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

Electric Dreams



Volume 2 Issue #7



30 April 1995

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

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

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

--General comments, articles and ideas to Richard:

<RCWilk@aol.com>

--Back issue and the FAQ:

-anonymous FTP at sppc1952.uwsp.edu

-IIDCC gopher at gopher.igc.apc.org

Select Organizations on the IGC Network Gopher

Select International Internet Dream Community Center

-Web Sites:

Current issue URL: http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/~mettw/committee-members

/ed-current.html

Back issues URL:

gopher://gopher.igc.apc.org:70/11/orgs/iidcc

-- Also available via America On Line:

Keyword: writers

\writers club library

\writers club e-zines

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



CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE:



Editors' Notes & Day Residue

Core Group Invitation Still Open!

Questions & Answers Person Position Open!

Electric Dreams Recall Contest Entries

Dream Recall by Marton

Dream Recall by Keelin

Article: Women Better Dream Recallers by Henry Reed

Commentary: on 'yellow gun' by Marton

Commentary: on "Frisbee and House For Sale" by Bob K.

Commentary: on Priscilla's "SNOW BLINDED ACCIDENT"

by Bob K.

Commentary on "control and yellow gun" by First Submitter

Dreamer's Response by Jay

Dream: "Road race with Bill" (4/12/95) By First Submitter

Commentary: on "road race with bill" by jay

Commentary: on "road race with bill" by Richard

Dream: "C's anger and change for Frisbee" (4/18/95)

by First Submitter

Commentary on "C's anger and change for Frisbee" by jay

Commentary on "C's anger and change for Frisbee" by Richard

Dream: "a morphinomenal dream" by Flare

Commentary: on "a morphinomenal dream" by the Dreamer

Commentary: on "a morphinomenal dream" by Richard

Dream: "The Aquarium Room Gift" by Richard

Commentaries: on "The Aquarium Gift" by Flare

Dream: "Russian Class and Governor Check" by Henry

Commentary: on "Russian Class and Governor Check"

by Richard

Dream Resources

Special places to see Electric Dreams! Thanks Matthew!

Send in books you have written to ASD 95

See the new gopher dream center before anyone else!



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

EDITORS' NOTES AND DAY RESIDUE

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

Welcome to Issue #7 of Electric Dreams! Our contest for recall methods is still on and we are printing the suggestions as they come in. The article by Henry Reed indicates that its easier for women to recall than men. What do you think? By the way, Electric Dreams now has a variety of ways to be seen on internet, see the info in Dream Resources. And of course we have dreams.

"I'd like to do a dream

Yes, Yes,

Right between the sound machine..."(Steppenwolf)



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

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 offering an

invitation this month to join our core group. Anyone

interested may contact Cathy.

Question & Answer position still open!

Though Matthew has taken a few moments from his studies to build us a beautiful Web page (see resources) he really doesn't have the time right now to answer questions about dreams and dreaming.

This leaves the Q&A position open for someone who is

either knowledgeable about dreaming or/and has good

research skills. You will be paid Six times what Cathy and I make (lets see 0 x 6 = hmmm, feel good about yourself?) but even better, you are free to expand and create the column as you wish. As a matter of fact, if anyone has a regular column they would like to experiment with, feel free imagine, experiment, to dream.

--Richard







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

DREAM RECALL CONTEST ENTRIES:

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



From Marton:

How did I start remembering dreams?

-----------------------------------



It was two years ago when I started to keep a dream diary. First I could remember only few of my dreams and they lacked colour. Everything was drawn with blue lines and lacked depths as well. By going through what I dreamt each morning I could remember more and more easily.

I systematically went through my dream. First I recalled the action of the dream. Secondly, I concentrated on symbols one by one. I wrote down their description. Then I paid attention to the background, that is ,the venue of

each dream situation.

I noticed that recalling a sequence of events of my daily life repeatedly in a row had improved my dream recall as well. Of course, consistency was vital in good dream recalls. Also, when I could not remember a dream but I knew it was there I did not despair, I waited.

Semi-consciously, I let my mind work on it and the dreams often came into my mind when I was showering or bathing. The common denominator of the situations of remembering dreams was that I did not concentrate anything specific at that time allowing my mind to come up with the solution which

was my dream.

