Title: Electric Dreams Volume 1 Number 13 File: Electric Dreams 1(13) ========================================================== Electric Dreams back issues are available to the public and listed individually. For an index of Articles and dreams on Electric Dreams, See the IIDCC Research Tools area. ================================================================ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | Electric Dreams | | Volume 1 Issue 13 | | 21 August 1994 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | Please send contributions, comments, or mailing list requests to | | cbeattie@uwspmail.uwsp.edu or cbeattie@worf.uwsp.edu | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Dedicated to sharing and exploring dreams ______________________________________________________________________ Table of Contents Article Line ------- ---- Message Center 46 Poll Results 48 FTP Site 57 Postmodern Dreaming 74 Dreams and Comments 84 Werewolf Dreams comments - Bob 100 Unnameable Corpse comments - Bob 188 Castles in the Sky comments - Bob 365 Castles in the Sky comments - Cathy 391 Nirvana Again comments - Bob 408 Reptilian Genius comments - Bob 446 Comparing Lines dream - Val 472 The Apparatus dream - Val 558 Comparing Lines comments - Pamela 661 The Apparatus comments - Pamela 683 Comparing Lines comments - Bob 705 The Apparatus comments - Bob 767 The Electric Wheelchair dream - Friend of Matthew 826 The Electric Wheelchair comments - Pamela 851 To the Shore dream - Mystery Guest 876 At the Mountain - Mystery Guest 954 Articles 1040 Tarot Dream Interpretation - Val 1043 Questions and Answers 1133 Herbs and Dreaming? - Anne Marie 1141 ______________________________________________________________________ Message Center ====== Poll Results: Newsletter vs. Mailing List ===================== I've received a number of votes from last issues poll on wheter to keep Electric Dreams a newsletter or turn it into a mailing list. The overwhelmingly popular vote was to stay with the newsletter. This can always be put to a re-vote in the future, but for now, Electric Dreams will remain in its every other week, fully moderated and hopefully nicely organized format. ====== Announcing the Electric Dreams FTP Site ======================= Finally, for those of you who have been requesting back issues that I haven't been able to send, you can now FTP the back issues for yourself, any time of day or night, no matter how busy your moderator is. I haven't registered the FTP software yet, but hope to have this done by week's end. You can get all 13 issues of Electric Dreams at... sppc51.uwsp.edu. Just login as anonymous. No password required. I hope to add a FAQ on the newsletter, so if you can think of any questions that should be included, let me know. (By this I mean a FAQ about the newsletter itself, not a FAQ about dreaming in general, although I would be willing to post one of those as well.) Please email me at cbeattie@uwspmail.uwsp.edu if you have any problems. ====== Postmodern Dreaming =========================================== I'm planning a study in 1995 on using postmodern theory in dreamwork. If you are interested in any co-projects along this line or have any suggestions or comments, send to: RCWilk@aol.com or Electric Dreams Richard C. Wilkerson ______________________________________________________________________ Dreams and Comments Do you have a dream you would like to share with the newsletter? Send it in to Electric Dreams. Our group of volunteers will read through your dream and add comments in time for publication (as long as you don't send a dream in the Friday before the newsletter is due to come out). Do you have comments of your own on the dreams or commentary published here? Send that in too. Email it either to Electric Dreams, or send it directly to Cathy, our volunteer "Dreams and Comments" editor, at: cathy@cassandra.ucr.edu. If you would like to know more about the commentary core group, email me (cbeattie@uwspmail.uwsp.edu). This info will hopefully be in the up and coming FAQ. ======Interpretation of WEREWOLF DREAM (Issue 12) by Bob============== This dream may reflect that T is both angry and fearful of becoming emotionally vulnerable. The anger could be creating strong antisocial impulses, i.e., T wants to "kill" feelings that make him feel vulnerable. The dream appears to be a structure within which T's consciously unacceptable antisocial impulses can be adapted within a dream and experienced in an acceptable manner, while at the same time disguising his fear of vulnerability. T's dream mind absolves T of responsibility for his antisocial impulses in several ways. (1). First, T (and V) are "werewolves who were ecological warriors (sort of like Supernatural Green Peace commandos). We were hunting down people and corporations who were damaging the environment." T is literally not his natural self. His is