Title: Electric Dreams Volume 2 Number 5

File: Electric Dreams 2(5)

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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.

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Electric Dreams

Volume 2 Issue #5

30 March 1995

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--Back issue and the FAQ available via anonymous FTP at

sppc1952.uwsp.edu

-- Also available via America On Line:

Keyword: writers

\writers club library

\writers club ezines

--For mailing list info, subscriptions, dreams and comments

send to Cathy: <cathy@cassandra.ucr.edu>

--Send questions about dreams & dreaming to Matthew:

<mettw@newt.phys.unsw.edu.au>

--General comments, articles and ideas to Richard:

<RCWilk@aol.com>

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CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE:

Editors' Notes & Day Residue

Core Group Invitation!

Questions & Answers- by Matthew

Article: "The Meaning of Apocalyptic Dreams" by Henry Reed

Commentary: on "Apocaplyptic Dreams" by Richard Wilkerson

Discussion and Notes on Dreams

Commentary: on "The Valley, the Theatre and the Mistake"

by Cathy

Commentary: on "the two chris's" by Karen

Commentary: on "Genii-Well Prison Cult" by Karen

Comment: on Pricilla's "Hot Date" by BobC

Dream: "Eternal Task Fears" by Richard

Commentary: on "Eternal Task Fears" by jay

Dream: "control and the yellow gun" 3/12/95 by jay

Commentary: on "control and the yellow gun" by Marilyn

Commentary: on "Control & Yellow Gun" by BobC.

Commentary: on Jay's "Control & Yellow Gun" by Karen

Discussion of "control and yellow gun"

Dream: "Snow Blinded Accident" by Pricilla

Commentary: on "Snow Blinded Accident" by Marilyn

Commentary: on "Snow Blinded Accident" by Bob C.

Commentary: on "Snow Blinded Accident" by Gary

Commentary: on "Snow Blinded Accident" by Karen

Dream: "The Potholder T-shirt" 3/17/95 by Jim

Dream: "Crushing Timbers" by John

Commentary: on "Crushing Timbers" by Marilyn

Commentary: on "Crushing Timbers" by Bob C.

Commentary: on "Crushing Timbers" by Richard

Dream: "The Small Cat" by M.

Commentary: on "The Small Cat" by M. by Richard

Dream: "Field of Bombs"---A reoccurring warning dream story

by Shera

Commentary: on "Field of Bombs" by Bob C.

Dream: "The Never-Ending Gift" by Dream Warriorette

Commentary: on "The Never-Ending Gift" by Karen

Commentary: on "The Never-Ending Gift" by Bob

Dream: "The End of the Universe Cafe" by Flare

+additional comments by Flare

Commentary: on "The End of the Universe Cafe" by Bob C.

Commentary: on "End of the Universe Cafe" by Karen

Dream: "The Late Train" by Flare

Commentary: on "The Late Train" by Richard

Review: _Dream Scene Magazine_ by Richard Wilkerson

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DAY RESIDUE - NOTES FROM THE EDITORS

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We have a long issue this week and so my comments are going to

be brief. I do want to say to all our contributors that this issue is

really great and thank you for your dreams, comments and articles.

This issue spans from Henry Reed's Apocalypse to dream tips

to dreams of hot lips. - what more can I say?

Get your dreams published! We are providing two new ways to

contribute your dreams this week. See my review of _Dream

Scene_ magazine and the offer by _Monk_ magazine in Dream

Resources.

Opinons please! Do we need better referencing for our dreams?

I favor page numbers. That means the issues will be longer/take

more byte space. Line numbers in the Contents is possible, but

very time consuming and so doesn't appeal to me. Open to ideas.

We are experimenting more with opening up discussions on the

dreams and dream comments. Many thanks to jay for allowing us

to peek so deeply into his inner life and make this possible. I

considered just keeping these comments off as part of our non

public community communications, but they really do allow a peek

at a process not normally viewed and so with jay's encouragement

I'm including some of the discussion. I'd like to ask if there are

other commentators who would be willing to discuss their dream

comments off line, for them to send me a note if you are available

for this kind of forum experiment. You can arrange the degree of

anonymity needed depending on the situation.

Core Group Invitation!

While anyone who wishes may comment on dreams, we do

circulate the dreams before publication among a core group who

simply send their comments in to Cathy sometime before

publication. As we move deeper into this project of multiple

comments on dreams, the need for multiple comments becomes

more important. And so we are extending our invitation again this

month to join our core group. Anyone interested may contact Cathy

or me.

Richard

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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS - by Matthew

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How do YOU Remember Your Dreams? Next issue we will be

exploring some of the current theory on why we do and don't

remember dreams, as well as suggesting popular ways of increasing

recall. But since everyone is different, we also want to get YOUR

favorite and unusual ways of remembering! Send them to

Richard at RCWilk@aol.com

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The Meaning of Apocalyptic Dreams

By Henry Reed

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Might apocalyptic dreams serve a function for the dreamer similar

to that served by apocalyptic visions for an entire culture? Just as

apocalyptic visions have been common to religions for thousands of

years, so too do such dreams appear in individuals. What do these

dreams mean? Might therapists use these dreams for diagnostic

purposes? Dr. Mortimer Ostow, a New York psychiatrist, believes

so. He recently published a history of apocalyptic visions and

compared them with the dreams of his patients who were suffering

from schizophrenia, borderline personality disorders, manics, and

depressives.

Apocalyptic visions share many common elements. They

view the outcome of life as "a violent struggle between good and

evil forces." This struggle is perceived as the last days of the world

as we know it. Often there is some foreshadowing of catastrophic

earth changes and upheavals. Apocalyptic visions are revelations,

usually given by an omniscient source, to serve as a warning and

show the eventual outcome of the human condition. Any potential

redemption is offered by some messianic figure, angels, or demons.

Finally, there is the promise of a prolonged or eternal peaceful time

where those who have struggled will be rewarded. Out of death and

destruction comes some form of rebirth, the phoenix rising up out

of the ashes.

Dr. Ostow describes correlations with these patterns to

several apocalyptic-type dreams of his patients. These dreams might

be an attempt to regulate the disturbances within the psyche. The

alternating images of de-struction and con-struction correspond to

the process of trying to regulate conscious control within the

dreamer. A patient might be aware of an internal struggle, whose

feelings surface through a dream showing the patient's psyche

struggling with a sense of doom and destruction, followed by a

scenario for recovery, yet oftentimes finishing by giving up, being

swallowed by the catastrophic forces.

A particular case example demonstrates how one patient's

dream relays a scene of complete destruction, followed by a sense

of hope for the future, yet concludes by giving in to the

catastrophe. A suicidally depressed woman dreams that a

tremendous flood sweeps away the entire world. She tries to save

herself by staying on a boat, complete with a kitchen stocked with

food. The end of the dream, however, focuses on all the people

drowning and their various reactions to this plight. Dr. Ostow

determined that this patient was aware of her present depressive

state, attempts to save herself from this "flood" of depression, and

yet suppresses the attempt at recovery and slips back into a suicidal

condition.

Apocalyptic dreams have widespread occurrence, but for a

variety of mental illnesses these dreams have a special function.

From a psychiatric point of view, apocalyptic dreams might be an

important source for doctors to ascertain what types of medication,

if any, might be most appropriate for their patients, as well as

relaying the progress of the psyche in its process of healing.

Apocalyptic dreams don t have to mean the end of the world, but

may outline the transformation of an unbearable inner condition.