Also, when I partly remembered my dream it was helpful to keep recalling the known part of the dream which often resulted in knowing the whole dream.

I think the fact that I was in an expectant mood made it possible to remember. If I gave up remembering, it would have given a negative command to my mind :'stop getting the info.'

As I mentioned in the beginning, my dreams were colourless. I fixed that in couple of days. I 'intended' to have colourful dreams and in the next night my dream had colour. After that, I had some colourless dreams but mostly

with colour because I was interested in colour.

One day recalling the feeling of being in the wind resulted in a dream with 'touch' : I could feel wind. I did not reinforce that any more so this perception died out in my dreams but I find it possible to restore all perceptions in dreams. I have not extended my perception beyond visual one

because I think that it is perfectly satisfactory to interpret my dreams.

In summary, the most important thing is intention. To decide by saying loudly anytime that one will recall dreams and it will be carried out sooner or later.

It may not happen immediately but it will happen.

Marton

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



From Keelin:

Here are two suggestions I offer in my workshops:

1) "Dream Hooks" - This is basically a mental list of

friends/family members, activities, body parts, actions, moods, places, natural elements, colors, shapes, sounds, etc. After waking, if no dream comes to mind immediately, lie quietly and review the list, letting feelings and associations rise at will. More often than not, my mind will "bite" on a dream fragment and I can then reel in the entire scenario.



2) "Retro Thought Travel" (ie: mental backtracking) - Ever wonder how you managed to get where you've gotten in thought, daydream or meandering conversation? Ever wake hanging on to just the slippery tail of a dream? Practicing RTT (while awake) offers not only a fascinating glimpse at the mind's great leaping abilities, it's also helpful for developing dream recall. A variation on this exercise involves setting a timer* for a long enough span to insure your forgetting about it. When it goes off, spend a few moments retracing your thoughts as far back as possible... Now where was I?

* The PEST (Personal Electronic State Tester) produced by the Lucidity Institute works well for this kind of exercise.





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

Women Better Dream Recallers

by Henry Reed

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

When a group of college students were instructed to keep a dream for two weeks, women recalled dreams at a rate greater than 50 per cent more frequently than men. This result, reported in the journal Perceptual and Motor Skills, is consistent with previous studies indicating that women recall their dreams more frequently than men.

To explore the reason for this difference the researchers gave the students a questionnaire measuring involvement with feelings and daydreams and attitudes toward one's subjective experiences. Some of the questions such as, "I have often wondered about what becomes of a person's awareness after death" and "If I think about a food very intensely, I can practically taste it" measured the frequency or intensity of a person's involvement with subjective experience. Questions such as "Daydreaming is unproductive and may even be harmful" and "I like to contemplate my innermost feelings" measured a person's attitude about involvement with inner experiences.

The results indicated that women scored more highly on both components of the questionnaire, showing both a higher involvement and a more positive attitude about inner experience. The researchers speculate that this difference may explain why women are more frequent dream recallers than men.

For more information contact Raymond F. Martinetti, Chairman, Department of Psychology, Marywood College, Scranton, PA 18509-1598.



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

DREAMS AND COMMENTS

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

==== Commentary on jays's 'yellow gun' by Marton ====

(Dream from Vol2 #5)

The first thing I would ask if this were my dreams : why is there a contest? What is the award of the contest? Where does this appear in my life? What does the contest mean for me? Can I think a better situation? The woman has the gun would mean an out of equilibrium situation. I would look for answers : How could I increase the influence of the man (animus) in my real life? It is clear I do not pay enough attention on him. (It is confirmed by Jay's reply). The dream tries to shed a bad light on feminine to make me pay more attention on masculine. I would also decide that I do

not know enough of my masculine and what I know about him is probably false or just not the big picture. I would initiate a conversation with the man using active imagination.

I would make some ritual implying that I want to know more about my masculine. The gun implies I refuse violence or assertiveness in my life. For example because of my overly bad picture on my masculine. But it does not mean that

I am not assertive because as my dream proves the feminine becomes what the masculine should be.(She uses the gun) Obviously, everyone should in his natural role so I guess the man would be better off with the gun.(It does not mean that the roll of the feminine should be zero just be more

balanced.) I would think "Can I use the gun in a peaceful , constructive way in the man's hand?". Surely, I could . I would find a ritual for that too.

