We all love story, we’ll love story forever. It’s the oldest and most powerful form of communication in every culture. Forget the kids for a moment, wanna get adult attention? Start with “Let me tell you a story…” Try it.
Let me tell you a story.
I’m living away far from home for the first time. My days and my dreams are full of experimentation, full of raw. So, one night, I find a deep sleep, and I dream.
I find myself up in a tree. The leaves are gone, the limbs are bare, but I’m not cold. The tree is tall and small – at the same time. I’m not alone. A bird sits next to me. We look down through the branches at the ground below.
On the ground, I can see all of the animal kingdom. Bear and bison, sheep and lion, great wild cats and little baby bunnies. Quiet. Stillness. Peace. Then, all of a sudden, a ferocious chase begins. Growls and shrieks and death screams. The sound alone is unbearable. Predator and prey, the perpetual cycle of life and death. I sob.
And the bird speaks. “Imagine how I feel.” And in that instant, I know I am in the presence of God. Not the God of my childhood. The one who sends thunderbolts, floods and famine down on the heads of those who displease him. A living God, a sorrowful God. Who could be omniscient and not feel pain?
I wake up. I know that never again will I be the same human being.
That’s my true story. A dream I had more than 25 years ago. Tell me your story.
My story is still unfolding and there are many branches of that story that are too tangled and estranged at the same time. I’m not sure I could relay a coherent story about me except to tip my hat to my elders who’s advice all these years has become less of an annoyance and an amusement and more of a set of beliefs that I am discovering has been germinating within me as I am rapidly approaching what we call midlife, though I have a deep sense that I am long past my midway point. I suspect this is what they have been gently warning me about all along ;o)
If I were to impart one thing about me that would best describe who and what I am, it would be that my reason for living, truly, at least at this point of this journey, is to be a good Father. A better Father than my own, but my babies are screaming so fast and far ahead of me now toward the day when they strike out on thier own that the day of my re-invention is also fast approaching.
Such is life all over the world.
Peace and thanks
is the light of the circle of life. Thanks.
Once I was in a workshop where we all meditated and then reported back to each other on what we “saw.” By the time we got around the circle it was clear we had each “seen” a different part of the same picture.
If we tell each other the dreams that changed our lives will we get to see the whole picture?
The event that changed me: One morning about 14 years ago I woke up while my eyes were still closed. In that state, I found myself in a world of liquid golden light. Everything and everyone was deeply loved. Everyone would have been forgiven except there was nothing to forgive. We were all completely and totally accepted and loved exactly as we were/are. Everything was exactly as it was supposed to be. I didn’t understand how that was possible, but it was. I have never before or since felt such profound peace, comfort, contentment. There was nothing to do and no reason to do it. When I opened my eyes, it disappeared, but I have not been the same since.
This is not tied to any significant turning point of my own but I find that in the moments just before falling asleep, when the mind begins to project extra-worldly visions through closed eyes is when I feel my most creative. As a custom painter, cars, motorcycles, raceboats etc., I am constantly challenged to dream up new ideas, shapes, graphics and combinations of colors. It’s not easy for me, except….for when I have these brief moments on the edge of conciousness when colors and shapes explode against the insides of my eyes! It’s comforting to know that it’s there within me, the challenge being to try to commit some of it to memory before the dreams come :o)
I’m so glad you told me that! For years I asked people, “Do you see ‘stuff’ when you close your eyes? Scenes, colors, pictures, patterns?” I never got a yes answer. Maybe I wasn’t asking clearly, or maybe most people don’t? For years and years–not much now, or maybe I’m not paying attention–whenever I closed my eyes I saw a cavalcade of incredible designs, colors, figures,even cartoons. They went by so fast I could barely enjoy or marvel or puzzle at one before the next one appeared. Which is not to say they were like set scenes appearing one after the other; they were more kaleidescopic than that. I used to wish I could PAUSE them and paint them, but I wouldn’t have known how to do that anyway.
I know EXACTLY what you mean when you say “the challenge being to try to commit some of it to memory.” It is beyond cool to me that you actually do it.
Your career sounds like fun. I hope it is.
So I’m not crazy afterall! A rolling kaleidescope is what I see and I think I’ve grabbed one or two fleeting images as they flew by. Mostly I just enjoy them and marvel with a bit of envy at the thought that perhaps there is a deeper, hidden me that fuels the creative waking me. Does that make sense? I have a feeling that what you see does somehow add to your writing. That is art as well, but you know that already ;o)
So there are (at least) three of us!!!
Your description of the fleeting images, and grabbing one or two, and finally just having to sit back to enjoy and marvel at them, is a perfect description of my experiences, too.
But don’t you envy dabraz’s ability to actually transmit them to cars and stuff?
confused there for a minute. Sorry! You’re the one who paints the cars, etc.
“A rolling kaleidescope” is the perfect description. I’ve also had images that seem a cross between a moving train and a film reel.
Sometimes mine really do look like “scenes” out of a movie or life. I recall one with monks in light brown robes, outside of what might have been a monastery.
I loved my Cartoon Period and missed it when it ended.
Ooo, you guys are inspiring me to pay more attention. Lately, I seem to have lost the knack. Or maybe it has something to do with what you said, supersoling, about writing. Maybe as I’ve written more and more, I’m using up some what used to appear before my eyes?
This is so great! My soul brothers in Eye Candy!
Remember Tim Robbin’s “snake eyes” in the movie Bull Durham? We learned to draw with snake eyes, way back in the art school days. Try it!
I don’t remember that! What is it?
make your eye lids into slits, practice seeing what you see first. In drawing, it helped quite the mind, stopped it from “seeing” what it expected to be there.
The visual cortex is like the auto settings on a camera. “Hey, here’s what works with this image.” Snake eyes are override.
Ooo, I feel as if I just learned something very important. Thank you. One of these days I’ll report back. 🙂
You’ve reminded me of something I had quite forgotten. The pictures in my mind’s eye as I’m ready to fall asleep… They were really cool.
I’m guess, since I am now 63, age may have something to do with it….or perhaps taking antidepressants may have stopped it. That stopped a lot of my creativity.
Thank you for the reminder….maybe, if I’m available to it, they will come back….
I see the images too, when I close my eyes, folding and unfolding…the colors usually are in greys, and purples tho, not too many colors.
I also get design and other ideas in my dreams, such as when I was designing my own clothes, I would have a dream with the whole image of a new design and the construction, when I woke up I would draw the design on paper and then proceed to cutting without even a pattern..still have some of them..drawings that is, not the clothes. Every few days I would get a new design, kept me busy.
Some of my best ideas in business have come from dreams…does anyone else get dream ideas.
I’ve been noticing and appreciating your wisdom.
kind words indeed.