Source: "The interpretation of apocalyptic Dreams," _Dreaming:

The Journal of the Association for the Study of Dreams_, Vol. #2,

No. 1, 1992, pp. 1-14.

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Comments by Richard Wilkerson on "Apocalyptic Dreams"

How might we at Electric Dreams convert these clinical

suggestions to our use? One idea that occurs to me is to

particularize the general notion that apocalypse involves the

disintegration of the whole personality or self structures. That it

may only be a small and quite manageable part of us that is

*feeling* like its all over. How many of us had to extend this kind

of thought to, for example, our teenage daughters when they have

been humiliated at school by a pimple or public embarrassment and

weep about how their life is over? My feeling is that dreams too

can inflate their given situation and for most of us it is more likely

(or more usefully seen as) the disintegration of an old habit,

relationship or value. Given this transition to apocalypse of the

particular, what else might we derive from clinical studies? One

notion I want to pick up on in Henry Reed's article is the

polarization he mentioned that seems to be a thread in these

dreams. If the individual is leaving and old meaning, value or

relationship - it is going to leave a *gap* in the area that used to

mediate the opposites and we can predict from this a clash of the

now unmediated sides. We see the dark self and can no longer live

that way anymore, the old world collapses. The daughter who up to

that time has relied upon her innocence and the goodness of others

has been given a glimpse and that world is now gone. Thank

goodness we have an even more interesting world(s) to offer her!

And so, as Reed has suggested, these dreams may be used as maps

to our traversing unbearable conditions. In this sense the images

hold an contain us through the transition, providing mediation both

in the old value system we might be leaving as well as the new one

we might still be trying to enter.

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DISCUSSION AND NOTES

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Discussion on ED2-5Comments by Richard:

Wow, you are all great! I wish we had more time to examine and

share our approaches and comment on everyone's great work.

Karen, as you contributed so much time I wanted to focus on some

of your comments and share some observations I had. Nothing

critical, and if anything feels critical in what I say, feel free to say

so, because its surely not my intention. I'm just very interested and

nosey about the different processes we all have and so I make

comments in hopes of engaging and finding more out, as well as

hopefully instructing those who are shy and would like to jump in

and comment but aren't sure where to start.

" two chrism's dream" - the driving car as a psychological drive is

fun and useful. I usually take the image of car as vehicle, and this is

good for focusing on the vehicle itself, but can miss the thing being

driven. I tried this also on my "Eternal Task" dream and found

your metaphor helped me see that I often in dreams am trying to

drive some point home. Ho ho. This also works well with my

favored metaphor of car as vehicle and combines to display the

variety of options available in my various cars, trains, and buses.

On "Genii Well "- I too felt that the genii power ring at the well

was presenting itself in the form of emphasis. I liked the direction

question, suggestion of how to use objectivity for right action - and

this broke up a non productive inner drive I've had to blame the

journalist for just looking and not doing anything.

On "Control & Yellow Gun" . Ho Ho. I think its only fair that jay's

struggle is seen as a emotional issue as he see's my dogs as an

emotional issue. :) Interesting comments, I'd like to see them

unfolded a bit. I wasn't clear how you got to the emotional. Not

complaining, just interested in the process. Was this intuition, or

was your sense of going to the emotional realm from the dream's

images of expression or that the woman=feeling? Also not sure

whether you meant that when power is an issue, emotions are

trouble and/or when cognitive thought is present that emotions

cause trouble in general or in this dream imagery.

I liked the control/fear pairing and find this an important issue

personally. But besides my need for control is also a desire for

control that is outside of fear and more related to the pleasures of

creativity and desire to participate in creation as a co-creator. I

want control over my guitar out of fear, but out of a kind of

longing to participate and pleasure in mastery unrelated - I think -

to fear. However, in this dream, fear and control seem , as you

point out, tightly bonded.

Pricilla's "Hot Date" Being snowed? Great image!

BobC. I see you are pursuing the dreams in relationship to reality

and the larger social arena in that special way you have. Also I like

the introspective questions that lead inward, like the missing crazy-

things in "Hot Date"

Gary: "Snow Blinded Accident" I liked the car as life's course

metaphor. I didn't quite get how the window going down led away

from feeling vulnerable to self blame, but it sounds intriguing.

Marilyn: Hey I really liked that Ship coming in image!

===============

From jay to Richard:

in discussing my comments on cathy's nightmare, you say that i

leave gaps. i first look for items that stand out to me as probably

being symbolic of something (missing lots, of course). some of

them evoke associations for me which i suggest, but others don't.

so then i just point them out for the dreamer to think about

associations for.

is that what you were saying, more or less?

most of your stuff, i think i get but sometimes it gets so abstract,

or you use words or concepts that i am not familiar with, and i may

get a little lost and uncertain. like, what does this question of

yours in the same paragraph mean? richard: 'what are the

conditions that you would try to find those representations?'

i like your comment about the dream symbols giving a graspable

representation for unknown fears, a way to maybe discover and/or

work on them, even if i haven't figured them out yet. i also like

your description of neurosis as trying to over represent and control

the world. god knows i spend a lot of effort in trying to understand

and control my world. something that irritates the hell out of the

rest of my family. your description points out to me the possibility

of being more open to mystery and ambiguity and complexity and

trying to adapt a more two way give and take partnership with the

rest of the world. that's an outlook i tend to forget rather quickly.

actually, i would say that in the larger world, i adopt a fairly

passive and powerless, uncontrolling position, while it is in my own

immediate personal world that i am quite controlling, but both of

these attitudes are one way extremes rather the more balanced two

way position.

in regard to your discussion of modulating our dreams with the

work/play we do with them, it seems to me that our work or play

with our dreams can go either way, depending on what we do,

either enlarging or diminishing the energy. my goal is to keep as

much of the energy and meaning as i can handle, though i also enjoy

the pure fun and playing and discovery of it. -Jay

Reply to Jay from Richard:

About your comments on the "Nightmare". You suggested,

concerning bugs and crabs, that the dreamer try and figure out what

these things represented. I was teasing a little (and not very well,

I'm afraid and apologize) when I asked what conditions need to be

present for *you* to give up some of *your* possibilities about

what bugs and crabs represent. Mostly because I was curious what

you and others might come up with. The interesting gaps seemed

to me kind of doorways you were offering by withholding at a

certain point your personal associations, thus creating gaps or

personal spaces for the dreamer to connect with her own material.

A positive gap, so to speak.

"Yellow Gun" and "Playing with Fire:.." An interesting

connection. What happens when we take the dream as a kind of

philosophy for the day?

"Two Chrism's" dream. Yes, good feedback. Thanks. If you get a

chance sometime I'd like to hear about the difference between the

guts of a dream and the abstractions I lay across it. I'd like to do

more of this myself with other's comments too. That way we can

get a better feel for the different stuff we bring to a dream image,

and peek at parts of ourselves not usually visible. I've been talking

with some dreamers whose perspectives are a little different, and

hoping they will join us. Hopefully this will deepen the cross

comment perspective we are developing.

Being about sexual desires. I guess. But I generally am weak in

this area if you mean literal sexual desire. I prefer ( probably to

avoid the issue) to see sexual desire as an expression of the need to

connect. To return to the "two Chrism's'" dream a moment: If this

were my dream I would explore the sexual abuse of the son issue as

my dream using the son as one of my main projects in life (perhaps

what I feel is one of my greatest contributions, or perhaps an aspect

of my own self-project) and then seeing where that project is being

molested in life and where I can hear this in a motherly way, but

maybe need more fatherly protection added as an additional

ingredient.