therefore, not responsible for his actions. (2). Secondly, T and V are just "following orders." "We had orders from Gaia (the Earth Goddess) to destroy all those who were in our way." Again, T is not responsible for his actions. (3). Third, the mayhem is all for a greater cause. "It was a very bloody dream with a lot of senseless killing and madness, but it was all for good. We were saving the Earth by doing this." Yet, once again T is removed from responsibility for murder (because avoiding vulnerability, or at least the knowledge of it, is a good cause). (4). Fourth, T's dream mind tries to make V responsible for T's antisocial impulses, and thus again let T slip away from being responsible for his actions (feelings). "Somehow Tom found out that BJ was working at Consolidated and he had to be destroyed. Tom was reluctant to destroy BJ. BJ was _my_ friend--it was not his decision to have BJ destroyed and he couldn't bring himself to destroy BJ. It was the only time in the dream that Tom was hesitant to kill someone for the Greater Cause of the Goddess." If V makes the decision to kill BJ, then T is not responsible for BJ's death. And if V decides that BJ should live, then T is not responsible for ticking off the Goddess. Either way, T is out of the loop of responsibility. (5). Fifth, T's dream mind coopts V into becoming a moral equivocator. In the dream, Tom said I told him, "But Tom, he doesn't know he's harming the environment. We shouldn't have to destroy him. We should inform him about what he's doing so he can become one of the werewolves..." Since it's T's dream, T is projecting his own moral rationalization onto V. "Tom scoffed at this. "BJ a werewolf?! That's a joke." T is saying that BJ doesn't have the potential to change his nature. T also appears to be saying that he and V have different natures than BJ. Could this mean that T and V have more in common with each other. There appears to be just a hint of competition (romantic?) in the remark. (6). The next segment of the dream may be the most revealing. "Eventually Tom was stopped by his ex-girlfriend, Messina, who asked him, "Why do you make it your mission to destroy people? Why are you so distant and aloof? Why can't you be more open to new people?" Tom explained; "Because people destroy the environment around us. They are hard to trust." The stimulus for the dream may possibly be T's feeling of alienation. He wants intimacy (personified by Messina) but finds it hard to trust enough to allow himself to become vulnerable. Intimacy and suspicion cannot coexist together. Could this be the reason that T's relationship with M, and possibly other relationships, have faltered? T makes V a kindred soul, possibly because in their actual relationship V is non-threatening, and possibly because as long as one other person is perceived as similar, T can tell himself that his is not alone. (7). The dream ends ambiguously. "Tom felt proud and powerful. We met up with other werewolves from out of town and we danced about a huge bonfire. We were honoring the Earth. But BJ still had to be destroyed. Tom came to me for my final decision, but he never found out what my decision was because he woke up." T does not grapple with the conflict of intimacy versus vulnerability. (8). The end of the dream reflects the ongoing struggle. "But BJ still had to be destroyed. Tom came to me for my final decision, but he never found out what my decision was because he woke up." Questions don't get answered, decisions aren't made, because in T's conscious life he avoids asking himself questions or making decisions that could lead to vulnerability. Possibly the fighting and defending that goes on in T's recurring dreams may reflect the struggles going on in his emotional life. As always, if T disagrees with the above interpretation, then it is wrong. Only the dreamer knows. ======Interpretation of the UNNAMEABLE CORPSE (Issue 12) by Bob===== DREAM: "I was with a group of people I didn't know and we were walking toward a nature reserve (Smeekle Reserve) where I used to live across from. Only two other people were there that I recognized; Tom and Will. For some reason we were singing the U2 song "When Love Comes to Town." I don't really care for that song in real life, but I was getting a lot of enjoyment singing it with this crowd. The crowd disappeared when we reached the reserve. Only Tom and Will were with me." COMMENT: You're walking toward a nature reserve with strangers, literally toward your past. (Were you reserved with strangers in your past? Did you feel more secure if people didn't really know you?) I'm not familiar with the song "When Love Come To Town," but the group (U2) may be of significance as a symbol; perhaps something like Love is coming to town for you too. As for the crowd, we can't count on strangers (and our own reserve can hasten their departure). Tom and Will do not leave you. Could