Now, it may sound far-fetched but the shooting carnival is more peaceful than shooting at each other. So the dream may suggest a solution which can be implemented. Otherwise, it would not be in the dream..

I would ask myself 'Did I use the gun in the past in a dream and how?' I would have a bet (10 cents only) that the gun came up in earlier dreams. I would examine these connections. I would try to face the fears in connection with the man. (Was my real father violent? Was I violent I did not like it? e.t.c) So I could face the fear in connection with my man.

So the dream presents a peaceful conclusion..

My job is to make it real. For me, the most important component would be that the contest could converted into a cooperation.

OF COURSE, it is possible that I am totally WRONG.

Marton



==== Commentary on Viking's "Frisbee and House For Sale" by Bob K. ==== (Dream from Vol 2 Issue 3)





This was a one paragraph dream sandwiched between two explanatory paragraphs

- one regarding the waking reality background of the dream, and the last a waking reality association with the dream setting and characters. It sure helps to bring the dream into the perspective of the dreamer when background information is available.

Some dreams are pretty straightforward. This appears to be one of those dealing with a current waking reality concern regarding purchasing a new home. The essence of this dream is twofold - one related to the location of a possible new house for the couple ("really nice house for sale but it was in a not too great location"), and the second about "playing a game" - specifically Frisbee, and not too well. "A crappy throw" was the dreamers description of his throw back to his recently rediscovered close High School and College friend.

Although the dreamer makes a connection with the quality of the exchange in the updated relationship with Dick, the long lost friend, I think the dream is simply indicating that the attempt to go "home shopping" has not been made

with the best preparation or timing. Sort of like a half hearted attempt has been made. The dream even recognizes the level of expectation may be too high for what the couple would like. Who hasn't started out wanting a much

bigger, better located, modern and convenient house or apartment than what they can really afford? I would ask, what kind of relationship does Dick have with a home? Does he own one or is he still renting or moving around?

Maybe Dick's story or life path hold a clue for Viking to steer his ship in the direction that will yield a home of his own with Val. Good luck Viking!

Just keep trying, and keep expectations within the realm of your reality. Once you stop playing around and get down to serious business the right house will show up!



==== Commentary on Priscilla's "SNOW BLINDED ACCIDENT" by Bob K. ==== (Dream from Vol. 2 Issue 5)





"Danger! Danger! Danger!," said Robbie the Robot waving his arms frenetically in the TV series LOST IN SPACE when it sensed problems for the crew. Some dreams are just WARNINGS. I think this is one, and one which the dreamer

should be concerned and cautious about. However, I don't think it's related to an actual car accident in the snow (though one should always be extra careful driving in the snow) as much as to a possible disruption in the dreamers lifestyle.

The expression "Egg On Your Face" has to do with embarrassment over something one has said or done regarding another person or situation and comes to mind with regard to this dream. In this dream, there is not only "snow on the dreamers face" (blinding), but "windshield glass all over the dreamers face" (cutting and causing pain).

I see the dream pointing out the friendship "friends including M. (female)" just joking about crazy things as heading in the wrong direction. If the dreamer can recall some of the hilarious crazy things joked about she might

have a clue as to the possible source of the problem.

Car's are usually representative of a lifestyle, and this dream has the dreamer driving her own car, in control of her lifestyle. However, the relationship with the friends combined with rough weather outside (emotionally turbulent ice cold relationships outside, surrounding the current lifestyle) spell TROUBLE. This trouble may be with the friendships not being what they seem, or with the internal aspects of those friendships leading the dreamer on a dangerous path.

Dreamer: STOP! LOOK! LISTEN! and only then CROSS the railroad tracks or street! And be careful driving in the snow!



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

For my first submission I would like to present dreams

and comment on another's dream. I am resisting the urge to submit a more dramatic dream for readability. I do this

because I would like to see themes explored. For example,

why not have an entire issue devoted to trauma dreams. Or, a few people present dreams that have similar symbols in

them.



