A WEEK OF DREAMING: SHT GOT WEIRD
do these things really work? *awaits reply*
yep, dreaming dreams. not #lifegoals dreaming, but the kind of dreaming that occurs while you’re sound asleep and if you’re lucky (or unlucky) enough will still remember when you wake. i usually sleep pretty much like i was hit with a brick: through the night. it’s great to wake up with that crisp feeling, clear state of mind and ready to tackle — or text — the first thing that comes to mind.
this week however, things did not turn out as planned. almost four days in a row i woke up completely overwhelmed with confusion and that ‘drained’ feeling from a long day after just opening my eyes for the first time. the amount of detail and number of dream sequences i was recalling was phenomenal and terrifying.
the great bill nye
science (see reference to the left) tells us that dreams are constant and they occur every night. the trick is latching on to their cryptic haziness long enough to remember the codes you were left with and the seemingly endless task of deciphering them. and who the hell can ever do that, shit… not me. i am Dominican, so we have like four main dream scenarios that we attribute to certain life events (keep up, we’ll need to move quickly):
- you’re/someone pregnant in your dream? someone is going to die
- you’re/someone is dying/dead in your dream? someone is pregnant
- can’t remember the others but these first two pretty much sum up where I was going with that…
BACK TO MY THOUGHTS...
so i took to the deep interwebs to find an answer for the only question i really had. i didn’t care to decipher my dreams, because no one has time for that kind of deep and awkward self-loathing (yes, they were that depressing and weird—while surprisingly upbeat). what i actually wanted to know was: what was i doing that was giving me what felt like the superhuman ability to remember these Nitehawk-worthy 35mm short-indie-films so vividly? the first night i was able to recall four (yes, 4) almost complete dreams. some were shorter than others, but none built off the one that came before it; they all had completely different concepts, casts and moods. according to the Lucidity Institute, all you need to do to remember your dreams is WANT TO. so what the Lucidity Institute is saying is: i asked for this. ouch.
i figured i’d take the bait and start a dream journal. my friends at the institute say:
“…record every dream you remember, no matter how fragmentary. start by writing down all your dreams, not just the complete, coherent, or interesting ones — even if all you remember is a face or a room, write it down.”
after much research, i attributed my dream recollection to starting some new routines and this week i decided i was reading more. I started a new book, and made an oath to read more in general—be it news, magazines, books, etc. apparently this behavior sparked in my subconscious and created a desire to create my own stories, plots and endings. i’m a week into keeping my journal and i can already see patterns and references to my actual life (work, family, friends). it’s helping me become more aware of my thoughts and overall energy.
if you were thinking of starting a dream journal but have been unsure here are some more persuasive reasons. my dreams lingered in the back of my mind all week, it was weird and exciting to have such a vivid recollection of something you can’t remember seeing but, oddly enough, remember being a part of. i look forward to what my dreams reveal about my waking life. if you decide to start your own dream journal, comment below or hit me up at sash@earlymay.co and we can swap stories.
happy dreaming!
sasha o.