their personas (or in Will's case his name, represent qualities the dreamer seeks or wants? DREAM: "When we came to the corner by the reserve, I smelled something really awful--something like dead flesh that's been left out in the sun too long, not necessarily "rotting" flesh, just recently dead flesh--kinda like fresh roadkill. I looked over into the reserve. There was a mass of scattered clothes in the bushes that had been spilled out of a luggage case. And there was photographs and money (in big bills) all over the street." COMMENT: V smells a recent death is in the air, and she sees protective covering (clothes), memories (photographs), and high value bills scattered about. DREAM: "Looks like someone threw it all out their car window," Will suggested after viewing the mess. "I don't know," I told the guys, "maybe someone was attacked on their way to the airport. Who would leave this stuff behind?" COMMENT: Although Will tells V that the stuff was left behind deliberately, V wants to believe that the stuff was too valuable to be leave behind voluntarily. Whoever left it behind must have been forced to do so. Possibly, the recent death is a symbol of a recently ended relationship that V is trying to come to grips with through her dream. The memories of the relationship are valuable, and she can't quite believe the relationship ended as a deliberate choice. The clothes may symbolize the "protective covering" of the relationship (i.e. V's illusions about the relationship), and her dream mind is preparing her for her next discovery. DREAM: "The guys told me not to worry about it. We walked across the street. I slipped on something slimy and fell. Will and Tom suddenly seemed very far away but they were aware that I had fallen and I could hear them calling out to see if I was alright." COMMENT: It appears that V's dream mind has literally cast her in the role of a "fallen woman," i.e., she has erred, lost status, been overthrown, etc. What has caused her is the part of the corpse that grips (i.e. the hand) which, even though dead and severed, can still cause V. to lose her balance (i.e. her emotional equilibrium). DREAM: "I tried to get up. I was sticking to the street by a thick layer of gook. I was horrified. Before I got back up again, I noticed another mass of clothes--a grey business suit with suspenders, to be exact. I crawled toward it." COMMENT: V can't get up and away, she apparently can only crawl toward the corpse. DREAM: "As I did so, I came face to face with a mauled human head that was still attached to its body, but by only a few strands of worn, stringy flesh. It had only one eye and it was watching me. I got up immediately, frightened and repulsed. The body had been hacked to death." COMMENT: V's dream mind may be telling her that the corpse (the relationship) has been so badly damaged it can't be "put together" again. DREAM: "Suddenly, I felt something attached to my right leg...it was the other severed hand...it was sticking to me by the congealed blood. I brushed it off me. By that time, Tom and Will were with me again." COMMENT: The dream mind highlights the crux of the emotional struggle. V at some level knows the relationship can't be put together again, and at some level the relationship, although dead, still has a grip on her. DREAM: "We have to call the police," I cried, "someone's gotta know what happened here..." Tom shook his head. "No, Val, that wouldn't be a good idea. Don't you know that the killer always comes back to admire his handiwork?" COMMENT: Possibly it is V who is the "someone" who has "gotta know what happened to her." She wants an answer as to why the relationship died. The police may also represent V's superconscious [Freud's superego? --ed. note]; i.e., she wants to be absolved from responsibility for the death. V's dream mind (Tom) then appears to tell her that as long as she concentrates on the dead relationship, she will continue to be affected by it. The question of who or what killed the relationship will continue to return to and hang around her consciousness. DREAM: "After Tom said that, a semi truck careened out of control down the street towards us. We had to run. Thinking it could've been the killer, we ducked into this overgrown creek bed and hid among the lavender and cat-tails." COMMENT: The truck may be a symbol of masculine power or ambition that was out of control, and in terms of the relationship, lethal. The symbolism here may represent V's concern that whatever killed the relationship still has the power to harm her (other future relationships?) DREAM: "We were safe, for awhile. While there, my face began to itch. When I attempted to relieve myself, I spread more of the blood (now quickly drying) onto myself. I almost felt like I was going to puke." COMMENT: Apparently V can run and V can hide from the dynamics of the dead relationship, but only so far and for so