WAKE UP

Interesting conversation I had at work today with a friend. I have a bit of a reputation among my co-workers for being kind of a resident dream interpreter, and he was seeking my expertise. Not wanting to violate the confidence of the dreamer/interp code that I have so conscientiously implemented, I'll not divulge the subject matter of the dream but will tell you that it was fascinatingly indicative of an emotional struggle this poor soul has been repressing for years upon years. I hope to, in the days ahead, help this individual to see that the message his dream is trying to deliver through his subconscious is one that can be quickly dealt with in the form of possibly affirmation or more likely, acceptance of the situation symbolized in the dream itself. In either case, I expect that the dream, having realized the actual message being delivered and recognized, will immediately cease. Should the individual accept the message and work through the emotional issues addressed, he will be well on his way to being more emotionally healthy and having his subconscious dreaming mind to thank.

Oh, guess what. Most of that last paragraph was just me talking out my ass. Were you impressed? I hope not. While some of it is, indeed, things I have learned through extensive reading on the subject, a lot of it was just improvised bs on my part. The reading I have done though, has been actual medical studies based on sleep studies, etc, not the silly dream dictionaries you find in your local book emporium in the hobby section. I have a big problem with those book for a couple of reasons. One, one can never say that if you dream of, for example, snakes; that snakes symbolize sex in a dream. Pooh shit. Snakes mean all different things to all different people. While snakes may symbolize sex in your dream, though doubtful, in Sally's dream they may symbolize a crazy uncle who wore Woolrich plaid and smoked a pipe. To someone else, they may actually be snakes and nothing more. Water is often thought to also symbolize sex in people's dreams. I feel the same way about that symbolism. Maybe, maybe not. Everybody is different and their brains don't work the same way.

Number two problem I have with the common misconceptions relayed in the "dream dictionaries" is that people can get a completely distorted idea of what a dream is trying to tell them. I believe that our dreams are a kind of safety net for us, a place to practice scary situations, a safe stage for us to act out unfamiliar or threatening scenarios that would not be possible or "safe" in real life. And I believe that our dreams tell us (or attempt to) when we are screwing up or if we need to look at our behavior or habits in a different way. I have had dreams in my life that have alerted me to situations that I was not dealing with or in denial about. They (dreams) can be a kind of emotional police that look out for your well-being.

If you are like me you don't often remember your dreams but when you do they seem to come in droves, like every day for a couple weeks and then not at all for a period. I always try to remember my dreams and if it is feasible or possible, I try to record them. Sometimes you will become aware of patterns in your dreams. When that happens, you can pretty much count on the idea that your subconscious is determined to get your attention.

So, even though that first paragraph is mostly malarkey (where in the hell did that word come from?) I will help to figure out the meaning of the dream. I wish I could share it with you, it's intriguing.

Hey, if you ever have a dream that you can't quite figure out, I will be more than happy to help you look at it from another perspective if I can. I'm fascinated by dreams. Please don't ask me to help you figure out why you keep dreaming that you're flying naked through your high school gymnasium, though. I got other things to do...

We lost another Great today. Wilson Pickett died in Virginia at age 64 of a heart attack. Ol' Mustang Sally will never sound the same...

STHTTMMS: On the walk into work this morning from the parking lot, it was very quiet. The stars were still out and the moon was bright. The air smelled so clean and fresh, it almost felt like Spring.