The interpretation of dreams
Thank you for attempting to explain the riddle of dreams, which has puzzled our artists and writers since at least medieval times (don’t get me started on medieval dream poetry. Not as in I have an axe to grind, like ‘don’t get me started on tax-dodgers’. Just in the more literal-minded sense of ‘don’t get me started or you’ll have a boring time listening to me). A few people went so far as to divulge their own dreams. I’m always looking to find my vocation, and dream-interpretation seems to be something of an inexact science (to be kind), so by all means keep posting your dreams and I shall in a few days attempt to decode them, using my powers of making things up. It would be great to find I’ve got a talent I didn’t know of. Also, it would be worth having an ongoing log for readers’ dreams, because the more of them you record, the more you apparently remember. So there you go.
I’m about to leave this lovely country and fly home (also, of course, lovely). If you’ll excuse me, I shall now recommence the getting together of my shit, as I believe they say these days. Would you mind just leaning on that suitcase while I try the zip?
Oh. Aussies – I’m on Nine tonight, on Between The Lines. It is a sports quiz. So this is only of interest to anyone reading in Australia AND not averse to sports-talk. Two of you?
Posted by Aislinn on May 21, 2011
Many a brief dream, because I have the weirdest ones:
1. Me and my brother had to rescue our Mum from some ogres in a castle, but her head was unnaturally large and wouldn’t fit in the car, so we had to feed her down through the sun roof with her head left sticking out. Also she was making a racket and we were worried the ogres might wake up.
2. I was in my high school, buying calculators from a vending machine. Then my Spanish teacher made me and my friend (as a punishment for this) serve cakes to people in the hall, who were listening to Pink, the singer, and a Fame Academy reject.
3. I was having a sleepover with lots of strangers from Southend when my grandparents announced they were also having a sleepover with their friends. We decided they’d go in the living room and we’d go in my bedroom but then all of a sudden we were all in a swimming pool, along with a weird customer from my days of working at Sainsburys, and then there were rats in the bottom of the pool and we had to get out.
Make of them what you will.
Posted by Georgie on May 20, 2011
I am both in Australia and not overly averse to sports talk however I will be at a Ben Folds concert in St Kilda tonight. Exciting. Will have to catch your appearance online, I think. x
Posted by Kate W on May 20, 2011
Hope your flight’s smooth and swiftly over (or a lengthy oasis of booze and DVDs, depending on your preference).
Posted by Catherine aka Cathy on May 19, 2011
More recurring themes:
My father died 25 years ago, but when I dream about him, he is still alive. He may be sick or terminal, but he’s always alive.
I have had end-of-the-world dreams many times, but don’t remember details.
I dream that I have to throw something, but can’t ever let go of the object for fear I will only throw it to the ground.
I dream of finding an endless supply of coins in the ground, but I have to dig for them.
Posted by Helen on May 19, 2011
I once dreamt it was raining really hard and it turned into a massive storm. Suddenly, it became very clear that this was the end of the world. Everyone took to the streets and ran but no one knew where to run to or why we were running but we just kept on going. I grabbed the hand of a stranger and then suddenly a portal opened and we ran together toward it, the rain getting really hard now, and it was closing and closing and we leapt into the air and just made it through in time, leaving many people behind us.
Then we were in this theatre with a small number of people and I turned to look to see who this stranger was. And do you know, it was Russell Brand. And everyone was cheering saying ‘Russell made it!’. And we had a great celebration that we had survived. A few days passsed and we all lived in this theatre but could go back through the portal and visit those who didn’t make it, because they now lived in a giant heart shaped swimming pool.
ANALYSE THAT. (If you like).
Do hope your flight is most splendid.
Posted by Josie on May 19, 2011
I am actually quite looking forward to your interpretation of my “sister-is-dead” dream. I also had a dream that I was late to my exam last night, but I suppose that one’s kind of obvious.
Posted by Natalie-Helen on May 19, 2011
Have the most safe and comfortable journey home that you possibly can on such a long flight.
I got a new bed sort of recently. And since then I have had some of the most epic dreams. I can normally remember them for a bit and sometimes get that control bit when you’re about to wake up, when you can direct them yourself.
Most recent that springs to mind was being in a single old fashioned train carriage. Floating in an apparently endless and very calm sea with a friend and the Beta Males. We weren’t concerned about being stuck in a train carriage at sea. And it seemed like the most normal thing in the world…
By the way! Do you know what sort of time the novel reading thing will start at Forles Charing Cross. Only I get back from a festival that day so might not have showered…
x
Posted by Kathryn on May 19, 2011
Medieval dream poetry is so interesting!
