[A picture depicting an ocean of dreams]
Having studied psychology at university I was given the opportunity to learn the scholarly definitions and academic discussions of what dreams are. The name that every idiot throws around instantly is Freud. So Freud called dreams ‘the royal road to the unconscious’ and the gist of his theories on dreams was that they were an expression of impulses and images collected unconsciously throughout the course of ones day. Other theories have put forward on the purpose that dreams serve, such as clearing out the useless data that the brain no longer requires, or working out a problem that the conscious mind hasn’t been able to.
Move aside from academia, I am a believer in many things outside of science. What if dreams are something more? Not saying that they are, but what if? Many cultures have often viewed dreams as being a way that messages are passed from beyond the physical world that we live in. In case you are wondering, I love a bit of supernatural and weirdness in my life. It’s interesting and how boring would life be if everything was quantifiable and proven?
I’m someone that has always had weird dreams, and in November 2011 I had one of significant weirdness due to its accuracy and vividness. I dreamt of a friend who I haven’t seen for at least 6 years, we are in touch through facebook and occasionally through BBM (the instant messaging service between blackberry’s). In this dream we were sat in a drama studio, we found some steps out the way and she started to talk to me. She was telling me of a death she had experience in her life in the last year, and within the last few months she had ended a relationship. There was a third point she made in the dream but I couldn’t remember when I woke up. I sent her a BBM message at 4am! By the time she’d woken up and I’d told her about my dream she was weirded out as there was no way I would have known that. I even went on facebook after this and looked through her wall just in case I had subconsciously picked the information up…nothing of the sort indicated on her facebook.
The psychology graduate in me just put forward many theories, but none of them made sense. Coincidence? That was the favourite explanation by everyone, who knows? It did get me thinking about theories of astral projection though.
[Astral Projection - detching ones soul from the body]
Astral projection is better interpreted as an out of body experience. What I love about the idea of astral projection is that it supposes the body to be a shell, and the soul to be something within it. I could transcend out of my body onto a plane where other souls from the past, present and future exists…(note I don’t believe in this stuff but I find it interesting). Stories and references to such occurrences have appeared in religious and cultural texts throughout the world. What if I had left my body and met my friend in some spirit plane and we’d conversed, and she had poured her heart out to me?
Other dreams I have had recently have been bizarre. I have no interest in Ireland, which is the island next door to mainland UK. But I had a dream as if I was looking at Google maps, and I zoomed in on an area that sits on the coast across from England. Next thing I knew I was there and there was the most beautiful colourful fields, with trees and there was a river flowing over rocks. In fact I can picture it right now very clearly. But there was nothing else in this dream! I was just there, this random beautiful place! Where was my future goldmine? My future wife? Was this dream a calling to go there or to stay away?
In the same night I also dreamt of a future lottery taking place in China. The scene was very dark, there were fences and the people’s faces were covered with dirt. It seemed like a post apocalyptic movie scene, quite hard hitting. Hardly the prosperous country the economists are predicting it to become. However, the lottery was for the sum of $3 billion. Imagine how happy the winner will be huh!? I’m not even from the U.S. so why wasn't the currency in Pound Sterling?
[post apocolyptic scene]
I have an interest in money, and when I think about the Chinese people in my normal and rational ‘awake’ state, I agree in that they will be people from a very prosperous nation. So what was this dream? My brain subconsciously thinking there will be a lottery, an astral projection to the future where the masses will be desperate and poor, and one person will get given $3 billion to fix their problems?
I don’t know. But dreams are very interesting. As they remain one of those things that we will never know the truth about. Can they ever be quantified? Neuropsychologists have attempted to measure the brain activity in dreamers, but you cannot bring the image of my conscious to a screen.
Does reality have to be physical? Or can we live in another world, like a dream place? I can’t answer this question without sounding like a mad man, but two very interesting movies which I’ll palm you off onto are The Matrix, and Inception. Both explore a very crazy field of existence. What if? Dun dun duuuuun! (my attempt at replicating suspense music with words).
[The Matric coding]
Think Matrix, what if I am plugged into some machine that creates a reality in my skull, and the programme skipped by accident and I saw a glimpse into the future planned reality of China?
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