Looking back I'm almost sorry I mentioned the therapy thing. It

seems somehow patronizing from the distance I have now. I seem

to be struggling with the incredible oneness and yet publicness of

our forum. While I want to be clear we are not offering one another

any form of psychotherapy, we *are* running around the

boundaries of potentially powerful material.

Will we have to eventually develop a kind of complex non-public

forum that is a kind of shadow to the more public ED? Just the

thought of this seems exciting yet almost too complex to live.

Puer- Senex. Sorry about that Jungian jargon. I mis-used it too.

My friend is more what would be called a Puer-Aeterus, or eternal

youth- the fool card in Tarot. This is the figure that tastes

everything but never settles on anything for long and so travels

lightly through life. There is a secret hidden Senex or old man or

grumpy king/dictator shadow hidden in this character type that they

forever flee and sometime unconsciously act out on others or

themselves. To the degree that we all struggle to gain some middle

ground between these two poles of immediate gratifications and

forever delayed satisfaction is the degree we gain some space of our

own, away or creatively related to the two extremes. For a

fantastic mythopoetic exploration (hold on to your most cherished

values) of this, I like the book _Puer Papers_ (1999) James Hillman

et at, Dallas,TX: Spring Corp. --Richard

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DREAMS AND COMMENTS

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======Comments by Cathy on "The Valley, the Theatre and the

Mistake" by Viking======

The first two dream segments seem related to me in

the sense of you are envisioning various settings and

scripts for the rest of your life. Your first image is of

beauty but this is undercut by the image of the beat up

theater. The theater exposes your role as dreamer--a

director controlling the stage and reminds you of how

dreams can just fill up a life that is beat up like the

theater.

The last segment undercuts the other two even

further. The director is no longer in charge but must try

to defend the actress from the wrong script. The director

knows the actress didn't steal but cannot convey this. The

dream seems to steal more and more power from the dreamer.

I think this could be a dream about insecurity about the

dreamer's power to shape his or her future.

======Comments on Jay's "the two chrism's" by Karen======

*IF these were my dream fragments,* I would think

about working on rifts within self and/or family as they

relate to the past. (symbolized by the repair equipment

placed outside the childhood home) In particular, I would

examine my relationship with Chris, or the Chris within me,

since this is where I have some difficulty in

communication/understanding. My intuitive side seems to

have recognized this through my feelings/emotions

(indicated by wife archetype).

This may involve some spiritual discernment. I

decide what to hold on to amongst all the clutter at the

bar (where "spirits" are served). What I receive (left

hand) also involves some letting go. The unbroken wine

glass directs my focus toward my support/foundation where

there is a truth that may lead me into higher spiritual

evolvement (indicated by the wine).

I seem to have driven some material out of my

consciousness (driven a long way, no one home during the

daytime). Though I think the trip is not necessary there

is some new learning taking place in the subconscious

(kindergarten school downstairs). This new learning is

allowed to take place when I slow down activity (i have

little to do).

When this learning is complete I am able to follow

my individual way with less assistance, and can bring the

subconscious into the front of my mind (leaving the

school, going downstairs to street in front yard). This

last part of the journey may require some hand-holding and

baring of the soul. (hand holds and foot holds in bare

feet).

When I feel tired and discouraged over this time of

rebirth (red calendar, red associated with first chakra)

there is mental comfort found in surrender to spiritual

teachings.

The presence of the older brother indicates that

the upset, confused Chris also has a

previously-established supportive, balanced aspect.

======Comments on Richard's "Genii-Well Prison Cult" by

Karen======

If this were my dream...

The objective observer within me (journalist)

acknowledges some deep unconscious material that desires

to be free. My sense is that there are some

guilt/negative feelings and a desire for improved inner

conditions.

The feeding rituals taking place in a dusty room

indicates to me that there is an old habit of negative

thought that fuels my unsatisfactory situation. These

negative thoughts have dangerous implications beyond the

individual.

Escape is found inwardly, and the spiritual goal is

reached through the right use of will (ascending ladder,

well as inner source of life opened by will, temple -

spiritual).

The genii-demon emphasizes the point that negative

thought is powerful, reflecting back on the self with a

transformative/creative force. The overall theme here

seems to be a struggle between personal and divine will.

It should be noted that the genii-demon embodies

both the positive creative force of the genii and the

negative destructive force of the demon. The objective

observer is necessary for right use of this power.

======Comment on Pricilla's "Hot Date" dream by Bob

C.======

The dreamer believes she is in an apparent dead-end

relationship with the father of her two children, a man who

she states lacks ambition. She dreams of a romantic

relationship with another student in her school, who

evidently has not shown any romantic interest in her, but

the dreamer believes she has precognitive dreams which

often foretell the future. Hence, the inference is that

the dreamer believes the dream about a romantic

relationship with the student S may be a precursor of an

actual relationship. Certainly psychic phenomena are not

to be discarded. There is too much evidence that many

people have psychic abilities. It is also true, however,

that many people who leave relationships have a need to

have a replacement relationship in place, and they also

have a need to believe that the replacement relationship is

or will be far better than the old relationship. These

needs may have been the source of the dream.

If the dreamer disagrees with the above interpretation,

then it is wrong. Only the dreamer knows.

======Dream: "Eternal Task Fears" by Richard======

My wife, Anna, and I have an unknown apartment on

the second or so floor. We have a dog, a basset hound, and

I'm lying on a bed scratching its ears. The dog wants to go

about and Anna and I plan to take him out.

Later we are at a colleague of Anna's, and I've

offered to do something for her, at Anna's warning not to.

I bring the finished project to her and there is some

unease as she is going to scrutinize the work. We are at

her house and she is upstairs in the attic. We make

ourselves at home, perhaps we are offered some breakfast

food, though we are all planning to go out to lunch. We

discuss psychological theory, perhaps teenagers. I see her

certificate of licensing on a bulletin board. There is

some concern on my part that the project is not going to be

done to her specifications, that I'll be caught in some

kind of eternal web of working for her to perfect it. I get

that "I told you so" look from Anna.

After awhile she finished in the attic and comes

downstairs. Her son comes out of his bedroom and is a

teenager going through his own-thing phase. He says

something about putting on some music and slouches down in

a bean bag chair or at the breakfast table.

We leave (I think in the therapist's car) and drive

along a highway. I see several old trains on display beside

the road and think to myself that we'll have to come back

when my sister Heidi brings her son Luke, who is crazy

about trains. But soon I'm disappointed that there are only

three or four. I do want to remember the spot and look

around. We are on some kind of island near San Francisco,

but its too far north in the Bay to be Treasure Island, to

flat for Tiberon and too close to the city to be the Delta.

=======Comments by jay on Richard's "eternal task fears"

dream=====

i'm stuck in a rut right now. everything looks

like a male/female conflict to me.

this feels to me like it's about demands imposed on

me by a female figure, either internalized, or parental, or

spousal. there's a nice dog in the dream who wants to go

out. is that myself? perhaps the task is that of editing

electric dreams. the colleague's son and my sister and her

son make me think of my own childhood. my dream symbol

book suggests that islands can represent isolation and/or

an overconcern with the sea of unconscious. trains, for me

are a symbol of great self contained power. but there

aren't as many trains as i would like there to be.

