Last Saturday (yeah, it's been a few days) I was talking with WendyW, and amongst the myriad of topics we covered the subject of dreams came up, or more specifically, the notion of 'adventure' dreams. I call them epic dreams since the best of mine (and the ones I usually remember) are indeed epic in their length and usually feel like the events therein are of great import. These dreams tend to be rare, alas, but they are certainly the most amazing and fun of dreams in my book.
It's more than just the action and adventure that make these dreams fantastic (though I'm definitively not discounting either of those as part of the appeal!) but the often-times elaborate setup that forms the core of these dreams and their plot. Sometimes convoluted, sometimes beautifully intricate, and sometimes just so deceptively simple but taken full-bore. Often something completely different enters the picture mid-way through, shifting reality but building upon the same premise, worked in without a hitch (in a way the ultimate in improv). And, of course, sometimes the absurdist notions/events/reality distortions are present, but seem completely normal and are taken equally completely at face value within the dream.
Because they are long and complex (or so my current theory goes), epic dreams often seem to reflect current events or thoughts. I've had parts of fiction enter my dreams, or bits of what I've been obsessing over (art, stories, people, objects), elements of games or gaming, feelings of powerlessness or powerfulness... a rather large gamut. But noticing this sometimes has lead me into some trouble -- "X was happening, what does that signify??"
The worst part for me is that I have epic dreams all to infrequently, if not downright rarely. Given my hectic schedule it maybe isn't a total surprise (I think I have them more often on longer-sleep nights). And while I'm wishing they'd come around more often, I'll also say it'd be nice if lots of the stuff I really want to dream about would also enter into the epic. All is possible in a dream; if I can have a dream where I do the full splits and it feels great, what about piloting a vehicle I'll never actually get a chance to pilot?
For that matter, why can't I have an epic dream to help me with my design projects? I really could have used that during university... Achem. Moving along...
Actually, I think this is pretty much the end of what I wanted to elucidate. The dream part of the Saturday wasn't really a dream part, it was a very amusing story WendyW was relating to me, which then led off onto another topic rather than delving into that territory. But that small foray obviously got me thinking about it (does this mean I'll have an epic dream about epic dreams? That'd be scary). Also reminds me that maybe I should write some of these down, if not right away but over time (including, uh, archives). I remember a few really good epic dreams, but the rest/most are just snippets now.
And they say a dream diary is the first step to lucid dreaming... out-of-reach vehicles, you will be mine!
I actually designed an entire, rather large, building/complex in a dream once and it was actually pretty cool, even possible to build...if you have a few hundred million dollards...but cool non-the-less.
I have not had any "epic" dreams in quite a while. Things have been far to hectic..even to a mental breaking point lately.
A wise older friend of mine suggested Vipassana Meditation to me help out a bit so I'm starting to learn that. His job is even more stressful than mine and he keeps pretty level headed.
J
Posted by: Jason at May 23, 2004 05:43 PMI'd just be content if all of my dreams were interesting, instead of say, doing dishes or cleaning up my office. Or the worst-- dream the alarm goes off, dream you get up, shower, get dressed... alarm goes off for real, get up, shower... alarm goes off for real...
Posted by: Wendy at May 25, 2004 10:56 AMI've also given thought in the past to starting a meditation routine, not only for mental relaxation but also for Qi cultivation. Looking at it quickly, Vipassana sounds rather similar to what is used in Ch'an buddhism -- you'll have to let me know how it goes for you. I may look into this organization more. }:)
-chuckle- Architectural dreams are not wholly unfamilliar to me, but always in observer mode, never in active design mode (unless you count this strange text-VR dream once). Did your dream end up influencing anything you were doing at the time (budget permitting, of course)? All my arch dreams with really cool spaces are never when I need them... :P
Heh, yeah, the get-up dreams can be the worst, though I've never had more than one recursion, fortunetaly. }:) I also seem to usually avoid the overly mundane most of the time... my worst dreams are usually of the "must finish task, but can't!" variety, which is doubly frustrating in the "trying to read this passage, but am not comprehending it and every time I go back to read it the text has changed" motif.
I wonder what those are trying to tell me?
What would you say your ratio of "mundane" to "unusual" to "epic" dreams is/are?
Kannik
Posted by: Kannik at May 26, 2004 11:30 PM10% mundane, 79% unusual, 10% epic, 1% nightmare? But the "unusual" category includes stuff that is either unimportant or disjointed enough that I don't remember it the next day. Mundane is a category reserved for dreaming about stuff I hate dreaming about.
Posted by: Wendy at May 27, 2004 04:01 PMBy far the worst dreams I've ever had are the Architecture School project deadline dreams. The ones where you dream you have not slept for a week and you're almost dieing and you're just not going to get done in time....then you wake up and thank the Lord that you've graduated and don't have to kill yourself like that any more. Had those upto about 2.5-3 years after graduating...and probably 4-5 of them in that time.
I remember this other Dream...seemed just way to realistic...where I was on a bus going down to the States on a Trip and for some reason me and this strange guy sitting beside me would end every stupid sentence the saying "WITHOUT REMORSE".
Himmmmmm, just way to realistic of a dream :)
Posted by: Jason at May 27, 2004 07:41 PMWendy's profile sounds very close to mine... maybe 5% mundane, 75% unusual, 10% epic, 10% unpleasant. I havent had a full blown 'nightmare' in a long while, but plenty of panic dreams, bad situation dreams, short end of the stick dreams, et al. Not pleasant, but not horrifying. }:) Unusual for me also includes the stuff that when one wakes up and thinks 'wow, that was weird' but its soon forgotten. Maybe I really should start writing it down for fun. Hmmm... especially if it leads to more epic. }:)
As for Jason's nightmares, all I can do is laugh and nod my head. I actually still get those occasionally. "WHAT? The deadline is TODAY? Tommy D will be my ONLY critic??" Never quite get the relief of 'its in the past' when I wake up, though...
You know, interestingly, I also have that trip to the States with a weirdo saying Without Remorse every second sentence as well. Also the phrases More Grease and a disturbing superhero known as Turnpike Man! in Pensylvania. WAY to vivid and realistic. };)
(But at least I got to see Falling Water in that dream!)
Kannik