With that in mind, I comment on jay's "control and

the yellow gun" ED 2(5).

==== Commentary on "control and yellow gun" by First Submitter ==== (Dream from ED Vol 2, #5)

In the dream, the dreamer is having a competition with a woman that involves a yellow gun. But I usually think of having a competition with other men, and even women who are competitive I think of as having male qualities.

Controlling the situation is also a very masculine trait, for me. Later, I am urinating proudly into an area like a carnival shooting gallery. What is an archetypal thing to do at a carnival shooting gallery (in US culture at least): win the prize and give it to your date. Man as warrior? But in this dream we are in competition with the woman. For me, as I have inferiority issues about not being "male" enough this dream would bring that up. For me this dream might have been about the dichotomy between male pride (peeing proudly)/winning for your mate and women who are strong and in control and can compete with me. I want to learn to hold those two opposing thoughts in my mind at the same time. Yellow can only relate to urine so far for me. There is peeing in this dream which reminds me of 2 of my dreams I have recorded.

Dreamer's Response:

==== by jay to comments on jay's 'control and the yellow gun' dream (e.d. 2.5) ====

the commentator mentions that he usually competes in the masculine rather than the feminine arena. i tend to be the opposite, opting out of competing in the masculine areas and choosing instead to compete, if at all, in more feminine areas, such as dream work. i do not look on this less masculine orientation as being inferior.





==== Dream: "Road race with Bill" (4/12/95) By First Submitter ====

I am in a running race but not having to run very fast. I stop to urinate, when a tall man is done using urinal he doesn't leave it but just steps aside a little bit and I go pee. (Normally I have stage fright at peeing in front of men). Seems there are 2 other men later at same urinal and I barely have room (I just wrote "time" instead of "room" by mistake there) to pee. I pee for a long time. I can see other runners through window going by. I had gotten out of race just before finish, I get back into race and immediately cross finish line, but Bill has finished before me. I get number from old man at table. I don't seem to care what the number is just that Bill came in one ahead. But it is fun and I joke with Bill. I also know there will be another race. I wake up. It is interesting that the real Bill came to visit two days later (on the weekend) as planned and we went running twice, which we have never done together and had a really nice time. We didn't compete.



==== Commentary on "road race with bill" by jay ====

as the dreamer himself points out, this dream seems to be about choosing companionship with other men, as opposed to competition, and enjoying that choice.

===== Commentary on "road race with bill" by Richard ====

I liked the way the numbers have freed themselves from the judging old man. He still has his Chronos with limitations job, but the players are no longer tied to, rather they receive the numbers as gifts and bond around their own relationship to one another. If this were my dream, I would not say companion and I were not competing, but rather that competition now serves rather than controls the relationship. There is, for me, some tension that is drained off in urination fantasies, but this draining seems to find some satisfaction and is not wrapped up in the usual issues around letting go when other's have their attention on me. -Richard

==== Dream: "C's anger and change for Frisbee" (4/18/95) by First Submitter ====

I am at school in a room like a computer room, other people are there. I am looking over C's shoulder (standing behind him) at a computer screen of a scanned image of a letter from his graduate advisor. Advisor wants credit and to have his work mentioned in C's abstract. C. is angry about this. His girlfriend is there also. We are going to play ultimate Frisbee. I'm late and look at watch (?) and see it is the time to be playing, 12:15. I have to change into sweats - but they will be too hot. I go out into hall to bathroom but go in women's room by accident, but no one sees that I did that (I am embarrassed). I go back into computer room, and go into men's room there. I go pee in urinal, and see a friend (also associated with school) who is coming out of where he lives, in front of me as if through window above urinal.

When I go back into computer room/classroom a class is coming in which may have been all young women. One women says to professor thanks for moving class. They are about to have a test. Woman seems friendly. Wake up.

Note: I didn't wet my bed in these dreams! I would like to see what others see in these dreams and may also bring it

to a Face to Face group to compare.







