuality. At this age,
sex seems more mechanical the biological. I don't
understand it, am a bit afraid of it, and use the image to
get some distance from my desires. The clock reminds me
that in time, I will have a better understanding.
> At night they would come out and gather around in a
circle and > wait to see the moon (whom they worshiped).
The mice agree w/ me about mother moon, the goddess.
> But one night it was foggy and the when the mice came
out they > were sad because they couldn't see the moon. And
so, on that > night, with all the moon mice gathered in a
circle, the > moon came down to them.
The fog could be my tears (or my bed wetting) and the moon,
the mother whom I love and worship, comes down to my
level. By gathering in a circle, the sacred shape of the
feminine, I draw the energy of the goddess to me.
I hope these thoughts are of use to you.
Narcissus
** Almost 1st Dream: Melting Sally by Dreambat
That Necrophilia dream stimulated an old, old memory of
mine and I recalled an early dream I had forgotten about.
Childhood dream (4-5yrs old)
Melting Sally. by DreamBat
I'm out playing by the sidewalk when a little girl
about my age comes by. She had been shopping and has a bag
of groceries. I spill some water on her and she melts!
Nothing is left but the groceries. I hear her mother
calling from the doorway a couple of houses away "Sally,
Sallllllll-yyyyyyy" I feel really guilty and wretched and
have no idea how to deal with this.
==Commentary on "Melting Sally" (96-08-13) by Narcissus
I'm fascinated by the connection between "Melting Sally"
and "Necrophilia." Why did one stimulate memory of the
other? Is there another sex/death/food connection here?
I feel a little handicapped here by not knowing whether
DreamBat is male or female. Therefore I will try this
both ways.
If DreamBat is female, then Sally is my other self. In my
household, spilling water and the other consequences of
the natural clumsiness of childhood were always major
offenses. I can't remember ever being sent to my room w/o
dinner, but I lost the nourishment of parental approval
when I had spills.
The spills in this context would also be bathroom
accidents, depending on how good was the bladder control
of the dreamer. This could even be about wetting the bed.
If DreamBat is male, then one of the few exclusive joys us
guys still have is the ability to write our initials in
the snow. I would see the spill and the water as having a
stronger sexual element than if DreamBat was a girl.
Also, I can't help but think of the melting wicked witch in
the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy accidentally poured water on the
witch. Maybe the dreamer is waiting for all those around
her to congratulate her for her accident.
If this were my dream, I would try to be Sally. Get a
sense of who I am and what it feels like to melt. I
suspect it would be a freeing experience.
I hope these thoughts are of use to you.
Narcissus
THREATS
**1st Dream: Candi's first dream- Insects!
Posted by Candi on August 02, 1996 at 01:10:27:
My first remembered dream was a nightmare that I probably
only remember because my parents had to point out to me
that it wasn't real. I guess I was seven or less... In the
dream I got up and was headed for the bathroom when I
stepped on some large insect and crushed it. When I jumped
away from it I landed on another one. I woke and charged
into my parents' room, apparently trying to avoid the floor
altogether. I wouldn't go into my room in the morning until
it had been searched thoroughly for bugs.
**1st Dream: "Fun House & Not so Fun House " by Renee
(from posting on alt.dreams)
The first dream I remember was a re-occurring nightmare.
I've got it for aboutfour or five times and each time I was
ill the day after (probably the fever causing this dream).
It has also been the ONLY re-occurring dream I ever had.
(Between 4th - 10th year)
The first part of the dream: It was like a LSD-trip: I was
with my head in a tunnel-like surrounding (not dark, not
light either) and first money (especially coins) were
flying by my head. I could not grab them. Then I heard
laughter and then heads were passing my head with great
speed. The were laughing at me, in an extreme way. (*note:
I had it bad at school then, children used to tease and
torment me terribly*)
The second part of the (same!) dream: I was LITTLE RED
RIDINGHOOD [YES, don't laugh! :)] I was standing in the
forest with my basket and looking at a white house. That
house was covered with ... eh... something like a threat
(woollen or cotton). It looked like you wrap something up
with wool and then you enlarge it to 'house'-sizes. On the
second floor was my brother, trapped in that house. I can
even see myself (as little red ridinghood) standing
through the eyes of my brother. All I can think off, is
that I must save him and will save him (because he's so
important to me), but that it was very difficult.
Thank god I don't have many nightmares, but this was really
a scary one! After the first couple o' times I knew, when
waking up, that I was ill, even before my body woke up and
told me I was right. For me it's really amazing;
remembering this dream in so much details. Let me know what
you think of it!
** 1st Dream: "Holy Kidnaping! by India
(from posting on alt.dreams)
The first dream I can remember:
I dreamt that the Penguin from the Batman television show
had kidnaped me and was holding me hostage at an orange
motel in Jersey City, New Jersey. He was being rather nice
to me, i.e., letting me have whatever snacks I wanted,
watch whatever t.v. I wanted, and giving me tons of toys,
but I was very upset because I missed my parents.
1st Dream: The Maze -Anonymous
The first dream that I recall is being in the middle of a
maze.
I was able to view the maze and my position in it from a
bird's eye view. As a result of the viewpoint, the top of
my head appeared as a round circle or dot. I was right
smack in the middle of this maze and could see numerous
other dots (or people) in various parts of the maze.
Every few seconds all the dots would move in unison toward
me. It seemed to be like there was a pulse and with every
pulse the dots would move in closer. This continued and
continued until the dots were quite close to me. At that
point, I would wake up startled and scared. I had this
dream two other times as a child, but never again. Thank
God! This was by far the scariest dream I ever had or
least the most scared I every felt.
-Anonymous
**1st Dream: The Overstuffed Chair by Dee Dee
The first dream I remember having centered around a large,
over-stuffed chair, the type that was popular in the late
1940s - very soft, plush, and comfortable. As inviting as
it looked, the sensation I experienced in the dream was
anything but pleasant, in fact, it was my first nightmare.
I don't know what that chair represented, but it was a
frequent dream until I was about 8 yrs. old, and I always
woke up very frightened.
"Dee Dee"
**1st Dream: " Tumbling Boxes"
(from posting on alt.dreams)
Childhood dreams are strange, and the nightmares
especially scary. For the most part, I can't remember mine
(except fragments of brief images, sounds and emotions)
Easily, the most horrid one sticks out, as I still
have this dream today.
I'm standing in a huge, shadowy room. There are
boxes, wall to wall and stacked to the ceiling. I'm
dwarfed by them. I feel intimidated in the extreme. There
is a noise like static, or running water. The sound fills
me with a jitter uneasiness. The stacks of boxes start to
sway slightly, teetering just a little.
Suddenly, the static-like noise becomes a roar. This
sound is undescribable, I don't know of any comparison.
Maybe if you took the soft hum of a fan and amplified it to
unbearable levels. Even thinking about it makes me uneasy.
The boxes start to fall over me like some ghastly wave. I
wake up screaming.