long. The blood on V's face may mean she feels like a marked woman, or that she has to face (analyze) what went wrong with the relationship, even though it causes her pain. The end of the dream seems to bear this out. DREAM: "Eventually, we heard sirens. The police came to collect the mutilated body. Will, Tom, and I decided it was alright for us to seek shelter in my old apartment. Once inside, it was daylight outside and it had been months since the discovery of the mutilated body. But it never ceased to puzzle me. Who was that corpse? I had to know the truth. COMMENT: It would appear from the end of the dream that the corpse was V's relationship with B.P., and the dream mind's version of the truth may be the words of B.P.'s ex-fling, Collette. Possibly Collette is also speaking for V. DREAM: "And, then there was a long interview with Collette, Brandon's ex-fling. "I loved him so much--no--_we_ loved each other very much. And now he's gone. Well, I'm not surprised. He had to do it, you know, leave--even if it meant like this... I know he still loves me. What man wouldn't? I give everything for free and take nothing back." COMMENT: As the dream ends, it appears that V has an "awakening." She has come to grips with the fact that her relationship, and the future possibilities of that relationship, are dead, too mutilated to ever be brought back to life. "He's dead to me," I replied, "and his corpse stinks..." After that, I woke up. As always, if V disagrees with the above interpretation, then it is wrong. Only the dreamer knows. ======Commentary on CASTLES IN THE SKY (Issue 12) by Bob========== DREAM: "I am in a castle reminiscent of Cinderella's castle in Disney World. It is sunrise. I am looking out the window when I notice that the entire castle is being lifted into the sky. As the castle twists and turns through the clouds, I notice that the beams of golden sun strike the blocks and make them sparkle. On the foundation, a house alarm still stands. When I moved it went off." COMMENT: What comes to mind after reading the above paragraph is the phrase, "building castles in the air," which is generally used in the sense that an individual wants to accomplish something, but can only bring himself to daydream about it rather than take action (take risks) to make it come true. In A's case the castle lands on the site on the site of one of his early accomplishments (i.e. having a home in California), but, all that is left of the accomplishment are its earliest stages (i.e. it's foundation), the rest is gone. The symbolism of the foundation suggests that there has already been some type of loss; (e.e. the house that was built above the foundation is gone. Perhaps this is a reference to something or someone in A's past. The dream mind also seems to be warning A that if he makes a move away from his foundation, there will be "alarming" consequences. ======Commentary on CASTLES IN THE SKY (Issue 12) by Cathy====== This seems such a positive dream to me--the feeling of happiness and accomplishment at the end of the dream suggest that this is a dream rewarding you for all the progress you have made towards fulfilling your life's goals and dreams. The castle and lifting are signs of power, and the sparkle of the castle in the sun seems to stress the value of the castle and the flying experience. The landing towards your now destroyed home seems to indicate how long ago you first dreamed of going to California--so long ago the house is now gone. The flying castle seems to indicate how elevated your dreams and accomplishments now are, compared to the grounded home that was your previous dream. The alarm might be a signal that you are starting to move towards your new goal, a call to wake up to the new change. ======Commentary on NIRVANA AGAIN (Issue 12) by Bob============== DREAM: "I am at a Nirvana concert and I know Kurt is dead. The band is about to start. My sister Sherry comes to pull me out of the crowd. She says, "Don't you know you're on in five minutes? Get Ready!" I go stumbling back stage and put on some grunge wear. Someone tells me to stay in line." COMMENT: The symbolism here again suggests someone or something is "dead," and possibly because of one's own actions. It appears that A is not ready to be "on", to take Kurt's place, to lead the band. He hastily dons appropriate cover (i.e. grunge wear) backstage, and is told "to stay in line," ( a remark which is somewhat similar to the function of the house alarm in the first dream.) DREAM: "I go on stage and the crowd goes wild. I start with "Teen Spirit" even though I don't know the words (who does?). As I sing, the band jams along. At one point, I decide to break in between songs to try out a few of my own lyrics. There are tears in the audience because they all know Kurt is dead. As I sing a song about a martyr, the lighters start twinkling. The band grabs me and pulls me off stage. "You