No, seriously. Apart from Piers Plowman, which is a bit dull after the first few Passus, I really like it. It was one of the most random and interesting things I’ve studied this year. Although quite clearly no one actually dreams huge theological allegories. Or maybe they do, I don’t know.
English nerdery over.
Posted by Someone on May 19, 2011
I have a recurring dream of a massive house with loads and loads of secret rooms, but it’s always the same house with roughly same layout. I also for a while kept dreaming about beds, like there’d be loads of beds in whatever setting I was in. My mate told me that was to do with sex, but I think it’s probably more to do with me being tired. I don’t think people can say one symbol like a bed definitely means something else. Not everything is black and white. Especially when it comes to such a complex thing as an individual’s subconscious.
The other night I dreamt my toy frog came alive and killed another toy, then we went on an adventure and realised we were in a tiny microscopic version of the real world, and there were labels on the roads and things, like they were just toy versions.
Oh and last night I dreamt I was at a concert and I went over to say hi to one of my favourite bands (a made up band) and got to sit with him on a couch for the rest of the concert. (God knows who was on stage). It was nice.
That’s my problem, my dreams are always nice so I’m never happy waking up. But I suppose that’s the alternative to always having bad dreams, as some people have said, and being glad that you’ve woken up. (I once made up a whole person. He was awesome. And then you have to wake up and that awesome person doesn’t exist. In a way, it’s like they’ve died. (Yes, I’m sane.)) I also heard that every single face in your dream is taken from real life and that your mind is incapable of making up new faces. Don’t know if that’s true. Could have heard it from this very blog for all I know!
ALSO while I’m rambling, two of the weirdest sensations of my life have been, once waking up crying because I’d dreamt my best friend at the time wasn’t real. She was a robot sort of ghost thing, and her family had to break it to me. I was very upset. And the other was waking up laughing because my brother had told me a joke. (But when I woke up I realised it wasn’t actually funny at all.) Anyone else experienced that? Sorry, but dream interpretation is too good an opportunity to miss. :]
Posted by Allie on May 19, 2011
Good luck with your shit gathering Mark, hope your case doesn’t burst open at the airport!
Back onto the dream theme…. I had a dream this week, I was in my bedroom when I heard my sons shouting “mum whats happening?” I could feel the house moving as though it was spinning, I went to a window and all of the other houses had thick black smoke coming out of the chimneys… I knew (for some inexplicable reason) that this meant the end of the world, and screamed at my boys to run to my bedroom, when we looked out of the window in that room, everyone else had died and their corpses were floating around in the street. Then every thing went completely black and it felt as though we were falling really quickly through the earth…… Then I woke up!! I was terrified!!!
I’d love to hear your theory on this one.
Posted by Rachel on May 19, 2011
So, I missed yesterday’s post, which is rubbish because I’ve actually been studying dreams in Psychology. Basically, dreams are thought to be the unconscious mind. There are certain symbols in dreams that can mean certain things in the conscious mind. I’m taking my dream dictionary on the Psychology trip to Poland, my classmates keep getting me to analyse their dreams for them using it
Posted by Misha on May 19, 2011
I don’t remember last nights dream.
If I had one.
I did however today see a horse dreaming. She was flat out on the floor snoring and twitching. Very funny to watch.
Posted by Rachael on May 19, 2011
Hurry up, you have 3 weeks of the apprentice catch up on!
Posted by Simone on May 19, 2011
Don’t lean too hard. I flew back to London from Perth on Saturday and got my little sister to sit on my suitcase – ended up snapping my new sunglasses. To be fair, they probably should’ve been in my hand luggage. Happy flying.
Posted by Miz on May 19, 2011
I’m quite glad to hear the phrase ‘so by all means keep posting your dreams’, most of my friends are a bit sick of hearing about my imaginary adventures in dreamland!
I once did some lucid dreaming once, that was cool. I fell out from an aeroplane but managed to make myself bounce off the ground – much better than that time I put six bullets into a special forces officer.
Have a safe flight back
Posted by amycool on May 19, 2011
I’m relieved to see that many of us have these hideous terrifying depressing dreams and not just me. My boyfriend never remembers any of his but I wake up with about 2 hours worth of material every day. Sometimes I dream whole episodes of TV shows I like but usually it’s post-apocalyptic terror that never ends.
The worst are the ones where you’re in physical pain in real life and I’ve had dreams where I’ve suffocated many times and then woken up to find I’m having an asthma attack. Fucking terrifying.
Apologies by the way for not having posted on here for ages. Still in moving into new house mode.