...ahh childhood memories
Martin
**1st Dream: "Window" by Melissa
the first dream that I can remember is what I have always
believed to be a Dream into a past-life experience. I had
the dream when I was 4 or 5 yrs old. the dream was/is quite
vivid, I can still clearly see it in my mind after all
these years.
the setting was medieval europe.i am fleeing a castle in
the nite w/ two other women I can see and others I cannot
see.the castle is on fire or being "stormed"(this part has
never been clear to me)we (I and the other two women) are
VERY frightened.bats are flying everywhere(I worried they
would get in my hair) as we attempt to flee into the
forest.the feeling was that I was a "servant" of one of the
other women.i was leading the group out of the castle and
trying to figure out how to get everyone away safely.
this is the part of the dream that has always stayed w/
me.the images of the womens bodies,as well as my own were
very clear,color of the clothes,etc.,but the faces were
not.as two interesting asides- a)I did not watch tv as a
youngster,other than the nightly news w/ my parents.i do
not believe this dream was induced by an experience outside
myself,but from within.i only dreamed this particular dream
once(I have another ,set in an English boarding school or
orphanage,turn of the century or a little later,that I have
had often)yet the feeling about this dream has always been
very strong. b)8 years ago,i had a woman working for me
named tam.she and I had to drive to miami together from key
west(about 3 hours)we were talking about matters of the
spirit and dreaming.the conversation was quite intensive as
I was relating the boarding school dream to her and
discussing the death dream I had
age 13(for another post!)as I started to tell her about
the above dream-she suddenly "saw" it-as if she were
there.i believe she was one of the two women.the feeling
that came over both of us in that moment was a total sense
of connectedness. she described me in the dream(I had not
given her any details,other than fleeing the castle in the
nite)down to the color of my dress.i am still waiting for
the third to appear in my life.
hope this is of interest to you.
kindest regards,melissa
WONDERS
**1st Dream: my first dream by mermaid (960808)
Hi everyone
This children and dreams theme is taking off; especially in
Electric Dreams 3#6.
Is Mr Sheen a furniture polishing product in the US too?
Anyway the cartoon "Mr Sheen" used to start off my dreams
when I was about 2 or three (I remember my brother's cot
being in the corner of the room and he is about a year
younger than I).
Mr Sheen would appear in the top left corner of my "dream
frame", put together the "slide screen" and my mind would
act as the slide projector from which I'd dream.
Quite often I'd have flying dreams; I would also converse
with dolls and other toys and animals - such as cats, dogs
and magpies in the neighboring trees. I would also choose
the thrill of deciding that the wind making tree branches
scratch on bay window was a "monster".
Most dreams would take place in familiar settings -
especially my back yard at the time.
Even now, I can go back and somehow "float' from room to
room of that house. The white sofa as you came in the door;
a trunk (later used on the voyage to England) in another
corner. The white bath in the bathroom, in which we could
splash happily and were sometimes allowed to play with a
silver fish on a chain that belonged to Mum.
mermaid
**1st Dream: " Underground Amusements" by Andy
(from posting on alt.dreams)
The first dream I remember is being in an underground
amusement park riding the roller coaster. I was about 4.
N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N
N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N
ANIMALS/CHASES
**Dream: Monkey Business by Nutcracker (960711)
I was in charge of a rather large group of monkeys. I
don't know if it was research related or zoo related. I
was putting three of the smaller ones back in 'the room'
(it wasn't a cage, but a room with a narrow wooden or metal
door that was sort of medieval looking). All I can
remember about the inside of the room is that there were
monkeys stacked floor to ceiling. There were three metal
rods and the monkeys were placed one on top the other
inside the three rods. There were numerous sets of these
rods (cages) in the room. I carried the monkeys in my arms
as they clung to me (they loved and trusted me). As soon
as I got the door opened and I stepped inside, one (a
baby), crawled down my leg and was hanging upside down from
my knee to my foot. I got the others put away, but this
one got loose and had run back outside. I closed the door
and went after it, finally managing to catch it. I didn't
really catch it, it came back to me on its own. It jumped
on my leg and crawled back into my arms (I'm now David
Letterman). Ugh! I moan. This isn't the baby monkey
anymore, but a larger, heavier monkey. As I take the
monkey back to the room it plants a kiss directly on my
right, open eyeball. I can't see anything and stumble
around trying to find the door so I can open it and get
this monkey off of me. (7/11/96) #423
** Snakes by JRA (96-08-16)
Thanks for the quick reply. In my dream I am being
threatened by a snake. In a most recent dream, a snake was
relentless in its pursuit of me. At one point I escaped
into a treehouse (where a party was being held - I think -
its a bit fuzzy now and it sounds weird) and the snake
turned up there too. It never reaches me in the dreams.
I grew up in a rural area where rattle snakes were a very
real threat. However, I was never in any real immediate
danger. I have seen several but have never been close
enough to be threatened. Recently I have not been
threatened by snakes. I live in an urban area.
Commentary on Snakes by Bob K
Aha! More details. You now have described one of the more
common types of dreams. BEING CHASED is a very common
dream, specially in younger children and young adults or
adults facing high stress situations. RUNNING AWAY to
escape the threat is the theme, and when it's running away
from animals (vs. say tornados or monsters, or people -
known or unknown) it usually have to do with a perceived
threat of a basic instinct type level or emotional level
which is much related to a "fight or flight" reaction.
This percieved threat could very well be some kind of
change coming up in ones life which may not necessarily be
bad, but is frightening nonetheless. Once you understand
its nature and take a stand on the issue (acceptance or
rejection), the repetitive dream or feature will usually
stop.
It is interesting in the dream that the dreamer climbs up
to a treehouse to escape, only to find that the snake gets
there too. In the dream the dreamer is trying to rise
above the usual environment at ground level, which happens
to be where the snakes move around commonly, and get
involved in a social event (party), but this of itself does
not protect the dreamer from the threat or prevent the
animal from climbing up a tree - which snakes can do. The
dream could be telling that participating in the party will
not solve the problem or it could be indicating a social
context where help may be found in dealing with the
problem.
Clearly from your comments, these dreams do not seem to
indicate a threat from a real physical snake. On a physical
plane though, I would ask myself: Do I know any people
that act like a snake or remind me of a snake that I may be
picking up on? Any slimy, slithery feeling about some
unresolved issue in my life?
Many times in chase dreams, the perceived threat is based
on our misunderstanding of the "messenger." The snakes may
be trying to communicate with one to help one solve a
problem. Certainly by reoccurring in our dreams they are
bringing your attention to the problem the represent and
how to solve it. Usually these wild animals will avoid
humans unless they are cornered or protecting their
territory. The snakes of these dreams are in active
pursuit which is not so common. Could they be trying to
"hug" the dreamer?
Hope this helps you.
Bob K.
COLLECTORS ITEMS
**Dream: More Pez Finds by Nutcracker (960709)
We (my sister, myself and two guys) were driving somewhere.
I yell, "STOP," and the driver slams on the brakes. Out in
the middle of nowhere we had passed a little country store.
I saw in the window as we went by a display for Pez pipes.
We all got out and went inside and immediately found the
Pez section. Looking around at all the Pez stuff, I thought
I'd died and gone to Pez heaven. I had never seen so many
old Pez items before, at least not in person. The first
thing I see once inside is a display of Pez on a tray.
There are two items that look like they're made of wax.
One is in the shape of a mushroom. The other one has
melted into a blob. The clerk (S.W., a former classmate)
showed me two Pez water pitchers (one $60, one $80). One
had a retractable handle that also made the body of the
pitcher retract or collapse too. The other pitcher was
made of clear glass and looked like the old Koolaid
pitchers from the 50's, only this one said PEZ on the side.
On a shelf behind the counter I saw some really old Pez
dispensers made of glass. One was shaped like a boot and
one like a pint milk bottle. The milk bottle one had a
glass insert the same diameter as the inside of the bottle.
It fit directly in the center of the bottle and also said
PEZ on it. Then on a display rack alongside the counter I
spotted some old Pez candy refill packages. One was a
small cellophane bag and held about 50 pieces of candy. The
price on the bag was 2/$5. I told my sister, Sue, to go
and grab the Pez pipes out of the front window for me. You
couldn't actually smoke them, but if you blew into them, a
Pez candy would come out the end of the bowl. The bowls of
the pipes were actually Disney character's heads. Then
also behind the counter I noticed what looked to be some
kind of homemade Pez gizmo. I think it was a coin return
mechanism. There were two of them. It was made of a 12"
long square glass tube and the word Pez was written on the
front in stained glass. They hung behind the counter.
