Dream Interpretation - Problem solving is a dream

Dearest Dreamers,

In our waking lives, we sometimes find ourselves slogging away, working through the ups, downs and often tricky ground of personalities, politics and problems.  We may feel as though we are making headway, only to discover that we’ve worked our way around a circle and made no progress at all.

Our Dreaming Selves offer us a higher perspective, almost as though that part of ourselves sees the lay of the land around us from a helicopter’s vantage point.  Using the beautiful language of metaphor, our dreams sum up confounding situations and direct us to openings and inroads we simply cannot see from ground level.

People from all walks of life have relied upon their dreams when in need of inspiration for solving problems with inventions, innovations or when in need of creative impetus.  Movie makers, songwriters, visual artists and scientists are among the most notable:

John Lennon and Paul McCartney attribute some of their iconic music and song lyrics to the stuff of their dreams.  These include McCartney’s “Yesterday,” the most covered song in music history and Lennon’s “#9 Dream.”  Keith Richards tells of dreaming the riff to the Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”

Surrealist painter Salvador Dali called many of his works "hand-painted dream photographs." With images of melting clocks in his "Persistence of Memory," Dali illustrates his idea that our concept of time becomes arbitrary when we're in a dream state.

Movie maker Richard Linklater of “Boyhood” fame credits his dreams for a previous, well-received animated feature “Waking Life.”  And Director Christopher Nolan took the inspiration for his 2010 psychological thriller “Inception” from his own lucid dreams.  

Some of our most famous and acclaimed authors, including Maurice Sendak, perhaps best known for his children’s book Where the Wild Things Are and SueGrafton of the alphabet mystery series A Is for Alibi, B Is for Burglar, C Is for Corpse…H Is for Homicide speak about their dreams’ influence on their work.

Nobel laureate James Watson reported stumbling upon the double helix image for the DNA chain through his dream of a spiral staircase.

Our dreams are not only beautiful and lyrical, but their practical use for problem solving and creative generation of solutions ranges across art, science and literature.  It doesn’t take a giant leap of faith to know that productive and accomplished people across all endeavors can and do employ their dreams, tapping depths of creativity and insight into their work.

Why not you, Dear Dreamer?  No doubt you have faced or are facing a challenge in your life.  Consider that your Dreaming Self can be helpful in giving you perspective on the problem.  As Stephen King says, a dream may offer an angle on the issue that you just cannot see without it!

If these talented and noteworthy persons rely on their dreams for insights and assistance, we too can add them to our toolbox of methods for working resourcefully on the perplexing problems of our daily lives.

Sweet Dreams to You!

Dreamers are not alone!

Famous dreamer John Lennon

Dear Dreamers,

Can you think of anyone you know who hasn’t puzzled over the cryptic images of a dream?  Research shows that everyone dreams every night!  Some say they never remember their dreams.  Too bad for them!  They’re missing a wealth of readily available revelations and inventiveness. 

References to dreams are all around us and have been since the beginning of time.  Cultures across the globe, from primitive to advanced, have reported their dreams and relied on them to be visionary and stimulating in every facet of life. 

So the current fascination with dreams in the United States is not new, but dreams are ever fresh and rich in layers of meaning, as well as a deep reservoir of inspiration.

Consider these examples of creativity based in the dreams of well-known artists:  Both John Lennon and Paul McCartney attribute the source of some of their extensive playlist to their dreams.  For example, John Lennon said that he heard the lyrics to his song “#9 Dream,” in a dream.  And his writing partner Paul McCartney attributes the tune for “Yesterday,” his most often covered song, to a dream.  He woke with it complete in his mind, went straight to the piano and worked it out on the keyboard.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the dreamlike artwork of Salvador Dali was inspired by his dreams.  One of his most famous works, “Persistence of Memory,” depicts Dali’s conception of time as it felt in his dreams.  Indeed, Dali expressed his deep reverence for dreams when he said, “One day it will have to be officially admitted that what we have christened reality is an even greater illusion than the world of dreams,”

Acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan, of “Matrix” among others, credits his experiences with lucid dreams for the inspiration for his expansive and complex movie about lucid dreaming, “Inception.”  In both films, Nolan, much like Dali, challenges the traditional concepts of dreaming and waking, depicting them as interchangeable, each influencing the other.  

          

When he was recovering from critical injuries suffered after being hit by a minivan while on his evening constitutional, Stephen King got the idea for his story “Dreamcatcher” from a series of dreams he had about four guys in a cabin in the woods.  One cannot help wondering if all those scary stories King wrote reflect many years of nightmares!

Even this tiny sample from the arts makes it clear that all of us who marvel at our nightly sojourns are in good company.  The quality and caliber of those who ponder dreams and are inspired by them is exemplary.  You are among the stars, Dear Dreamers!

To expand your dreaming horizons even more, I suggest exploring the International Association for the Study of Dreams at www.asdreams.org.  There you will find depth and breadth in the investigation of dreams, from the clinical analysis of the biological and psychological origins of dreams, to the soaring spiritual implications of our universal, human experience.

Sweet Dreams to you, Dear Dreamers!

SMYD

sendmeyourdreams@yahoo.com