Foreign Nights & Bright Lights

I've never traveled outside of the states, yet this past month my dreams have taken me on two adventures to foreign lands. A few weeks back I recall floating down a river in Russia, fighting against the raging waters to little avail; and last night I dreamt that I was attending a funeral in Japan, except I did not recognize the man everyone was mourning over. The ceremony was packed full of people, some Japanese and others American - all of which paying regards to the family by offering white and pink flowers. The glass ceiling was so tall I could not fathom the height, but instead felt washed out by the overpowering amount of light that entered the room. Moments later, I bumped into someone I knew - our Student Engineer, who told me he just finished setting up for the video presentation. At that time, everything transformed to black except for a huge screen in front of me which played visuals that felt all too familiar. Even though I had never watched the show before, an awkward feeling of deja vu overcame my body, as if I knew what was going to happen next. These feelings faded as I became entranced by a spectacular display of vivid images - waterfalls, sunsets and peaceful scenes.

The order of elements in dreams may not always make sense, but I try to recall the aspects which stand out the most. Foreign, Funeral, Flowers and Bright Light are a few components which I feel could symbolize the surface of my subconscious.

FUNERAL: According to the Dream Mood dictionary, "To dream that you are at the funeral of an unknown person suggests that something in your life is supposed to put to rest or put aside so that you can make room for something new."


FLOWERS: "To see colorful flowers in your dream signifies kindness, compassion, gentleness, pleasure, beauty, and gain. It is also symbolic of perfection and spirituality. Your dream may be an expression of love, joy and happiness. Alternatively, flowers may denote a particular time or season. If the flowers are white, then it symbolizes sadness. Consider the color of the flower and the type of flower for additional analysis."

FOREIGNER: To see a foreigner in your dream, represents an aspect of yourself that is unfamiliar or strange to you. You may be neglecting or ignoring some important feelings or talents.

BRIGHT LIGHT:
"To see light in your dream represents illumination, clear mind, guidance, plain understanding,and insight. Light is being shed on a once cloudy situation or problem. You have found the truth to a situation or an answer to a problem. Also consider the color of the light for additional significance.

To see a bright light in your dream, indicates that you need to move toward a higher level of awareness and feeling. Bright light dreams are sometimes common for those who are near death."

While none of these may be perfectly accurate, they provide insight into an otherwise confusing and complex arena hidden within.

The Snow Leopard Returns

Ever since I was a kid I've had dreams of flying. When I encounter this type of dream I usually realize it right away (It's kind of a giveaway though when your flying on a a roller coaster that bolts you out of the Ville to KC in about 30 seconds.)

Funny thing is, I've always had this extreme fear of heights. In waking life I want to conquer this fear so badly that it sent me to the ledge of the Sears Tower, the tip of Pikes Peak and tumbling out of a plane at 13,000 feet in the air. These experiences were breathtaking, but none of them really helped me overcome my anxiety. Standing on the top of a ladder still sends chills down my spine.

Somehow, when I have dreams of flying I don't think twice about my fear. In my most recent flight, I vividly landed on top of a snowy mountain where I came up to a majestic snow leopard. A white blizzard overtook the pristine blue and purple skyline in the distance and I spotted a cliff. I felt a strong force holding me back from saving the leopard, yet at the same time my eyes were locked on this scene. A cold wind blasted me away and I woke up moments later.

This dream has been lingering in my mind for quite a few weeks, but the environment was so intriguing that I looked it up the very next day. This is an actual clip from my dream journal, dated 1.7.10

The internet says snow leopards represent an aspect of ourselves thriving in an environment others would consider harsh, and represents “strength of action” or “personal power” through silence and decisiveness. In my dream, there was snow all around but it felt like part of my element.

I probably had this dream because I was checking out images of the Aurora Borealis in Alaska. There's this wicked place with hot springs I'm planning on visiting once I graduate. Woot, woot!

Any thoughts on what this dream could mean are appreciated. :)

Do You Dream?

Many types of dreams exist. Daydreams. Lucid dreams. Future aspirations or life dreams. Dreams of fortune, flying or falling that magically manifest while we sleep. This is where I plan to store the content of my dreams - personal, professional and certainly sleep-tastical. So before I embark on this journey, I'll leave you with a couple quotes that sparked my interest in pursuing my dreams.

Dreams are today's answers to tomorrow's questions. ~Edgar Cayce

Dreaming is an act of pure imagination, attesting in all men a creative power, which if it were available in waking, would make every man a Dante or Shakespeare. ~H.F. Hedge

In a dream you are never eighty. ~Anne Sexton

Dreams are free, so free your dreams. ~Astrid Alauda