They weren't for sale, but I went behind the counter and
took one down to look at further. Then of course I
couldn't get it back in place and had to have the guy put
it back for me. (7/9/96) #417
CREATIONS
** Dream: Sculptor Dream by GSD (96-08-19)
Sculptor Dream.
I am in my 20's, full of the arrogance and vitality of
youth. I am an artist/sculptor in a community of other
artists. Some are in formal study at a 'college. Others
like myself, hang out on the fringes and do our own thing.
The formal group has just cast a large figurative
sculpture in gold for the first time. I show up as they put
it on the back of a truck after the casting. The lecturer
of the group, a lady I dont like, is standing on the top of
the truck talking to the students. She says that since the
metal is gold, we need to be careful with it and account
for it all and be careful of theft. As she says this,
I pick up small pieces of gold that have come from the
casting and throw them up against her. I seem to think
that the 'theft' references are directed at me and the
others. ( I observe that this is incredibly rude behaviour
but I am too caught in the dream to change ) I seem to
think that they have enough people to clean up the
sculpture, but apparently it belongs to an elderly lady
artist who only has a few people to help her. They are
calling for volunteers to help. I put up my hand along with
several others. As I walk away, I notice a petite young
girl with a delicate face and white?/light hair standing
nearby. I drape my arm around her shoulders to casually
congratulate her as I pass by. She turns into me and makes
it an embrace and I realize, with surprise, that she likes
me. "Congratulations on your first gold sculpture" I say
since I can think of nothing else. They have begun
cleaning up the sculpture, cutting off the feed runners. A
guy I dont like is using an angle grinder, a shower of
sparks and gold filings are going onto the ground against
the wall. I stop him. "Since we're working with gold,
wouldn't it be better if you had a sheet down so you could
collect the gold later. He goes off, later I hear the sound
of a vacumn cleaner which he is using to collect the gold.
Not the way I would have done it, but its the way this guy
is.
Apparently something has gone wrong with the casting. The
head of the sculpture has been left off the main body and
cast separately and is of a poorer quality. I say/think? 'I
am good with faces, I can work on it". They are still
deciding what to do with it. They are annoyed that the
'college technicians' would do such a thing. I tell the
story about one of the other lecturers/technicians here
who did a similar thing to another group of students. They
listen and are amazed that 'professional' people would do
this. It gives them some insight into the people they are
studying under. I am in the commercial part of the
town. I have been thinking that I should be able to make
money no matter where I am, as at this time I have not even
enough for
food. I am looking after a friends alsatian dog.
It is tied up but starts to get into a fight with another
tied on the other side while I have been musing on my
situation. I move it and go up to the other artists. I
am now with the other 'fringe' artists I hang out with.
Blurred images of rooms/houses away up the hill away from
the 'art college'. Some conversation and interaction with
people.(Dream starts to detoriate from here) They are
working on pieces for an exhibit that is either happening
now or soon. By using the old casings of car batteries
and the empty casings of (????) I can create a large hollow
square of these . People may get upset and think I have
used functional ones, as these are ecologically unsound.
The sculpture itself is to do with ecology and the
destruction of Nature. In another sequence: I am walking
along the riverbank of my childhood town. I am regretting
some of the things I haven't done, like carving 'om mane
pade hum' in Tibetan script into the rocks along the
river. I shrug and seem to think, 'can't be helped now' and
move on.
Addition: I have a background of 'lost wax' bronze
casting. A lot of work is involved in cutting off runners
(that feed molten bronze into the piece),removing
investment,cleaning and polishing. There seemed
to be a history of rivalry and conflict between the 'formal
college' administration and the fringe artists. My
character in the dream was young, with a sense of
arrogance, somewhat distainful of the college and felt
'above' in knowledge and experience from the other
students, who were mainly naieve and inexperienced. He was
aware of the value of the gold and how only a few pieces
would help his poverty, yet was distainful, as an artist,
of stooping to theft.
Stephen
DREAMS OF DREAMING
** Dream: Dreamsharing by Nutcracker (960705)
My mom and sister were whispering among themselves. They
were going somewhere, but didn't ask me to go with them. I
was making my bed when my sister came into the room. She
began to tell me something when I stopped her and said,
"You know, you told me that same thing last night in a
dream." That was my first experience with dreamsharing.
(7/5/96) #408
FAMOUS PEOPLE
=== Dream: At The Kennedy s by Nutcracker ===
I find myself at the Kennedy (yes, THE Kennedy's) mansion.
I wasn't invited, but show up nonetheless. Inside the
house Caroline (being played by M.T., a former classmate)
and her brother John (the real JFK, Jr.) are home. I was
heading up the stairs when I ran into Jackie (not the real
Jackie) and a woman friend of hers (someone I know).
They're ahead of me and stop half way up the stairs. I
think Jackie is surprised to see me there. But before she
can begin asking questions of me, I tell the both of them
how great they look and how the turquoise and aqua shades
of blue in their outfits compliment them both (dazzle them
with BS) as I pick a piece of lint from the other woman's
outfit. I then proceed to take a drink from the other
woman's martini as I grab the cigarette out of Jackie's
hand. There's lipstick all over the cigarette. I take a
puff. It's wet and disgusting. I leave the two of them
and head up the stairs to Caroline's room. She has a
screened balcony off her bedroom. I go out there to finish
the cigarette. A few minutes pass before I notice her
sitting on the porch in a rocking chair. We talked a
while. "Aren't you supposed to be in the hospital?" she
asked me. "I left. I'm not going back there." "Aren't you
supposed to be meeting with Dr. Miller at this very
moment?" "Yes, but I'm not going. I'm not going back
there." We discussed the situation further and she
convinced me that I should return. Caroline then called
the hospital and got the doctor on the phone so that I
could reschedule my appointment. She dialed the number and
handed me the phone. I didn't want to take it, but she
forced the receiver into my hand. It was several minutes
before I said anything. Covering the mouthpiece, I asked
her what I should say. She told me and I repeated it.
"Hello? Dr. Miller?" "Yes," he replied. "This is N."
"Yes, N. I was wondering where you were." He was being so
calm and rational (reassuring) about all this. And he had
a good phone voice (sounded like Steve Thomas on This Old
House). "I apologize for missing my session (group class)
today. I checked myself into the hospital yesterday, then
I left the hospital today and wasn't going to come back,
but have since changed my mind. Ah, well, a friend
convinced me it would be best. May I come back to see
you?" "Well, you know that you'll be gone for the next two
weeks on vacation don't you?" he said. "I swear I didn't
plan this," I answered. I could sense him playing with my
mind....trying to use reverse psychology on me. I wanted
to say to him (rather hostilely), "Quit playing Jr.
Psychologist with me, can I come back or not?" But I held
my tongue instead. My mother was taking me to Australia
for two weeks and as much as I love Australia... "I'd
rather not go if I had any choice in the matter," I said to
him. But what I meant and wanted to say was, "I'd rather
kill myself than go with my mother to Australia for two
weeks." But I knew that wouldn't be a good thing to say to
a psychologist. Instead I said, "Please, may I return to
the hospital?" He said yes, and we discussed a date and
time for my return. (7/13/96) #429
(Comments from Nutcracker: If you think you re crazy, are
you really?)
FRIENDS
=== Dream: Parallel Universe by Nutcracker ===
I was telling my friend Noam that I wanted to go to Tel
Aviv to visit his wife, Rachel. Next thing I know, Rachel
is back home and I'm telling her that I had wanted to come
visit. I had even gone so far as to go to the airport.