==== Commentary on "C's anger and change for Frisbee" by jay ====

if this were my dream, i would think about what traits or properties c, c's advisor, and the friend outside the urinal represent or remind me of. are c and the advisor male or female? what is each of the three like? that might give me some more clues.

the dream seems to be in two parts to me. in part one, anger about domination by the advisor and the hotness of that is replaced by the cooling off of playing.

in part two, there is a movement back and forth between first the feminine, then the masculine, then back again to the feminine. i'm not sure what the connection is between the two parts of the dream.

==== Commentary on "C's anger and change for Frisbee" by Richard ====



In my dream, my friend is concerned about who gets credit for what. There is a feeling that someone who already has lots of credit and attention is demanding more. There is little time I can give to this as its already past time for play, and I have to change. In doing this I end up in an unexpected area, the women's place to change personas. A fascinating area, one could spend a lot of fruitful time here. I leave, and have to drain off some tension. Back in the place where things are being taught, I find the room filled with women who are going to be tested. One seems friendly.

In my dream, when the distribution of credit cramps my play time, I pick play. But in doing so I find I am trying to change clothes in an area where I'm an intruder in terms of sexual identity. This causes tension which I deal with by draining off in fantasies of urination. Now the concern about credit, play and changing roles is shifted to a testing of the women. Now they will decide for themselves who will get credit. I can play with one of them I'm interested in.

Thanks for the dream. Its really a fun one. -Richard



==== Dream: "a morphinomenal dream" by Flare ====

Okay, here's a doozy of a dream!

BACKGROUND: During the afternoon, I was watching the Mighty

Morphin Power Rangers on Fox. I thought it was an

interesting show. Little kid stuff, right? Then I saw

this one guy on the show; The White Ranger, and boy,

was he ever good looking to me...





-----a morphinomenal dream-by Flare----

It's a really cold day at the University of New Mexico.

I'm walking to class in my really hip, cool trench coat

(the black one again). I'm wearing it because it's cold

outside and I have this strange feeling about the day I'm going through, like something really strange is about to happen, and I need to be ready for it.

Sure enough, as I walk to class, there comes a flash of

white light off to my left side. Lo and behold, there's

that guy from the Power Rangers, outfit and all, standing

in the grass right next to me. I turn to look directly at him and as I do, he sinks to his knees. I notice him holding the right side of his chest and can hear him breathing, very fast and very shallow.



I walk over, naturally, and ask, "Are you alright?".

He turns to me and tells me that he was fighting some

monster when he got stabbed with a spear. He tells me that a strange, glowing, black rock was on the tip of the spear

and that it punctured through his uniform, which it shouldn't have. He moves his hand away, and I notice that he's bleeding.

I offer to take him to University Hospital, which is only a few blocks away.

"No!" he responds, "I can't go there.. Please, can you help me?"

Meanwhile, people are walking by and staring at us. They

walk by and glance and keep right on walking, as though

what's happening right in front of them doesn't really

matter to them.



So, I walk up to him to help him up.

"It's really cold here," he says.

Without thinking, I take off the black trench coat and put

it around his shoulders. He is still holding his hand

pressed tightly to his chest and we walk to my room.

As I enter my room, I notice immediately that it's not the

room that I sleep in every night. This worries me a

little, but the worry leaves immediately when Tommy, the

White Ranger, falls again to the ground, groaning in pain.

I help him up again and onto my bed, which is pure white.

He lays down on the comforter and rests there.

I go over to my closet and get my first aid kit. When I

return, I tell him that I can't help him while he's wearing his uniform. Reluctantly, he puts his right hand to his

belt.

He begins to shimmer white and in a few seconds, he becomes Tommy, the one that I recognize from the series. I notice

him wearing brown pants and a white and green checkered

flannel shirt with no sleeves, but there is a hood on the

back. The shirt is torn where the spear went through and he still holds his left hand tightly against the wound.

I take out the materials I need and help him to remove the

shirt he's wearing so that I can get to the wound underneath. The blood has stained the shirt red and begins to run onto the bed.



I clean and dress the wound and tell him to sleep.



---end of dream---





-------- commentary by Flare --------

A few more details before I begin. This is obviously one

of those warped fantasy dreams. I can see things in very

vivid details, especially Tommy.