==================================

Discussion on "Eternal Task Fear's" dream

==================================

Richard' s reply to jay:

Speak about troubles with the feminine! I keep ruminating about

why this figure is female. Is it because I secretly desire what she

represents (Cold, efficient, attractive, worldly, empowered,

productive, socially invested) ? Is she female because I harbor the

fantasy of having these qualities not by working for them (then she

would have been a he?) but getting them by sleeping with them, a

magical sexual having, a possibility of mating with these opposites?

Well, I like this interpretation and will try it out. I am trying to

bring her, in the dream, back to my home in San Francisco from her

(as you mentioned) isolated island. However, the isolated place has

trains (my 3 year old nephew's passion) and I mark the place

mentally so I can return with him. Cool. This woman won't kill me,

but I do have to be careful about her assignment of tasks. I just

want a business affair with her, not marry her, and to make sure of

this, my wife is with me keeping an eye on the situation. Hmmm.

======Dream: jay's "control and the yellow gun"

3/12/95======

a (i wrote 'i' instead of 'a' by mistake when i was

recording this dream) woman has a yellow gun. she is

stalking others. i am trying to figure out what she did

with it. it is a contest between us. the contest is about

who has, or thinks they have, control of the situation.

she is tricking me into thinking i have control when she

actually does. that is how she will be able to shoot me or

others. she is very sick-o.

earlier, just before she starts the stalking, she

observes, but can't actually see me, because of the angle

of view, as i proudly pee into a sort of big peeing

box/room, sort of like the shooting galleries at a

carnival. end of dream

i already have some ideas of what this is about,

but would like, as usual, to see what meanings others see

in this dream. thanks.

======Marilyn's comments on jay's "control and the yellow

gun"=====

Sounds to me as if Jay is attributing penis envy to

someone ... but he gives the woman with the yellow gun the

"real" power so maybe the dreamer has yellow gun envy.

The carnival atmosphere may be right.

======Bob C.'s Comments on Jay's "Control & Yellow Gun"

Dream=====

The color yellow has many connotations in dreams:

e.g. cowardice, sunshine, Oriental, gold, etc. In the

dream a woman has a yellow gun (phallic power?) but

pretends the dreamer is in control. The dreamer feels that

she is attempting to manipulate him, and if she succeeds he

will be shot. It would appear that the dreamer may feel

that a woman is attempting to emotionally castrate him

(i.e. the "gun" should be in the possession of a man, not a

woman) in a covert manner.

If the dreamer disagrees with the above

interpretation, that it is wrong. Only the dreamer knows.

======Karen's Comments on Jay's "Control & Yellow Gun"

Dream=====

If this were my dream ... I would ask the question,

"Do I have control of my emotions, or do they control me?"

My sense is that I have been carefree in expressing

my emotions and am proud of my ability to do so. However,

I may have mistaken the uninhibited expression of emotion

for emotional control.

Some other possibilities -- (Only the dreamer knows for

sure.)

Emotions are able to "shoot me down", draw me into

conflict, or gain control at the point when my desire for

personal power is foremost in my thoughts.

If I allow cognitive thought to dominate, then

emotions will begin to stalk me.

Additional Comments: Another idea about this dream just

struck me this morning ... When I feel like I am in control

of my fear (represented be the yellow gun) it is actually

fear that is controlling me ... because the need for

control is an expression of fear.

Thanks to the dreamer for sharing this one. I've

gotten a lot out of working with it.

===========================================

Discussion of jays "yellow gun" dream

===========================================

From jay:

>>>>

some initial thoughts on jay's 'yellow gun' dream

(richard suggests imagining the gun in other colors.)

is there another color gun you feel would be particularly fruitful?

i imagine yellow links it back to the peeing somehow. yellow seems

pale and sickly and sneaky and tricky, you can see through it, it's

unsubstantial, hard to get a hold of. other colors don't fit to me,

except perhaps a pale envious evil green. other colors seem too

bright and substantial and cheery and normal real world.

my first reading of this dream is that it is another male/female

persona conflict, as i thought cathy's 'nightmare' dream was. only

here, the feminine is the enemy. i feel this is about how the

feminine, which is the persona i have favored in many respects for

much of my life, is fighting to retain control of me. she doesn't

want me to know that she has taken me over, she wants me to think

that i (the male persona?) am in control even though it is really

she. she wants to kill my male persona.

notice how i start out proud of my maleness and that is when the

feminine aspect starts trying to take over. i think this goes back

to my childhood and my accepting my mother's views over those of

my

father to a large degree.

my conscious self still sees much of the feminine that i value and am

not currently willing to give up, yet i can see this may be causing

injury to myself in denying so much of my maleness. ideally, i

would

like to retain the best of both. but perhaps that is simply refusing

to decide and therefore still cutting off much of the good in my

masculinity.

to honor this dream, i made a card board cut out yellow gun. i am

unsure about what, if anything, i want to shoot with it.

<<<<<<

Reply by Richard:

OK, let me see if I'm following your take on this dream: There is an

essential question as to the right balance between masculine and

feminine, and even a question that holds the possibility that this is

not something that can be balanced but might create a parting of the

paths.

Yes, she stalks not just you, but a particular you/aspect of you. As

you say, its a part that she can get only when she has fooled you

into believing you are in control. That's the part she gets off on. For

some reason that is the only part she stalks, though unknown others

are mentioned. What was that pop song, Buttercup Baby? "Why do

you set me up, Buttercup baby, just to let me down..." The

feminine sets you up and then takes you out. The feminine? The

stalker is gender-wise a female, but its not clear here what the

feminine represents to you, except as an opposition to the

masculine. Hmmm, maybe this is the dynamic that sets up the

opposition. Not just for you, but for all of us. To the degree that

feminine is a kind of unknown defined in terms of its opposite,

which itself is somewhat unknown (these days), then there is always

going to be a struggle. But I doubt re-definition is going to change

the habits of this dream stalker. I'm curious about just what it is she

gets off on. Is her pleasure in knowing she has the upper hand

without the victim knowing it, or in killing itself? That is, does she

want to kill the male persona, or torture it?

Its also not clear to me who the dream ego is, except a gender-

male. What mask is the dream ego wearing here? Later, there is the

pride around peeing (why at a carnival and not a public toilet?), but

I missed the male pride at the beginning of the dream you

mentioned. Was that a feeling on the part of the dream ego at the

beginning? I'm assuming its the control (via guns) that you are

defining as masculine, and she is contending this?

And yes, isn't that childhood connection to mom's persona

interesting.