didn't follow the plan. Don't you know what people want? They can't be fooled. People know he's dead. They don't want a clone, they want to true energy and feel that he brought." COMMENT: A is chastised by the members of his band for singing just a few of his own lyrics, for singing his own song, for being himself. The band tells him, the crowd doesn't want him to mimic Kurt, they want him to recreate the energy that Kurt brought to the concerts. In the dream however, the crowd does not seem hostile to A. The question is then, who or what in A's life does the band symbolize, and who or what is represented by the crowd? ======Commentary on REPTILIAN GENIUS (Issue 12) by Bob============= DREAM: "A friend of mine had a baby. At about the age of one, it was walking around and talking. Not just talking, but making philosophical commentary on our perceptions and the "true" child-like knowledge we lost when we were forced into society's institutions. After talking with the genius for a while, I noticed that it had reptilian feet. He noticed I noticed, smiled, and said, "Shhh."" COMMENT: This dream appears summarize the conflicts in all 3 dreams, which in fact may really be only one conflict. A apparently wants to start something new. He fears loss (the house), disapproval (the attitude of the band) and the fact that although the enterprise appears intellectually lofty and avant garde, at it's base it is quite primitive and almost the exact opposite of what it seems to be. In short, A may be feeling that instead of an original creator or thinker he will be perceived as an imitator, (a clone), a lowlife (reptiles are close to the ground) and will in fact lose what he has already built-up (the house). As always, if A does not agree with the above interpretation then it is wrong. Only the dreamer knows. ======"COMPARING LINES" by Val======================================== ---------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTE FROM VAL: The following is a very weird dream--and I don't just mean weird as in silly or strange--it's a very twisted sort of weird. This dream also happens to be one of the many Neil Gaiman dreams I've been having this year. I'm still trying to figure out why I'm dreaming of Neil--I don't know him and have never met him. He's a great writer...and I like his work... perhaps I'm identifying with him on some level. In any case, this is still a weird dream. You'll see what I mean after you read the following... VMK 8-8-94 ------------------------------------------------------------------ NOTE FROM CATHY, THE EDITOR: This is a long dream so I put in some numbers and letters to help guide people through the dream (1) I was in the TLC (Tutoring-Learning Centre here at UWSP) and there was a mini-convention going on in there. Where the tutoring booths should've been, there were white tables and comic books were scattered all over them. By these white tables were the people who "made" these comics. I knew these people, yet I don't know these people--I had only heard of their names before and have viewed/read their work. Here is the list of the people that were there: Jill Thompson (a penciler), Karen Berger (an editor), Dave McKeon (another artist), Colleen Duran (yet another artist whose name I probably misspelled because I can't remember--oh never mind!), and of course there was Neil Gaiman (a writer). These people were giving each other palm readings and they were comparing the lines in their hands. I didn't want to interrupt, but I felt they were going about this the wrong way. I had to show them the correct way to "read palms." Once I started talking to them, they seemed impressed with my knowledge of Palmistry and I gave them each some pretty in-depth readings. (2) Eventually Neil (in his usual dark sunglasses and black T-shirt) turned to me and said; "I suppose now you'd like to do me a Tarot reading..." (3) He looked at me expectantly and I told him that I would, but I didn't know him very well. He told me that was "perfect" and I became frightfully nervous. By this time I noticed we were both dressed completely in black (it's sort of a habit in real life, too--for me to wear black that is) and we went out in the hallway where I gave him a reading in private...except there were people passing by all the time because it was at a convention. (4) While doing the reading, I sensed that he had the same problems I have with people. There was nothing specific about these little "problems," it was just that there _were_ problems relating. And, even though Neil in real life is ten or so years older than I am, we seemed to be the same age. After the Tarot reading (it was strange because I don't remember looking at any of my cards), I looked back at his palm. His heart line, head line, and life line were all identical and completely parallel to one another. I had never seen a hand like that. Then I looked at my own