I noticed that once again, I was wearing that black trench

coat outside in the bad weather. I knew that something was going to happen, and I had decided before the dream even

started that I was going to need it.

The fact that Tommy came directly to me in the dream was

interesting enough, but the fact that he was wounded and in need of assistance is even more interesting. I thought it

strange that he wouldn't want to go to the hospital for

help, but then again, since I am aware now that this was my dream, and I didn't really want it to happen that way, I

can see why he didn't.

I take him up to the room which is not my room, but the

chosen room for the fantasy dream I am in. The rest is

simple. Everything in this dream happened according to the way I would have wanted it to.



When the shirt came off in the dream, I remember noting

that he is a very well-built guy.



Too bad the dream ended where it did.

Time for some speculation. You will recall in the last

issue, the "recurring nightmare" that I keep having. I

noticed a few parallels between this dream and that one.



The wound that I found on Tommy was in the exact place as

the bullet wound that I reached down to touch on my

boyfriend's body. Tommy also has much of the same build as my deceased boyfriend had. In the dreams, they were both

wearing the same style of clothing, flannel shirt and

jeans.

Here we go into the subconscious again for some

speculation. I think that the reason Tommy came to me,

hurt as he was, is because somewhere deep inside, I know that there was nothing I could do in the situation described in the "recurring nightmare". Here was a situation where I could do something about it. I felt much more in control during this dream. I felt much more at peace in this dream( I was able to shift my protection, the black trench coat, over to someone else).

This dream is very open for comment. The more commentary I have, the more I can get out of it. Thanks...

Flare

==== Commentary on "a morphinomenal dream" by Richard ====

In my dream:

I'm at my main complex that is very much like the place I really am in life. Its cold today, and I need protection. I wear what I usually wear to protect myself and I like the style it lends to my identity. Not only am I cold, but I have intuitions of strangeness that call even more for having this style close to me.

I'm going somewhere to teach or be taught in my main complex, a whole universe of teaching and being taught. My intuition unfolds in a flash of white light, off to my non-dominate left side.

A fantasy man is there and as I look directly at him, his self support fails. Apparently I didn't cause this, as he has been wounded by a spear of his enemy. He is very much like a man I saw and desired the day or so before. Here, lying before my glance is my wounded desire, pierced in the chest next to his heart. I offer help, but he cannot receive the kind of help one would normally offer. He knows his wounds can't be healed or attended to at the University Hospital. Does this mean his wounds are not really physical or even more that its the University of learning and teaching that will not address his woundedness?

I take him into my style, even my room, though its different now. I have some tools and skills in these matters, and we both know that the magical armor (that should have protected him but didn't- kind of like superman's problems with Kryptonite) must come off. He chooses for the armor to melt away by pressing the main hand on the support belt.

Now I can better recognize my desire and the wound he carries. In a sense, I become more-phenomenal and respond directly to the sensations before me, the clothes, the wound, the agony, the amazing drama of it all, the bed clothes soaked in blood, his need for sleep in my white bed.

In my dream the desire directs me to Tommy and the attraction to him helps me be more phenomenal about the wound and its carrier. This is not about the wounds of my mother, or my father or my friend down the block, but about my own desires come back from doing battle with the Enemy. Some of my old armor - his armor - is no longer protecting, while other protective coatings are still working and can even be shared. I feel real good that Tommy trusts me, can let his armor down and come into my room for rest. Many thanks for sharing this dream.

Some further mythic notes:

The myth of Eros and Psyche comes to mind. Psyche is carried off by a husband she cannot see and lives in a wonderful fantasy castle, with the only rule being that she not look at her husband. She can't resist, and one night turns on the light. Behold! A god! He is surprised and trips over his own arrows, deeply wounding himself. But because of the betrayal, its a long story that Psyche must go through to eventually re-unite with Eros.

There is also the interesting question of the wound itself. Is it my wound, carried by an inner figure using magical emotional, imaginal armoring, or it is a god, with an eternal wound? Is it a mix that is being worked out?

