catapult magazine

Greetings.

Wanted to bring up the subject of dreams. I have often wondered why God designed our human bodies to require 8 or so hours of sleep a night (which, frankly, has seemed like a waste of time to me a lot of the time) unless there was some deeper purpose to them.

Dreams, then? Seems like through the Bible, God used dreams to communicate many times to many people. Does He still do that today? Do dreams have some deeper meaning, outside of the conventional ?subconscious mind talking? theory? What ARE dreams, anyway? Does anyone have any first-hand experience with God communicating through their dreams? Thoughts? Intuitions?

Actually, yeah. I don’t think I want to be specific, but I had one dream once in which I felt that God had a message for me concerning one area of my life. It was pretty metaphorical, and still weird, the way many dreams are. But there was an undeniable message behind it that fit my life then and now. I can’t explain it, and I don’t want to heighten it to anything close to “miracle” level, as I find that to be more a catchword these days than holding actual meaning, but yes. I think I have heard God’s proverbial whisper in a dream I had.

I love dreams. I remember them and they entertain my husband when I relay them over dinner. Last night, for instance, I had a dream that we bought 40 acres of land with an incredible view for only $60,000. What a joke. Anyhoo.

Seriously, however, I believe I’ve worked through the garbage of a previous relationship in my dreams. For two years in college I dated a guy who was dreamboat material on the outside and an emotional and verbal psychopath on the inside. Needless to say, I was completely fooled for awhile, then found myself trying to figure out ways to get out of the relationship intact. Obviously, I made it.

However, a lot of things went unsaid. I harbored a lot of anger, resentment and, to a degree, fear towards this person. Years ago my dreams about him consisted primarily of my frantically trying to get away from him – being chased, secretly plotting, etc. I’d wake up anxious and relieved it was a dream. As the years went on, my dreams changed. I distinctly remember the first night I dreamed I kicked his ass, literally. I beat him up. I felt so good the next day, like I’d made some big psychological leap. From then on, my dreams consisted of my laughing at him, rejecting him and … getting away from him. I recall having a few chase dreams where I actually got away from him before waking up (unlike the earlier dreams). Then my dreams switched to those of ambivalence. Of seeing him and not fearing, hating or liking him. Of putting him in his place as I would any person getting out of line with me these days. It was amazing the progression my dreams made. I didn’t quite realize it until recently when I noticed I haven’t had a dream about this person in some time. Thank goodness.

I think God knew I was never going to be fully open about my former relationship with anyone but myself, due to pride and embarrassment and wanting to put it behind me. However, it wasn’t good for me to let my feelings fester. I think my dreams helped me make psychological, healing leaps to get me past the situation “on my own” – but not really on my own.

That’s my little story.

Wow!! Those are both really amazing accounts of dreams. I really do buy into the idea that dreams are operating on a sub-conscious level. While we are sleeping, our mind is at rest and certain feelings and thoughts get past the “censor”. Sometimes we can learn so much about ourselves this way.

Just to throw in something else: Freud says in “Interpretation of Dreams” that dreams are always wish-fulfillments and that they are composed of the words we heard throughout our waking day. Sometimes we put other people’s words into a different person’s mouth in our dreams and we can interpret the way we really feel about people that way.

It might be fun for people to do their dream journals on *cino and we could take turns interpreting them.

I find Freud to be a bit out to lunch. With that in mind, why don’t you go first Grant.

Hey, I’ll do a dream journal – but I agree, Dr. Grant gets to start. :)

Norbert – did Amy have those pregnant lady dreams? I would dream about leaving my baby in all sorts of places by accident. Obviously, I was freaking out about the impending responsibility of my child. Although I’d like to think of myself as a complex individual (HA!), my dreams (so far) have been pretty straight forward. Ho hum.

Hey Grant, what does Freud say about dreams about losing one’s teeth? Not that I have these kinds of dreams …. ahem ….

I had a dream last night (JoybirdV, my wife, already heard this one this morning) that I came out of a meeting and turned on my palm pilot to enter some info in. Instead I found a game on my trusty Palm, and decided to play. I was navigating a space ship towards a planet, through meteors and “enemy” space ships and as I entered the atmosphere I “entered” the game and became a part of it. My ship continued to plunge toward the planet and as I cleared the clouds wrapping the planet, I found my target: a circular structure very remeniscent of the Romulan High Court found in the opening of the new Star Trek: Nemesis film. Any how, I engaged my weapons and began blasting the building and all of it’s inhabitants only to hear, as I swept over the smouldering rubble the faint tune of “Jesus Loves The Little Children”. I had just destroyed a worshipping body of believers on another planet. I awoke as they captured me and prepared to incarcerate me.

Anyone want to take that one on?

I think it’s about sex.

Norbert, you might be right. The attack sequence does have falic symbolism. He “entered the atmosphere” and “entered” the game and became a part of it." The target: “a circular structure.” All guns away! Also interesting is the subsequent imagery of the violation of innocence and virginity. Humm. Ok, now all you boring anti-Freudians can cut me down.