Meerkat Prompts: What’s in a Dream?
Throughout the history of Meerkat Musings I have written of my dreams. There have been some epic nocturnal adventures, including zombie apocalypse dreams, creepy clown dreams, sweeping fantasy dreams, intense sci-fi dreams, emotional dreams, and… well, lets call them romantic dreams.
There are many notions as to what dreams mean. Some people consider them windows to the soul. Others see them as the brain’s way of sifting through the events and experiences of any given day, though quite what compels my brain to conjure up dreams of scaling Mount Doom after a long day at work is anybody’s guess. Considering the disparate nature of my days as compared to my nights, I don’t know if my subconscious is filtering anything!
Often, my dreams seem to bear no connection to the events of the day or even the week. The zombie apocalypse dreams are certain among the forerunners for ‘where did that crazy shit come from?’ How about the dream where my wife, daughter and I were at a holiday park, and then within the dream we wound up at a seance, where I proceeded to have some kind of strange encounter with the ‘other side’? That was a sensationally trippy dream, and I have no idea what brought it on.
Then again, sometimes my dreams do connect to my regular activities, or at least, they sort of do. I’ve had plenty of dreams about work, including one where I turned up to work naked, and no one batted an eye! Sometimes I’ve had dreams of past jobs, which can feel a bit antsy, though not always. I once had a dream where I got up, got ready for work, and left the house, only to then wake up for real. Not the most exciting occasion.
One of my most peculiar dreams was an extremely emotional one. I knew a man who I helped out with some printer and tech stuff from time to time. Sadly he passed away several years ago, and shortly after he did, I had a dream where I agreed to act as a conduit for his soul, so he could have one final dance with his wife. I think the setting for this dream was my Nan’s home, which added another layer of feeling to everything, but what I recall the most was as my friend’s spirit was leaving me, his wife was asking about about the significance of a number, and I couldn’t tell her. She became very upset, which made me very upset, and I woke up with tears in my eyes. I’ve had nightmares wake me up, but never before had a dream woken me from sheer, breathless emotion.
I didn’t react in the same way, but another dream that left me feeling… well, happy, I guess, was of going to the pub with my Dad and Grandad. By this stage, my Grandad had long-since passed, and there was a strange quality to the dream, as though it was sort of a reunion.
I’ve had a few dreams where I’ve been hunted by Terminators, including one that started out in a completely different fashion. I was at the wedding reception of my cousin, enjoying the proceedings, without any hint as to the direction the dream would take, when out of nowhere a Terminator – I forget which one – burst through a wall and starting coming after me.
Where else do I go with this, without ballooning this post? Well, at the risk of turning proceedings a little bit not-suitable-for-work, yes, I’ve had those dreams, as pretty much every man will have at some stage. The odd thing with one of these in particular is that the ‘trigger’ was completely out of the blue. I was doing nothing more exotic in the dream than looking to buy fish and chips, when suddenly… it happened. I like fish and chips, but not to the point of the big O!
So, what might be my most memorable dream? That’s a hard one to pin down, since I have had so many that have stood out. I guess I am fortunate enough to remember them, a privilege that not everyone enjoys, and it is hard to pick just one. I once had a dream where an old school mate and I were sipping cocktails at a bar in Florida, laughing and chatting on a cloudless night. That dream was so vivid, I woke up and wondered if we’d actually done that. We haven’t, yet the dream felt so real it could have passed for a memory.
Another dream – and this might qualify as a contender for the most memorable – saw me come face-to-face with God (I can only imagine what some of my more religious commentators will make of that). The location was a Church near Victoria train station, and for reasons I don’t recall now, I was invited to look upon… well, it was either a document or a seal, and when I moved it, I saw some kind of blinding light. When the light faded, the previously normal London setting was an apocalyptic setting. Maybe this is a sign for me to never, ever, looking up holy relics at this particular Church?
So, what does any of that actually mean? Does it mean anything? Are my dreams a chaotic collection of disparate thoughts and feelings, rarely linking up to my real-life experiences? Are they possibly metaphors for my hopes and emotions? Do dreams provide the brain with the means to sort and sift, bringing greater clarify the following day? I for one don’t have the answers to any of this, but what I am curious to know is, what about you, my dear ‘kats? What of your dreams? As ever, feel free to drop a comment below!