This is also like the myth of the Wounded-Healer. Apollo sent his son to a mountain side cave to learn the healing arts from the Centaur Chiron, who had been wounded by a poisoned spear or rock in a fight with Hercules. Since Chiron was immortal, his wound never healed, but he figured out how to use this eternal woundedness to heal others. Apollo's son, Asklepios, learned the arts and went on to become the world's most famous healer. He was a Dream Healer. One went to his sanctuaries and hung out until a dream came to you and your wound was touched by an incarnation of Asklepios, ususally a snake, dog, his daughter or himself. Apparently, the contact with the animal-dark earth powers restored and revived the patients.

And the material that can get through even the White Knights armor. This almost lends itself to a Grail -Quest cycle. The king is sick and the knights all go in search of the cure. In this dream, it seems to be the knight that is wounded.

Ok, very interesting dream. Sounds like some morphinological stuff is happening!

--Richard



==== Dream: "The Aquarium Room Gift" by Richard ====

I'm given a hut full of aquariums by some friends and

unknown people. It's right next to or in the zoo. I'm

really delighted, though I also sense the time and

responsibility it will take to maintain the aquariums.

The hut is on a slight hill and there are palm trees and a tame jungle feeling. Inside are the most delightfully active aquariums, perhaps a half dozen of varying sizes and the normal-exotic fish one might expect. Except for one small aquarium with one large fish in it. The fish is not very colorful, like a large grey-red guppy shaped fish. Its about 7 inches long and seems to me to be very pregnant. I

think to myself that its separated so when it gives birth

it won't eat the children. I'm excited about being there

to help give birth to the expected hundreds of little fish.





==== Commentary on "The Aquarium Gift" by Flare ====

With that last commentary on "The Aquarium Gift"...

The people who gave me all these little aquariums are both friends and strangers, perhaps signalling the beginning of projects and endeavors for both my friends and business(the strangers).

Flare

======



If this were my dream:

Here I go, walking into this new room full of different, bright colored fish sitting in aquariums. It seems to me that I am getting ready to tackle a bunch of small endeavors all at the same time. I sense that the "time and responsibility it will take to" take care of all my new projects/ acquisitions. I am delighted by all the "active aquariums". They come in different sizes and shapes, all of them interesting and demanding my undivided attention. There is one exception, however. I see an aquarium with a single, large fish(project/endeavor?) that seems pregnant and ready to give birth. I am excited by the possibilities of what that fish is going to give birth

to. It excites me to know that I will be there when it happens. It leaves me with the sensation of becoming a "father" of sorts.

Flare

:> I could be wrong and I could be right, who knows? you do...





==== Dream: "Russian Class and Governor Check" by Henry ====

Was selected to attend a class at the university where I work. The subject of the class was the economic history of Russia in the last century. ( the course was focused on the last one hundred years, i.e.from the end of the tsarist era through to the post-Soviet.)

I felt tired and wasn't sure I wanted to go to the class and also thought I might go to the gym instead. A young woman sitting next to me, however, remarked how lucky I was to be able to attend the class. So, I decided I must not miss this opportunity. The number of students selected was small.

(The class was being taught by a man who in my waking life did recently receive a full professorship in the Business school, who lives in my building with his family, and who is a native of India.)

The course must have dealt with matters other than just the Russian economy, though, as in the dream I believed I had taken instruction in either meditation or yoga [can't remember which now] while an undergraduate elsewhere and was, in the present class, trying to recall the spiritual name I had been given by my earlier teacher.

The dream switches to an apartment building in which lives ex-Governor Mario Cuomo. As I can recall, I am with a guy, A., who works in a nearby office to mine [in my waking life], and who is Pakistani. He wants to check on Gov. Cuomo, because A. is afraid the Governor may have committed suicide.

We are in the Governor's home. His bedroom is a floor below where we are standing and the Governor comes out of it, to our level, to speak with us. A. and Cuomo know each other and Cuomo assures us he is alright and has no intentions to do himself any harm. Cuomo asks A. why he was worried about him and A. explains there was one time Cuomo was despondent to the point where A. was worried about suicide. Cuomo says that was an isolated moment and that we should not worry further.



==== Commentary on " "Russian Class and Governor Check" by Richard ====

If this were my dream...