Though I never *saw* the airport in my dream, I was in a
field filled with huge power lines and I knew that the
airport (which was near the ocean) was off to my left. I
asked Rachel when it was exactly she returned and she said,
"Yesterday." Also in the field, beneath the power lines,
zebras roam freely. Now I have actually gone to Israel to
visit Rachel. It's the same spot, the field beneath the
power lines. I'm sitting at a picnic table talking with
Rachel and some others, including a man in his 40's, nicely
dressed (LL Bean). Next thing I know, this same nicely
dressed man is now dressed like a homeless person, his
clothes tattered and worn. He has a female companion
(wife/significant other?). A group of people drag the
woman away from the man, carrying her in the blanket she
had been covered with. They begin beating the man with the
thigh and leg of a dead animal (zebra I presume), hitting
him over and over about the head. I sit there as if
invisible. (7/9/96) #420
JOURNEYS
** Dream: "Bocca de Verita" by India (960809)
I dream I am going to visit my friend Carolyn in Trenton to
see if I would like the area and we should move there. I go
there and am surprised that her house is smaller and more
rustic than she led me to believe (she said it was urban
and large). We are sitting in the living room and she's
about to serve me lunch, which is some kind of pastina, but
I am looking at the records she has stacked by the
fireplace and when her son Kieran hands me the plate I
knock it over and spill it all over the floor. I'm
embarrassed so I try to help them clean it up, but when she
brings me another plate I knock it over again. I apologize
and tell her I will have to go home to change and then I'll
come back.
I go "home", which is another small (2-room), rural house,
where it seems that my husband Josh and I live with my
parents, and find that my parents' friends Milt and Sophie
are there with "their five kids." The two youngest are
babies. I play with the kids for awhile, especially the
babies, but they make a lot of noise and are unruly. I go
in the far room and Josh and I go to sleep.
In the morning I wake up and tell him I have to go visit
Carolyn again, but I don't know which trains I have to
take. He doesn't know either, so I go to the train station
in Hoboken and get on the first train out of there. I am
looking at the maps trying to figure out how to get to
Newton (at this point I think she lives in Newton) but I
can't find it on any of the maps. I figure I can always
take this train to its last stop and then change trains at
another station, but I don't want to waste the entire day.
I sit down next to this guy with an Eastern European
accent. He's urgently trying to talk to me but I don't
understand him and he's making me nervous because he keeps
trying to grab my ticket. I hold it firmly, wait for the
conductor to come and ask him for directions. He tells me
where to go.
I follow his directions and end up on an entirely different
kind of train. It's WHITE and looks like the cars on the
rides in Disneyworld. It's traveling through an indoor
platform with little stalls on either side of it, kind of
like a food court at a mall. I am the only person on the
train.
A girl hands me a restaurant check with her name written on
the top. "I'm Tiffany (can't remember the last name) and
I'll be your guide today." I say thank you and turn away,
but she looks at me insistently and says, "Don't you get
it?" I'm confused but then understand. "Oh! You're my dream
guide?"
"Yes," she says.
I ask, "Will this train take me to past lives?"
She says, "It's going to take you very fast through all the
levels."
I say okay. The car moves up a little bit to a pizza stand,
where a guy with dark hair and a moustache offers me a
snack of pizza before the ride starts. I say okay. He takes
my check and writes his name on it. It says, "Tony (can't
remember last name again)." I say, "Okay, thanks, Tony." He
laughs and says, "Don't you get it? I'm *Tony.* (a friend
of mine who died in 1992)" I'm amazed and want to talk to
him but the train starts moving.
The scene changes and I am in a 3 story glass-walled house
on top of a cliff by the sea. The scenery looks like Greece
or Italy. I am with Josh. I am playing this game pretending
all sorts of fantasy things, including that there is a
mysterious door which will lead me directly to the bottom
of the cliff, and that there is a cave with a spirit in it.
I finally get Josh to agree to play, and we decide to go
down to the bottom of the cliff. I want to take the
mysterious door, but I'm afraid because I'm claustrophobic,
and I'm afraid I might pick the wrong door and end up in
the cave with the wood spirit, who frightens me because he
is transfixed with my hair. (At this point it seems I
believe in the things I was "pretending" before.)
Josh and I get to the bottom of the cliff and are suddenly
in the church in Rome that houses the Bocca de Verita. This
is a round plaque of a scary face, and legend has it that
if you stick your hand in its mouth, it will bite you if
you are a liar. It was featured in Audrey Hepburn's film
Roman Holiday, (and in the film Only You with Marisa Tomei
and Robert Downey Jr.) The truth to the legend was that
there was a priest who placed a scorpion in the mouth of
the plaque to frighten schoolboys into telling the truth. I
am going over all of this over and over in my head because
I want to remember it to tell my friend Dor as "proof" that
Josh and I came here when I wake up.
Then we are outside our house on the cliff again. There is
an iceberg just off the shore and Josh and I cling to it
because I tell him we have to. I note that it is
melting/fizzing away just like the carbonated bath salts I
use. I look off to my left, and to my amazement, I see a
pirate ship tossing in the water and a volcano erupting. I
ask Josh if he can see them, thinking if he says yes it is
proof that our "game" is real. But he's not there anymore,
he's up in the house again, and I call to him but he can't
hear what I'm saying, just that I'm calling him. I get out
of the water and climb up the path to the house again. When
I get there, I open a closet door by mistake; the light is
turned on and it is all cobwebby. I wonder who turned the
light on but don't want to look to closely because the
closet looks dirty and I don't want to clean it out. I open
the other door, the stairs up into the living area of the
house, and start to climb them, afraid that I am going to
run into the spirit.
** Dream: "Get to the Airport!" by Blair (960716)
This dream is full of symbolism and relevance to my present
situation.
I dreamed that I was saying goodbye after a short visit
with Rosie B and Alison S, part of the management team at
my past employer (symbolizing my past). They were in a
semi truck on a dirt and gravel road in some woods. Rosie
was driving and I hugged and kissed her first. She told me
she loved me. I leaned over Rosie's lap and hugged Alison,
who was in the passenger seat. The hug was awkward.
Another woman introduced herself, a smart-looking woman
about 40, as the company's new director of finance. I
thought that perhaps she replaced my replacement (Later
thought--this may represent the director of finance
position I am now pursuing with my present employer). She
asked if I could take her to the airport. I agreed, but
really didn't want to.
My car, Doom Doom (my personal dream symbol for either my
past or for elegant practicality), was in a small ditch.
It had a trailer attached with stacks of Maxim, an exhibit
module material used in my present company (I had to "pull
some weight" caused by my job. The Maxim was obtained when
the top of my car was sheared off in an accident (but the
car appeared fine in the dream). Reality note: The
previous day I saw a tow truck towing a car that had the
top sheared off.
I had to figure out how to drive out of the ditch
(presented with a dream problem to solve). Doom Doom was a
low-powered diesel, and the ditch sides were steep
(representing difficulty). I walked up one side and
discovered that it was steeper than it appeared (the
difficulty is even worse than it appears). The director of
finance had to get to airport and had no time to waste
(time is critical in solving this problem or making this
decision).
I finally determined that I could abandon the trailer
(perhaps mentally abandoning my present employer or
position). The car was in good shape, the top had not been
sheared off, thus the Maxim wreckage could not be real. I
would not need it. (I determined that the "weight" of my
job on my was not of real substance).
I drove the car up and out of the ditch, then turned the
car around to look into the ditch (I had to look back and
reflect on my problems at my present job and the past). I
don't know why, but I was very compelled to do this and
overlook the ditch. In the ditch I saw the trailer of
Maxim and I saw Rich N, an accountant at work, playing
electric guitar and really rocking out. I would not expect
this of Rich.
The financial director lady then turned off the car and
pushed me again to get her to the airport (contradictory
and illogical, perhaps self-destructive--Why turn the car
off to get my attention to hurry, when turning the car off
would just slow us down?). The key/ignition was on the
passenger side of the car, presumably under her control.
I asked, "Why did you do that!?" I reached over her to
turn the key, but the starter cranked only slowly. The car
would not start. As I tried again, the battery was dying.
