Dreaming is a tool that is often misunderstood.
We don’t all know why we dream. If we did, we could put this source to good use. Yet, those of us who resist dreaming or the urge to dream may instead destroy, erase, kill-off any concepts we don’t understand. Today, I learned that dreaming is a universal language. I marveled. How could this be? Better yet — what the heck are you talking about? Let me explain…
I discovered that dreaming is an universal language when I realized that at times my life may have been empty, void and without the capacity to articulate the experience of having nothing or nothingness. What was easy for me to identify with was the fact that I still had my dreams, I still dreamed and my dreams helped me to move forward. At times, I would hesitate to say which was more real, my dream world or my everyday physical attachment to my non-dreaming world. My dreams gave me freedom. Freedom to be what ever I chose. At times, who ever I chose to be. It still spills out in my daily language today. You may hear me say “I once was.. this or that” and for me, I was.
Now, I will link this to the universality of language. I love to visit art exhibitions, or art shows as an example. Not long after I have viewed other artists work I get the spiritual enrichment of the experience of art. What does this mean? I know, it sounds occult right? What I am simply saying is “In other words” is that I just made the universal language connection. I am in the mist of the works of me, my peeps, my world. Dreams voiced out in the open, out loud. They did not squander these dreams… You will often hear artist even express a direct point that their art comes from dreaming. As I often refer to the same. It (dreaming) , in itself is a canvas. It, in itself alone can tell you much about an artist determination. It, in itself can often tell you… With all the fragmentations that dreaming provides the, “I am still able to communicate with you” level of intention.
I look to other artist to experience the presence of: “You see — your dreams have always been okay. I bare witness to this, my gift expressed to you this day is a communication that could not be hidden, told that it doesn’t matter, overridden by the chaos of loud voices, undecided due to my race or gender. I expressed a fragment of my dreams and it is okay.” In fact you may feel this communication is intended to be expressed in such a manner that you no longer feel compelled to hide your true understanding of what you “know”, that some day you may be lead to the freeing of your mind! This universal language is so powerful, that others who DREAM know it when they see it or hear it.
I attended a conference this weekend and was struck immediately by the ability of Dreamers #MAWC2017 who dared to dream boldly presenting their dreams in a public setting as artist do. Sharing dreams is a gift an experience over which you will never get… and “JR” Ridinger and his lovely wife Loren (many thanks!), who I now label as artists, spoke to me in the language of dreams. Utopia, first begins with a dream and sometimes, the dream is bigger than we are (the dreamer). For that very reason we spread our dreams universally, without fear as it is the “WHY” to our lives. It is Why we get up each day, mission clear, vision-aware ready to present our gifts.
I too appreciate what we can do through dreams. I have used dreams to clarify thoughts or expand them. Years ago, as a grant writer, I kept paper and pen in my bed to write my dreams and then present them as proposals. Dreams often untangle life situations which perplex us in the waking world. They sometimes are dreamt while awake, shutting out environmental intrusions. It’s like a movie played behind my eyes that puts all the scenes in proper sequence. This happens in visual and written artistic pursuits, as well as problem solving.
Beautifully written. I gather that dreaming for you is tool by which you solve, resolve and live in your artistic pursuits.