The Jungians are big on people being able to separate mom and

anima, otherwise the anima who should lead us into the unknown

just leads us into regressive states of too much nurturance,

indulgence, stagnation. This dream stalker seems to have little

connection with nurturance, and as you mentioned, seems to be

setting up a masculine/feminine conflict that may serve as a creative

doorway to unknown territory, a more carnival like place to direct

the release of tension. Just some reflections. -Richard

Reply by jay:

richard asks what feminine and masculine represent to me. despite

the fact that the feminine figure appears to be evil in this dream,

feminine usually is mostly a positive constellation for me, with

positive qualities such as soft, caring, loving, sensitive,

non-competitive, open, understanding. doing stuff like dream work

seems feminine to me. possible negative qualities might include

restricting, manipulating, sneakiness.

for me, masculine has many negative qualities, such as, dominating,

hurting/subjugating, selfish, insensitive, uncaring, destructive,

bullshit, pecking orders, business world, military. hmm, this sounds

like quite a onesided outlook. positive masculinity, for me, would

be strength used in the cause of good and for others. so you can

see why i say that i value and identify with a lot of stuff which i

think of as feminine.

this makes me sound kind of brain washed, just like the

psychological contest for control in the dream. have i become a

pawn of the females in my life? not so much in terms of which

values i consider good or bad, but rather, perhaps, in assigning all

the good ones to the feminine and all the bad ones to the masculine.

richard asks what is the dream woman's goal. i feel it is simply to

dominate or be in control of me. that may imply killing the male

psyche, if necessary.

richard asks about the feeling of pride at the beginning of the

dream. i think was just a natural unfettered feeling of self worth,

a feeling of ok-ness with myself, the way i am, prior to the

time of domination by the feminine disapproval of masculine.

after my initial comments and before i received richards comments,

i did some further thinking about this dream which i wanted to

relate.

for one thing, it occurred to me that the contest between the

woman and myself could also be looked at as a contest between my

unconscious feeling self and my conscious thinking part, in which

case, it becomes less clear to me who the good and bad guys are, if

either is.

it also came to me that it seemed as though, while the woman had

control of the gun, it seemed like quite a masculine symbol, being a

gun, and being urine colored, linking it back to my peeing.

in working with what i wanted to do with the gun, i first decided

that i didn't want to shoot anything with it. i thought about

throwing it away or destroying it, but didn't want to do that either.

i wanted to put it to a good use. i thought of swords into

plowshares and liked that as a symbol of male power put to good

use. finally, since i said i wanted to retain the best of both the

masculine and the feminine, i thought of a carnival merry go round,

as a symbol of the masculine and the feminine circling and

intertwining and playing in tension with each other as takes place in

life. so i drew pictures of a plow and a merry go round on my gun.

--jay

======Dream: "Snow Blinded Accident" by Pricilla======

This dream has been bothering me and making me feel

very cautious and paranoid.

The dream was me driving in the night, there was a

lot of snow on the ground, I was just cruising around with

my friends, I remember next to me was M. and we were just

joking about crazy things. Then all of a sudden she

rolled down the window and a lot of the snow came in and

landed on my face making it hard for me to see the road

and of course I crashed. I felt the windshield glass all

over my face and the pain with it.

What is this all about?

======Comments on Pricilla's "Snow Blinded Accident" by

Marilyn======

If this were my own dream, I would take one

possibility to be that "M" could be the potential source

of a breakthrough for me, that it might be cold and

cutting and painful but that it was important. More

important than cruising around, which suggests maybe going

nowhere. Not joking at all, which means it is about more

serious concerns. Rolling down the window not only lets

things in; it also allows you to see more clearly, even

though snow came in to obscure your vision.

Perhaps "M" is a link, symbolically or literally,

with something you need to see better in yourself.

======Comments on Pricilla's "Snow Blinded Accident" by Bob

C.======

The dreamer is driving around in the dark. A friend

makes her vulnerable by removing her protection (i.e.

opening the window). That in turn leads to the dreamer

being blinded by snow (is the dreamer in an emotionally

cold environment?) and she crashes. The dream may be

making a statement about the dreamer's relationship with

M., with friends, or about her present emotional

environment. One major key to the dream is missing; i.e.

what were "crazy things" that the dreamer and her friends

were joking about. It is often the "nonsense" in a dream

that is most important.

If the dreamer disagrees with the above

interpretation, then it is wrong. Only the dreamer knows.

======Comments on Pricilla's "Snow Blinded Accident" by

Gary======

The car is a symbolic meaning, showing the course

in life, you wish to take. When you are Joking means, that

you like to take life fast, and fun.. The window going

down, means that you are afraid to be like this in front of

some one/friend, because you feel that if something

happens, you will blame your self...

======Comments on Pricilla's "Snow Blinded Accident" by

Karen=====

If this were my dream...

I would want to examine my relationship with M.

(This includes the part of myself that is like M.) There

seems to be some underlying cool feelings that are

currently unknown to me, and are painful to face. Am I

"being snowed" somehow and going off course?

======Dream: "The Potholder T-shirt" by Jim======

Date: 1995 March 17 5 am, the only dream I recorded on that

date.

I was looking at some items in a computer. I was in

a moderately-sized house with plain looking furniture, and

the computer was sitting on the kitchen counter. I was

sitting at the computer facing the cabinets and the oven

and burners. I was looking up something with a keyword

search. This was because a woman was in there. I don't

remember her image that well, but she looked like a

moderately tall light-haired woman about my age, fifty

years or so. She was asking about something that would

protect her from heat and would be suitable to wear. I

hunted on the computer for it, looking all over the place,

but don't remember the words she used.

I was looking up various combinations of words for

text in the computer. All at once she came out and showed

me this item that looked like a T-shirt but was as thick as

a sweater. It was not complete and had some unusual

features. It was made of potholder material, and was in the

shape of a T- shirt with a wide collar. she put it on and

said it would be great for the kitchen because it would

protect one from spattering food. I did see that it looked

a little small for her, especially in the bust area. It

seemed to be incomplete at the top where it made a v

neckline. I told her I would like to wear such a thing on

a cold winter day, because it was warm, although I thought

it would also be scratchy. But I would feel awfully hot

with it on a hot summer day. She was showing this to me

because she wanted to please me.

When she entered, I hurriedly got the information

off the computer screen. The computer had some personal

things on her, maybe something involving the number 400. So

when she entered, I quickly iconified the screen.

=====Commentary on "The Potholder T-shirt" by Richard =====

If this were my dream I would be interested in who this woman was

to me and how I might be able to use my computer (real or

metaphorical) to help find her some suitable wear for the task she

seems about to undertake. Since there are so many cooking images

here I'm going to use an alchemical map. If you are not familiar

with this, I see alchemy as the art of turning base material into finer

substances via experimental processes. One of the finer substances

we cook up is ourselves. In alchemy, the person preforming these

transmutations needed an opposite gender assistant, called the

soror, or sister. The substances cooked were dangerous and

involved a lot of heat. Here, in this dream, the pair searches for the

appropriate clothing. Its a tricky symbol, clothing, because it serves

not only to protect, but also to display and thus both reveals and

conceals. Here the emphasis is on protection, though comfort and

fit and fashion also enter in. What about this bust issue? If this

were my dream I would feel a conflict between what is available in

clothes and the woman that has to fit in them. A conflict of

constriction around the breast. Another complex symbol, ranging

from early issues of just about everything; nurturance, hunger,

anger at not getting, love image, power, depression, self concepts,

on and on to more adult issues of attraction of others and

performance as mother, pleasures of sharing, even nuisance and

threats. Its nice that in this dream the bust area is only a slight issue.

(Also, the bust area is the chest in general, the heart, the heart

chakra, the lungs, the upper body...). Anyway, she is either a little

generous there or the clothes are a little stingy with her.

But who is she? If we take her as the soror, the cook's helper, she

offers herself as a kind of helper that knows how clothes can be

used. What happens if we see clothes as persona, as the way we

present ourselves to the world? This allows her to both represent

me as the way I present myself and also to be the one to give good

advice on how to present myself.

When the computer comes in, the boundaries become confused.