She again barked at me to get her to the airport. I
noticed Rosie and Alison had left (the previous job, my
past, was gone from my life forever.)
I refrained from telling her that by turning off the car
(Why was I reluctant to tell her of the problem that she
caused, but I would get blamed for?) , she will cause being
late to the airport. I recalled that Doom Doom had a choke
starter, not a key ignition. I pulled on the choke, but
the starter hardly budged. (My decision, which solved the
problem, combined with the new job resulted in a more
permanent problem!)
Still barking at me to get her to the airport, I firmly
told the financial director that she should not have turned
off the key.
**Dream: King Arthur s Court by Nutcracker (960712)
A dark cloud hangs above us. I can feel it as I stand
there alone in the Great Hall. I hear someone approach,
but am afraid to turn around to gaze upon their face. "Who
goes there?" I ask. "It is I." A voice I'm familiar with
reassures me. Relieved, he comes to my side to comfort me.
Then I hear another approach, this time on horseback.
Again, I am afraid to look. "Who is it?" I ask my
companion. "If there be only one, it be the King." I
dared to look as the King's black steed stopped beside me.
I ran my hands along the creature until they came to rest
upon those of the King. My hands trembled as I feared for
his well being. "Your Majesty." There were those who
wished him harm, as well as his castle and his Queen (I do
not know my position here, I may or may not be the Queen).
There was to be a contest. My King had a silver drawstring
bag filled with fifty silver coins. This was tied to his
silver chin length hair. If anyone found the King before
he reached a certain location (within the castle), he would
get the silver, the kingdom and would get to spend the
night with the Queen in the King's own bed. The contest
began as the King's so called loyal subjects infiltrated
the castle. I watched my King climb up an inside wall of
the castle (the walls were made of 2 x 3 foot gray stone
blocks), aided only by the help of some push pins used as a
hand hold. A difficult task for anyone to be sure, but
especially someone his age. He then disappeared behind a
secret panel in the wall to the safety of a hidden room. I
follow my fellow 'Arthurians' as they search for the King,
eager to discover all the secrets of the castle. I do not
yet fear for my own safety. I walk freely through the
castle, watching these evil men lurk about searching for my
King. It sickens me to see them scurrying down hallways,
venturing into rooms where they do not belong. Of course
there are those who are not here for the King himself, but
to plot against our country by searching the castle for
secret papers. One such man with this intention hid
beneath the dining room table, papers in hand, while the
others hunted the King. (7/12/96) #428
** Dream: Selfish by Nutcracker (960702)
A guy (Will Smith/ID4) carrying a baby and myself are
walking through a pristine wheat field. The wind picks up
and the wheat begins swaying gently back and forth. The
temperature is turning cooler now. All the baby is wearing
is one of those one piece, snap t-shirt things. Whatever
else I'm wearing, I've got a white blazer over it, but
refuse to give the blazer up to wrap the baby in. We reach
our destination and are now being questioned (interrogated)
by a higher (invisible) being. I step forward and tell
who/whatever, that *it's* my fault, and to let the others
be. After my confession, they let us all go. (7/2/96)
#403
** Dream: The Trip by Nutcracker ((960706)
I was taking a plane/cruise ship somewhere. I was waiting
in line to check in and to also check my bag. My bag
looked like a piece of softside luggage (black,
2.5'x1.5'x6"), but was really a cardboard box. The box was
coming apart in several spots and I can't believe I left
home with it in this condition. I looked around the
terminal/lobby for some tape. There are a bunch of desks
cluttered together at the back of the room and I notice one
guy has two dispensers on his desk. I ask to borrow one
and he obliges. Now back in line I try my best to tape the
box shut. There seems to be one gaping hole in particular
that refuses to stay shut and as people walk by they keep
pulling my clothes out through the hole. I keep shoving
them back inside and adding more tape to the area. It then
dawns on me that I don't have to check my bag - I can carry
it on and put it in the overhead bin. I set my bag down
and go to the check in counter. When I'm through I
discover my bag is gone - stolen. So are a lot of other
peoples. I see a young guy in his 20's stealing an empty
golf club bag cover. I chase after him, but he gets away
by climbing nine feet up the side of the ship and through a
porthole. Refusing to let him get away, I chase him using
normal means; stairs and doors. By the time I get to where
he entered, two detectives(one female, one male) had caught
him. They were dressed like in the movie, 'Casablanca',
wearing trench coats and hats. Even though the kid had
short (red) hair, the female caught him by grabbing him by
the hair. (7/6/96) #410
JUMBLES
**Dream: dreams of sunny last month...this month by LorD
1. A box of jumbo hair rollers sits beside a small trash
can...next image; a friend who wears her hair straight
appears at college with a page boy.
2. I dreamt I lost some of my teeth.
3. A childhood dream where a silver ball starts out small
in the palm of my hands, it grows and eventually
overwhelms me and I am attached to it as it floats off
into space. The space is white/blue like a morning sky.
4. lad shadow.net
5. Is there a possibility you can give me an idea of these
dreams? thank you ....Sunny:+)
== Commentary on Dream questions (96-07-28) by Narcissus
> > 1. A box of jumbo hair rollers sits beside a small
trash can...next image; > a friend who wears her hair
straight appears at college with a page boy.
I'm not very knowledgeable about hair rollers, but I'm
presuming that they're needed to create or maintain a page
boy.
In this dream, I'm looking for puns. Has my friend gone
from being straight (hetro) to being a lesbian or is she
somehow bringing out the masculine side of herself?
I'm having more trouble w/ the rollers/trash can image. Is
the box to large to fit into the trash can? Are the
changes my friend is going thru, are the changes I'm going
thru too great to fit in as a little trash (gossip)?
> 2. I dreamt I lost some of my teeth.
A very common dream. Lots of possibilities. One of my
favorite is a loss of power, toothless = powerless. Also
can have to do w/ not being able to take in nourishment.
Would help to know a little something about context, i.e.,
how old you were when you had the dream and what was
happening in yr life at the time.
> 3. A childhood dream where a silver ball starts out
small in the palm > of my hands, it grows and eventually
overwhelms me and I am attached to > it as it floats off
into space. The space is white/blue like a morning > sky.
Robt Bly talks about the golden ball of childhood wholeness
in his bk "Iron John." I wonder about this ball as an
image of a spirituality which has gone out of control. An
inflation which is keeping me from being grounded. I note
w/ interest that your nickname is "Sunny."
I also look to the pun in "morning." What am I losing as
this ball takes me into space?
I hope these thoughts are of use to you. Drop me a line
if you wish to discuss them further.
Narcissus
LOSS
Dream: NO SUN by CathV (960725) revisited
In an expansive suburban back yard, Theo (my 3 year old
son) and I walk into a doghouse and sit down. It is really
very large, more like a shed, and empty except for a bench.
I sit on the bench, in the corner, and Theo crouches down
on the dirt ground between my feet and legs. Facing the
only doorway, I notice the contrast of the dark, empty,
colorless interior that frames the brightness and many
colors of green that are across the yards. I know I am
looking across many yards. As I am looking out I hear/feel
a sound, a whirling, pulsing sound, like a boomerang,
coming up from behind the doghouse. I have no idea what it
is and as it approaches overhead I freeze in fear. I am in
the corner, my arms are outstretched to the side, my legs
are somewhat open, my son's head is down--he is pre-
occupied with something on the ground. I feel vulnerable in
this open position and know that I must lean forward and
cover and protect Theo with my body but I am terrified and
cannot move. Suddenly all light turns to darkness. We are
sitting there in complete blackness and I know that there
is no longer a sun, there is no reflective light, no
possibility of light. I realize that this is what is meant
by "In the beginning there was a darkness that covered the
world."
== Commentary on NO SUN / Part 2 by Bob K.
