This week I am changing my format. I am skipping the step-by-step
instructions on how to find metaphors in dreams. I want to concentrate on other
aspects of the dreaming phenomenon.
Waking dreams
I am going to present a waking dream. For those who may be
new to my blog, a waking dream is an experience one has during the waking hours
that leaves a deep impression, either because it is unsettling or because it is
exceptionally beautiful and gratifying. The common denominator of both experiences
is that they leave a lasting impression. We all have those kinds of experiences
from time to time, and we remember and relive them for days after the event
took place.
It is my thesis—repeated many times both on this blog and in
my book Always Dreaming—that these experiences are dreams. They have
the same metaphoric characteristics as the more traditional dreams we have during
sleep. And they deliver the same kinds of important messages, often
highlighting and describing the dreamer’s own internal conflicts.
Waking dreams do come to us as heartwarming experiences: a
surprise visit from a dear friend, an unexpected promotion, an achievement of
importance after a long struggle. The trouble with those kinds of events is
that we are so busy basking in our elation that we take them completely at face
value and forget to look beyond the literal event to the metaphors they are presenting
us. For that reason, when “the universe” has an important message to deliver to
us, it will often give us the opposite kind of experience: one that is
unpleasant.
A waking dream
about a fall on a bus
It seems to be part of human nature that we need a jolt in
order to address inconsistencies in our thinking or behavior patterns. I relate
the following incident—a waking dream—not because I am trying to be morbid or
unpleasant, but because these kinds of events are part of life, and we
experience them because they are trying to teach us something. Please
know that this event—which happened to a young man—has a happy ending.
Well, I have my own
car, so it’s not as if I can’t get myself places. But there’s a really
convenient shopping district right close to where I live, and I like to take
the bus because it avoids all the parking hassles. Anyway, I was doing some
shopping for my girlfriend’s birthday and had just gotten on the bus to come home.
We were getting to my stop so I rang the bell, and before the bus stopped
completely, I got up and started walking down the aisle to exit. Both my arms
were full of packages. Just before the bus stopped completely, the driver had
to brake suddenly. I went flying and hit my head on the box where you insert
your payment. I was knocked out cold. They had to call the paramedics and
everything. I had a concussion.
More on Wednesday.
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