There is personal stuff on the computer that she is not allowed to

see. But its *her* personal stuff. Who is it for? The 400 might

indicate that it is 4 hundred, for hun dred. Hmmm. Can't quite get

to that. It is interesting that there seems to be a need to have the

boundary here. She is not allowed to see (her own personal stuff)

what is on the screen and it is iconified. I would be interested in

knowing what would change if she did see this information, i.e.

would she be mad, depressed, shocked?

Also, since I'm looking at this as a kind of "what's cookin'?"

metaphor, perhaps the 400 makes a nice closing question. What is

cooking? What is it 4? It seems to be a partnership approach to

presenting oneself to ...the great meal!

======"Crushing Timbers" dream by John======

Last night I had the following dream. I think it is

significant because it was very vivid.

My wife and I were settling into a new apartment

which over looked a shipping harbour and wharves. While my

wife was doing something else I looked out the window and

saw a ship coming in that was clearly going to crash into

the wharf. I called my wife as I watched the ship plough

into the wharf. I vividly remember the timbers cracking and

breaking as the momentum of the ship pushed it into the

wharf.

I have never had a dream quite like this. The

apartment was not like any apartment we have lived in, and

I have never had a dream featuring a ship or a wharf, or

this type of accident before. I would appreciate any

comments on helping me understand this new dream.

======Comments by Marilyn on "Crushing Timbers" by

John======

Some possibilities:

1.You may be anticipating your "ship coming in" but not in

any positive sense; you may be apprehensive about some

future event.

2. You may just be wondering what's coming next.

======Comments by Bob C. on "Crushing Timbers" by

John======

The dream could be a metaphor. When (the

dreamer's?) ship comes in the dreamer fears it could

destroy the "home" or wharf where it should be the most

secure. The fact that the dreamer is seeing the ship crash

into the wharf from a new apartment, may indicate that the

dreamer faces a potential or actual change in some area of

his life in the near future which is of concern to him.

If the dreamer disagrees with the above

interpretation, then it is wrong. Only the dreamer knows.

======Comments by Richard on "Crushing Timbers" =====

I like the comments already offered on this dream about one's ship

coming in. If this were my dream I would take this image and write

a small essay/story exaggerating the ship crashing in. I would write

about what would happen if all my ships began crashing in, all my

desires began to unfold too quickly and threaten my wharf. Cool

dream. Thanks.

======Dream: "The Small Cat" by M.======

Day: weeks ago....

The dream... The small cat...

I was a magician in my dream and I was flying

around in a room above my city. The whole city could fit in

the room. It was like a model. In reality, it should have

been much bigger. I had crazy eyes and I had a kind of

panicked feeling as well. I did not feel this but the eyes

of the magician suggested that. Then I reach the ground. I

see I stand in front of the house. Two wolves ran towards

me to attack me. A man next to me killed both of them. I

could not see this but the remnants of them. First wolf was

converted into a chicken meal in a container. The second's

bones appeared lying on the ground. I concentrated heavily

as if to use my willpower to produce a miracle. As a

result, both remnants were converted into two little small

cats. I felt good. I gave one cat to the woman who lived in

the next house and I kept the other one.

Comment: In the same night, my mother dreamt that she blew

her nose and what came out finally became a small tiny cat.

She was surprised and did not dare to touch it...

Associations:

Crazy magician: came up in earlier dream, I thought it

represented the inability to live more fully. That is why

it was flying. The view that everything can be

accomplished with sheer willpower.

My city: I visited it in other dreams. But this time it was

very small... I feel emptiness in the city. It was a little

bit dark.

Cat: I was very young when I patted a cat. I have not done

it for a long time. Very positive feelings. Innocent cat.

In front of the house: It reminded me of a story where a

bandit came and raped the owner's wife in front of him.

The owner suffered because he did not dare to intervene.

====Comments by Richard on "The Small Cat" by M.====

A small cat, but a big dream. If this were my dream I would be

interested in the transformations taking place and consider

experimenting with how this both *is* occurring and *might*

occur.

Transformation 1: condensation and representation: My whole city

into my room. How do I take in the world in ways that allow me to

fly around it by will? In what ways do I represent the world (fantasy

self world or material world or spiritual abstract world) that make

me crazy but give me control and vision without feeling? Here is an

important issue to me. If I am going to be occult- be involved in

the world of power - I need to be in close contact with my desires.

If the magic I'm interested in is illusion and slight of hand, then I

need to be in contact with the desire of others. In this dream, I feel

at this point able to find ground, but must test reality in a distant

way.

Perhaps this sets up the attack. The hungry(?) wolf, often an

image of hunger and desire rebounds in double dose. How do I

feel? Its unclear, but the man next to me kills both of them. I like

that metaphor, The Man Next To Me. Here he performs a task, but

the motive is not clear. Does he repress the attacking wolves, or is

he the one that can deal with them in a higher sense?

Transformation 2: Raising of the dead. Wolf remnant to tiny cat.

Do we have any Santorini or Zombie experts looking in? What is

the religious significance of reviving the sacrifice? Anyway, we

move from hostile canine to domestic feline via willpower and

miracle. One is fowl food, (ho, ho) and the other skeletal remains.

And cats are the mother's breath, if we follow the associations

given.

There is an incredible self confidence in this act. I would take it if

this were my dream to be an indication of either a high degree of

self awareness(that some part is aware this is a dream state of being

in which this is possible), that there is a great connection between

desire and manifestation or that I was highly grandiose. I'm

assuming a middle ground for myself - and that the final

transformation is somehow involved in turning destructive wolf

energy into something that can be both shared and kept to oneself. I

might wonder if this was just my fantasy of a process of life as I

see it, or is it also the way I want it to be? Both paths look

interesting. If this were my dream commentary, I would realize it

just touched the surface of a very complex dream. Thanks for

letting me wander around.

======"Field of Bombs"--A re-occurring warning dream story

by Sera======

Note: Shera has noticed having re occurring warning dreams

over the year, this is one of the latest. Two days after

the dreams, there is an unexpected event.

On Sunday, Feb 26, 1995, I dreamed the following:

Several people are on a green grassy field, which

is comprised of gently rolling hills. My sense is that the

gently rolling hills have been eroded by weathering over

the eons, making the soil rich and fertile -- ideal for

growing crops. The green is a true green, which to me is

lighter than fully mature grass, but darker than spring

growth.

The people are not farmers; they are not dressed to

be on the field and so their appearance there is out of

place.

An airplane approaches from the left side of my field

of vision, but it is not all that important because what is

happening is that the airplane has dropped bombs on the

field. I watch the bombs explode on impact, from a hilltop

where I am protected by a structure with a roof on it.

The people look in the direction of the explosion

and begin to run away from the area where the bomb hit. At

least one person (a man of middle age) runs under the

shelter with me. Another bomb is dropped and it explodes,

causing people to run even faster for shelter.

I have dreamed of bombing runs for about 17 years.

Over the years I have come to recognize that this dream

means that in two days I will experience events that will

cause me to eventually explode (releasing angry feelings)

or to be overwhelmed by another emotion. Try as I may, I

have never been able to alleviate the emotion beforehand

because the event that triggers me ALWAYS -- and this is

the odd part to me -- comes as a surprise and is

overwhelming. I am cool, calm, and collected until day two

when either THE event occurs, or events start occurring in

a snowball effect and a period of emotional upheaval

ensues.

