What a beautiful meditation on the power dreams wield on our lives.
I've been considering dreams much of late, this separate reality where our minds take us to for almost half of our lives where we search for and occasionally find the things we've lost in our waking world; the horrors, sorrows, and on those rare occasions, boundless joys. I dreamed once that I was watching a friend write a beautiful poem about heart break and jealously thinking, "I wish I had thought of that poem." When I awoke, I realized that I had, indeed, thought of that poem, and I quickly wrote it down.
I wonder what a dream reader would make of that dream--stealing poems from yourself. It's fascinating how crooked and peculiar our minds turn out to be. All day we pretend to be functional humans, but then we become something entirely strange once we fall asleep. I find it endlessly interesting. Thanks so much, Matt.
Beautiful piece! I also love your mom's happy energy. I can imagine her calling you to rise and shine and seize the day!
Flying dreams are the best, aren't they?. Strange and wonderful how we know deep in our core how it feels to fly, to crouch down and then leap up into the air...and soar.
The most profound dream I had was in college when I was very sick. I dreamt I was in an empty house. My house. Little by little old people began to appear. They weren't completely formed. I could see through them. I summoned up the courage to ask one kindly old gentleman, "I thought this house wasn't occupied when I moved in? Who are these people?" To which he smiled & replied, "Ah my dear... We'll be here whenever you need us." I took great comfort in that dream & my health rapidly improved. Take heart.
This piece is confirmation of the mysterious wisdom we have no control over; it strikes me that it is always through metaphor, yes! I gained some trust reading this piece, in my own dream pointing, just when I need it the most! thank you Tonya Oh, if you get a chance, a strange dream poem in my saved notebook is called, My Bison by Robbi Nester.
I will seek that out right away! (I'm always happy for a good poem recommendation)
And I'm so grateful you found something useful in this piece for your own dreams. We all need to learn that habit of putting faith in ourselves and our own minds. I hope your dreams take you wherever you need to go.
It was gripping from word one to the final word, Tonya. Thank you so much for sharing your innermost world with us 💚 An energy healer once told us (i can't remember where this was) that having bad dreams during sleep is a catharsis, so it is preferable that it happens then, otherwise they would happen more in our conscious everyday life. It sounds, then, like your mind is sorting things out and trying to recalibrate. The flying dreams i'm unsure about. I have them, too and i feel like it might be some kind of freedom we are yearning for.
Thanks so much, Jo. I would agree with that catharsis theory--especially if you can remain conscious enough of the dreams to differentiate between the dream world and the waking one. And I'm fascinated by the different ways people are having flying dreams. I've heard from a couple people now who had them in times when they needed escape, and I think it shows a kind of faith in yourself, that you have the ability to 'fly away' when you need to.
Many years ago we lived on the northern plains of Montana in a drafty old farmhouse. I worked at an Indian reservation but after our children were born we moved to a beautiful valley in western Colorado. For many years after the move, I would have a recurring dream that we somehow goofed up our Colorado lives and we had to nove back to our old cold and windy lives on the “high line” of eastern Montana
I now realize that that was a period where I was focusing on looking backwards.
It’s funny, The dream evaporated from my dreamscape years ago but now when we look back at our days on the northern plains, they seem like our most fun times.
Great essay Tonya !. And I’m sure you will be airborne again sometime soon
I heard a good line recently, regarding the past: "You should look back, but don't stare." I think sometimes our brains have to stare backwards, after something big has happened, just in order to make sense of it all. But then, as we recover, that gaze moves on. After a while, the past becomes something we can look at lightly, without being drawn in. Or at least, that's what I'm thinking is the point of all these dreams, yours included.
When your brain was still looking backwards, when you had those Montana dreams, it had its reasons. There was something you needed to learn from yourself. You were able to learn it and move past Montana--I seem to be recovering from my dreams now too. I'm so grateful for that. Some people get stuck in their own past, and never move on. There's nothing worse than a life spent staring ponderously backwards.
It sounds like you have a good view on things now. A sign of wisdom.
Thanks so much for the kind words, Jim, and for your support. --T
"Dreams are a window into the injuries of the mind; they are an instrument of its ability to heal." What an exquisite thought, one that helps my heart to heal & soar today. What a beautiful piece, Tonya. A window into your strong, lovely psyche. Thank you! & I take pleasure that we both had a parent who was "hard-wired for happiness" ~ your dear mom & my dear departed dad. Gifts beyond price.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful words, Connie. You're so right that there is symbolic power in the means of escape, and whether the escapee is active (a driver) or passive (a passenger) as she leaves. There is so much depth to the details of those dreams. I'm grateful that you were able to find your own escape, and I'm very glad you enjoyed the piece today.
What a beautiful meditation on the power dreams wield on our lives.
I've been considering dreams much of late, this separate reality where our minds take us to for almost half of our lives where we search for and occasionally find the things we've lost in our waking world; the horrors, sorrows, and on those rare occasions, boundless joys. I dreamed once that I was watching a friend write a beautiful poem about heart break and jealously thinking, "I wish I had thought of that poem." When I awoke, I realized that I had, indeed, thought of that poem, and I quickly wrote it down.