Sometimes the most obvious escapes us. In my dream, there
is a sense of isolation. I cannot see any more because the
Sun is gone. I can no longer see my son either. (Sun=son)
Just because I can t see him does not mean that our
relationship has ended - it will just move into another
context and dimension.
LOVE, ROMANCE & SEX
** Dream: Necrophilia by Nutcracker (960808)
David Kimball (Michael Corbett/Y&R) and I are walking down
the street, kissing and making out. We can't keep our
hands off of each other. He wants to hear me say over and
over how much I want him, how much I need him. He kills a
man so we can have sex on top of him. We went shopping and
started throwing everything out of the cart and into the
car (paper towels, toilet paper, etc.) so we can get to the
body which was wrapped in a plastic sheet at the bottom of
the cart.
== Commentary on " Necrophilia" (96-08-08) by Narcissus
What a fun dream! Sex and death. If we could only have
food (and in my dream, it is a grocery cart) then we'd
cover the waterfront!
In my dream, the man killed is my father and we're making
love "over his dead body." I'm dealing w/ some kind of
sexual inhibitions. I have to get by a lot of paperwork
before I can get to the body which is going to be the
platform for my love making. I'm also reminded of paper
napkins.
In my dream my masculine is divided between the dead and
disapproving on the one side and the insecure and horny on
the other. I'd look for a way to integrate the dead and
the quick. How can I reanimate the corpse?
I'd also want to know how long the dead had been dead. Is
this a fresh kill, still warm, a suitable platform for
pleasure, or is this body cold and hard and uncomfortable.
The dreamer does not describe the dream ego's feelings
about the corpse and the lover. Is it lust or love? Is
she aware of the horror of the murder?
I hope these slightly strange thoughts are of use to you.
Narcissus
** Dream: "I left my Pablum, In San Francisco"
by Martski (960810)
I was making pablum for a wedding. I was in love and loved
in San Francisco. Two men are involved in the music or
comedy business. When I go in to change (for dinner, I
think), when someone else opens the door, he (my to-marry
person?) can see that I am wearing lots of lace on top -- I
am pleased to be wearing this beautiful slip, which I got
in high school, party of all the negligees Daddy bought me.
I and the wife/girl friend of the second man are both fat
"fullsome" -- (these are the words that occur to me, though
plump would describe us better), in the dream. Something
about S.F. airport. I have often dreamed of San Francisco,
the airport, getting there, flying in a small plane there,
being there -- I went to school in Berkeley -- the city
has some meaning for me beyond the obvious.
PLACES
** Dream: Electric Dreams by Nutcracker ((960704)
I was in a building, like an old manufacturing plant or
warehouse. I was in one room when I came across a young
woman with short platinum colored hair. As I passed her she
stopped me and asked if I knew about the flyer she had in
her hand and where it came from. I took a glance at it.
It was info about an upcoming Electric Dreams convention.
I told her I was associated with Electric Dreams, but not
this part of it. I then told her about the web page on the
internet. She said she was already familiar with it. We
talked a bit further and then began leaving, walking each
other out into the hallway. The place was dingy. In the
dimly lit hall I could just make out the colors of gray and
salmon on the walls. We walked down the corridors trying
to find our way out. I was hoping we could leave together
(safety in numbers). The place was like a maze - you could
feel evil lurking around every corner. At one point we
turned a corner and stopped dead in our tracks. There were
two men standing just inside a doorway. Fearing for our
safety, we ran on tiptoes through the corridors. The woman
whispered to me, "Here come two more (men)," as we ducked
behind a wall for cover. (7/4/96) #405
** The Unknown Basement by BobK (960720)
I find a house on my property I didn't realize was there.
(In waking life I live in a town home - no property to brag
about) It's like a small one bedroom cottage. I enter, and
find a long stairway leading to a HUGE basement. Like its
several levels down and lit like a large
warehouse/industrial complex area. There is some kind of
clothing factory operation down there. I see piles of
clothes on many tables (like in the discount shopping
outlets). It is tricky getting down there. I wonder who
is in charge of this and ask where the boss is.
== Commentary on The Unknown Basement by Ppress (960804)
Dear Bob, Thanks so much for sending me the zine- it's
fascinating. I enjoyed reading your dream. If it were
mine, I would feel very happy to have had it, because for
me, finding another part of my house that I didn't know
was there would mean that now I have access to a previously
undiscovered or unutilized part of my mind or personality
or creativity. Because I take a stairway to the basement,
I would think that this aspect of me is being activated in
my subconscious- most probably through my dreamwork. The
clothing factory may have to do with the way I present
myself to others and my questioning about who the boss is
might reflect that I am questioning what changes I have to
make in order to claim the authority to put this new part
of me into action. Very positive dream I think!
PRECOGNITIVE
Hi Bob, would like to submit some dreams.. my dreams have
been very precognitive as of late and are getting more and
more so...
** Dream: Dying Dog & TWA 800" by Michelle K (960716)
In the early morning hours of July 16 I dreamed that I was
walking around on a very unstable surface with was lumpy
and moving and was greeny blue color... scattered
everywhere around was debris and toppled chairs like the
kind of airliners... I kept saying that I must find a place
to bury a dog... where can I bury a dog???? I was wandering
around very lost and in a daze. I could not understand the
environment nor the debris and why the surface kept
buckling and moving... I awoke to hear my dog barking.. I
went to the garage and he died in my arms.. An autopsy
revealed that he had inhaled a weed that had puncture his
lung... The vet said it was a 1 in a million.. also the
next day, TWA flight 800 was bombed and the debris all over
the ocean floor...
** Dream: Message From Mom & Uncles Death
by Michelle K (960728)
Another dream,, I was wandering thru a large building and
there were thousands of people there all headed in one
direction, I kept asking what was going on?? Most just
kept walking in one direction and a line seemed to be
forming... I was pushing myself to the head of the line
when someone said 'Your mother is coming"" (my mother is
deceased some 9 years now). I pushed to the head of the
line and there was my mother.. she was absolutely glowing
and filled with love.. She held me and I felt her skin and
touch. I cried but she said she had not come for me.. my
time was not them... to go back.. Sobbing I turned and left
the room... I awoke in a mass on the floor, sobbing. That
day I was told my uncle had died in the night...
** Dream: Neighbors and Cancer by Michelle K (960728)
A dream last week was that I telephoned a neighbor woman
and asked about a woman who used to live in the
neighborhood.. The woman told me that the ex neighbor had
died of cancer--in her bones, lungs, and brain.... I had
this dream twice... while talking to that neighbor, she
told me that the ex neighbor was going in for a bone scan
and other tests as they think she has cancer...
I have been doing much spiritual and soul study and these
dreams are coming more and more all the time...
blessings, Michelle K
SOUNDS
** Dream: "Dancing with the Ghost of the Turntable"
by Blair (960514)
I dreamed that I was living in my grandmother s house
(mother s mother). Dave M (a best friend) and Dave S
(other Dave s workmate, who I ve never met) were in the
house with me. I warned them that the house was haunted.
I expressed my disappointment that I could not use the
basement. It was spacious, but haunted.
I heard a bump under the floor in the back of the house.
The bump moved forward under the house, then to the front
porch. Dave M still didn t believe the house was haunted.
I opened the front door, which had an additional iron bar
security door.
There was an ugly monster at the door. As he inhaled, he
swelled to 8 high, then shrunk to 4 as he exhaled. I
said, "We re afraid you re going to hurt us."
As he shrunk, he introduced himself and said, "I live in
the turntable." He told me the name of a girl who put him
there, but I don t recall the name. He talked like a
munchkin from the "Wizard of Oz."
He inhaled, grew to 8 high, got ugly and growled showing
his sharp teeth. As he exhaled, he became human.