The events that followed the dream described here were:

Day two, Tuesday: My office did not get my timesheet fax

from the previous Friday, so I had no paycheck waiting for

me; (because I had the dream, I worked through my feelings

of frustration to a satisfactory resolution and did not

explode in anger, as I would have many years ago)

Wednesday: Ticket for non-moving violation;

Thursday: Ticket for non-moving violation;

Friday: Immune system suppressed from the stress -- sinus

infection;

Saturday: In a funk (feeling blah);

Sunday: Just ok;

Monday 3/6:Took messages off our computer phone line. One

message was from the (A mid west) Police Dept. (I live on

the West Coast) and another from the **** County Medical

Examiner's Office, informing me that my 51 year old brother

died on Friday, 3/24 TWO DAYS before my dream -- in his

sleep. His psychiatrist informed me that he had a heart

condition and his heart stopped; neither my sister nor I

were aware he had a heart condition, meaning that his death

took us totally by surprise.

======Comments by Bob C. on "Field of Bombs"--A reoccurring

warning dream story by Shera======

The dream begins with a very peaceful pastoral

scene in a field, but there are people who don't belong

there. The people are attacked from the air (bombed). The

dreamer stands at a distance from the bombing and is merely

an observer. The dreamer then notes that this type of

dream seems to be an omen of frustrating or tragic events

that will occur in the near future. The dreamer gives as

examples the fact that after this particular dream she did

not receive a paycheck because a faxed timesheet did not

arrive at its destination, she received two traffic

tickets, and her brother died unexpectedly from a heart

condition. It is possible that the dream and similar dreams

are prophetic.

If a dream is prophetic, then that is its

interpretation. An alternate interpretation is that the

dreamer, like the people in the field, feels she doesn't

belong in or is entitled to a serene environment. In the

dream the dreamer detaches herself from the tragedy around

her. She is distant and protected. In her conscious life,

however, the dreamer has troubles. Most of the troubles

the dreamer notes, however, were either due to the

dreamer's actions, or to her failure to act. People who

send faxes know or should know that faxes are not always

successfully received. With important documents such as a

timesheet, it might have been prudent for the dreamer to

call to ensure that the timesheet arrived. Although no

information is given regarding the traffic violations, they

are often avoidable. Many deaths are sudden. Sometimes,

however, the subconscious receives the subtle signs of

illness (e.g. a change in breathing patterns, skin color or

posture) that the conscious resists.

In the dream a middle-aged man seeks the protection

of the dreamer's shelter. This dream event may be

connected to the death of the dreamer's brother, i.e., at

the subconscious level the dreamer realized her brother

needed help. Thus, what may have occurred is that a

particular emotional state creates a dream that is composed

of bits of repressed knowledge, and the dreamer later

manifests in her behavior aspects of her dream. In effect,

the dreamer's post-dream behavior makes the dream

"prophetic."

If the dreamer disagrees with the above

interpretation, then it is wrong. Only the dreamer knows.

======Dream : "The Never-Ending Gift" by Dream

Warriorette======

I was walking home from class late one afternoon on

a bright, sunny day. I was carrying a large gift bag in my

left hand and had no backpack( kind of strange for

returning from class). The large gift bag was from my

Spanish 301 instructor( a woman). I saw my friend Sally

coming up to me and I asked her to open the bag with me.

We sat down on the grass in a patch of sunlight and opened

the bag. There was a lot of tissue paper inside. It was

lavender and the outside of the bag was Christmas-colored.

Underneath the tissue papers were tons of clothes! All of

them were spring fashions and were brand new( all my size,

too). There were no shoes in the bag, but I found a neat

pair of sunglasses inside( I had just lost both pairs that

I owned over Spring Break and I bought a pair just like the

ones I saw in the bag the next day, although I didn't

really think of that until just now).

We kept on pulling clothes out of the bag. There

was no end to the clothes inside. They just kept on coming

out and coming out. I started asking my friend Sally which

ones she wanted to keep. When the dream ended( and I woke

up), we were still trying to find the bottom of the bag.

======Comments by Karen on "The Never-Ending Gift" by

Dream Warriorette======

I wonder what associations the dreamer has with the

Spanish teacher. If it were my dream I would think about

what part of myself is like her since she is capable of

bestowing large gifts.

The dream has many positive images. There is a

feeling of awareness and integration. I am not burdened by

the past or carrying any extra baggage. I am bringing

spiritual gifts into the open.

My sense is that I am excited by the endless

possibilities, and at the same time recognize my need to

protect myself from becoming overwhelmed. These ideas

are new to me (spring clothes), and because I lack a

spiritual foundation/ understanding (no shoes) I need to

filter the light to make it manageable (sunglasses). I

can call on the qualities embodied by Sally to assist me in

deciding what to keep -- what to develop.

Bravo to the dreamer for the waking life purchase

of the dream sunglasses! It is important to honor our

dreams in waking life (even if we didn't realize it). And,

of course, bravo to the dream for such successful

communication.

======Comments by Bob on "The Never-Ending Gift" by Dream

Warriorette======

In the dream the dreamer received a gift bag from a

female Spanish instructor which she is carrying in her left

hand. The symbolism may be connected to a woman in the

dreamer's life who is not well-known or at least not known

as a social friend, (Spanish being a "foreign" language)

who is an authority figure (i.e. teacher). The "gift"

appears to be a message from the dream mind about the

dreamer's vulnerability. Clothing is protection, and the

stranger has given the dreamer so much protection the

dreamer cannot get to the "bottom of the bag," i.e. cannot

get to the "bottom of things" or to the reason she was

given so many items of clothing. In some way the dream is

telling the dreamer she has to change, or at least change

her outside appearance.

There are no shoes in the bag, so even if the

dreamer changes her outer appearance she still has to find

her own means of covering (protecting) her feet

(foundation) which will also giver her the means to stand

up or stand on her own two feet and to walk in whatever

direction she wants.

As always, if the dreamer disagrees with the above

interpretation then it is wrong. Only the dreamer knows.

======"The End of the Universe Cafe" by Flare=====

it's late afternoon and i am going to meet with my

friend, george marin. he's a really good friend and we're

getting together to meet and discuss some plans of ours.

he tells me that we are supposed to meet at the End of the

Universe Cafe. i get to the cafe and go inside to look for

him.

when i enter the cafe, i notice that it is pitch-

black inside. all i can see are some very dim lamps that

are globe shaped and sitting on each table inside the

restaurant/cafe setting. george is not here yet, so i

decide to grab a drink and wait for him. i can hear

voices and once in a while can see faces when the people

lean in towards the center of the tables. a waiter comes

up to me and asks, "can i get anything for you?" i order a

diet coke.

the waiter, who is wearing black pants and a white

shirt and is carrying a black waiter's book in his hands

looks at me and says, "you don't belong here, do you?

you're still alive." i get nervous, but i tell him that

i'm waiting for my friend, george, to show up and that

we're getting together to plan some events. the waiter

flips through the pages of his little black book and tells

me, "we're not expecting a george marin tonight." he

offers to get me the drink and then warns me that i should

leave before the owner of the restaurant returns. "if he

catches you here, he'll be really mad!" he leaves to get

me the diet coke.

he returns with the diet coke and i begin to drink

it slowly. a few minutes later, i can hear a low, rumbling

noise coming from beneath me( i'm on the 2nd floor). the

waiter comes running back to my table and says, "run! the

owner's back and if he sees you, he'll kill you!" i leave

the table and start running down a long, dark hallway that

is lined with the same globe shaped lamps, but this time,

they are on long, black lampstands. the thing beneath me

(the owner of the cafe) is coming along behind me and is

chasing me down the hall. i was still running when i woke

up.