In my dream, I'm selected for some special education. For me its about an experiment in governing and being governed. A particular, complex experiment that takes place somewhere that really is not very close to my own way of governing and being governed, thought there are connections. For one, my own way and this way have both tried to establish a revolutionary system that liberates the populace from the rule of an unlawful tyrant. The learning seems to be about how this system circulates its energy, how it directs the channels of collective imagination.

I cannot find my desire in this initially. Rather my desire is carried by a woman I meet in a physically active arena who sees the desirability of the opportunity, and sees my fortune or specialness in being selected.

Even after I awake, I recognize that the learning opportunity has some very knowledgeable and recognized teaching authorities.

I recognize now also that the class involves more than a particular historical economy, and may have to do with traditionally Eastern paths to liberation as well. There is some forgetting as to the exact path, the exact spiritual name. Perhaps in this forgetting there is a chance for a new path, a new name.

And while thinking about ways of being governed, a particular one comes to mind. This past governor was one at the center of one of the largest complexes in the world. Many would say the main complex. Now he lives in another complex. The Pakistani who works in a complex close to the one I work on, check's on the Governor, fearing the governor might destroy himself. The Governor arises from an unconscious area, a restorative chamber, to our level to assure us that the suicidal behavior is now only an imaginary fear, though at one time it was not so imaginary.

If this were my dream, I would want to be very clear that this fear *is* actually an old remnant or whether it is something more literal and I might want to check out with a therapist. If I was clear that it was metaphorical only, I would look around to see what old systems of self government I have that are in operation. There is a myth of the hmm, I think 7 or 8 year king, who has to be killed and replaced by a new king. Now, instead of killing our kings, we ask them to just step down every few years. For me, this dream has been a fascinating investigation of my inner political systems, beginning with a general comparison of non-tyrannic systems (that may or may not have again become tyrannic) and then a personal encounter with the usually unconscious governor himself, come to my level to free me from the fear/desire of his death.

Just as the woman in the gym carried my unknown (Mother?) desire of being seen and selected, (whether I choose to go that path or not) so the Pakistani carries my unknown fear of living in a government without the dictator (Father?). It was really nice they way they both offered presents that I could have a choice around taking.

Many thanks for the dream. Richard







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

DREAM RESOURCES

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



Electric Dreams and Web

Matthew Parry, our former Questions and Answers editor who is now busy with a astrophysics honors program, has taken a few moments from his studies with Dr. Michael Burton in which he is building a program "to calculate the signal to noise ratio that can be expected for IR telescopes to be built early next century" to put up a web page of both the lastest issue of Electric Dreams as well as our FAQ file.

the url for the Electric Dreams 2-6 is: http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/~mettw/committee-members

/ed-current.html

For the FAQ file is:

http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/~mettw/committee-members

/ed-faq.html

And Matthew's home page is:

http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/~mettw/committee-members

/matthew.html



Many Thanks to you Matthew and good luck with your program!

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

In case you or anyone you know wants to sell books or booklets at the ASD conference, the contact for the bookstore is:

Pia Wigren

140 W 15th St. Apt 1D

New York, NY 10011

212-627-5112

She requests a list of books and "the credentials of the authors." I assume that means your involvement in dreamwork;

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

Although the "official" opening of the International Internet Dream Community Center(IIDCC) is a ways off, it is now open on a limited basis. In this first preliminary phase it is a gopher site with various files available to the public. If you get a chance to visit, send suggestions for files, directories, projects or news to Richard Wilkerson at <rwilkerson@igc.apc.org> I won't be able to get back to you until *June*, but I do want your comments and ideas. Feel free to imagine and dream yourself into the community as you wish, be that with donations, project proposals, resource information or ambassador to other dream communities on and off the net. This is our virtual, digital playground to do with as we wish. Let's be creative, mutually supportive and have some serious fun.

For our gopher, connect to the Institute for Global Communications (IGC) gopher.

The address is gopher.igc.apc.org

select --> "Organizations on the IGC Networks Gopher"

select --> "International Internet Dream Community Center"

select --> appropriate file directory and file you want

To connect via World Wide Web the URL is:

gopher://gopher.igc.apc.org:70/11/orgs/iidcc

For email-information send to the auto-reply at

iidcc-info@igc.apc.org

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

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.

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