hand lines and found my lines to be identical to his. (5) Neil then asked me if I could teach him Magick (the Craft) and I was taken aback. It had to have been some sort of test. He told me not to worry about it and I felt flattered (not so worried). Then he gave me a quirky smile and said: "You ought to meet my brother..." He told me to meet his "brother" at an old library the next night. Then he disappeared and I left the building. (6) Outside it was cold and wintery, but there was no snow. I went into another building--it looked like the Fine Arts building here on the UWSP campus, but when I went inside the courtyard was a factory and, after I passed through that, I came to the library (right where my old locker used to be). When I walked into the library (through my old locker), I was delighted to see so many books--they covered the walls all the way to the ceiling! I felt safe there. In dreamtime, I stayed there all day into the night. No one else was there except for me. The books were my only company and I did not read them. I just took some off the shelves, stacked them around me like a barricade, and "smelled" them (my favorite smell is one of paper and ink). (7) After smelling some rather nice books, a man came to me. He was the exact double of Neil Gaiman... ======"THE APPARATUS" (part II of Val's Dream)======================== (A) I knew that this man must be Neil's brother. I asked him for his name but he just took me by the arm. "We have to get into the shade," he hissed, "you know ...somewhere where we can hide!" Surprised I just said, "okay," and we hid in a dark corner behind one of the shelves. Once there, all the lights went off and the only sources of light were the EXIT sign on the back door and the dim yellow of the emergency (back up power) light. (B) Libraries are cool at night. I liked this part of the dream because I felt safe in the dark corner. In real life I used to work at a library and one time, after studying, I fell asleep and didn't wake up till after closing when all was dark. I loved how comfortable, yet eerie everything is in a library after dark; that's kind of how I was feeling in this part of the dream...comfortable, yet eerie. Neil's "brother" whispered this to me in our hiding place (it's from a Roy Orbison song): (C) "In dreams I walk with you...and in dreams I talk...to you. In dreams you're mine, all the time, forever in dreams... But just before the dawn, I'll wake and find you gone..." "Who are you really?" I asked him. (D) He just smiled. "Neil's told me about you," he said as he begun to take all his clothes off, "but he doesn't know you yet because you're from the future and you aren't who you really are meant to be yet." (E) By the time he was completely nude, I asked him what he wanted. "I want to love you. I want to give you gifts. I want you..." (F) I couldn't believe it. I laughed. I looked down and saw that he had an enormous penis that pointed up to twenty inches (at least)! This was silly. (G) "But you're not wearing anything!" I protested, after laughing my head off. "What do you mean?" He asked so politely and innocently that it almost made me hurl. "Do you want me to wear a condom?" (H) I was still laughing. "Well, yes," I told him and I pulled out a plastic bag that turned into a big fiercesome mechanical apparatus when I opened it to fit it over his gigantic penis. Once this apparatus was on him, I clamped it down and twisted some knobs. As I turned these knobs clockwise, the apparatus shrank his penis down to normal size. I did not know why I did this. I guess I just had to make him appear more "normal" and "down to size." (I) Suddenly, a door burst open and two police officers came in with guns and flashlights. Now I knew we were going to be in trouble. We were in a public place after closing, he was indecently "exposed", and I just clamped a dangerous-looking apparatus on his penis! I tried to help him get dressed, but his pants wouldn't fit over the apparatus. (J) "I have an idea," he said, "why don't we both get naked and dance before the cops..." (K) This seemed like a logical thing to do in the dream. When the police got to us, they ordered us to put our hands in the air. We stood there completely exposed to them. Then Neil's "brother" took my hand, and we danced the Tango. This overwhelmed the cops with laughter and they left. After that, we had our clothes back on and everything seemed back to normal. (L) Then I was back in the hallway in front of the TLC doing that Tarot reading for Neil. I remember two cards from that reading: The Moon and The High Priestess (out of the deck I've designed/illustrated). (M) "I'm not yet your equal, but we'll get along just fine," I told him in the reading. He smiled. "Even if only in dreams..." This made me feel strangely happy and hopeful. After that, I was awake. -------------------------------------------------------------