In human form, the monster was wearing a light-colored
tweed suit, stylish hat and tap shoes. He looked sharp! I
walked outside and was wearing clothes of a similar style,
but in a dark suit that wasn t quite as sharp. The
"monster," now a very good-looking human, was definitely
"showing me up."
There was instrumental music, something like "It s
Beginning to Look A lot like Christmas."
The monster and I broke into a dance that I would describe
as a cross between a Fred Astaire and Lucille Ball
performance! The monster s moves were graceful and
expressive (like Fred Astaire). He tap danced, did tricks
with his hat and cane, and smiled with glee. The monster
pointed to me to take a solo.
My moves were intentionally "gracefully clumsy"--part of
the act (like Lucille Ball). I recovered well from my
clumsy moves, but it had all been well-rehearsed. My
exaggerated facial expressions showed embarrassment and
frustration--again, part of the act.
We danced on the front porch and the driveway. The monster
tap danced back up to the front door. Dave M and Dave S
were inside. The monster approached a box on the porch.
The box was full of toys and gadgets to use as props for
the dance act. The monster picked up a dumbbell and did a
trick with it. He gracefully threw it to me.
Still part of the act, two blond girls, about 10 years old,
in white dresses and ribbons in their curly hair ran out
the front door. They playfully ran to the smiling monster,
then giggled and jumped as they shouted, "Take me, too.
Take me, too!"
I awoke wondering where I was.
My interpretation: I need to confront my fears and I ll
find that they aren t as bad as I thought. I also have a
need to convince Dave M of my views. I often play the
fool.
Dave S had the following comments:
Is he a musician? If so maybe the "monster" symbolizes
someone (or something) having different personalities or
styles of music that Bob admires. Maybe the "Lucy"
character he plays shows how he can personally compliment
the "monster's" style without stealing the show.
The basement may symbolize a deep or repressed memory,
place or idea that was hard to recover or get to (hence
,the bars) but once realized, it turns out to be much more
pleasant than memory held.
**Dream: Dream#9" by Sprock (960805)
9:38 PM 8/2/96 Victoria, Regarding dreams, I've had some
that have made quite an impression on me at various stages
of my life, of which I can remember a few details.
***********************************************************
****
As a Beatles fan (but not limited to them!) one of the
most joyous experiences I've had was earlier on this year.
I found myself floating into a room in John Lennon's house
where he recorded his Imagine album (as it appears
somewhere within the album's packaging). We talked, but
now I think of it , it was more like telepathy , about
music, him being missed, but it was so cool... no stress,
he started singing a song that was one he'd written but
not on our earthly plane. I picked up the words and the
melody, and, and as I like the sound of my own voice :),
started singing with him. He finished playing his piano
and "said" a farewell that didn't sound "permanent". It
was like we were long-lost mates who'll just catch-up
whenever it's right, then I sensed I was rushing
backwards..... ever see Dr Who and that tunnel effect on
the opening ? A bit like that only flying feet-first
backwards, all the while feeling as immensely happy as
when each of our boys were born. I then saw a dim outline
of a huge eye as if the tunnel opened at the iris and then
woke up. Man, I was so INCREDIBLY happy (and content!) I
woke my wife up to tell her, it was such a buzz. The
weirdest part is that although the memorable dreams don't
actually seem to have me "directing", that is influencing
the dream plot, this John Lennon dream, (Dream #9 ???.. a
little Lennon humour!) left me with the sensation that I
hadn't "dreamt" it, more like I was there than in any
other dream I've had before or to date. I knew in my dream
that John was dead (on the Earth-plane anyway), he knew
it, and so we just got down to it !
** Dream: "I d Rather Play my Bass than Get Married" by
Blair (960420)
I dreamed that I was talking to my mother on the phone.
She asked if I wanted to marry a lady that was the daughter
of a friend of my father s. I had only briefly met the
woman, but I didn t remember her. I replied lazily, "Yeah
... sure ... ok."
The scene changed for a moment. There was a large wedding
party. All my parents friends from Pittsburgh was there.
The crowd was noisy, but I kept hearing above the noise,
"Hey, Bob!" as my father s friends were yelling to him.
The scene changed again. My father and I were seating
ourselves in a pew in the church. We were in the next-to-
last row. I had my Rickenbacker bass strapped over my
shoulder. As I sat, I noticed the brother of my bride in
the row behind us. He had a Kubicki X-Factor, a very nice
and expensive bass guitar. He was playing some fancy slap-
and-pop thumbstyle, a technique style which I never took
much interest in pursuing.
As the time to march down the aisle approached, I got his
attention and handed him my Rickenbacker. Speaking softly
because we were in a church, I said, "See what you think of
this." I was sure he would be impressed.
He played on it for a moment. I was paying attention to
the church service, not his playing. A moment later he
gave it back to me.
I asked, "What dya think?"
As he handed it back to me, he tilted his head, snarled one
side of his lips and grunted. He obviously didn t care for
my Rickenbacker. I said, "It really depends on your playing
style. You have a different playing style than mine."
As soon as he handed the bass to me, I handed it right back
and asked, "Will you watch this for me?" It was time for
me to get married.
He said, "Sure."
I went to the back of the church where I met my bride for
the first time. She was taller than me and was wearing
high heels. She was very plain looking--dumpy and
unattractive, but not homely.
She put her left arm in my right and we started to walk up
an aisle on the right side of the church (facing the
altar). This wasn t the actual procession, we were just
making an entrance.
We got behind a drape near the altar and she let go. I
walked through. As I walked down toward the back of the
church on the other side, I heard my bride yelling and
screaming at her mother and bridesmaids. She was upset
about her hair and the dress and other things.
I had several thoughts: What was I getting myself into?
We need to combine our assets. She might want to keep her
own checking account. That would be fine. If we get
divorced it could wipe out my savings. Perhaps we could
get a no-fault divorce before we re married six months.
I continued walking. I passed my boss and asked, "Do I
have to do this?"
She replied firmly, "Yes."
At the back of the church I was grooming myself in front of
a mirror. I noticed that my left ear and was bleeding
slightly. I couldn t stop the bleeding throughout the rest
of the dream.
Then my bride was in back with me. Something wasn t ready
yet, but we needed to go up to the altar quickly. She
started walking very fast, this time up the aisle on the
left side. I noticed that her dress was off center. I was
walking fast behind her. As we entered the main church
area, people were laughing because it looked like I was
chasing her. I noticed my left ear was still bleeding.
I then started to run on my hands. My feet were in the
air. My cuffs were not buttoned and were getting dirty.
My left ear was still bleeding.
Midway through the church we passed a bar that was set up
in the middle of the church. She did something to
embarrass me. I think she stopped and I collided with her.
I was upset as I said, "How dare you embarrass me in front
of everybody!"
I calmly walked back to my pew. My ear was still bleeding.
I picked up my Rickenbacker, and started playing.
I awoke thinking that my left ear was bleeding.
My interpretation:
I see the story as a conflict between what others want me
to do (my father arranged the marriage with a daughter of
his friend, he was the life of the party, etc.) and what I
want to do (symbolized by playing my bass).
Also, there is a conflict between the way I want to pursue
my own path, and what others on a similar path see as the
best way. Dream example: The bass style that I am
developing would be criticized by contemporary "en vouge"
bassists (I still play Rickenbacker w/pick like Chris
Squire in the 70s, but I don't play thumbstyle), but I
don't care. I play for me, I make noise, and I'm becoming
very satisfied with my mode of expression. I'm not
concerned with what others think of my pursuit.
As I started to go through with the wishes of others
(started to get married) I had an "en vouge" bassist hold
my bass for awhile, knowing that I would return for it
(note that I have recently realized that many of my
bass/music goals/pursuits were deviating from the
expression that I had bee striving to accomplish, including
my attempts at contemporary techniques such as thumbstyle).