Thank you for sharing your dream journey with us.
I wonder what a dream reader would make of that dream--stealing poems from yourself. It's fascinating how crooked and peculiar our minds turn out to be. All day we pretend to be functional humans, but then we become something entirely strange once we fall asleep. I find it endlessly interesting. Thanks so much, Matt.
Beautiful piece! I also love your mom's happy energy. I can imagine her calling you to rise and shine and seize the day!
Flying dreams are the best, aren't they?. Strange and wonderful how we know deep in our core how it feels to fly, to crouch down and then leap up into the air...and soar.
You will be flying soon!
This proves the point that our dreaming lives are just as important as the other stuff.
Agreed. I don't claim to really "understand" how dreams work, but they seem to matter in a profound way.
The most profound dream I had was in college when I was very sick. I dreamt I was in an empty house. My house. Little by little old people began to appear. They weren't completely formed. I could see through them. I summoned up the courage to ask one kindly old gentleman, "I thought this house wasn't occupied when I moved in? Who are these people?" To which he smiled & replied, "Ah my dear... We'll be here whenever you need us." I took great comfort in that dream & my health rapidly improved. Take heart.
What a beautiful dream! Thanks so much, Cherie.
This piece is confirmation of the mysterious wisdom we have no control over; it strikes me that it is always through metaphor, yes! I gained some trust reading this piece, in my own dream pointing, just when I need it the most! thank you Tonya Oh, if you get a chance, a strange dream poem in my saved notebook is called, My Bison by Robbi Nester.
I will seek that out right away! (I'm always happy for a good poem recommendation)
And I'm so grateful you found something useful in this piece for your own dreams. We all need to learn that habit of putting faith in ourselves and our own minds. I hope your dreams take you wherever you need to go.
Beautiful writing, thanks Tonya.
Thank you!
It was gripping from word one to the final word, Tonya. Thank you so much for sharing your innermost world with us 💚 An energy healer once told us (i can't remember where this was) that having bad dreams during sleep is a catharsis, so it is preferable that it happens then, otherwise they would happen more in our conscious everyday life. It sounds, then, like your mind is sorting things out and trying to recalibrate. The flying dreams i'm unsure about. I have them, too and i feel like it might be some kind of freedom we are yearning for.
Thanks so much, Jo. I would agree with that catharsis theory--especially if you can remain conscious enough of the dreams to differentiate between the dream world and the waking one. And I'm fascinated by the different ways people are having flying dreams. I've heard from a couple people now who had them in times when they needed escape, and I think it shows a kind of faith in yourself, that you have the ability to 'fly away' when you need to.
Many years ago we lived on the northern plains of Montana in a drafty old farmhouse. I worked at an Indian reservation but after our children were born we moved to a beautiful valley in western Colorado. For many years after the move, I would have a recurring dream that we somehow goofed up our Colorado lives and we had to nove back to our old cold and windy lives on the “high line” of eastern Montana
I now realize that that was a period where I was focusing on looking backwards.
It’s funny, The dream evaporated from my dreamscape years ago but now when we look back at our days on the northern plains, they seem like our most fun times.
Great essay Tonya !. And I’m sure you will be airborne again sometime soon
By the way , I We love Juke..♥️
I heard a good line recently, regarding the past: "You should look back, but don't stare." I think sometimes our brains have to stare backwards, after something big has happened, just in order to make sense of it all. But then, as we recover, that gaze moves on. After a while, the past becomes something we can look at lightly, without being drawn in. Or at least, that's what I'm thinking is the point of all these dreams, yours included.
When your brain was still looking backwards, when you had those Montana dreams, it had its reasons. There was something you needed to learn from yourself. You were able to learn it and move past Montana--I seem to be recovering from my dreams now too. I'm so grateful for that. Some people get stuck in their own past, and never move on. There's nothing worse than a life spent staring ponderously backwards.
It sounds like you have a good view on things now. A sign of wisdom.
Thanks so much for the kind words, Jim, and for your support. --T
♥️🙏🏽
Wow! Great piece. I feel like so many people would love to be able to understand their dreams and express it the way you do. Lots to think about here!
Thanks, Jodie!
"Dreams are a window into the injuries of the mind; they are an instrument of its ability to heal." What an exquisite thought, one that helps my heart to heal & soar today. What a beautiful piece, Tonya. A window into your strong, lovely psyche. Thank you! & I take pleasure that we both had a parent who was "hard-wired for happiness" ~ your dear mom & my dear departed dad. Gifts beyond price.
Thanks so much, Ellen, and you're so right. I'm so grateful to have that model for joy.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful words, Connie. You're so right that there is symbolic power in the means of escape, and whether the escapee is active (a driver) or passive (a passenger) as she leaves. There is so much depth to the details of those dreams. I'm grateful that you were able to find your own escape, and I'm very glad you enjoyed the piece today.