======Comments by Flare======

I think that this dream has a lot of really weird

images. I'm not quite sure what they mean, but here

goes...

I'm assuming that the end of the universe cafe is a

place where people go when they die. I was waiting for my

friend george marin there and was quite relieved when I

found out that they were not expecting him. I think that

the "owner" is something real for me and I know that it is

something I am afraid of.

Being a journalist, I'm afraid of censorship,

afraid of not getting a job after graduation, many things.

On a spiritual level, I'm afraid of the possibility that

there really might be a hell and that the devil is

definitely someone that I do not want to meet. I'm not too

sure about the waiter and what he has to do with the

dream. I know that he exists in the dream to warn me

about the owner and when he will return. He's a very nice

guy in the dream, so I counted him on my side. The other

people that were in there weren't unfriendly either,

although they did ignore me.

:>FLARE

======Comments by Bob C. on "The End of the Universe Cafe"

by Flare=====

The dreamer is in the dark amongst strangers she

sees only dimly. She is waiting for someone nice and

familiar to arrive. The waiter tells her not only is that

no going to happen, but if she keeps waiting she will be in

mortal danger. She keeps waiting and ultimately she winds

up in mortal danger. It appears that the dream mind is

telling the dreamer that she has to stop being passive and

take some action, or some part of her life (e.g. a

relationship, a career goal) will "die."

If the dreamer disagrees with the above

interpretation, then it is wrong. Only the dreamer knows.

======Comments by Karen on "End of the Universe Cafe" dream

by Flare======

If this were my dream I would look at it from a

spiritual perspective, i.e., dealing with spiritual

issues.

If this were my dream... My relationship with

George Marin has introduced me to new spiritual ideas that

could mean a global change in my thinking. My current

world view, somewhat restricted to black and white terms,

is being challenged to expand.

I am beginning to feel rumblings from my

unconscious (perhaps from repressed or inappropriately

expressed anger). I am beginning to hear my inner voice

and have vague awareness of previously unknown aspects of

self. However, my psyche is currently not prepared to

deal with the complete revelation of information that

resides there, and my guardian (waiter) helps protect me

from a premature and potentially destructive encounter.

I escape the risk and my visit to this realm has

been productive. I retain some useful knowledge as

symbolized by the global light that accompanies me in my

transition (hallway).

======Dream: "The Late Train" by Flare======

It was late at night and I was boarding a train at

the train station in downtown Albuquerque, NM. It was

very dark outside because there was no moon out. I was

wearing a long, dark trench coat( which I don't really

have) and a dark hat. I get on the train and find a seat

in the middle of the train. I sat closer to the front

than to the back. There is no one else on the train.

A few minutes into the train ride, I receive a page

on my beeper. It's a 9-1-1 page(very important). I use

my cellular phone to call the number back ( I don't have a

phone either). When I call, the operator answers and says

the number has been disconnected. I become sure that my

friend Jason is trying to call me. It begins to rain

outside and there's a lot of wind and lightening. I wait,

and my beeper goes off again. It's another 9-1-1 page

from Jason at the same number. I call and again, the

operator says the phone has been disconnected. I began to

worry. The rain was harder than ever and it was very loud

against the window pane. The wind by now is howling. The

beeper rings four more times with the same number, and the

operator keeps telling me that the phone is disconnected.

The operator, by the way, is human and not a recording.

The train stops and the doors open. I am thinking

of getting off and going to find Jason, when he steps onto

the train. He looks at me once and goes to sit down on

the opposite side of the car from me. He refuses to look

at me. I call his name a few times. Each time he looks up

at me and looks back down into the textbook he's studying.

He's also wearing a black trench coat like mine and a

black hat. Kind of strange dress for him. Finally he

moves over to me and says my name when the dream ends.

====Comments by Richard on "The Late Train" by Flare====

If this were my dream I would be interested in using it to contain

and examine a particular and unknown desire and my relationship

with that desire. The tension in the dream is amplified by the

weather and the trench coat fashions, but it is produced by the

implied unknown emergency. If we assume, for a moment, that the

fulfillment of desire is the end of fantasy ( a questionable position if

taken too strongly, but generally an interesting dynamic), then the

revealing of Jason's problem will cause the dream to end. But being

a dream lover, I don't see the ending of dreams as the best part and

assume the same is true for the dream-maker. Thus we would be

distracted by examining the textbook and Jason's final arrival for

clues about the dream. What we are presented with in this dream is

the delay itself, the tension itself, the chance to project a multitude

of problems that Jason might present and our reaction to them. If

this were my dream I would take a felt meaning approach, trying to

keep and articulate my own connection to the mysterious train ride

that Jason's emergency has provided.

===============================================

DREAM RESOURCES

===============================================

Review: _Dream Scene Magazine_ by Richard Wilkerson

I was first struck by the simplicity of the magazine. Black&white

graphics, dream titles, dreams. That's it. There is a particular

attention I need to access my dreams which I like to describe as

attention on how things are occurring in me, as opposed to

attention on how I'm effecting things. In this silence I sometimes

experience a fullness I can't get from consuming. Dream Scene

offers this fullness in generous portions. As one reviewer from

Editor's Choice said, "The dreams are completely anonymous while

your thoughts are locked up in you head, so any analysis remains

unspoken in the virtual space." Its as if both the pictures and

dreams begin to reference themselves. Rather than pointing beyond

themselves, they evoke and draw the beyond to themselves. And as

with all dreams, within the limitations of text and imagination, there

are no boundaries. The transcendent quickly becomes trespass and

violation. Mutilation bounces back and forth between metaphors of

self to literalizations of paranoia. Psyche at her best and worse;

exaggerating, mythologizing, lying, bending and twisting old forms

into new stories that all seem oddly familiar yet never before heard.

Its the sound of one dream clapping.

The editor and creative wizard, Dan Holzner, will send you a

free copy if you submit a dream that is accepted. You can send

dreams to his email address listed below, but you will have to snail

him *three unused stamps- not stuck to an envelope* to cover

mailing.

Subscriptions otherwise:

Dream Scene Magazine costs $3.00/issue

Four consecutive issues cost $11.00

Checks payable to Dream Scene Magazine

"Feel free to include personal analysis and interpretation as part of

your test. Drawings, diagrams and collages also accepted. Surreal

dreams and bizarre nightmares always welcome, especially if they're

really transcendent phosphorescent zingers." - Dan Holzner

Dan said he would also accept graphics or text on pc/3.5 disks (text

= ASCII, graphics in .PCX) or just snail him the hard copy and he

will scan it in himself. --Richard

Dan Holzner

DAN@APPRES.COM

Dream Scene Magazine

38 Rossi Avenue, Suite Number One

San Francisco, CA 94118-4218

LAS VEGAS DREAMTIME!

The Dashboard publishing phenomena _Monk_ magazine is doing

an issue entirely about Las Vegas and is interested in related

dreams. If you are interested in publishing in a forum with serious

media exposure, send your dreams to:

Monk Magazine

Las Vegas Dreamtime

175 5th Ave STE 2322

New York, NY 10010

If you have something to post or run across addresses or events

related to dreaming on the net, Please send to my address

and we will share the information with everyone else.

Richard <RCWilk@aol.com>

================================================

Electric Dreams is an independent electronic

publication not affiliated with any other organization.

The views of our commentators are personal views and not

intended as professional advise or psychotherapy.

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