In the end of the dream I found a way to get away from the
wishes of others and went back to my own pursuit--playing
my bass in my own way--regardless of the disapproval
(embarrassment in the dream) of others. The experience did
wound and scar me (the bleeding ear).
THREATS
==Commentary by Narcissus on "Tornado Dreams" by Vicky T
(090730)
If these were my dreams, I would be joyful about how I am
becoming more and more effective in dealing w/ this threat
and assuring the safety of those around me. I've moved
from self-centered fear to fascination and concern for
others.
In my dream, the next step after getting everyone to safety
is to face the tornado. This swirl of energy, so
powerful, so frightening, may be a source of tremendous
power for me if I can learn to face and tame it. I'm
already heading in this direction.
I would try to "be" the tornado. Feel my strength and
figure out where it leads me. I would try to turn the fear
into empowerment.
I wish you joy in this effort.
Narcissus
TRANSFORMATIONS
** Dream: "Chen & I" by Chesko (960819)
Dream [I am the monk on the left, Chan]
"Two ancient monks sit side by side in a round
thatched hut. They are both in robes of earth red-brown,
this may well be before the time the Buddha came to this
land. Each comes from a village that has been at enmity
with the other for over a thousand years. Today they sit
together with the people from each village to see if some
reconciliation can be achieved. I watch the proceedings and
gradually become the monk on the left, Chan.
It appears that negotiations between the two
groups of elders has reached an impasse and general
discouragement is abroad. On the rice mat between me and
Chen, there is a black lacquer ceremonial tray on which sit
three bowls of green tea powder, white rice powder and red
lentil powder. These are offerings to the river god and to
all the ancient ones.
Chen and I are ancient ourselves, toothless and
quite shriveled with age. Our time to go back to the sea is
at hand. Since our people do not mingle, Chen and I had
never met until now. We each carried in our bodies a
thousand years of enmity for each other, which seemed to be
the only thing that kept us upright in our sitting
positions. Gradually I started to sink towards the ground.
I reached out to the bowl with the red lentil powder, the
offering which together with the white rice was unique to
my people. My trembling hand brought a fist full to my
mouth. Whatever moisture had been in my body was drawn to
the powder and I became quite limp with just enough
strength to reach out to the green tea powder. I put it
also in my mouth, most of it spilling out. This would have
taken all my water and I would die in minutes.
Then Chen, whose enmity also had started to leave
his body, started drooping down to the floor also. We
turned to each other and he started licking the powder from
my mouth. Slowly we began doing something which was between
kissing, eating the same mouthful, and returning to that
sense of delightful mouthing experienced by newborn infants
as the suckled on their mother's breast. This went on quite
some time, both our bodies started filling out, our
emaciated bodies became full and strong. Chen and I, as we
lay side by side on the floor turned into youths.
The villagers all came into the room to see this
event. I stood up, wearing only my loincloth, my body that
of a young man of 20, and yet that of a four year old. I
had a piece of clear cellophane on which were white
characters. All the people were quiet, I started to read.
Words were from a nursery rhyme by Chaucer in old English,
but I was singing the proto-words, words before English and
Laotian were separate languages. This singing was not of
words, but of a melodic chant flowing through all twelve
tones of the ancient Laotian language. When I finished the
nursery rhyme, everybody joined in a chorus which we
repeated again and again."
Some background on this dream. This dream came on
what would have been the wedding anniversary of my parents
were they still alive. There are certain presupposed bits
embedded into the dream which it is easier to say now. The
dream takes place in the arm pit of Asia, the land between
Laos and Cambodia. The village is about 100 miles inland
from the sea in a valley formed by the River Twung. More
than 1,000 years ago, two brothers, Chen and Chan, my
ancestor and that of the other monk, [we each bore our
ancestors names], dwelt by the side of the river and lived
by fishing. Early one morning their nets pulled in a great
sea turtle. The brothers had a bitter argument over the
turtle which lasted many weeks. They then decided that Chen
would move with his family to the western hills where the
soil was well suited for the cultivation of tea. Chan would
move east of the river to the gradual sloping land which
grew lentils. The two families parted, ill feelings on both
sides, and continued for more than 40 generations, never
speaking to each other in all those years. Obscurely
remembered by both families were their origins from before
the years on the river, when they lived by the side of the
sea. The sea and shore were very primitive in these
memories. There were yet no great trees, and the sun and
the moon seemed closer, the air heavier, the shore all rock
and the sea less salty. Somehow each person knew that he
carried that sea inside his body and the day would come
when the tide would be called back to the greater sea.
There was only the slightest overtone of eroticism
in Chen and my mouthing, it was more primitive, more
survival oriented.
This dream was so powerful that I thought I would
send it on.
Chesko
** Dream: Of Trees Possessed by Nutcracker (960721)
I was with Victor (Eric Braeden/Y&R) and his friend
Douglas. We were at Victor s property where he was going to
build a ranch. We were standing there (I don t recall a
house, but we were looking out a window) when suddenly, out
of nowhere, a storm started brewing. The skies were black.
It was going to be a bad one. I wondered if we should even
bother putting our cars in the garage, thinking they d
probably get damaged there as well. Directly in front of us
stood a tree. It was of medium height (25-30 feet), had a
trunk 4 feet in diameter and had millions of leaves which
were small and waxy. Suddenly, out of the right side of
the leaves there appeared a small, dimpled looking, beluga
whale. The whale looked to be struggling to escape the
leaves and branches; feet (tail) first, if you will. It
finally broke free, but was then sucked immediately back
in. Next, all of the leaves began turning color; green to
black to white, finally turning into doves (but not flying
away, staying in the tree). There were hundreds of them.
Next the doves turned into twelve ghosts (like Casper, The
Friendly Ghost). All you can see are their heads poking
through the leaves. In the blink of an eye, the storm had
passed. I stood there in awe at what had transpired; my
mind trying to comprehend all I had seen. The tree before
us now forever broken. The trunk had been snapped
completely off and was now shattered and splintered on each
end. But the amazing thing was that the treetops were
still in tact, hanging ominously above the tree stump,
while the trunk itself was levitating sideways between the
treetop and the stump. The kinetic energy surrounding us
from the storm was remarkable. I grabbed my journal to
write everything down that had happened. Over my shoulder,
Victor began reading some of my previous entries (personal
comments, quotes and observations I'd made). One in
particular, and my favorite, caught his eye. He read it out
loud. I said to him, You know, I felt like I had been
touched by the hand of God when I wrote that. It was the
most incredible feeling. I then felt a buzzing
emanation within my body. My blood flowing through me like
electricity. I took my journal and sat down to write what
we had all witnessed. My mind is racing; my hand can t
process my thoughts fast enough. As I write, I suddenly
realize that I m sitting there topless, but I don t care.
I m wearing a brand new pair of jeans, the tag hanging off
one of those plastic strings that are so annoying. As I
continue writing I feel the coolness of the table as my
bare breasts rub against it. I write faster and faster, not
wanting to forget a single thing, my head nearly resting on
the table by my hand. Victor watches me, mesmerized. I
can feel myself get lightheaded, like I might pass out from
the sheer exhiliration of it all. I feel my body start to
tip over sideways, out of my chair. I find it increasingly
hard to breathe. I take deeper and deeper breaths,
reminding myself to breathe in and out. I wonder if Victor
will catch me before I fall? (7/21/96)
(Comments from Nutcracker: Would this lightheadedness
have been the start of lucid flying had I not woken up at
that precise moment?)
====================
====================
A reminder again For ED V3N8:
As a theme for the dreams section next issue of Electric
Dreams: how about SIGNIFICANT DREAMS from the dreamers
perspective? Also, commentaries have dwindled in recent
issues. How about sending in your thoughts on one of the ED
dreams?
Sweet dreams & Hasta la vista!
Bob K.
======
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